Comparison

Starseed vs ArcEmu

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Starseed

Features
Read full description

ACCOLADES: 9/10 - TouchArcade 9/10 - AppAdvice Bronze Award - PocketGamer SCENARIO: Pilot the Starseed and perform attack runs on massive dreadnoughts in the depths of space! Each vanquished dreadnought brings forth a new Starseed form and new weapon types! FEATURES: - Nine playable Starseeds! - Nine huge dreadnoughts to defeat! - Old-skool arcade presentation and effects! - Game Center Leaderboards and Achievements! - Nine amazing chip tunes from @FracturesAudio! - Risk/reward bullet-grazing combo system to master! - Absolutely NO Ads or IAPS CREDITS: Developed by @egvroom EPILEPSY WARNING: This game contains flashing images that could potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy.

About

ArcEmu

Experience retro gaming on your Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. This emulator supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. Enjoy features like multiplayer, cheats, and customizable controls.

Highlights
  • Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
  • Multiplayer support
  • Cheat codes
  • Customizable on-screen controls
  • Save State sharing
  • iCloud support
Features
Read full description

Turn your Apple Watch into a retro game console. Play Game Boy, NES, SNES, Genesis, and more on your wrist, with multi-touch controls and the Digital Crown. ArcEmu also runs on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. ▸ SUPPORTED CONSOLES Included for free: - Game Boy - Game Boy Color - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Available through in-app purchases: - Game Boy Advance - Pokémon Mini - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) - Atari 2600 - Sega Mega Drive / Genesis - Sega Master System - Sega Game Gear - Sega SG-1000 ▸ MULTIPLAYER AND LINK CABLE Play home-console games online and locally with friends, or link Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games over the internet. Game Link Cable supports up to four players in compatible games. Online play requires a Game Center account. ▸ SHARE ROMs WITH A CODE Import your ROMs on iPhone, keep them in iCloud, and download them directly to Apple Watch or Apple TV. Share them through iCloud using a code, including with an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup. ▸ SCREEN AND CONTROLS Move and resize the game screen, choose an LCD or CRT filter, and set up the controls the way you like them. On Apple Watch, use multi-touch controls, customize the control layout, and assign actions to the Digital Crown. On iPhone and iPad, adjust button positions and transparency, and play in any orientation. Connect a controller and customize its button mappings, or use a second controller on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. ArcEmu also supports iPhone Duo. ▸ MORE FEATURES - Accurate, high-performance emulation - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Cheat codes with a built-in database of popular codes - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom Game Boy color palettes - Button hold/sustain - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone ▸ YOUR ROMs AND SAVES Keep your collection organized with per-console folders, sorting, and search. Import ROMs from ZIP and 7-Zip archives, use automatic saving, and share save states between devices. Both ROMs and save states can be stored in iCloud. ▸ APPLE WATCH COMPATIBILITY - Apple Watch Series 4 or later - Apple Watch SE or later - Apple Watch Ultra or later ArcEmu does not include any games or ROMs. ▸ GAMES FEATURED IN THE SCREENSHOTS - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Big2Small: https://mdsteele.itch.io/big2small - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo, Sega, or Atari. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Screenshots

Starseed4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ArcEmu at Free against Starseed's $1.99. ArcEmu also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Starseed's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (8.1 vs 16.0). On ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ArcEmu is free to download; Starseed costs $1.99 up front. ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Starseed asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Starseed versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarseedArcEmu
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating—4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews—94.6% of reviews
Number of ratings—1.3K — better
Update frequency—Every 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS8.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB234 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperThalamus Digital Publishing Ltd.Raffaele D'Amato

Bugs and requests

Starseed

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ArcEmu

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional crashes
  • Graphical glitches with certain ROMs
  • Save data not transferring properly between devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add cheat/GameShark support
  • Improve volume controls
  • Implement fast forward/slow motion options
  • Allow multiple save slots per game
  • Improve Game Boy Color support
Show 1 more
  • Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch

In-app purchases

None

Starseed

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

ArcEmu

One-time10
  • Unlock All (Upgrade 4)$0.99
  • Game Boy Advance$0.99
  • SNES$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Pokémon Mini$0.99
  • Atari 2600$0.99
  • Mega Drive / Genesis$0.99
  • Game Gear$0.99
  • Master System$0.99
  • SG-1000$0.99
  • Unlock All (Upgrade 3)$1.99

Questions

Is Starseed free?
Starseed costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Starseed or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither Starseed nor ArcEmu shows ads.

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