VIDEO GAME AND PERIPHERAL FOR SAME

• US 20110124387A1
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sauerbrei, Peter J., Dwyer, Patrick, Tibbetts, David M., Sen, Arnab
• Granted Patent: US 9,101,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• 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 13/807 Gliding or sliding on surfaces, e.g. using skis, skates or boards
• 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 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8041 Skating using skis, skates or board

Abstract

A video game controller with a position sensor and a proximity sensor provides user input signals for use in determining game states. The video game controller can have a board or deck-like surface similar to that of a skateboard, and the proximity sensor can be used to determine if a user is in contact with or near the board. A video game associated with the video game controller can provide a skateboard or other game in which a skateboard and skateboarding character are responsive to a game player'"'"'s manipulation of the video game controller.

Claims

1. A video game system, comprising:

a video game controller in the form of a housing with an elongate upper surface having a substantially flat portion for a user standing thereupon, the housing containing a position related sensing device, an object proximity sensing device, a signal transmitter, and circuitry coupling the position related sensing device and the object proximity sensing device with the signal transmitter such that the signal transmitter may transmit signals indicative of information of the position related sensing device and signals indicative of information of the object proximity sensing device; and

a video game console including a processor configured by program instructions to command display of a game character performing operations using a board in a virtual environment based on values of the signals indicative of information of the position related sensing device and values of the signals indicative of information of the object proximity sensing device, with the game character performing different operations using the board for different combinations of values of the signals indicative of information of the position related sensing device and the values of the signals indicative of information of the object proximity sensing device.

2. The video game system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions include program instructions to command display of the game character performing a first operation using the board when the values of the signals indicative of the information of the position related sensing device indicate a first position related state and the values of the signals indicative of information of the object proximity sensing device indicate a first object proximity state and program instructions to command display of the game character performing a second operation using the board when the values of the signals indicative of the information of the position related sensing device indicate a first position related state and the values of the signals indicative of information of the object proximity sensing device indicate a second object proximity state.

3. The video game system of claim 2 wherein the first operation is a board navigation operation and the second operation is a board trick operation.

4. The video game system of claim 2, wherein the program instructions include program instructions to command display of the game character performing a third operation using the board when the values of the signals indicative of the information of the position related sensing device indicate a first position related state and the values of the signals indicative of information of the object proximity sensing device indicate a third object proximity state.

5. The video game system of claim 4, wherein the first operation is a board navigation operation, the second operation is a first board trick operation, and the third operation is a second board trick operation.

6. The video game system of claim 2, wherein the position related sensing device comprises at least one accelerometer.

7. The video game system of claim 2, further comprising an additional object proximity sensing device coupled by the circuitry to the signal transmitter, and wherein the object proximity sensing device is located proximate a front of the housing and the additional object proximity sensing device is locate proximate a rear of the housing.

8. The video game system of claim 7, wherein the object proximity sensing device and the additional object proximity sensing device each comprise an infrared sensor.

9. The video game system of claim 8, further comprising two further object proximity sensing devices, with a left object proximity sensing device of the two further object proximity sensing devices located proximate a left side of the housing and a right object proximity sensing device of the two further object proximity sensing devices located proximate a right side of the housing

10. The video game system of claim 2, further comprising an additional object proximity sensing device coupled by the circuitry to the signal transmitter, and wherein the object proximity sensing device is located proximate a left side of the housing and the additional object proximity sensing device is locate proximate a right side of the housing.

11. The video game system of claim 9 wherein the processor included in the circuitry is configured to trigger the left proximity sensing device and the right proximity sensing device at different times than the object proximity sensing device and the additional object proximity sensing device.

12. A video game system, comprising:

a housing including a position related sensing device, an object proximity sensing device, and a transmitter to transmit information indicative of information of the position related sensing device and information indicative of information of the object proximity sensing device; and

a processor configured by program instructions to command display of a game character performing different tricks using a board for different combinations of values of the information indicative of information of the position related sensing device and the information indicative of the information of the object proximity sensing device.

13. The video game system of claim 12, wherein the information indicative of information of the object proximity device is information indicative of an object within a discrete number of ranges of distances to the housing.

14. A peripheral for a video game, comprising:

a housing including at least one surface providing a deck;

at least one position related sensing device fixedly coupled to the housing to provide housing position related information;

at least one proximity sensor to provide object detection information of objects proximate to the housing, the object detection information including information indicative of distance between the object and the housing;

circuitry coupled to the proximity sensor, the circuitry configured to generate a signal indicative of which of a plurality of ranges of distances the distance between the object and the housing is within; and

a transmitter to transmit information of the housing position related information and information of the signal indicative of which of a plurality of ranges the distance between the object and the housing is within.

15. The peripheral of claim 14, wherein the plurality of ranges of distances consists of four or fewer ranges of distances.

16. The peripheral of claim 15, wherein the at least one proximity sensor comprises an infrared detector.

17. The peripheral of claim 15, wherein the deck is substantially in the shape of a deck of a skateboard.

18. The peripheral of claim 17, wherein the at least one proximity sensor comprises at least one proximity sensor about a forward area of the deck and at least one proximity sensor about a rear area of the deck.

19. The peripheral of claim 18, wherein the at least one proximity sensor further comprises at least one proximity sensor about a left side of the deck and at least one proximity sensor about a right side of the deck.

20. The peripheral of claim 17, wherein the at least one proximity sensor comprises at least one proximity sensor about a left side of the deck and at least one proximity sensor about a right side of the deck.

21. The peripheral of claim 14, wherein at least one of the at least one position related sensing device comprises an accelerometer.

22. The peripheral of claim 21, wherein the accelerometer is within the housing.

23. The peripheral of claim 22, wherein the circuitry comprises a processing circuitry housed within the housing, the processing circuitry configured to provide the transmitter the information of the housing position related information.

24. The peripheral of claim 14, wherein the at least one position sensing device comprises two accelerometers.

25. The peripheral of claim 24, wherein each of the two accelerometers comprises a three-axis accelerometer.