There's an iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island game concept — and it needs to become reality

Update: Here's why we think the iPhone 14 Pro is so much better than the iPhone 14.

One of the iPhone 14 Pro's most interesting new features is its notch-replacing Dynamic Island. While it's currently there to serve as a notification and active app hub, it seems like you may be able to play games using the pill-shaped cutout on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Developer Kriss Smolka (via MacRumors) showed off a game that makes use of it, named Hit The Island, on Twitter. It looks similar to Pong, except your goal is to hit the Dynamic Island, which wobbles when you successfully deflect the ball into it, and spawns extra balls when you reach certain scores. It reminds me of Block Breaker on the original click-wheel iPods too, which makes this feel extra suited to this new Apple device.

Apple's done a great job of making what would otherwise be a big hole in the screen serve a purpose. In fact TG's Content Director Mark Spoonauer went as far as to call the Dynamic Island a game changer. But what would be even better than its current functionality is if third-party devs start finding exciting new way to work with it, too.

This Hit The Island game is definitely amusing, but there are no doubt all sorts of other potential practical and entertaining uses for the Dynamic Island that non-Apple apps could unlock. Hopefully iOS 16 developer will already be working up innovative uses for the feature, including more complex games.

iPhone 14 preorders are already live, and the full retail release is on the books for this Friday (September 16). Make sure you check out our iPhone 14 Pro Max hands-on review for more details on the Dynamic Island, and also our thoughts on the iPhone 14 Plus, the new model for this year that blends the Pro Max's size with the iPhone 14's features.