iPhone 4 Revealed; Gets Gyroscope for Gaming

Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 4, its next smartphone, and while we won't cover the phone as a whole here at Shacknews, the device will be getting a gyroscope.

Apple's iPhone 4

This has some nice implications for gaming as it should allow developers to make better use of the iPhone as a motion and gesture based controller. It should hopefully make the device much more precise.

Apple describes the new sensor on its website:

iPhone 4 is the first phone with a built-in three-axis gyroscope. When paired with the accelerometer, it makes iPhone 4 capable of advanced motion sensing such as user acceleration, angular velocity, and rotation rate. Translation: More motion gestures and greater precision for an even better gaming experience.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs demoed the new gyroscope on stage at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference today, showing off a Jenga-like test game.

It's certainly an interesting addition, but I don't know how often I'll be able to spin around with my phone when I'm gaming. It should make augmented reality applications a lot more useful, though.

For more coverage on the iPhone 4, you can check out Engadget, TUAW, or MacRumors. If you want a laugh, follow along as the Shacknews community follows the announcement of the new device.

The iPhone 4 will be available for pre-order on June 15 and will be released on June 24 in the US, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.