Comparison

ArcEmu vs Placid Plastic Duck Simulator

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

Head to head
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.

About

Placid Plastic Duck Simulator

Experience a serene 3D environment as a rubber duck. Enjoy a peaceful stay at a seaside pool, interacting with other ducks, floating, sunbathing, and sliding. Embrace the present moment and find bliss.

Highlights
  • 3D rubber duck simulation
  • Serene seaside pool environment
  • Interact with other ducks
  • Float, sunbathe, and slide
  • Day/night cycle with stars
  • Nostalgic radio tunes
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A relaxing 3D environment where you experience life as a rubber duck, Placid Plastic Duck Simulator is an experiment to induce calm and bliss. You're up for a reinvigorating stay at your favorite seaside pool. You are not alone. Different ducks will slowly and happily fall into the pool with you, each with their own style and demeanor (you can name them and have names appear over their heads). Float on the water, sunbathe, dip your beak, go down the slide. The radio is playing a nostalgic tune. Here comes the night. Look at the stars. Turn off the radio, listen to the waves in the dark. Dream. The sun is rising. The sky is blue. Slide down into the second pool. An airplane is rushing somewhere, there's stuff to do. Not for you. Live in the present moment, enjoy life. Everything is going to be alright.

Screenshots

ArcEmu4 screens
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ArcEmu at Free against Placid Plastic Duck Simulator's $1.99. ArcEmu also leads on ratings volume (1.3K vs 256) and device support (4 vs 2). Placid Plastic Duck Simulator's advantage is chart position (#6 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and 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; Placid Plastic Duck Simulator costs $1.99 up front. ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Placid Plastic Duck Simulator sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for ArcEmu against 4.9 for Placid Plastic Duck Simulator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 256, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of ArcEmu's written reviews are positive against 91% of Placid Plastic Duck Simulator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, Placid Plastic Duck Simulator daily. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
ArcEmu versus Placid Plastic Duck Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArcEmuPlacid Plastic Duck Simulator
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better4.9 (256 ratings)
Positive reviews94.6% of reviews — better90.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1.3K — better256
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size234 MB670 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRaffaele D'AmatoTunnel Vision Srl

Customer experience

ArcEmu

All ratings1,333 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews533 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.6%

Placid Plastic Duck Simulator

All ratings238 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral2.5%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral4.5%
Negative4.5%

User reviews

ArcEmu

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What 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

Placid Plastic Duck Simulator

From 256 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ❤️ Love the ducks
  • 🎉 Relaxing and calming experience
  • 👍 Great game for duck enthusiasts
  • 🎨 Enjoyable visuals and aesthetics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bug with logo overlapping in Forsaken folder

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
Show 1 more
  • Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch

Placid Plastic Duck Simulator

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Bug with logo overlapping in Forsaken folder

Requested features

2 requests
  • Cloud save feature
  • Remote control duck or boat

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
8 purchases

Placid Plastic Duck Simulator

One-time8
  • Ducks, Please$0.99
  • Quacking the Ice$0.99
  • Duck Addiction$0.99
Show 5 more
  • So Many Ducks$0.99
  • Hippospace Download$0.99
  • Rooftop One Percent$0.99
  • Ducks Galore$0.99
  • All DLCs Bundle$4.99

Questions

Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Placid Plastic Duck Simulator free?
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ArcEmu or Placid Plastic Duck Simulator?
ArcEmu is rated higher. ArcEmu averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Placid Plastic Duck Simulator averages 4.9 from 256 ratings.
Do ArcEmu or Placid Plastic Duck Simulator have ads?
Neither ArcEmu nor Placid Plastic Duck Simulator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ArcEmu or Placid Plastic Duck Simulator?
ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, and Placid Plastic Duck Simulator daily. Most recently, ArcEmu was updated on October 27, 2026 and Placid Plastic Duck Simulator on October 25, 2026.

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