Cloud streaming retro gaming platform Antstream Arcade is coming to Xbox on July 21.
For those yet to hear the name, Antstream Arcade lets users access retro games through cloud software. Consoles currently on the app include SNES, NES, DOS, Lynx, Amstrad, Commodore, Game Boy, C64, Amiga, MSX, Jaguar, Arcade, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Boy Color, Atari 5200, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit, and PS1.
The app is currently closing in on 1500 games on the service at the moment, with 1300 available on Xbox at launch. To check out a full list of what’s what, click here to visit the game list page.
Pre-orders are open now ahead of the July 21 release date. Price-wise, Antstream Arcade retails for $29.99 (£29.99) for a one-year sub or you can buy access outright for $79.99 (£79.99).
“Despite living in an age of incredible technology, I found it wasn’t easy enough to access the games I loved growing up and I wanted to be able to easily share scores and compete against friends,” says Antstream CEO, Steve Cottam.
“We believe in the preservation and accessibility of all games, the great, the impossible and the forgotten or lesser known too, I’m very proud to bring the Antstream Arcade platform to the Xbox community”.
Preservation is something of a sticking point at the moment as more and more games become lost to the throes of time. Picking up a copy of Super Mario Bros. on the NES, currently, is like shopping for an antique relic that’s been lost at sea.
There is a discussion to be had about whether cloud gaming counts as preservation, but the problem with being able to access retro titles often falls with the rights holder rather than people trying to create access through new means like Antream is doing. So, you know, I’m not going to get on Antstream’s case. Any access, even via streaming, is a win in my book.
