Game system and game information storage medium used for same

• US 20070178974A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Toshiaki, Masuyama, Iwao, Takara, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 8,562,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video

Abstract

A game system includes a housing to be held by a player. The housing incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in an X-axis and Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction. These sensor and switch detect at least one of an amount (e.g. tilt amount, movement amount, impact amount or the like) and a direction (e.g. tilt direction, movement direction, impact direction or the like) of a change applied to the housing. A simulation program provides simulation such that a state of a game space is changed related to at least one of the amount and direction of the change applied to the housing.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A game system structured at least by two game apparatuses, wherein

the two game apparatuses each have game program storage means to store a program, processing means to execute a game program, and a housing to be held by a player, and in a related fashion display means to display an image based on a result of processing by said processing means,

at least one of the two game apparatuses being provided related to said housing and having change-state detecting means to detect at least one of an amount and a direction of a change applied to the housing,

the game system further having data transmitting means connected to the two game apparatuses and for transmitting mutually-related data to the game apparatus on the opposite side,

a respective of the game program storage means of the two game apparatuses having the following:

game space data including image data to display a space for game play; and

display control programs to cause said display means to display a game space based on the game space data, wherein

said game program storage means of at least the other of said two game apparatuses further including a simulation program to provide simulation based on an output of said change-state detecting means of said one game apparatus transmitted through said data transmitting means such that a state of the game space of the other of said game apparatuses is changed related to at least one of an amount and a direction of a change applied to said housing of one of said game apparatuses.

19. A game system according to claim 18, wherein said change-state detecting means are respectively provided on said two game apparatuses, and

the respective of said game program storage means of said two game apparatuses including a simulation program to provide simulation based on an output of said change-state detecting means of said one game apparatus such that a state of the game space of said the other game apparatus is changed related to at least one of an amount and a direction of a change applied to said housing of said one game apparatus.

20. A game system according to claim 18, wherein the game space data stored in said game program storage means of said the other game apparatus are selected same game space data,

the simulation program of said one game apparatus changing a state of the game space of said one game apparatus correspondingly to a state of the other game space to be simulated by the game space control program, and

the simulation program of said other game apparatus changing a state of the game space of said the other game apparatus correspondingly to a state of one game space to be simulated by the game space control program.

21. A game control method for a game apparatus including a housing to be held by a player and change-state detecting means provided related to the housing and for detecting at least one of an amount or a direction of a change applied to the housing, comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a game space according to a game program; and

(b) simulating based on an output of said change-state detecting means such that a state of the game space is changed related to at least one of an amount and a direction of a change applied to said housing;