Plex Arcade will initially feature a 30-game selection of Atari’s library of 2600 and 7800 console games, including titles likeCentipede, Missile Command, Lunar Lander, Food Fight, andGravitar. Unfortunately, many of the most popular titles for these consoles, likePac Man, Space Invaders, Joust,andDonkey Kongare not among the available games at launch.
You’ll be able to play these streamed games on Android (mobile and TV), iOS, tvOS, and Chrome devices with the free Plex client installed, but Plex Arcade also has a server requirement, which is unusual in the streaming game world.
To use Plex Arcade, you’ll need the free Plex Media Server installed on a Windows PC or a Mac (Linux is currently unsupported) on your home network. Setting up a Plex server is fairly straightforward — check out ourguide to using Plexfor a full walk-through.
As with all of Plex’s supported content, Plex Arcade games will show up as their own content category within the main Plex interface.
Plex Arcade is compatible with virtually any Bluetooth or USB game controller that works with your streaming device, e.g. Apple TV, Nvidia Shield TV, etc., or you may use a keyboard for Chrome-based gaming. Plex recommends the Sony DualShock 4 or Xbox One controller for the best results.
Creating a game subscription service that caters to fans of retro gaming is clever — it’s a niche that none of the other services have opted to fill. But it’s also risky: At $5 per month, Plex Arcade is the same price as Apple Arcade, which follows the same model of unlimited gaming for one monthly price. But Apple Arcade’s titles are slick, modern affairs, with hi-res graphics and sound. It’s unclear if people will be willing to pay the same price for a relatively small selection of games that are, in some cases, more than 40 years old.
Then there’s the question of theAtari VCS,a new Atari game console that has been years in the making, and that promises access to all of the same content as Plex Arcade, plus modern gaming titles, too.
Until now, Plex has stayed clear of creating its own subscription streaming service, opting instead for the free, ad-supported model. It began this approach with itson-demand movies and TV show service, then followed up with an80-channel live TV streaming option. Depending on its experience with Plex Arcade, this could be the beginning of a slew of newsubscription services from the company— a move that has been expected since 2019.
