iPhone Game Center due next week

By Johnny Minkley Published 2 September, 2010

Jobs throws down the gauntlet.

Steve Jobs has claimed iPod Touch is "the number one portable games player in the world", outlining Apple's growing ambitions in the games space with new hardware, an iOS update, an Unreal Engine 3 demo and Game Center reveal during a press conference.

Speaking on stage in San Francisco – streamed live online and broadcast at a separate Apple event in central London which Eurogamer attended – Jobs announced that "the biggest change in the iPod line ever" and the new operating system update would be released next week.

The new iPod Touch, noticeably slimmer than the current model, adds iPhone 4's retina display and gyroscope, plus a front-mounted camera and HD video capture. The device will be available in 8Gb, 32Gb and 64Gb versions, priced at £189, £249 and £329 respectively.

Game Center – a new feature launching with iOS 4.1 – is Apple's answer to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Jobs said it was "all about multiplayer games", and walked the audience through a demo of its social features. These include leaderboards, matchmaking and achievements.

Taking a swipe at Apple's gaming rivals, Jobs boasted that 1.5 billion "games and entertainment" titles had been sold via App Store to date - claiming iPod Touch "outsells Nintendo and Sony handhelds combined".

A TV ad for the new model Touch confirmed the company's focus, with the first two-thirds of it focused entirely on gaming.

Epic President Mike Capps was then invited on stage to demo Project Sword – an impressive-looking Unreal Engine 3-powered RPG with a visual style reminiscent of Lionhead's Fable. Jobs confirmed the title for a "holiday" release on iPod, iPhone and iPad.

A demo of the tech, Epic Citadel, was released by Epic last night for iPhone and iPad as a free download.

Jobs, whose session wrapped with a surprise three-song acoustic performance from Coldplay's Chris Martin and featured a video message from Lady Gaga, also teased iOS 4.2, bringing Game Center, multitasking and other iOS 4.1 features to the iPad this November.

After the session, Eurogamer went hands-on with the new iPod Touch, with iOS 4.1 and Game Center installed, but the demo units did not allow connection to the latter's servers. In the absence of a fully-functioning version of Apple's "social gaming network", reps focused on showing off iPod Touch's gyro-functionality in Gameloft's Halo-esque Nova,

An Apple spokesperson said the company was not prepared to add anything on Game Center beyond what was in the conference.

Elsewhere, Jobs announced updates to the iPod Shuffle and Nano lines, plus a new version of the company's Apple TV platform.

Picture of Johnny.

About Johnny Minkley

Eurogamer TV's Johnny Minkley is a veteran journalist with a lifelong passion for games and the games industry. He uses Twitter more than most people use air.

Read more articles from Johnny by visiting the Johnny Minkley archive page.

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Comments (30) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • peterfll #1 1 year ago

    No doubt those were impressive numbers. However, would like to know how Apple's revenue from gaming stacks up against Nintendo.

    ps Am I the only person in the world who hates Coldplay?

  • ZizouFC #2 1 year ago

    iPhones will never be in the same genre as the DS for me.

  • onyxbox #3 1 year ago

    That Citadel demo is one of the most impressive things I've seen in a long time.

    It ran very well on the iPhone 4 and iPad (slightly smoother on the iPhone 4)

  • byron_hinson #4 1 year ago

    Yep ran great on the iPhone 4 and is the best looking thing I've seen on a handheld by a mile.

  • peterfll #5 1 year ago

    It runs well on the 3GS. Not totally smooth, but very impressive nonetheless.

  • paulf #6 1 year ago

    well you really are gonna sell more things at 59p than you are at 30 quid aren't you jobsie

  • Lee_Morris #7 1 year ago

    I'm not hating on apple because I love my iPhone 4 to death but the statement that the iPod touch alone has outsold the DS and PSP combined is utter BS. At the financial call that Nintendo did a couple of months ago they mentioned they had sold 130 million DS' compared to Apple's figure of 120 million IOs devices (obviously including touch, phone AND pad)

    Can someone change the news story and add some clarification on Apple's hyperbole

    ps I can't wait for game center and with touches getting the retina display I expect most news games to support it especially starting next year.

  • Notez #8 1 year ago

    Looks like you need the 4.0.2 OS version to run the demo. I was wondering why it crashed right after the loading screen on a 3GS and I had 4.0.1. Pretty nice, but it needs inverted Y-axis :)

  • kestral #9 1 year ago

    Lee they are not talking about units but about games + entertainment purchases.

  • Lusterpurge #10 1 year ago

    No, they said that they sold more iPods than Nintendo DS or PSP consoles.

    Edit: At the bottom paragraph
    http://ar stechnica.com/apple/news/2010/0...
    Edited by 1 at 02/09/10 @ 09:49

  • originaljohn #11 1 year ago

    Total BS Jobs. I love my iphone, it does loads of stuff thats great, but I will always favour my DS for mobile/handheld gaming. Even the DSi shop games are more entertaining than what the itunes store has on offer. Thats my opinon and each is to there own but I just don't buy it Jobs

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #12 1 year ago

    He's talking about hardware units, but probably in terms of current sales rather than life-to-date. He is saying ipod touch has outsold DS, DSi, PSP and PSP Go combined over the past financial year, or maybe even just the last quarter or month, which is entirely plausible. But a claim likely to be blown apart as soon as 3DS comes out.

