Game system

• US 8,246,460 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kitahara, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US12/010,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20090143140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463 7- 9, 463/31, 463 33- 37, 463 42- 43, 273/148.B, 273/249, 273/444, 273/445
• 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 configured to execute a game, the system comprising:

a plurality of hand-held game apparatuses, each one of the hand-held game apparatuses comprising;

a user input device configured to accept user input;

a display configured to display a plurality of directional signs that correspond to the accepted user input; and

a stationary game apparatus comprising;

a storage medium configured to store a plurality of operation sound data pieces;

at least one processor configured to;

load, from the storage medium, at least one of the plurality of operation sound data pieces that corresponds to accepted user input from at least one of the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses; and

output a sound signal based at least in part on the loaded at least one of the plurality of operation sound data pieces,

wherein each one of the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses are further configured to communicate data with the stationary game apparatus, the communicated data including data related to the accepted user input, wherein the user input device includes a touch panel.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein

the game is a music game in which a musical composition includes a plurality of parts, and each one of the plurality of parts is associated with one 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 a data storage unit configured to store, in a chronological order, data indicative of the plurality of directional signs,

the display is further configured to display the plurality of directional signs that related to the part taken charge of thereby,

the plurality of operation sound data pieces correspond to each of the plurality of parts, and

the outputted sound signal corresponds at least in part to a part taken charge of by a hand-held game apparatus which is related to the operation sound data.

3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein

the selected part is included in the user input and the communicated data includes data related to the selected part,

the stationary game apparatus further comprises:

a communication device configured to receive the selection data from the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses,

wherein the communication device is further configured to transmit all pieces of the received selection data to each of the hand-held game apparatuses.

4. The game system according to claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to reproduce, without user input, a part of the musical composition, among the plurality of parts constituting the musical composition, which has not been selected.

5. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to change the musical scale of the sound to a predetermined musical scale.

6. The game system according to claim 1 wherein

the user input device includes a depressible key, and

the user input includes an operation of the depressible key.

7. The game system according to claim 1 wherein

the user input includes a touch coordinate point on the touch panel.

8. The game system according to claim 2, wherein

the data storage unit is further configured to store lower quality sound data than sound data stored in the stationary apparatus;

the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses are each configured to communicate with each other;

each one of the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses includes a processing system configured to execute the game based on communications with the other hand-held game apparatuses and the lower quality sound data; and

wherein the user input device is further configured to accept a game mode selection that selects either of a handheld game mode in which the music game is performed while communication is performed among the hand-held game apparatuses or a stationary 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

the data storage unit is further configured to store data indicative of the plurality of directional signs as musical composition data;

and

the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses are further configured to transmit the musical composition data to the stationary game apparatus,

the stationary game apparatus further comprises;

a communication device configured to receive the musical composition data and configured to transmit the received musical composition data to the hand-held game apparatuses,

wherein the data storage unit is further configured to store data indicative of the plurality of directional signs included in the musical composition data.

10. The game system according to claim 9, wherein

each of the plurality of the hand-held game apparatuses is further configured to calculate a scoring point of a play operation performed by the player by comparing the musical composition data to user input, and transmit scoring data indicative of the scoring point to the stationary game apparatus

the communication device is further configured to receive the scoring data from the hand-held game apparatuses, and

wherein the stationary game apparatus is further configured to display information related to the receiving scoring data.

11. The game system according to claim 9, wherein

the stationary game apparatus is further configured to distribute a play operation program to at least some of the plurality of game apparatuses for allowing a play operation to be performed by using each of the hand-held game apparatuses, the data storage unit is configured to communicate with a detachable storage medium having stored therein 1) a game program for executing the music game, and 2) the musical composition data, and is configured to store the distributed play operation program,

wherein the one of the plurality of hand-held game apparatuses that accommodates the storage medium, is configured to transmit the musical composition data stored in the storage medium to the stationary game apparatus,

the communication device is further configured to transmit, to the at least some of the plurality of game apparatuses, the transmitted musical composition data,

wherein the at least one of the plurality of the hand-held game apparatuses is configured to execute the music game in accordance with the transmitted play operation program and the transmitted musical composition data, and

wherein the at least some of the plurality of game apparatuses are game apparatuses that are not accommodating the storage medium.

