The 80s Are Coming to Vision Pro: Inside the Neon Glow of ‘Retrocade’
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Apple is kicking off its gaming ambitions for 2026 in a big way. Beyond the addition of Civilization VII Arcade Edition to its February lineup, which is certain to have mainstream appeal, Apple also has a treat for Vision Pro users that could be the most whimsical approach we’ve seen yet to VR gaming.
Among the selection of titles coming to Apple Arcade on February 5 is Retrocade, which promises to immerse Vision Pro gamers in the golden age of video arcades.
Step into the neon glow of the ’80s and relive the thrill of the classic video arcade like never before. Retrocade brings acclaimed games from old-school arcades together in one place — no quarters needed.
Apple
As a child of the 70s, I came of age in an era of video game arcades full of freestanding cabinets powered by rolls of quarters. If you wanted to enjoy the best games in that era, that’s where you’d find them. Home “console” variants on devices like the Atari 2600 were pale comparisons to what the arcade machines offered.
Even though Apple finally opened the App Store to console and PC game emulators a couple of years ago, paving the way for classic retro arcade games on your iPhone and iPad, these can’t quite recapture the feel of playing games like Pac-Man or Space Invaders in their original form.
Retrocade promises to bring some of that nostalgia back to the Apple Vision Pro, although the selection of titles will be somewhat limited. At launch, the titles include seven “Arcade Legends” — Asteroids, Bubble Bobble, Breakout, Centipede, Galaga, Pac-Man, and Space Invaders. Sadly, Missile Command isn’t on the list, but Centipede should still satisfy my curiosity as to how Retrocade will replicate the trackball experience in VR, as it promises to let you “stop the insect swam with trackball precision.”
It’s not entirely clear how this will work. The app’s description says you can “Feel the Controls” but also suggests that you’ll want to use a Bluetooth controller for “authentic gameplay.” The Vision Pro user interface relies primarily on eye and hand gestures, but while those are impressive, Retrocade may be leaning into the native PS VR2 Sense controller support Apple added in visionOS 26. Since Resolution Games has already pioneered using these controllers with titles like Pickle Pro, it’s a safe bet that we’ll be able to use Sony’s hardware to get the haptic feedback and physical button response that a high-intensity game like Galaga requires for ‘authentic’ play.”
Retrocade also embraces the classic arcade experience by tying the game’s high scores screens into online leaderboards, so you’ll still be able to compete with other players around the globe, providing much the same feel as walking into a traditional 80s arcade and finding that someone had dropped their initials at the top of the list while you were off doing less important things than preserving your crown.
iPhone and iPad users will also be able to enjoy these games, as Retrocade is coming to those platforms as well, complete with the classic arcade screen presentation and Bluetooth game controller support. That’s a nice bonus for Apple Arcade subscribers, but it’s not like it hasn’t already been done to death with emulators — and it can’t compare to putting a virtual replica of an authentic arcade cabinet in your living room.
Players can immerse themselves in an actual arcade with their Apple Vision Pro and experience games like Asteroids, Bubble Bobble, Centipede, Galaga, and more, just like how they were played when they were originally released.
Apple
In fact, Retrocade offers more than just the ability to play those games on the cabinets. As a virtual piece of furniture, you’ll also be able to walk around and inspect the cabinet anywhere you choose to drop it in your own home, complete with pixel-perfect side-art and the authentic wear-and-tear of a machine that looks like it was pulled straight out of 1983.
You’ll also be able to opt for an immersive environment that puts you right into a classic 1980s arcade setting, complete with a neon glow. Here’s hoping it even taps into Spatial Audio to provide the ambient clack-and-hum to go with the setting.
If Retrocade takes off, it’s not hard to to imagine Apple expanding the roster. In addition to Missile Command, I’m hoping for a virtual Donkey Kong cabinet, although I’m not holding my breath considering the oft-strained relationship between Nintendo and Apple.
Retrocade is one of those apps that would almost tempt me to pick up a Vision Pro if I didn’t have better places to spend my money. Still, at the end of the day, when I think of all the quarters I fed into those cabinets in the 80s, that $3,500 Vision Pro doesn’t feel all that pricey.
