Game system

• US 20090143140A1
• Filed: 01/29/2008
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kitahara, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 8,246,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/37
• 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 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• 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 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• 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 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games

Abstract

Provided is a game system executing a game by performing communication between a plurality of hand-held game apparatuses, each having a display section for displaying an image and an operation section, and a stationary game apparatus. In each of the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses, a plurality of directional signs indicative of operations performed by a player using the operation section is displayed on the display section. Operation data indicative of a content of the operation performed by using the operation section is transmitted to the stationary game apparatus. The stationary game apparatus receives the operation data transmitted from each of the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses. The stationary game apparatus obtains, from sound data storage means storing therein a plurality of pieces of sound data, sound data corresponding to the operation data, and at the same time, outputs a sound based on each piece of the obtained sound data.

Claims

1. A game system executing a game by performing communication between a stationary game apparatus and a plurality of hand-held game apparatuses, each including a display section for displaying an image and an operation section,

each of the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses comprising:

display control means for causing a plurality of directional signs to be displayed on the display section so as to indicate to a player an operation to be performed by using the operation section; and

operation data transmission means for transmitting, to the stationary game apparatus, operation data indicative of a content of the operation performed by using the operation section,

the stationary game apparatus comprising;

sound data storage means for the stationary apparatus for storing therein a plurality of pieces of sound data;

operation data reception means for receiving the operation data transmitted from each of the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses;

sound reading means for obtaining, from the sound data storage means, sound data corresponding to the operation data transmitted from each of the plurality of the hand-held game apparatuses; and

sound output means for outputting a sound based on the obtained sound data.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein

a game executed by the game system is a music game in which a musical composition which is composed of a plurality of parts is played cooperatively by using each of the hand-held game apparatuses while each of the plurality of parts are taken charge of by each of the hand-held game apparatuses,

the plurality of directional signs indicate a content of a play operation of the musical composition with respect to each of the plurality of parts,

each of the hand-held game apparatuses further comprises directional sign storage means for storing, in a chronological order, therein, data indicative of the plurality of directional signs,

the display control means reads, from the directional sign storage means, the plurality of directional signs for causing each of the hand-held game apparatuses to play the part taken charge of thereby, and displays the plurality of directional signs on the display section,

the sound data storage means for the stationary apparatus stores therein sound data corresponding to each of the plurality of parts, and

the sound data reading means reads, in accordance with the operation data, sound data corresponding to a part taken charge of by a hand-held game apparatus which is a transmission source of the operation data.

3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein

each of the hand-held game apparatuses further comprises:

part selection means for causing a player to select a part to be taken charge of by the player; and

part information transmission means for transmitting part selection information indicative of the part selected by the player to the stationary game apparatus,

the stationary game apparatus further comprises;

part information reception means for receiving the part selection information; and

all part information transmission means for transmitting all pieces of the received part selection information to each of the hand-held game apparatuses.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the stationary game apparatus further comprises automatic playing means for reproducing a part of the musical composition, among the plurality of parts constituting the musical composition, which is not selected by the part selection means.

5. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the sound output means is capable of outputting the sound data obtained by the sound reading means by changing the musical scale of the sound data to a predetermined musical scale.

6. The game system according to claim 1 wherein

the operation section includes a depressible key, and

the operation data includes data indicative of an operation of the depressible key.

7. The game system according to claim 1 wherein

the operation section includes a touch panel, and

the operation data includes data indicative of a touch coordinate point on the touch panel.

8. The game system according to claim 2, wherein

each of the hand-held game apparatuses further comprises:

sound data storage means for the hand-held apparatus for storing therein sound data whose quality is lower than the sound data stored in the sound data storage means for the stationary apparatus;

inter-hand-held-apparatus communication means for performing communication among the hand-held game apparatuses;

inter-hand-held-apparatus communication game means for performing the music game while communication among the hand-held game apparatuses is performed by using the sound data stored in the sound data storage means for the hand-held apparatus and the inter-hand-held-apparatus communication means; and

game mode selection means for causing the player to select either of a game mode in which the music game is performed while communication is performed among the hand-held game apparatuses or a game mode in which the music game is performed through communication with the stationary game apparatus.

9. The game system according to claim 2, wherein

at least one of the hand-held game apparatuses further includes:

musical composition data storage means including data indicative of the plurality of directional signs; and

musical composition data transmission means for transmitting the musical composition data to the stationary game apparatus,

the stationary game apparatus further comprises;

musical composition data reception means for receiving the musical composition data; and

musical composition data distribution means for transmitting the received musical composition data to the hand-held game apparatuses,

the directional sign storage means stores therein data indicative of the plurality of directional signs included in the musical composition data transmitted from the musical composition data distribution means.

10. The game system according to claim 9, wherein

each of the plurality of the hand-held game apparatuses further comprises:

scoring point calculation means for calculating a scoring point of a play operation performed by the player by comparing the musical composition data to the operation data; and

scoring point transmission means for transmitting scoring point data indicative of the scoring point to the stationary game apparatus,

the stationary game apparatus further comprises;

scoring point reception means for receiving the scoring point data transmitted by the scoring point transmission means; and

scoring point display means for displaying the scoring point of the player of each of the hand-held apparatuses in accordance with the received scoring point data.

11. The game system according to claim 9, wherein

the stationary game apparatus further comprises:

distribution program storage means for storing therein a play operation program for allowing a play operation to be performed by using each of the hand-held game apparatuses; and

distribution means for distributing the play operation program,

each of the hand-held game apparatuses further comprises;

storage medium receiving means which detachably accommodates a storage medium having stored therein a game program for executing the music game and the musical composition data; and

play operation program storage means for storing therein the play operation program,

the musical composition data transmission means of a hand-held game apparatus, which accommodates the storage medium, transmits the musical composition data stored in the storage medium to the stationary game apparatus,

the distribution means transmits the play operation program to a hand-held game apparatus which does not accommodate the storage medium,

the musical composition data distribution means transmits, to the hand-held game apparatus which does not accommodate the storage medium, the musical composition data transmitted from the musical composition data transmission means of the hand-held game apparatus which accommodates the storage medium, and

the hand-held game apparatus, which does not accommodate the storage medium, executes the music game in accordance with the play operation program transmitted from the distribution means and the musical composition data transmitted from the musical composition data distribution means.