DISC JOCKEY VIDEO GAME AND CONTROLLER

• US 20100216547A1
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: On, Chan Yuk, Lam, Lee Yat, Coppard, Nathan, Wigfield, Neil, Jackson, Jamie, Osbourn, David, Hindle, Phillip, Guinchard, Lee, Withers, Stephen N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,153,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• 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 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games

Abstract

A disc jockey music-based video game with a controller for the same. The disc jockey music-based video game presents instructive cues for manipulation of the controller and evaluates game player'"'"'s performance based on the player'"'"'s compliance with the instructive cues. A display with visual indicators of instructive cues and visual indicators representing player performance may be provided. Additionally, other forms of game player feedback may be provided, for example music, simulated crowd response other forms of generally auditory cues.

Claims

1. A music-based video game system, comprising:

a display;

a video game controller including;

a rotatable platter on a housing;

at least one input device carried by the platter;

a processor configured by program instructions to command generation on the display of a visual interface of a music based video game, the program instructions including instructions for;

providing instructive cues arranged in correspondence with a musical piece on the visual interface prompting a video game player to operate the video game controller;

processing an input signal indicative of operation of the video game controller;

commanding generation of a visual interface based in part on the input signals indicative of operation of the video game controller.

2. The music-based video game system of claim 1 wherein the further housing includes a plurality of further input devices.

3. The music-based video game system of claim 2 wherein the housing of the video game controller comprises a first housing with the rotatable platter and a second housing with the plurality of further input devices, the first and second housings being electrically coupled.

4. The music-based video game system of claim 3 wherein the second housing has connectors on opposing sides of the second housing.

5. The music-based video game system of claim 4 wherein the first housing is countable to the connectors on either of the opposing sides of the second housing.

6. The music-based video game system of claim 4, the video game controller further comprising a further rotatable platter on a third housing and where the first housing is coupled to connectors of one of the opposing sides of the second housing and the third housing is coupled to connectors of the other of the opposing sides.

7. The music-based video game system of claim 1 wherein the program instructions include instructions for commanding generation of a score based on extent of compliance of the video game player'"'"'s inputs or series of inputs with the cues on the visual interface.

8. The music-based video game system of claim 1 wherein the at least one input device carried by the rotatable platter comprises a plurality of buttons.

9. The music-based video game system of claim 1 wherein the at least one input device carried by the rotatable platter comprises a plurality of touch-sensitive areas.

10. The music-based video game system of claim 9 wherein the housing includes circuitry for sampling the state of the plurality of touch-sensitive areas, forming a first moving average based on samples of the state of at least one of the touch sensitive areas, forming a second moving average based on samples of the state of the at least one of the touch sensitive areas, and determining that a press of the at least one of the touch sensitive areas occurred if a difference between the first moving average and the second moving average exceeds a threshold.

11. The music-based video game system of claim 2 wherein the second housing with a plurality of input devices includes a linear input device.

12. The music-based video game system of claim 11 wherein the visual interface comprises a plurality of visual indicators, each of the plurality of visual indicators corresponding to separate ones of a plurality of audio streams.

13. The music-based video game system of claim 12 wherein lateral shifts in the plurality of visual indicators indicate operation of the linear input device.

14. The music-based video game system of claim 13 wherein the program instructions include instructions for commanding presentation of audio of the audio streams based on position of the linear input device.

15. A music-based video game system, comprising:

a display;

a video game controller including;

a turntable;

a plurality of input devices on or extending through a surface of the turntable;

a linear input device;

a processor configured by program instructions to command generation on the display of a visual interface of a music based video game, the program instructions including instructions for;

commanding display of instructive cues arranged in correspondence with a musical piece on the visual interface, at least some of the instructive cues prompting the video game player to manipulate the turntable, the plurality of input devices and the linear input device;

processing input signals indicative of operation of the video game controller;

commanding display of the visual interface based in part on the input signals indicative of operation of the video game controller.

16. The music-based video game system of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to command presentation of audio of different audio streams based on input signals indicative of position of the linear input device.

17. The music-based video game system of claim 16 wherein the linear input device comprises a knob which slides along a track on a single axis.

18. The music-based video game system of claim 16 wherein the linear input device comprises a touch sensitive strip.

19. The music-based video game system of claim 15 wherein the turntable is freely rotatable through an infinite number of degrees.

20. The music-based video game system of claim 15 wherein the turntable is rotatable through a predetermined number of degrees and returns to a neutral position upon release of the rotatable platter.

21. The music-based video game system of claim 15 wherein a rotary input device determines a position and velocity of the turntable.

22. The music-based video game system of claim 15 wherein the mixer has a source of power.

23. The music-based video game system of claim 15 wherein the turntable has a source of power.

24. A video game controller comprising:

a rotatable platter on a housing;

at least one input device carried by the platter;

circuitry to communicate an indication of the status of the at least one input device.

25. The video game controller of claim 24 wherein the at least one input device comprises a plurality of buttons.

26. The video game controller of claim 24 wherein the at least one input device comprises a plurality of touch sensitive regions arranged in concentric rings.

27. The video game controller of claim 24 wherein the circuitry includes circuitry to determine angular position related information of the rotatable platter.

28. A method of simulating a multi-turntable disc jockey deck in a music-based video game with a single turntable video game controller comprising:

providing a plurality of streams of audio data, at least two of the streams of audio data representative of different musical pieces;

selecting of the streams of audio data, or another of the streams of audio data or both of the streams of audio data for play based on an input of the video game controller having a single turntable; and

presenting at least some audio to a game player, the at least some audio formed of the selected stream or streams.