iOS Game Center Leaves iPhone 3G BehindiOS Game Center Leaves iPhone 3G Behind

You have to give Apple credit for providing major upgrades to owners of older devices for free. It is one of the many things Apple does that keeps loyalty high. Sometimes though the hardware won't handle it and that appears to be the case with the iPhone 3G that was first released in July 2008. You can get iOS 4.1, but Game Center won't be included.iOS 4.1 is available now for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 as well as the second, third and fourth generation iPod Touch devices. According to Apple though, while all of the supported Touches get Game Center, only the iPhone 4 and 3GS models get it. The older 3G does not.

The Game Center is new for Apple and introduces a social aspect to gaming where you can invite friends to play with or against you in multiplayer games. This has been around for a while on consoles like the Xbox 360 but it is new to mobile phones. We'll have to wait a few days to see full reviews of the Game Center though.

We'll have to wait even longer to see how Game Center compares to Windows Phone 7's Xbox Live gaming experience, which ties into Microsoft's well established Xbox Live service on the 360. It will support multiplayer games, leader boards, messaging and more. Sound a little familiar?

As for iPhone 3G users, they will have to either forgo the new gaming experience or get a newer device. Is this something that would cause you to upgrade and potentially extend your contract, or are games not a big enough deal to bother with?