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Entertainment apparatus and method

  • US 8,360,856 B2
  • Filed: 09/03/2008
  • Issued: 01/29/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An entertainment device for running a game program available as both a demonstration version and a full version, the entertainment device comprising:

  • a network communicator for communicating with a remote device over a network;

    program code and resources for running the full version of the game program and operable to interact with remote devices also running the full version of the game program, the game program providing, when executed by the entertainment device, game features corresponding to the program resources, the game features including one or more of game levels, game characters, non-player characters, game animations or visual effects, character behaviours, game sounds, environment maps and textures; and

    a program resource classifier for classifying which program resources are available to or compatible with the demonstration version of the game program;

    wherein the entertainment device is responsive to a determination that a remote device is running the demonstration version of the program code to restrict the use of program resources to those program resources identified by the program resource classifier as being available to or compatible with the demonstration version of the game program so that the game program does not present, or inhibits the use or selection of, game features corresponding to resources classified as incompatible with or unavailable to the demonstration version of game program, thereby conforming the operating characteristics of the full version of the game program to the operating characteristics of the demonstration version of the game program.

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