12. A computer system for processing data communicated from a plurality of portable computing devices that each include a user input device and at least one display screen, the at least one display screen set to display input queues to a user, the plurality of portable computing devices set to communicate with the host computer system by sending at least operational data to the host computer system, the system comprising:

a storage medium that is configured to store sound data;

a processing system that includes one or more processors, the processing system configured to;

receive operational data from each one of the plurality of portable computing devices, the operational data from each one of the plurality of portable computing devices based on input from a user that is received, through the input device of respective portable computing device, in response to the displayed input queues;

retrieve sound data from the storage medium that corresponds to each of the received operational data; and

output audio based at least in part on the retrieved sound data, wherein the user input device includes a touch panel.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each one of the plurality of portable computing devices is set to process different parts of a plurality of parts of a musical composition, and the input queues are directional signs that indicate how the respective part on a computing device of the plurality of portable computing devices is to played.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a number of the plurality of parts is greater than the a number of the plurality of portable computing devices, and wherein the processing system is further configured to:

retrieve player-independent sound data for a part not processed by one of the plurality of portable computing devices,

wherein the output audio is further based on the retrieved player-independent sound data.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

combine all of the retrieved sound data into a final output sound data,

wherein the output audio is based on the final output sound data.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

receive a musical composition from at least one of the plurality of portable computing devices; and

distribute an operating program and the musical composition to at least some of the plurality of portable computing devices, wherein the at least some of the plurality of portable computing execute a program based on the operating program and the musical composition.

17. A host computing control method for processing input on a host computer system from a plurality of mobile computing devices that each include an input controller, at least one display screen, and at least one processor, the at least one display set to display input queues on the at least one display screen, the host computer system configured to communicate with the plurality of computing devices set, the method comprising:

storing sound data in a storage medium of the host computer system;

receiving operational data from each one of the plurality of mobile computing devices, where the operational data from each one of the plurality of mobile computing devices is based on input from a user that is in response to the displayed input queues;

retrieving sound data from the storage medium that corresponds to each operational data received from the plurality of mobile computing devices; and

outputting audio through an output on the host computer system based on the retrieved sound data, wherein the user input device includes a touch panel.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each one of the plurality of mobile computing devices is set to process different parts of a plurality of parts of a musical composition, and the input queues are directional signs that indicate how the respective part on a mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices is to be played.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a number of the plurality of parts is greater than the a number of the plurality of mobile computing devices, the method further comprising:

retrieving player-independent sound data for a part not processed by one of the plurality of mobile computing devices; and

outputting audio that is based on the retrieved player-independent sound data.

20. A game system configured to execute a game, the system comprising:

a hand-held device comprising;

a display that is configured to show indications of input to be performed by a user;

a touch panel overlaying the display, the touch panel configured to accept input from a user holding the hand-held device, the accepted input being in accordance with the shown indications; and

a wireless transmitter that is configured to send at least the accepted input, and

a stationary game processing apparatus comprising;

a storage medium configured to store a plurality of operation sound data pieces;

a wireless receiver that is configured to receive the accepted input sent from the hand-held device; and

at least one processor configured to;

process game data to generate a video image;

select at least one of the plurality of operation sound data pieces that corresponds to the received accepted input sent from the hand-held device;

load, from the storage medium, the selected at least one of the plurality of operation sound data pieces; and

output a sound signal based at least in part on the on the selected at least one of the plurality of operation sound data pieces.

21. The game system of claim 20, wherein the processing of the game data to generate a video image is based at least in part on the received accepted input sent from the hand-held device.

22. The game system of claim 21, wherein:

the display of the hand-held device is further configured to display a first image of the game at a temporal point in gameplay; and

the video image is different from the first image and is processed by the at least one processor to be output to a display device at substantially the temporal point in gameplay.