Hand-held video game platform emulation

• US 20040157664A1
• Filed: 10/23/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Link, Patrick J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,157,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• 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 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/60 Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games

Abstract

A software emulator for emulating a handheld video game platform such as GAME BOY®, GAME BOY COLOR® and/or GAME BOY ADVANCE® on a low-capability target platform (e.g., a seat-back display for airline or train use, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone) uses a number of features and optimizations to provide high quality graphics and sound that nearly duplicates the game playing experience on the native platform. Some exemplary features include use of bit BLITing, graphics character reformatting, modeling of a native platform liquid crystal display controller using a sequential state machine, and selective skipping of frame display updates if the game play falls behind what would occur on the native platform.

Claims

1. A method of emulating a handheld video game platform comprising:

loading and executing an emulator program on a target platform different from said video game platform;

parsing and interpreting, with said emulator program, a binary image capable of being executed on said video game platform; and

generating an audio visual real time interactive presentation on said target platform in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein said binary image defines graphic characters using a predetermined format applicable to said handheld video game platform, and said emulator program reformats said graphic characters using a precomputed translation table.

2. A method of emulating a handheld video game platform comprising:

loading and executing an emulator program on a target platform different from said video game platform;

parsing and interpreting, with said emulator program, a binary image capable of being executed on said video game platform; and

generating an audio visual real time interactive presentation on said target platform in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein said emulator program displays images based on color palettes defined by said binary image that are changed duriing a display frame.

3. A method of emulating a handheld video game platform comprising:

loading and executing an emulator program on a target platform different from said video game platform;

parsing and interpreting, with said emulator program, a binary image capable of being executed on said video game platform; and

generating an audio visual real time interactive presentation on said target platform in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein said emulator program uses a jump table to parse op codes within the binary image, and uses a page table to selectively map memory access instructions into predtermined memory locations and/or function calls.

4. A method of emulating a handheld video game platform comprising:

loading and executing an emulator program on a target platform different from said video game platform;

parsing and interpreting, with said emulator program, a binary image capable of being executed on said video game platform; and

generating an audio visual real time interactive presentation on said target platform in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein said emulator program uses a BLIT operation to transfer graphics information.

5. A method of emulating a handheld video game platform comprising:

loading and executing an emulator program on a target platform different from said video game platform;

parsing and interpreting, with said emulator program, a binary image capable of being executed on said video game platform; and

generating an audio visual real time interactive presentation on said target platform in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein the emulator program runs as a protected mode DOS program.

6. A method of emulating a handheld video game platform comprising:

loading and executing an emulator program on a target platform different from said video game platform;

parsing and interpreting, with said emulator program, a binary image capable of being executed on said video game platform; and

generating an audio visual real time interactive presentation on said target platform in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein the target platform comprises a seat-back display unit having a predetermined display area, and said emulated program displays the visual part of said audio visual presentation on only a subset of said seat-back display unit display area.

7. A method of emulating a handheld video game platform comprising:

loading and executing an emulator program on a target platform different from said video game platform;

parsing and interpreting, with said emulator program, a binary image capable of being executed on said video game platform; and

generating an audio visual real time interactive presentation on said target platform in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein the emulator program includes a virtual liquid crystal display controller that models the handheld video game platform with a sequential state machine.

8. A method of emulating a handheld video game platform comprising:

loading and executing an emulator program on a target platform different from said video game platform;

parsing and interpreting, with said emulator program, a binary image capable of being executed on said video game platform; and

generating an audio visual real time interactive presentation on said target platform in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein the emulator program accesses whether said audio visual presentation is running behind a timing model of the handheld video game platform, and selectively disables at least a part of a display update in response to said assessment while continuing to parse and interpret instructions within the binary image.

9. A system that emulates in software, at least a portion of handheld video game platform hardware, said system comprising:

a target platform different from said handheld video game platform, said target platform including a processor that loads and executes emulation software, parses and interprets a binary image capable of being executed on said handheld video game platform, and generates an audio-visual real time interactive presentation in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein said binary image defines graphic characters using a predetermined format applicable to said handheld video game platform, and said processor under control of said emulation software reformats said graphic characters using a precomputed translation table.

10. A system that emulates in software, at least a portion of handheld video game platform hardware, said system comprising:

a target platform different from said handheld video game platform, said target platform including a processor that loads and executes emulation software, parses and interprets a binary image capable of being executed on said handheld video game platform, and generates an audio-visual real time interactive presentation in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein said target platform under control of said emulation software displays images based on color palettes defined by said binary image that are changed during a display frame.

11. A system that emulates in software, at least a portion of handheld video game platform hardware, said system comprising:

a target platform different from said handheld video game platform, said target platform including a processor that loads and executes emulation software, parses and interprets a binary image capable of being executed on said handheld video game platform, and generates an audio-visual real time interactive presentation in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein said target platform under control of said emulation software uses a jump table to parse op codes within the binary image, and uses a page table to selectively map memory access instructions into predetermined memory locations and/or function calls.

12. A system that emulates in software, at least a portion of handheld video game platform hardware, said system comprising:

a target platform different from said handheld video game platform, said target platform including a processor that loads and executes emulation software, parses and interprets a binary image capable of being executed on said handheld video game platform, and generates an audio-visual real time interactive presentation in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein said target platform under control of said emulation software uses a BLIT operation to transfer graphics information.

13. A system that emulates in software, at least a portion of handheld video game platform hardware, said system comprising:

a target platform different from said handheld video game platform, said target platform including a processor that loads and executes emulation software, parses and interprets a binary image capable of being executed on said handheld video game platform, and generates an audio-visual real time interactive presentation in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein the target platform executes said emulation software as a protected mode DOS program.

14. A system that emulates in software, at least a portion of handheld video game platform hardware, said system comprising:

a target platform different from said handheld video game platform, said target platform including a processor that loads and executes emulation software, parses and interprets a binary image capable of being executed on said handheld video game platform, and generates an audio-visual real time interactive presentation in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein the target platform comprises a seat-back display unit having a predetermined display area, and said target platform under control of said emulation software displays the visual part of said audio visual presentation on only a subset of said seat-back display unit display area.

15. A system that emulates in software, at least a portion of handheld video game platform hardware, said system comprising:

a target platform different from said handheld video game platform, said target platform including a processor that loads and executes emulation software, parses and interprets a binary image capable of being executed on said handheld video game platform, and generates an audio-visual real time interactive presentation in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein the target platform under control of said emulation software includes a virtual liquid crystal display controller that models the handheld video game platform with a sequential state machine.

16. A system that emulates in software, at least a portion of handheld video game platform hardware, said system comprising:

a target platform different from said handheld video game platform, said target platform including a processor that loads and executes emulation software, parses and interprets a binary image capable of being executed on said handheld video game platform, and generates an audio-visual real time interactive presentation in response to said interpreted binary image,

wherein the target platform under control of the emulation software models the timing of the handheld video game platform hardware, accesses whether said audio visual presentation is running behind the timing model of the handheld video game platform, and selectively disables at least a part of a display update in response to said assessment while continuing to parse and interpret instructions within the binary image.