Neil Hughes
Accompanying Game Center will be the new GameKit application programming interfaces that will allow developers to integrate their App Store titles into the social network. Apple hopes that developers will make their titles compatible with Game Center to provide a centralized location with an integrated friend system, leaderboards, and unlockable achievements.
Users will be able to see what their friends are up to and even invite them to play games through the Game Center application.
Apple did not go into great detail on the service, which is scheduled to launch later this year, though it does sound similar to Microsoft's Xbox Live online community for the Redmond, Wash., company's home game console. Microsoft even has intentions to integrate Xbox Live features into its forthcoming Windows Phone 7 set to launch later this year. Sony also has a similar online system called PlayStation Network, though there is no mobile phone integration from the company.
During the follow-up question-and-answer session, it was even admitted that Apple is looking into potentially adding achievement points, much like the gamerscore or trophy collections held by Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 users, respectively.
But game developers will not be forced to make their software a part of the Game Center social network. The service will be opt-in for developers, but Apple executives believe it is a good opportunity for game makers, because the service will allow users to talk with one another about what they are playing, compete or cooperate online, and compare high scores.
Apple revealed Thursday that there are currently more than 50,000 games and entertainment titles available for download on the App Store. Games make up the lion's share of more than 185,000 applications now in the digital download destination.
The App Store has turned Apple into a major player in the portable gaming market, with one recent survey finding that the iPhone and iPod touch represent 19 percent of the handheld U.S. video game software market. Games also play a huge role in the just-released iPad, where most titles fall into that category as well.
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39 Comments
Apple did not go into great detail on the service
This is all very strange. Apple is like the BMW of computers yet they're pushing a gaming platform? Don't they know that most gamers are just kids, and kids have very limited funds? Anyway, any serious gamer will have invested in a real gaming system and will not consider playing games on a phone any more than they'd watch a movie on a phone. Apple is disconnected from reality. Oh, and Steve Jobs warning about porn on Android is again proof of Apple's psychosis. The majority of Internet traffic is porn.
This is all very strange. Apple is like the BMW of computers yet they're pushing a gaming platform? Don't they know that most gamers are just kids, and kids have very limited funds? Anyway, any serious gamer will have invested in a real gaming system and will not consider playing games on a phone any more than they'd watch a movie on a phone. Apple is disconnected from reality. Oh, and Steve Jobs warning about porn on Android is again proof of Apple's psychosis. The majority of Internet traffic is porn.
If I was a kid and I could get my hands on an IPhone or IPad, play tons of games, watch movies, TV, read comics, email, etc... I think that would be pretty cool. I think I've also read that gamers spend a lot of money on there hardware and games. 30% return on every game Apple sells is also a pretty good incentive.
And what is wrong with keeping porn out of the system? It would be a good idea to make porn sites end in .prn so you can filter them out for your children.
This is all very strange. Apple is like the BMW of computers yet they're pushing a gaming platform? Don't they know that most gamers are just kids, and kids have very limited funds? Anyway, any serious gamer will have invested in a real gaming system and will not consider playing games on a phone any more than they'd watch a movie on a phone. Apple is disconnected from reality. Oh, and Steve Jobs warning about porn on Android is again proof of Apple's psychosis. The majority of Internet traffic is porn.
Not sure if your playing the fool or are the real thing....
What good is a "gaming platform" when you're not at home? On the bus? Having lunch? visiting grandma? or any number of other reasons you can be sitting home reeking of B.O. and stale cheese puffs glued to "YOUR RIG"?
And if you don't know Apples current position in the portable gaming market you need to do some learning before trying to talk trash...
This is all very strange. Apple is like the BMW of computers yet they're pushing a gaming platform? Don't they know that most gamers are just kids, and kids have very limited funds? Anyway, any serious gamer will have invested in a real gaming system and will not consider playing games on a phone any more than they'd watch a movie on a phone. Apple is disconnected from reality. Oh, and Steve Jobs warning about porn on Android is again proof of Apple's psychosis. The majority of Internet traffic is porn.
Ummm. I think you are missing the actual point. First off, the iPhone OS is a lot of things, including a gaming platform. Maybe not for serious games but casual games are extremely popular on the app store. Secondly, there are already systems like this available for developers of iPhone OS games. OpenFeint and Plus+ to name a couple. Apple is just providing a unified framework that could potentially make it so you don't have multiple systems. It would just like XBOX Live in the sense that it is integrated with the entire ecosystem and you have a single account for everything, including your games.
I think Apple is aiming at kids like mine who are tech savvy and have funds to spend. I can easily imagine them moving some of their spending from xbox to Apple's interactive games.