3GS iPhone Games Get Special Code

Games designed to take advantage of the iPhone 3GS’ more robust chipset are starting to quietly make their way onto the App store.

Released this June, the iPhone 3GS added a magnetic compass, video capture capabilities, more built-in memory and a faster processor when it hit.

But it hasn’t been until recently that games designed specifically to take advantage of the new guts have started hitting iTunes.

Gameloft’s Asphalt 5 is one of those games. While the racing title will play on an iPod Touch or any model iPhone, it plays best on the 3GS when it hits later this year.

That’s because when the game first runs the software detects which hardware it has been installed on and launches the appropriate software. The game pack includes different files to load depending on which handset runs it, a Gameloft told Kotaku.

It’s a clever way to hide the fact that the iPhone is starting to nose its way into the sticky issue of having a potentially fragmented audience, something that could have serious implications for developers and gamers alike.