Retrocade’s mixed-reality arcade comes close but can’t replace the real thing

Retrocade, an Apple Arcade exclusive from Resolution Games, aims to recreate the '80s arcade inside your home. It runs on iPhone and iPad, but the most striking version is on the Apple Vision Pro, where the app beams a digital arcade into your living space — an intriguing use of mixed reality, even if the headset’s $3,500 price tag and the cost of authentic cabinets make the setup a luxury.

On a flat screen, Retrocade is a compact collection of 10 classic games, including Breakout, Centipede, Asteroids, Haunted Castle and Track & Field. It layers in social features like online leaderboards and daily challenges, plus a light progression system that lets you earn coins to unlock cabinets and backend cheats, along with brief historical context for each game.

On Vision Pro you’re placed in a faithful reproduction of a Los Angeles arcade: crusty carpet, storefront light, distant traffic. You walk up to cabinets, admire side art and lean in to the displays, or open games in a windowed mode that still shows cabinet art.