iPhone games will feature DLC you can purchase in-game

Apple’s iPhone OS 3.0 preview event kicked off this morning in Cupertino, California on the Apple Campus, and since lots of exciting news has come for iPhone users (OH HELL YES COPY AND PASTE), but there’s some news for iPhone gamers too … some exciting and some sure to provoke mixed responses.

An FPS called LiveFire was announced (pics here) which looks smooth and features in-game chat, but requires users to actually purchase new weapons if they want to upgrade (ugh). As for DLC, you will be able to purchase it without going to the App Store. Instead, you will have a prompt asking you if you want to purchase DLC as seen in the picture above (more at GDGT). Don’t know how cool I am with that. A one-time prompt might be ok, but can we expect to be prompted in-game every time new DLC comes out?

Also shown off was Leaf Trombone: World Stage, called the world’s first “massively online music player experience”. The game includes a duet play mode which uses Bluetooth technology. EA also showed off The Sims 3, which — not shockingly — also allows you to buy DLC without backing out of the game.

The 3.0 update will be available this summer (probably June or July) and is free for iPhone users. iTouch users will have to pay $10 in order to get the upgrade. A2DP and MMS will unfortunately not be available for 1st gen iPhones. The developer beta is available today (go see here).

Of course, there are tons of other excellent features to this update that have nothing to do with gaming, but you can read about those from the live blogs posted on Engadget and Gizmodo. I love my iPhone and am thrilled to see it evolving, and I’m especially curious about Leaf Trombone: World Stage. I don’t know about some of that DLC though…