OpenFeint: Game Channel gets community-based iPhone game fire sales

Apple’s social gaming service Game Center might not be as powerful or flexible as competing brands like OpenFeint and Crystal, but the iPhone maker’s immense ubiquity has forced its rivals to rethink their strategies.

Take OpenFeint, which has bumped up its old Spotlight app to become the 'Game Channel', launched today as a free update to the Spotlight app.

The big new feature is a Groupon-inspired 'Fire Sale', which relies on community co-operation. Each day a game is offered up at its usual price, but OpenFeint promises to drop to a new bargain price point if a certain number of votes are made.

Today, for example, Jaws was up for $2.99, but after 1,000 people spoke up, it went down to 99c.

You’re not locked in to buy the game, though, so vote away at your leisure. It's simply a way of getting a little extra promotion to games going on sale.

The app still has free games every single day, the current OpenFeint Gold app, and access to your achievements and friends list.