Spectator management at view locations in virtual reality environments

• US 10,245,507 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Marks, Richard L., Osman, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuff, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/283,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20170354875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 463 31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/205 Image-based rendering

Abstract

A method is provided, including the following method operations: providing a first view of a virtual environment to a first head-mounted display (HMD), the first view being defined from a first location in the virtual environment, and associated to a first virtual character having a first view direction towards a virtual object in the virtual environment; simultaneous with the providing the first view, providing a second view of the virtual environment to a second HMD, the second view being defined from the first location in the virtual environment, and associated to a second virtual character in the virtual environment; wherein providing the second view includes rendering the first virtual character in the second view, the rendering of the first virtual character in the second view being configured to present the first virtual character as having a second location in the virtual environment, the rendering of the first virtual character in the second view being further configured to present the first virtual character as having a second view direction that is adjusted relative to the first view direction so as to be towards the virtual object as shown in the second view.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a first view of a virtual environment to a first head-mounted display (HMD), the first view being associated to a first virtual character having a first view direction towards a virtual object in the virtual environment, the first view being from a first-person perspective of the first virtual character as the first virtual character is positioned at the first location, the first view direction defined from the first-person perspective of the first virtual character;

simultaneous with the providing the first view, providing a second view of the virtual environment to a second HMD, the second view being associated to a second virtual character in the virtual environment, the second view being from a first-person perspective of the second virtual character as the second virtual character is positioned at the first location;

wherein providing the second view includes rendering the first virtual character in the second view, the rendering of the first virtual character in the second view being configured to present the first virtual character as having being positioned at a second location in the virtual environment, the rendering of the first virtual character in the second view being further configured to present the first virtual character as having a second view direction that is adjusted relative to the first view direction so as to be from a first-person perspective of the first virtual character as the first virtual character is positioned at the second location, and so as to be towards the virtual object as shown in the second view.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first view of the virtual environment to the first HMD includes processing data identifying an orientation of the first HMD in a first interactive environment in which the first HMD is disposed;

wherein the first view direction is substantially determined by the orientation of the first HMD in the first interactive environment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the second view of the virtual environment to the second HMD includes processing data identifying an orientation of the second HMD in a second interactive environment in which the second HMD is disposed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual object towards which the first view direction is directed is identified based on extrapolation of the first view direction from the first location in the virtual environment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second view direction is determined based on relative positioning of the first location, the second location, and the virtual object in the virtual environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual environment is defined for gameplay of a video game, and wherein the first view and second view are spectator views of the gameplay of the video game.

2. A method, comprising:

providing a first view of a virtual environment to a first head-mounted display (HMD), the first view being defined from a first location in the virtual environment, and associated to a first virtual character having a first view direction towards a virtual object in the virtual environment;

simultaneous with the providing the first view, providing a second view of the virtual environment to a second HMD, the second view being defined from the first location in the virtual environment, and associated to a second virtual character in the virtual environment;

wherein providing the second view includes rendering the first virtual character in the second view, the rendering of the first virtual character in the second view being configured to present the first virtual character as having a second location in the virtual environment, the rendering of the first virtual character in the second view being further configured to present the first virtual character as having a second view direction that is adjusted relative to the first view direction so as to be towards the virtual object as shown in the second view;

wherein the second view direction is adjusted relative to the first view direction by turning a head and/or body of the first virtual character so as to face towards the virtual object.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, over a network, requests to spectate a virtual environment using a plurality of head-mounted displays (HMDs);

assigning each HMD to one of a plurality of viewing groups, each viewing group defining a spatial arrangement in the virtual environment for avatars associated with HMDs that are assigned to the viewing group;

for each HMD, providing, over the network, a view of the virtual environment for rendering on the HMD, wherein providing the view includes placing the viewing group to which the HMD is assigned at a designated view location in the virtual environment, and providing the view from a first-person perspective of the HMD'"'"'s associated avatar as defined by the spatial arrangement of the viewing group as the viewing group is placed at the designated view location;

wherein the designated view location in the virtual environment is the same for each viewing group.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the spatial arrangement defined by a given viewing group includes a cluster of avatar placement locations having a fixed spatial relationship to each other in the virtual environment.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein when providing the view for a given HMD, the viewing group to which the given HMD is assigned is placed in the designated view location to the exclusion of other viewing groups.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein when providing the view for the given HMD, at least some of the other viewing groups are placed at other view locations in the virtual environment so as to be adjacent to and/or surrounding the viewing group to which the given HMD is assigned.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein assigning the HMDs is based on social graphs of user accounts associated with the HMDs.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the requests to spectate the virtual environment are received over the network from a plurality of HMD connected computers.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, over a network, requests to spectate a virtual environment using a plurality of head-mounted displays (HMDs);

for each HMD, assigning an avatar associated with the HMD to a position in a spectator array, the spectator array defining an arrangement of the avatars relative to each other in the virtual environment when rendered in the virtual environment;

for each HMD, providing, over the network, a view of the virtual environment for rendering on the HMD, wherein providing the view includes positioning a portion of the spectator array that includes the HMD'"'"'s associated avatar in the virtual environment, so that the HMD'"'"'s associated avatar is positioned at a primary viewing location in the virtual environment, the view being from a first-person perspective of the HMD'"'"'s associated avatar as the HMD'"'"'s associated avatar is positioned at the primary viewing location;

wherein the primary viewing location in the virtual environment is the same for each HMD.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein positioning the portion of the spectator array that includes the HMD'"'"'s associated avatar, so that the HMD'"'"'s associated avatar is located at the primary viewing location, further includes, positioning other avatars, that are included in the portion of the spectator array, at secondary viewing locations surrounding the primary viewing location in the virtual environment, the positioning of the other avatars at the secondary viewing locations being configured to maintain the arrangement of the HMD'"'"'s associated avatar and the other avatars relative to each other as defined by the spectator array.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the arrangement of the avatars relative to each other identifies a fixed spatial positioning of the avatars relative to each other.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein when providing the view for a given HMD, the HMD'"'"'s associated avatar is positioned at the primary viewing location to the exclusion of other avatars.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein assigning the HMDs is based on social graphs of user accounts associated with the HMDs.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the requests to spectate the virtual environment are received over the network from a plurality of HMD connected computers.