While WWDC 2010 introduced a wealth of goodies for the Apple-inclined, it was hard not to notice the omission of Game Center from Steve Jobs keynote address. Set to launch later this year, Game Center is expected to offer a central experience for iDevice gamers looking to track friends, earn achievements, compare scores, and play online. Asides from its brief reveal back in April, however, little has leaked out about the platform… until now.
While WWDC 2010 introduced a wealth of goodies for the Apple-inclined, it was hard not to notice the omission of Game Center from Steve Jobs keynote address. Set to launch later this year, Game Center is expected to offer a central experience for iDevice gamers looking to track friends, earn achievements, compare scores, and play online. Asides from its brief reveal back in April, however, little has leaked out about the platform… until now.
While it’s still far from a comprehensive explanation of the service, AppleInsider has recently published an article walking readers through the login process and basic screens of the developer version.
Included in the developer build of iOS4, Game Center has only just begun to allow users to get beyond the login screen. The information and images provided to AppleInsider confirm that players can log in using their existing iTunes accounts or create new accounts, set up nicknames, and view a “Me” page that collects friends, games played, and achievements earned in one handy place.
Of notable interest is the “Allow Game Invites” option in the account setting, which when turned on will allow you to receive an alert when someone invites you to play a game. The description isn’t really clear about whether or not you’ll need to be in the game to get the alert, but we’re hoping not. Getting something akin to a push notification letting me know my friend wants me to jump online for some Crash Nitro Kart would be a fantastic feature, especially considering most of us are toting around our iPhones everywhere we go.
It should probably be noted that these screens really do appear to showcase an early version of the service. When Game Center launches later this fall, it will no doubt have a bit more visual charm than these basic screens currently offer.
We’re still without the complete reveal on Game Center, but thanks to AppleInsider we now have some fresh insight, and we’re happy to take whatever we can get. For more screens, check out the complete article at AppleInsider.com.
