Combined game system of portable and video game machines

• US 6,500,070 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2000
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ikeda, Akio, Tomizawa, Toshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin-Wallace, Valencia
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US09/572,845
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30, 463/31, 463/37, 463/40-44, 463/45, 463/47, 273/148.B, 273/148.R
• US Class Current: 463/43
• 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 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• 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 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/404 characterized by a local network connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection

Abstract

A combined game system includes a plurality of portable game machines and a video game machine. The portable game machines are connected to the video game machine through communication cables, and the video game machine is in turn connected to a display. Each portable game machine has an LCD and an operating device to process a unit according to key input information to the operating device and a program of a portable game. The LCD displays a discrete picture based on the unit information. Simultaneously, the unit information is transmitted to the video game machine. The video game machine processes the unit information based on which a common picture is displayed on the display.

Claims

1. A combined game system for playing a multiplayer interactive game, the combined game system including a video game machine providing a common display and connected through at least one communications link with a plurality of portable game machines each having a discrete display,

each said portable game machine comprising:

an operating device for outputting an operation signal depending upon an operation for a game;

a first game program storage for storing a portable game program for execution on said portable game machine;

a first processor that generates first display data to be displayed on said portable game machine discrete display based on an output of said operating device and the portable game program, and processes information corresponding to units used in the multiplayer interactive game for interacting with said video game machine; and

a data transceiver for transmitting said information corresponding to said units to and receiving said information corresponding to said units from said video game machine via said communications link;

said video game machine comprising;

a second game program storage for storing an operation program for said video game machine and a program for an interactive game;

a temporary storage for temporarily storing information corresponding to said units transmitted to said plural portable game machines through said communications link and said data transceiver and temporarily storing information corresponding to said units received from said portable game machine through said communications link and said data transceiver, and also for temporarily storing an output of said operating device; and

a second processor that generates second display data to be displayed on said common display based on the program stored in said second game program storage, and generates display data for the multiplayer interactive game to be displayed on said common display, in response to the information corresponding to said units stored in said temporary storage and received from said portable game machines and outputs of said operating devices of said portable game machines,

wherein said first processor changes an image displayed on said discrete display in response to an operation of the operating device of a corresponding one of said plurality of portable game machines, and

said second processor changes an image displayed on said common display in accordance with operations of said plurality of portable game machines, whereby said video game machine and said plurality of portable game machines interact at the substantially same time to execute the multiplayer interactive game,

wherein said second processor performs arithmetic operations for all the information corresponding to said units to display on said common display a map having a wider range including units of all of the plurality of portable game machines and calculates display ranges of map portions to be displayed on respective portable game machines on the basis of coordinates information associated with the units respectively corresponding to player objects of the respective portable game machines,

each said first processor receives from said video game machine the display range for a corresponding one of the plurality of portable game machines and the information of the units for display by the one portable game machine, and displays the map portion for the one portable game machine based on the received display range and the unit information, and

said map is displayed on said common display and said map portions are respectively displayed on the respective discrete displays, and said display ranges of said map portions are changed in response to movements of the player objects for the respective portable game machines.

2. A combined game system according to claim 1, wherein said communications link includes a plurality of connecting structures for connecting said plurality of portable game machines to said video game machine,

said temporary storage having a plurality of storage areas to store, correspondingly to said plurality of portable game machines, the unit information transmitted to or received from said plurality of portable game machines through said connecting structures, and

said second processor generates display data for the interactive game based on the corresponding unit information stored in said temporary storage and provides the display data to a certain one of said plurality of portable game machines or stores a corresponding output of said operating signal generator of said certain one of said plurality of portable game machines.

3. A combined game system according to claim 1, wherein said first game program storage stores a program to be operated as a combined game of said plurality of portable game machines and said video game machine when said plurality of portable game machines are connected to said video game machine via said communication link, and alternatively, stores a program to be operated as a single portable game when said plurality of portable game machines are not connected to said video game machine via said communication link.

