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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ArcEmu brings retro game emulation to Apple Watch. It also works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, delivering a seamless gaming experience across your Apple devices. Supported Consoles - Game Boy (.gb) - Game Boy Color (.gbc) - Game Boy Advance (.gba) - Pokémon Mini (.min) - Nintendo Entertainment System (.nes) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (.sfc and .smc) - Atari 2600 (.a26 and .bin) Main Features - Accurate, high-performance emulation powered by the mGBA and Ares cores - Game Link Cable support with online multiplayer for up to four players* - Cheat-code support with a built-in database of popular codes** - Frame-independent emulation at 30 or 60 FPS - Multi-touch and Digital Crown support on Apple Watch - Support for all screen orientations on iPhone and iPad - Precise, thoughtfully designed on-screen controls - Customizable control position and transparency on iPhone and iPad - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom color palettes for Game Boy games - Button hold/sustain feature - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone - Game controller support with customizable button mappings - ZIP archive support - Automatic saving - Save-state sharing between devices - iCloud support for ROMs and save states - ROM sharing through iCloud using share codes - Support for Apple Watch devices configured with Family Setup - ROM sorting and search 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. You can import compatible ROM files from your iPhone and store them in iCloud. Your Apple Watch can then download them directly from iCloud. On an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup, ROMs can be downloaded from iCloud using share codes. Games Featured in the Screenshots - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Anguna: https://gauauu.itch.io/anguna - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance * Requires a Game Center account. ** Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo. Nintendo and the names of its game systems are trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.
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 rating: ArcEmu at 4.9 against Consoles's 3.4. ArcEmu also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 58%) and price ($1.99 vs $7.99). On update cadence, 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
ArcEmu costs $1.99 and Consoles $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ArcEmu | Consoles |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better | 3.4 (39 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.5% 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 | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 172 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
No in-app purchases
Consoles
No in-app purchases









