Amazon GameCircle for Kindle Fire takes on Apple's Game Center
Touting it as a "new gaming experience for Kindle Fire," Amazon on Wednesday launched GameCircle, a social network for games akin to Apple's Game Center.
The new GameCircle includes achievements, leaderboards and sync functionality for developers creating applications for the Kindle Fire tablet. The service has already been beta tested with popular games like "Temple Run," "Doodle Jump" and "Triple Town."
"Our goal is to give developers great tools to quickly and easily reach new customers and keep them engaged," said Paul Ryder, vice pesident of Apps, Games and Services at Amazon. "That's why we?re creating easy-to-integrate APIs for features like leaderboards, achievements and sync. We also introduced In-App Purchasing API in April, allowing developers to offer a seamless 1-Click purchasing experience within their apps and games, and we?re just getting started."
With achievements, GameCircle will allow players to track all earned trophies, treasures, badges, awards and more within each game. Players can receive in-game messages to keep track of achievements as well.
GameCircle leaderboards also offer an in-game view of score comparison information and percentile ranking. With it, players can check standings against top players or competitors.
Syncing abilities also allow a player's in-game progress to be stored in the cloud. With it, users can pick up right where they left off when restoring a deleted game or switching devices.
The features are similar to those offered through Game Center, Apple's own gaming social networking service for iOS devices. First launched with iOS 4 in 2010, Game Center took many of its cues from Microsoft's Xbox Live service, including an integrated friend system, leaderboards, and unlockable achievements.
This month, Apple will extend Game Center beyond iOS and to the Mac with the launch of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. The operating system upgrade will offer cross-platform play between Macs, iPhones and iPads.
The new GameCircle includes achievements, leaderboards and sync functionality for developers creating applications for the Kindle Fire tablet. The service has already been beta tested with popular games like "Temple Run," "Doodle Jump" and "Triple Town."
"Our goal is to give developers great tools to quickly and easily reach new customers and keep them engaged," said Paul Ryder, vice pesident of Apps, Games and Services at Amazon. "That's why we?re creating easy-to-integrate APIs for features like leaderboards, achievements and sync. We also introduced In-App Purchasing API in April, allowing developers to offer a seamless 1-Click purchasing experience within their apps and games, and we?re just getting started."
With achievements, GameCircle will allow players to track all earned trophies, treasures, badges, awards and more within each game. Players can receive in-game messages to keep track of achievements as well.
GameCircle leaderboards also offer an in-game view of score comparison information and percentile ranking. With it, players can check standings against top players or competitors.
Syncing abilities also allow a player's in-game progress to be stored in the cloud. With it, users can pick up right where they left off when restoring a deleted game or switching devices.
The features are similar to those offered through Game Center, Apple's own gaming social networking service for iOS devices. First launched with iOS 4 in 2010, Game Center took many of its cues from Microsoft's Xbox Live service, including an integrated friend system, leaderboards, and unlockable achievements.
This month, Apple will extend Game Center beyond iOS and to the Mac with the launch of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. The operating system upgrade will offer cross-platform play between Macs, iPhones and iPads.
Comments
They steal the App Store name, get sued, and then throw a hissy fit about it and think they can get away with GameCircle?
Screw absolutely everyone else in this industry. There is no sense of taste, no morality, and no honor.
But no one will confuse it with GameCircle. I mean GameCenter.
omg... everyone see achievement of apple, now everyone will have their own "ecosystem".... I thing a good thing is cloud game scores but i think apple already plan that because games have some data on my iCloud backup....
There's only one achievement. 5 points.
A peek into a Google staff meeting.
Manager: "So what are we 'innovating' this week?"
Subordinate spins wheel on wall labeled with every piece of Apple hardware, software, and service. It lands on one.
Subordinate: "How 'bout this?"
Manager: "Great. Make it. See you next week."
LMAO -- you beat meat to it, oops I mean't you beat me to the post first. That was my very first thought (and no doubt why Apple avoided its use altogether).
I too only came here to type CircleJerk.
"A peek into a Google staff meeting."
I'ts Amazon not Google. Which is telling. Amazon is truly trying to create its own experience and product with the kindle and Android is only for the shoulders to stand on.
The next Kindle Fire release is going to be a nice discussion in the current inch tablet shuffle that is going on. Nexus vs. iPad 8 inch vs. Kindle Fire revamp not to mention the Surface.
Sad thing is outside of AI and a few other forums most people don't even know every tech company out there uses Apple for free R&D. Even judges when it gets to a trial seem unaware. That said it's been going on for three decades. You'd think we'd get used to it but I never do, it makes me sick.
Thats nice - now people who do little with their time can show off how much time they waste playing some idiotic videogame on both an iOS or Android tablet.
Multiplayer gaming networks have been around for well over a decade, so how on earth is this copying Game Centre? Try harder Apple Insider, at least accuse Amazon of ripping off Xbox Live or Steam.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin Hood
CircleJerk.
The Circle Jerks were a great band from the 1980's. I hung out with them once before a concert, while my friend was doing an interview for a radio station.
Zander was great in his role in the move Repo Man, which is a cult classic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronsullivan
The next Kindle Fire release is going to be a nice discussion in the current inch tablet shuffle that is going on. Nexus vs. iPad 8 inch vs. Kindle Fire revamp not to mention the Surface.
The tablet market is starting to mature. It is now transitioning between being an early adopter item and a mass market item. We heard that 2010 was going to be the year of the Android tablet, but that never happened. I think that 2013 will be when tablets get good enough and cheap enough and usefull enough that there will be mass market adoption.
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
Sad thing is outside of AI and a few other forums most people don't even know every tech company out there uses Apple for free R&D. Even judges when it gets to a trial seem unaware. That said it's been going on for three decades. You'd think we'd get used to it but I never do, it makes me sick.
The Apple faithful have known since at least 1984 that it is Apple against the forces of darkness. This is nothing new. Apple has been the scrappy little underdog, fighting for truth and goodness for decades.
Not so much anymore - now they are a huge international megacorporation with more money than many governments. But the image stays alive through forums like AI.
Many subcultures are based upon an Us Against Them identity, and that has been true for Apple forever. Without it, Apple would be jsut another company making luxury goods. I'm not sure that is what old time Apple fans would want.
Keep the faith. Without enemies, the culture will wither. Don't let Apple become just another megacorporation in the eyes of its customers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kotatsu
Multiplayer gaming networks have been around for well over a decade, so how on earth is this copying Game Centre? Try harder Apple Insider, at least accuse Amazon of ripping off Xbox Live or Steam.
I'm not sure you fully understand journalism, in the form practiced by AI.
If they present a story as "Some manufacturer comes out with a pretty good product", few will read the story. But if they claim that "Our Enemy Announced an iPhone Killer", they get lots more readers and forum posters.
I'm not saying that this is good or bad. I'm just saying that it is an accepted jounalistic technique to encourage readership.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JerrySwitched26
I'm not saying that this is good or bad. I'm just saying that it is an accepted jounalistic technique to encourage readership.
There's an old adage in tabloid newspaper press-rooms... "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story."
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
Sad thing is outside of AI and a few other forums most people don't even know every tech company out there uses Apple for free R&D. Even judges when it gets to a trial seem unaware. That said it's been going on for three decades. You'd think we'd get used to it but I never do, it makes me sick.
Do you want to explain what part of Game Center is original and was not copied from Xbox Live, Steam, PlayStation Network or Gamespy?
I think Amazon should have named it Game Central. That is much closer to Game Center.
Maybe Apple should copyright the word "Game".