Apple Game Center : Fun For Some But Not For All
posted Wednesday Sep 8, 2010 by Jon Wurm
iOS 4.1 is scheduled to release as soon as today which could be good news for some iPhone and iPod Touch users who are eagerly anticipating the Apple Game Center. The iPad will also have access to AGC but not until the release of patch 4.2 for iOS 4. In the mean time, it looks to be a social gaming platform that Apple has put a lot of emphasis on since the initial demo of iOS 4.
Apple Game Center will have a dashboard similar to what Xbox Live and PSN use but of course with an Apple twist. You can also expect achievements and player to player invites to be part of the mix. A demo was given at a recent Apple music event highlighting some of the features discussed previously.
For more on the Apple Game Center, hit the break.
It's a good thing for Apple to assert itself into mobile gaming now that the iPhone 4 is capable of handling more graphic-intensive games. Also, the social interaction between Apple product users is already in place to help make AGC a success but in moving forward it seems that Apple is forgetting some of its longest iPhone and iPod Touch users. All first generation iPod Touch and iPhones as well as the iPhone 3G will not be getting AGC. Many of the iPhone 3GS users who have upgraded to iOS 4 have probably experienced a huge performance drop because iOS 4 was made for a phone with superior hardware but at least you still get to use most of the features iOS 4 has to offer. So if you really want to use AGC without sacrificing your current device, looks like you'll have to pay up for the new iPhone 4.
I do understand that AGC was centered around iOS 4 but it seems unfair to completely exclude so many of your loyal fans simply because they don't have the latest of your devices. There are certain games that the older devices could handle so why not at least give them access to those? On second thought, after seeing what iOS 4 did to the 3GS, maybe you're better off without it.