Program Mode Switching

• US 20120004040A1
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Pereira, Rui Filipe Andrade, Perry, David, Gault, Andrew Buchanan
• Granted Patent: US 9,498,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/70 Game security or game management aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers

Abstract

A computing system is configured to execute a computer program on a server and to provide a video stream of the program output to a geographically remote client over a communication network. The computing system is further configured to provide executable content of the computer program to the client over the communication network in parallel with the video stream. When a sufficient amount of the executable content has been provided to the client execution of the computer program is transitioned from the server to the client. The transition optionally includes communicating a state of the computer program from the server to the client. The executable content can be provided to the client in an order that is determined based on the state of the computer program. Those parts of the executable content deemed most likely to be necessary to support game play on the client are given priority.

Claims

1. A method of providing a computer game, the method comprising:

executing game logic of the computer game on a video server system, execution of the game logic resulting in rendering of a video stream based on a game state;

providing the video stream from the video server system to a remote client over a communication network;

and providing executable game content to the client in parallel with the video stream, the executable game content being configured to generate game video based on the game state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a rate, in bytes/second, at which the executable game content is provided is dependent on a bandwidth of the communication network over which the video server system is provided.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a rate, in bytes/second, at which the executable game content is provided is dependent on a bandwidth required to provide the video stream at a minimum level of quality.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a data packet sent from the video game server to the client includes both data of the video stream and data of the executable game content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transitioning from a streaming mode in which the video steam is provided to the client from the video server system to a client mode in which the executable game content is used to generate video of the computer game on the client.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transition includes reassigning a game session to operate between the game server and the client rather than or in addition to between the game server and the video server system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a game command at the video server system from the client;

forwarding the received game command to a game server; and

receiving a game state from the game server, the game state having been updated using the received game command.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising using the received game command to update a game state on the client.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a rate at which executable content can be downloaded to the client while maintaining a minimum level of quality for display of the video stream on the client.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the rate at which executable content can be downloaded to the client is dependent on a rate at which the video stream is provided to the client.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the rate at which executable content can be downloaded to the client changes over time.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the executable game content is provided to the client at a rate less than or equal to the determined rate.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable game content and the video stream are provided to the client in parallel.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying an order in which parts of the executable game content are provided to the client responsive to the game state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the modification of the order is dependent on a probability of reaching a second game state a first game state.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the game state to the client from the video server system or the game server.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring a game session such that the game state is sent from the game server to the client rather than or in addition to from the game server to the video server system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the game session is transferred automatically.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring the game session such that the game server assigns commands received from the client with the game session that was previously established between the video server system and the game server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein transferring the game session includes sending instructions to the game server configured to cause the game server to change network addresses associated with the game session.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising starting execution of the executable subset on the client, and producing game video using the executed subset and the game state.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising continuing to execute the executable subset on the client while further parts of the executable game content are downloaded to the client.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the executable subset includes all of the executable game content.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising terminating provision of the game video from the video server system to the client after the executable subset has been provided to the client.

25. A method of providing a computer game, the method comprising:

executing game logic of the computer game on a video server system or a first client, execution of the game logic resulting in rendering of a video stream based on a game state;

providing the video stream from the video server system or the first client to a remote second client over a communication network; and

providing executable game content to the second client from the first client in parallel with the video stream, the executable game content being configured to generate game video based on the game state.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising determining a proximity of the first client to the second client.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising testing or monitoring a communication channel between the first client and the second client.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising using a download manager on a server remote from both the first client and the second client to manage the communication of the executable game content to the second client from the first client.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the game logic is executed on the first client.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the executable game content is provided to the second client from a plurality of remote clients including the first client on a peer-to-peer basis.