4. A combined game system according to claim 1, wherein a two-dimensional image is displayed on one of said discrete display and said common display, and a three-dimensional image is displayed on the other of said discrete display and said common display.

5. A combined game system according to claim 1, wherein said second processor determines whether or not said portable game machines are connected to said video game machine prior to the start of said game, and reads said portable game program from said portable game program storage area and writes said portable game program into said writable and readable memory in response to that said portable game machine is connected to said video game machine and a transfer request is outputted from said portable game machines.

6. A combined game system according to claim 1 wherein:

said first game program storage is a writable and readable memory, and

said second game program storage includes;

a portable game program storage area to store a program for said portable game, and

a storage area storing a transfer program to transfer and store said portable game program stored in said portable game program storage area to said writable and readable memory when at a start of said game said portable game machines are connected to said video game machine through said communications link, and

wherein said unit information includes kind information indicating a predetermined characteristic, and coordinates information indicating a display position of the unit.

7. A combined game system for playing a multiplayer interactive game, the combined game system including a video game machine providing a common display and connected through at least one communications link with a plurality of portable game machines each having a discrete display, each said portable game machine comprising:

an operating device for outputting an operation signal depending upon an operation for a game;

a first game program storage for storing a portable game program for execution on said portable game machine;

a first processor that generates first display data to be displayed on said portable game machine discrete display based on an output of said operating device and the portable game program, and processes information corresponding to units used in the multiplayer interactive game for interacting with said video game machine; and

a data transceiver for transmitting said unit information to and receiving said information corresponding to said units from said video game machine via said communications link;

said video game machine comprising;

a second game program storage for storing an operation program for said video game machine and a program for an interactive game;

a temporary storage for temporarily storing information corresponding to said units transmitted to said plural portable game machines through said communications link and said data transceiver and temporarily storing information corresponding to said units received from said portable game machine through said communications link and said data transceiver, and also for temporarily storing an output of said operating device; and

a second processor that generates second display data to be displayed on said common display based on the program stored in said second game program storage, and generates display data for the multiplayer interactive game to be displayed on said common display, in response to the information corresponding to said units stored in said temporary storage and received from said portable game machines and outputs of said operating devices of said portable game machines,

wherein said first processor changes an image displayed on said discrete display in response to an operation of the operating device of a corresponding one of said plurality of portable game machines, and

said second processor changes an image displayed on said common display in accordance with operations of said plurality of portable game machines, whereby said video game machine and said plurality of portable game machines interact at the substantially same time to execute the multiplayer interactive game,

wherein said information corresponding to said units includes kind information indicating characters of the units, status information indicating states of the units, and coordinates information indicating display positions of the units.

8. A combined game system for playing a multiplayer interactive game, the combined game system including a video game machine providing a common display and connected through at least one communications link with a plurality of portable game machines each having a discrete display,

each said portable game machine comprising:

an operating device for outputting an operation signal depending upon an operation for a game;

a first game program storage for storing a portable game program for execution on said portable game machine;

a first processor that generates first display data to be displayed on said portable game machine discrete display based on an output of said operating device and the portable game program, and processes information associated with units used in the multiplayer interactive game for interacting with said video game machine; and

a data transceiver for transmitting said information associated with said units to and receiving said information associated with said units from said video game machine via said communications link;

said video game machine comprising;

a second game program storage for storing an operation program for said video game machine and a program for an interactive game;

a temporary storage for temporarily storing information associated with said units transmitted to said plural portable game machines through said communications link and said data transceiver and temporarily storing information associated with said units received from said portable game machine through said communications link and said data transceiver, and also for temporarily storing an output of said operating device; and

a second processor that generates second display data to be displayed on said common display based on the program stored in said second game program storage, and generates display data for the multiplayer interactive game to be displayed on said common display, in response to the information associated with said units stored in said temporary storage and received from said portable game machines and outputs of said operating devices of said portable game machines,

wherein said information associated with said units includes kind information indicating characters and three dimensional coordinates information indicating display positions within a three dimensional display space.