Video Game Recording and Playback with Visual Display of Game Controller Manipulation

• US 20080119286A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Brunstetter, Aaron, Zalewski, Gary M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,526,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• 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 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/577 for watching a game played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/634 for replaying partially or entirely the game actions since the beginning of the game

Abstract

A system and method for recording and playback of game data is provided. A recording engine may be configured to record and playback game data, including broadcast data received over a network. The recording engine may be included in a game console or at other network-enabled devices, such as a desktop computer. The recording engine may be configured to record the game data in a buffer memory, an archival memory, and to assist in the display of the game (e.g., interacting with a graphics processing unit). Game data stored in the buffer memory may later be transferred to the archival memory. Playback commands may be operable when a portion of the game broadcast has been recorded. When a playback command is received, the game recording engine may access a portion of the game data from buffer or archival memory and displays a selected portion and may be subject to certain seek functions (e.g., fast forward and rewind). Spectators may be able to independently archive and playback game data using local memory.

Claims

1. A system for network playback of a video game, the system comprising:

a participant client computing device associated with at least one participant playing a video game, the participant client computing device coupled to a network, the participant client computing device including;

a recording engine configured to receive game data generated by the at least one participant, the game data including controller manipulation data corresponding to a physical domain manipulation of a game controller coupled to the client gaming device, the controller manipulation data generated during participant interaction with the video game, and

a memory coupled to the recording engine, the memory configured to store at least one portion of the game data received by the recording engine; and

a spectator client computing device coupled to the network, the spectator client computing device configured to generate a user interface for receiving at least one playback command from a spectator associated with the spectator client computing device, the at least one playback command transmitted over the network, wherein the playback command includes an indication to play back the at least one portion of the game data stored in memory.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one portion of the game data stored in memory is played back from the memory at the participant client computing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one portion of the game data stored in memory is played back from a network storage device, the at least one portion of the game data having been copied to the network storage device from the participant client computing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the recording engine is configured to store the at least one portion of the game data while the at least one portion of the game data is simultaneously broadcast to another recipient over the network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the recording engine is configured to store the at least one portion of the game data while at least one portion of game data associated with a second video game is simultaneously broadcast to another recipient over the network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one portion of the game data played back in response to the play back command includes a graphic display of a game controller.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphic display of the game controller includes at least one participant manipulation of the game controller that corresponds to the physical domain manipulation of the game controller by the at least one participant during interaction with the video game and that generated the at least one portion of the game data stored in memory.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller coupled to the participant client computing device is configured to generate controller manipulation data corresponding to pitch, roll, and yaw in three-dimensional space.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphic display of the game controller is scaled against a game environment of the video game.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphic display of the game controller is visually blended with a game environment of the video game.

11. A method for playback of game data, comprising

storing the game data in a memory device, the game data including controller manipulation data corresponding to a physical domain manipulation of a game controller by a participant during interaction with a video game;

receiving a playback control command identifying a selected portion of the game data, the playback control command received from a spectator client computing device;

accessing the selected portion of the game data in memory as identified by the playback control command; and

displaying the selected portion of the game data, wherein, displaying the selected portion of the game data includes a graphic display of a game controller and at least one participant manipulation of the game controller that corresponds to the physical domain manipulation of the game controller by the participant during interaction with the video game and that generated the selected portion of the game data recorded in the memory device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the game data is generated and stored at a participant client computing device, the play back of the selected portion of the game data occurring from memory at the participant client computing device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the game data is generated at a participant client computing device and subsequently stored at a network storage device, the display of the selected portion of the game data occurring from memory at the network storage device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein a first portion of the game data is recorded simultaneously with the display of a second portion of the game data.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a first portion of the game data is recorded simultaneously with the display of a portion of game data received over a network.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the display of the game controller is scaled against a game environment of the video game.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the display of the game controller is visually blended with a game environment of the video game.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the controller manipulation data is generated by a control device configured to generate controller manipulation data corresponding to pitch, roll, and yaw in three-dimensional space.

19. A computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program having instructions for playback of game data, the instructions being executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

storing the game data in a memory device, the game data including controller manipulation data corresponding to a physical domain manipulation of a game controller by a participant during interaction with a video game;

receiving a playback control command identifying a selected portion of the game data, the playback control command received from a spectator client computing device;

accessing the selected portion of the game data in memory as identified by the playback control command; and

displaying the selected portion of the game data, wherein displaying the selected portion of the game data includes a graphic display of a game controller and at least one participant manipulation of the game controller that corresponds to the physical domain manipulation of the game controller by the participant during interaction with the video game and that generated the selected portion of the game data recorded in the memory device.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein a first portion of the game data is recorded simultaneously with the display of a second portion of the game data.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein a first portion of the game data is recorded simultaneously with the display of a portion of game data received over a network.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the display of the game controller is scaled against a game environment of the video game.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the display of the game controller is visually blended with a game environment of the video game.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the controller manipulation data is generated by a control device configured to generate controller manipulation data corresponding to pitch, roll, and yaw in three-dimensional space.