Apple unifies iPhone games with Game Center

In a stunning announcement regarding the bevy of new features coming with iPhone OS 4.0, Apple has revealed Game Center.

A gaming platform specific to iPhone, it offers an array of features including a single user log-in, unified achievements, leaderboards, friends list, and multiplayer matchmaking.

While many of these features have been prominent on iPhone by way of third-party social gaming networks like OpenFeint, Plus+, Scoreloop, and Agon Online, this marks a formal first-party solution.

Apple didn't go into much detail demonstrating Game Center during its press conference, instead teasing these core features ahead of the software's promised summer launch.

To be certain, Game Center answers calls from countless developers that have been urging Apple to provide a unified approach to gaming in order to compete against other portable platforms such as PSP and DS.

Since iPad runs on iPhone OS along with iPhone and iPod touch, Game Center will be available on it too. Apple has confirmed the iPad version will launch in autumn.

Game Center will be available within iPhone OS 4.0 sometime this summer.