Bad news for iPhone 3G owners. Apple confirmed that the new iOS Game Center is not compatible with your device. Apple drew a line in the sand when it came to backwards compatibility and the 3G ended on the wrong side. Also missing from this list is the original iPod Touch and the original iPhone; both of which were not updated to iOS 4. The new Game Center will debut with iOS 4.1 and will be available on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch 2nd gen, iPod Touch 3rd gen, and the recently announced iPod Touch 4th gen.
The exclusion of the iPhone 3G and the inclusion of the second-generation iPod Touch in this coveted list is fraught with some controversy. Both the iPhone 3G and the second-generation iPod touch were excluded from Game Center when a beta build of iOS 4.1 was seeded to developers. For whatever reason, the iPod touch 2nd Gen has received the big thumbs up while the iPhone 3G has been shown the door.
The reason for this decision is unknown; especially since the iPhone 3G and the second-generation iPod touch are comparable. The two devices launched in 2008 and share similar hardware; though the second-generation iPod touch (532MHz) rocks a slightly faster processor than the iPhone 3G (412MHz). Both the iPod touch 2nd generation and the iPhone 3G are capable of running iOS 4 without multi-tasking support. If the second-generation iPod touch can run Game Center then, theoretically, the iPhone 3G is capable of supporting Game Center, too.
Unless Apple changes its mind, iPhone 3G owners will miss out on the Game Center experience when it debuts with iOS 4.1. Speaking of iOS 4.1, Apple may release this update sometime today. We are refreshing Apple’s update page and will let you know when the next version of iOS 4.1 becomes available. Keep checking back to be the first on your block to rock this latest version of iOS.
[Via Apple Insider]