This post was originally published on Mashable.com

Next week, Apple will launch Game Center for the iPhone and the iPod touch. The app and platform will allow video game players to track one another's achievements, create multiplayer matches and discover new games.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs introduces Game Center for iPod at Apple's music-themed September media event in San Francisco.

The features are comparable to those found in Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network and Steam - online gaming services used by Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC gamers, respectively. Third parties have implemented similar features for iPhone games using their own networks, but the Apple Game Center will be built into the tools it gives to developers of iOS apps, securing an edge over the existing networks.

Game Center will be one of many new features included in iOS 4.1, a new version of the iPhone and iPod touch operating system. Apple unveiled that and several other entertainment-related products at a live event today, including an updated iPod touch with the same screen and processor found in the iPhone 4.