Apple Game Center in iOS 5 mirrors Facebook gaming, coming this fall

When it comes to gaming, everyone is taking notes from Facebook. (With pen and paper even!) Even Apple announced features coming to its Game Center, a hub for all iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch gaming, that replicate a lot of what players love about Facebook games. The company announced achievements in Game Center and more at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Los Angeles this week. But more importantly, mobile gamers that use Game Center--when it launches with iOS 5 this fall--will create their very own profile complete with an image and be able to find new opponents based on the games they play and friends they already have.

That sure sounds a lot like the new Games page on Facebook, not to mention features that have been in the social network for some time like the People You May Know sidebar. Up until now, Game Center has been something that mobile gamers (including myself) respond to by pressing buttons to the effect of "No Thanks," or "Sign In Later." Could these seemingly minor changes turn Game Center into a worthy opponent for OpenFeint, the Ngmoco-enhanced Mobage network, or even Facebook itself? Social gaming has effectively become mobile gaming in many a developer's eye, and Apple is poised to strike the competition this fall with the new Facebook games-inspired Game Center.

[Image Credit: Apple]

Are you excited for what Game Center will bring come this fall? Will this make Apple a worthy competitor in the race to create the ultimate mobile gaming network? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.