    From the Ars article "outsells" you see, not "has outsold".
    Edited by 2 at 02/09/10 @ 10:02

  • StooMonster #13 1 year ago

    Can only agree with onyxbox, I ran Epic's Citadel demo on various iPhones and iPad and it's super impressive; extremely smooth on iPhone 4 and iPad. Looking forward to seeing the full game.

  • Ryboy #14 1 year ago

    I really, really, reeeealllyyyy wish I owned Apple...

  • SYS64738 #15 1 year ago

    If anything I'd call the touch a media player (and the iphone a bloody phone) with limited gaming abilities (thanks to the lack of buttons), and I doubt most people would buy it purely for being used as a gaming device, rather than a DS or PSP. Therefore silly (but not unexpected) comparison by big mouth Stevie.

  • Whitster #16 1 year ago

    Personally since getting an iPhone I have been more and more enamoured with it as a gaming device, obviously the lack of physical buttons is always goning to stop it being in the same realm as my DS and PSP but there have been several games on there that have eaten up as much of my time as anything on those formats. Looking forward to checking out the Citidal demo when I get in tonight as it's too big to d/load over a 3G connection.

  • StooMonster #17 1 year ago

    @ Ryboy: buy some shares and you do (at least a very small part).

  • Lee_Morris #18 1 year ago

    I agree at one point they mention selling more entrainment and game experiences which I presume means apps but they do specifically state they have sold more ipod touches than DS + PSP combined.

    Not all touches can play games which is something they've glossed over.

  • Stranded87 #19 1 year ago

    I despise apple and all their products other than the iphone (and even then i have numerous issues with it), but it really is a very good gaming device. I play games on it far more than on the DS or PSP, partially due to convenience as i always have my phone with me, but it also has some genuinely great stuff on it.

  • Caimbeul #20 1 year ago

    "Jobs throws down the gauntlet" which is promptly picked up by the proper gaming companies and handed back to Jobs as they pat him on his back and sends him on his way back to cuckoo land where they charge £329 for ipods

    Jobs said it was "all about multiplayer games" - I hate multiplayer gaming with strangers. Period.

    In fairness though the EPIC tech demo is hugely impressive and runs well even on my 3rd gen touch! worth a download and look if you have the opportunity. Not sure even the 3DS will be able to match its graphical prowess. BUT, I still firmly believe that the iPhone/iPod/iPad is no good for games unless it is Angry birds or other simple interface games. The unreal demo is a prime example as are all FPS's or RTS or Racing games etc that you need controls that are not on the screen! If a cant see the screen because my fingers are in the way then thats an instant fail. If my fingers keep wondering off the capacative screen because there is no physical sensation or feedback that your presses are being registered, its an instant fail. Board , Card and puzzle game great, anything else on that platform fails for me. Great devices for watching video though.
    Edited by 1 at 02/09/10 @ 12:39

  • ProtoformX #21 1 year ago

    I gave Epic Citadel a try on my iPhone 3GS last night and was very impressed. However, it did make the handset rather warm and when I hit the Guided Tour button it nearly brought my phone grinding to a halt on the outdoor sections. Hopefully Epic's working on that though.

  • Caimbeul #22 1 year ago

    @ ProtoformX - Yes, i forgot to mention that my ipod got very hot down the bottom.

  • Xardan #23 1 year ago

    I recently got an ipod touch and have tried a few games out on it. But its ridiculous i mean whats the point in gaming on them if the battery only lasts a couple hours?!

  • arcam #24 1 year ago

    Most people's journeys are less than two hours, and as long as you have somewhere to plug it in when you arrive then it's not really a problem.

  • BuddyChrist #25 1 year ago

    Ryboy must be referring to "ownage". I wish I could pwn apple, maybe by making a super swish handheld laptop with pinkyfinger interface, claiming to be a console.

    Don't forget to release wrist straps for the kids who want to play motion controlled games....

  • UncleLou #26 1 year ago

    Whether you like Apple or not, whether you take the iDevices seriously as gaming platforms or not, only an utter fool would not welcome the competition (delivery methods, prices, etc.) Apple has introduced.

  • Iain815 #27 1 year ago

    I think they should be focusing on more important things, like how to fix my iPod that they ruined with that sluggy iOS4.

    An update won't do, I want Steve to come around to my house personally to fix it and to apologise. The cunt.
    Edited by 1 at 02/09/10 @ 13:47

  • StooMonster #28 1 year ago

    @ Iain815: I downloaded 4.1 from Dev Center this morning.[REDACTED]
    Edited by 1 at 02/09/10 @ 20:46

  • Alkeno #29 1 year ago

    StooMonster, iOS 4.1 is pre-release software and is considered Apple Confidential Information. Not that I care, but being careful with these kind of things is advisable.

  • StooMonster #30 1 year ago

    Oh yes, fair point. Oops.

    No comment from me, but listen to what Steve Jobs said in public yesterday.