ArcEmu vs Consoles
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
- Multiplayer support
- Cheat codes
- Customizable on-screen controls
- Save State sharing
- iCloud support
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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.
Consoles
Relive classic gaming with this app that emulates multiple retro consoles. Turn your device into a nostalgic gaming hub, offering pixel-perfect experiences from beloved old-school titles. Seamlessly switch between devices and continue your game.
- Emulates multiple classic consoles
- Supports Atari, Game Boy, NES, Genesis, SNES, and more
- Pixel-perfect retro graphics
- Cross-device save game syncing
- Authentic retro gameplay experience
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Consoles brings all your favorite classic gaming experiences together in one simple and convenient app. Relive timeless titles from beloved retro hardware and rediscover the joy of old-school gaming. Embrace nostalgia and turn your Apple device into the ultimate classic gaming hub, with each pixel-perfect memory at your fingertips. Move seamlessly from one device to another and pick up right where you left off! Included in Consoles is support for: Atari 2600 Atari 7800 Atari Lynx Famicom Disk System Game Boy (and Color) Game Boy Advance Game Gear Neo Geo Pocket NES 32X Genesis SNES Virtual Boy Bandai Wonderswan Rediscover your childhood favorites and experience authentic retro gameplay at a fraction of the price. For a limited time, early adopters can purchase Consoles at an unbeatable value. Dive into the golden age of gaming at an incredible discount! Don’t miss out on this special offer. **This app does not include any game content. You must provide your own legally obtained files. We do not support or encourage piracy—please respect all copyright and licensing laws.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ArcEmu at Free against Consoles's $7.99. ArcEmu also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.4) and review sentiment (95% vs 58%). Consoles's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
ArcEmu is free to download; Consoles costs $7.99 up front. ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Consoles asks for nothing beyond the download.
ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of ArcEmu's written reviews are positive against 58% of Consoles's.
ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, Consoles weekly. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.
| Parameter | ArcEmu | Consoles |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better | 3.4 (39 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.6% of reviews — better | 58.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K — better | 39 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 234 MB | 73 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Raffaele D'Amato | Juice Co |
Customer experience
ArcEmu
Consoles
User reviews
ArcEmu
From 1.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fully functional
- 🚀 Impressive emulation on Apple Watch
- 👍 Great emulator for both phone and watch
- 👍 Seamless save state transfer between devices
- 👍 Customizable controls and layout
Room to improve
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with some games
- 🐛 Audio quality problems on certain games
- 👎 Limited functionality on Apple Watch
- 👎 Difficult controls for action-heavy games on watch
Consoles
From 39 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Seamless sync between devices
- 👍 Immersive retro gaming experience
- 💡 Potential for advanced features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with some games
- 🔧 Lacking customization options
- 🕹️ Missing key features (e.g., save states)
Bugs and 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
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- Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch
Consoles
Reported bugs
3 issues- Some games experience performance issues
- Difficulty registering controller inputs
- ROM loading not working for some users
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for more retro consoles (e.g., N64, Sega CD)
- Implement save state functionality
- Allow manual metadata and artwork editing
- Add portrait mode support on mobile
In-app purchases
ArcEmu
- Unlock All (Upgrade 4)$0.99
- Game Boy Advance$0.99
- SNES$0.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- 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
Consoles
No in-app purchases









