Amico Controller vs ArcadeMania
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Amico Controller
Transform your smart device into a game controller for immersive couch multiplayer experiences. Connect wirelessly to a console or home app to play with friends and family. Offers various sign-in options and customizable controller settings.
- Turns smart devices into game controllers
- Wi-Fi network connectivity
- Touchscreen for game-specific controls
- Microphone and speaker support
- Multiple player sign-in options
- In-game menu and options
Read full descriptionHide full description
Experience the joy of “couch play” multiplayer gaming with your family and friends! Requirements There are three components required to enjoy games on Amico Home: 1. This FREE Amico Controller app – turns smart devices into Amico game controllers. 2. An Amico Console or the FREE Amico Home app which turns a compatible smart device into an Amico Console. 3. A Wi-Fi network shared by all participating devices. Amico Controller Features Please see the screenshots for the appearance of the features described here. • Disc – directional input for gameplay and menu navigation. • Touchscreen – displays the controller’s menus as well as game-specific information, controls, and menus. • Menu Button – open/close the controller options menu on the touchscreen. It also pauses/resumes gameplay. • Action Buttons – games-specific functions and selecting highlighted menu items on the “console” device. • Speaker – some games play sound effects through your controller device’s speaker. • Microphone – some games ask you to record your voice through your controller device’s microphone for in-game content. Sign-In Menu When you launch the Amico Controller app, it automatically connects over your Wi-Fi network to the device running the Amico Home app. Then it shows the sign-in menu which presents four ways for you to sign in as a player: 1. Create a new resident account – enter your player nickname, preferred language and optional account password (and password hint). 2. Choose from a list of previously created resident accounts. 3. Use a guest account – type in your player guest nickname. 4. Use an anonymous guest account – it assigns you the name of “Player1”, or “Player2”, etc. A resident account preserves your account information and controller preferences between sessions; a guest account does not. In no case is your information sent over the Internet or stored on cloud servers. Options Menu Press the little menu button to open the controller’s option menu on the touchscreen area. This action pauses game play if a game is in active play (i.e. not on a game menu). Resume game play by pressing the menu button again to close the options menu. The options menu offerings vary depending on the current state of play and whether you are signed in or not and connected to the Amico Home console device or not. Only options that are currently applicable are shown to keep the menu streamlined. Important Options Menu Items • Sign Out – sign out of the current signed-in player account and return to the controller Sign-In menu. • Game Menu – Exit active gameplay and return to the game’s main menu. • Amico Home – Exit a game completely and return everyone to the Amico Home app. • Settings (Gear) – a submenu of various settings options to customize your controller and gameplay experience. • Rotation Lock/Unlock – a toggle that locks and unlocks the ability for the controller UI to rotate when you rotate the controller to different orientations. A user-friendly feature of Amico Controllers is the ability to rotate it for left-handed or right-handed comfort. Some games may restrict the controller UI to only landscape or only portrait orientations due to demands of their touchscreen displays. But within those restrictions you are free to rotate the controller 180 degrees to change which side has the Disc and which side has the touch screen. The touchscreen UI and Disc directions will automatically adjust to the new orientation (unless you have locked rotation, see above). “Amico” is a trademark of Intellivision Entertainment, LLC.
ArcadeMania
Relive classic arcade, computer, and electronic games from over three decades. This app utilizes the MAME emulation core to support thousands of titles, offering enhanced graphics and extensive controller support for an authentic retro gaming experience.
- Supports 5,000+ arcade games
- MAME 0.278 emulation core
- Native Metal Graphics Renderer
- Custom Shaders and HDR Support
- Full controller support (Xbox, PS, Switch)
- Save States and Cheats
Read full descriptionHide full description
ArcadeMania lets you play arcade games from the past 30+ years on your device. It supports over 5,000 arcade games as well as vintage computers and electronic games, and uses the open source MAME (version 0.278) as the emulation core. ROM files are not included and must be provided by you. You may import ROMs using the file import functionality, or via the Files app. Some notable features, built specifically for this iOS version: Graphics - Native Metal Graphics Renderer - Custom Shaders - HDR Support Game Controllers - Full support: Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and Switch controllers supported - Touch Screen Lightgun - Touch Screen Analog - Hardware Keyboard Support Built-in MAME features: - Save States - Cheats
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ArcadeMania at 4.4 against Amico Controller's 3.2. ArcadeMania also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (122 vs 17). Amico Controller's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ArcadeMania holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcadeMania has 122 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Amico Controller's written reviews are positive against 74% of ArcadeMania's.
Amico Controller ships an update every 3 months, ArcadeMania monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Amico Controller | ArcadeMania |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (17 ratings) | 4.4 (122 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | 74.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 17 | 122 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 71 MB | 300 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Intellivision | Infinite Evolution Technologies |
Customer experience
Amico Controller
ArcadeMania
Bugs and requests
Amico Controller
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
ArcadeMania
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes on iPad with iOS 16.7.11
- Crashes on iPad with iPadOS 13.5
Requested features
2 requests- Support for 8Bitdo Bluetooth controllers
- Fix for game mode not working
In-app purchases
Amico Controller
No in-app purchases
ArcadeMania
No in-app purchases









