iPhone OS 4.0: Game Center – Apple’s own Xbox Live

Some breaking news from Apple’s event now, as the company has just unveiled ‘Game Center’, a new platform for the iphone OS 4.0 which Apple are calling a social gaming network.

As reported from Cnet, the service seems to be a direct response to Microsoft’s recent integration for Xbox Live within Windows Phone 7.

Apple Game Center will be available before the end of the year and features online leaderboards, match-making for online multiplayer, the ability to invite your friends and best of all – ACHIEVEMENTS.

Yes you heard it correctly. Apple will be providing their own form of achievements on the iPhone / iPad, so they will be going head-to-head with PS3 Trophies and Microsoft’s own achievements system.

It is fair to say that not a lot of people expected this. Let us know your thoughts on the features of Game Center. Apple did not go into specifics on this, but we’ll inform you when they do.