Game execution environments

• US 10,279,252 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2017
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gault, Andrew Buchanan, Pereira, Rui Filipe
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuff, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US15/839,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20180099222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40, 463 42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/51 Server architecture
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 : I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 : Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 : Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 : Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 : Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 : for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 : Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/136 : Incoming video signal characteristics or properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/42 : characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 : Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 : Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 : characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards

Abstract

Systems and methods for executing multiple video games, or other sources of video, include a cloud game execution environment in which each game application is executed on the same operating system but within a virtual I/O shell. The virtual I/O shell includes virtual video, audio and input channels that allow each game application to operate as if it had dedicated drivers. In some embodiments, the systems and methods of the invention are used to provide video streams to a plurality of clients over the internet.

Claims

1. A video game system, comprising,

a gaming computer, the gaming computer including,

a processor;

a graphics processing unit (GPU); and

memory for storing video frames generated for an executable application, the video frames being compressed for video game streaming to one or more other computers, wherein the executable application is associated with virtual I/O shells that provide for video, audio and input channels for said one or more other computers to control interactivity of operation of the executable application during said video game streaming;

wherein said video, audio and input channels implement separate virtual channel drivers to simulate I/O processing at the gaming computer.

2. The video game system of claim 1, wherein each of said one or more other computers are remote clients with respect to the gaming computer.

3. The video game system of claim 1, wherein said channels are channel drivers to interface with the executable application from a remote computer, wherein the remote computer is either on a local network or connected to a wide area network.

4. The video game system of claim 1, wherein each virtual I/O shell is configured to simulate one or more local hardware or software input devices, and has a function or API configured to receive input.

5. The video game system of claim 1, further comprising,

an instant messaging chat interface for enabling players of one or more of said other computers to communicate while viewing or playing said video game streaming of the executable application with other users.

6. The video game system of claim 1, further comprising,

a lobby interface is configured to manage players using said one or more clients as remote clients to the gaming computer, the lobby interface used to allow players to enter or leave game sessions accessed for active play or viewing.

7. The video game system of claim 1, further comprising,

an encoder of the gaming computer is used for compressing said video frames.

8. The video game system of claim 1, wherein video game streaming from said gaming computer provides a plurality of video game streams, and each video game stream is provisioned to each of said one or more other computers so that each of said one or more other computers is provided with video, audio and input channels for controlling interactivity of the executable application.

9. The video game system of claim 8, wherein said GPU is shared and used for each of the plurality of video game streams during said video game streaming.

10. The video game system of claim 8, wherein said executable application is provisioned at least in part with use of a Windows emulator.

11. The video game system of claim 8, wherein said executable application is provisioned using at least in part a host operating system (OS), which is one of a Windows OS, or a Linux OS, or a UNIX OS, or an Apple OS, or a game console OS.

12. The video game system of claim 1, wherein gaming computer is one of a personal computer, a game console, or a cloud gaming system.

13. A video game system, comprising,

a gaming computer, the gaming computer including,

a processor;

a graphics processing unit (GPU); and

a buffer for storing video frames generated for an executable application, the video frames being compressed for video game streaming to one or more other computers that are connected to the gaming computer over a network, wherein the executable application is provisioned for each of the one or more other computers to provide video, audio and input channels to control interactivity of operation of the executable application during said video game streaming,

wherein said video, audio and input channels implement separate virtual channel drivers to simulate I/O processing at the gaming computer.

14. The video game system of claim 13, wherein said gaming computer is associated with a first player and the one or more other computers are associated with other one or more other remote players, wherein said one or more other remote players are provided with shared access to the executable application to view or participate in active play of the video game streaming with the first player or for the first player.

15. The video game system of claim 13,

wherein each of said one or more other computers is connected to the gaming computer either via a local network or connected via a wide area network;

wherein gaming computer is one of a personal computer, a game console, or a cloud gaming system.

16. The video game system of claim 13, wherein the provisioning is configured to simulate one or more local hardware or software input devices as controlled by one or more players of the one or more other computers connected to the gaming computer over a network.

17. The video game system of claim 13, further comprising,

an instant messaging chat interface for enabling players of one or more of said other computers to communicate while viewing or playing said video game streaming of the executable application with other users.

18. The video game system of claim 13, further comprising,

a lobby interface is configured to manage players using said one or more clients as remote clients to the gaming computer, the lobby interface used to allow players to enter or leave game sessions accessed for active play or viewing.

19. The video game system of claim 13, wherein said GPU is shared for provisioning the video game streaming to the one or more other computers over a network.

20. The video game system of claim 13, wherein said executable application is provisioned using at least in part a host operating system (OS), which is one of a Windows OS, or a Linux OS, or a UNIX OS, or an Apple OS, or a game console OS.