Game controller on mobile touch-enabled devices

• US 8,678,927 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hammontree, Monty Lee, Gibson, Tyler Edward, Athans, Emmanuel John
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kamal, Shahid
• Application Number:
  US13/252,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20130084980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/30, 463/36, 463/37
• US Class Current: 463/37
• 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 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• 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 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Various technologies described herein pertain to controlling a game with a mobile touch-enabled device. A thumbstick and a mode selection button can be rendered on a display of the mobile touch-enabled device. The thumbstick can be rendered on a reassignable area of the display and the mode selection button can be rendered on a mode selection area of the display. A touch (e.g., drag) from the mode selection area to the reassignable area can be detected, and an operation in the game can be controlled with the thumbstick represented as being at a depressed height in response to the touch in the reassignable area while the touch is detected without discontinuity of contact from starting the drag. Further, upon detecting discontinuation of the touch, a different operation in the game can be controlled with the thumbstick represented as being at a default height in response to a subsequent touch.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a game with a mobile touch-enabled device, comprising:

rendering a thumbstick on a reassignable area of a display of the mobile touch-enabled device;

rendering a mode selection button on a mode selection area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device, wherein the reassignable area and the mode selection area are non-overlapping;

controlling a first operation in the game with the thumbstick represented as being at a default height in response to a first touch detected within the reassignable area of the display;

detecting a second touch, wherein the second touch is a drag from the mode selection area of the display to the reassignable area of the display;

controlling a second operation in the game with the thumbstick represented as being at a depressed height in response to a third touch detected within the reassignable area of the display, wherein the second touch and the third touch are detected without discontinuity of contact;

detecting a discontinuation of the third touch; and

controlling the first operation in the game with the thumbstick represented as being at the default height in response to a fourth touch detected within the reassignable area of the display upon detecting the discontinuation of the third touch.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering a first visual indicator on the reassignable area of the display when the thumbstick is represented as being at the default height; and

rendering a second visual indicator on the reassignable area of the display when the thumbstick is represented as being at the depressed height, wherein at least a portion of the first visual indicator and the second visual indicator differ.

3. The method of claim 1, farther comprising rendering game data on at least a portion of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving analog input information via the reassignable area of the display when the thumbstick is rendered on the reassignable area.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering a toggle button on a toggle area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device;

detecting a fifth touch within the toggle area of the display when the thumbstick is rendered on the reassignable area of the display; and

switching from rendering the thumbstick to rendering a directional pad on the reassignable area of the display upon detecting the fifth touch, wherein the reassignable area of the display is configured as a discrete input when the directional pad is rendered on the reassignable area.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting a sixth touch within the toggle area of the display when the directional pad is rendered on the reassignable area of the display; and

switching from rendering the directional pad to rendering the thumbstick on the reassignable area of the display upon detecting the sixth touch, wherein the reassignable area of the display is configured as an analog input when the thumbstick is rendered on the reassignable area.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting a sixth touch when the directional pad is rendered on the reassignable area of the display, wherein the sixth touch is a drag from the mode selection area of the display to the reassignable area of the display;

switching from rendering the directional pad to rendering the thumbstick on the reassignable area of the display upon detecting the sixth touch;

controlling the second operation in the game with the thumbstick represented as being at the depressed height in response to a seventh touch detected within the reassignable area of the display, wherein the sixth touch and the seventh touch are detected without discontinuity of contact;

detecting a discontinuation of the seventh touch; and

controlling the first operation in the game with the thumbstick represented as being at the default height in response to an eighth touch detected within the reassignable area of the display upon detecting the discontinuation of the seventh touch.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring an amount of tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device relative to a predetermined plane; and

controlling a third operation in the game as a function of the amount of the tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device, wherein the amount of tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device maps to analog input information for the game, and a level of the analog input information for the game remains constant when the amount of tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device remains constant relative to the predetermined plane.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

rendering a trigger button on the display of the mobile touch-enabled device; and

depicting depression of the trigger button as a function of the amount of tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether the mobile touch-enabled device is rotated in a plane defined by a surface of the display; and

controlling a third operation in the game as a function of whether the mobile touch-enabled device is rotated as detected, wherein the mobile touch-enabled device being rotated maps to discrete input information for the game.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering a trough on a trough area of the display, wherein the trough area is between the reassignable area and the mode selection area, wherein the drag of the second touch is detected to pass through at least a portion of the trough area.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising vibrating the mobile touch-enable device upon detecting the discontinuation of the third touch to provide haptic feedback that signifies that the thumbstick has been switched back to being at the default height.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a series of images from a camera coupled with the mobile touch-enabled device;

tracking movement of a head of a user from the series of images; and

controlling a third operation in the game as a function of the movement of the head of the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a series of images from a camera coupled with the mobile touch-enabled device;

detecting a facial gesture of a user from the series of images; and

controlling a third operation in the game as a function of the facial gesture of the user.

15. A system that controls a game executed by a mobile touch-enabled device, comprising:

an output component that renders at least a thumbstick on a reassignable area of a display of the mobile touch-enabled device and a mode selection button on a mode selection area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device, wherein the reassignable area and the mode selection area are non-overlapping;

an interaction analysis component configured to detect at least a drag from the mode selection area of the display to the reassignable area of the display and a touch within the reassignable area of the display; and

a manipulation component that controls a first operation in the game with the thumbstick represented as being at a depressed height in response to the touch detected within the reassignable area of the display when the drag from the mode selection area of the display to the reassignable area of the display and the touch within the reassignable area of the display are detected without discontinuity of contact, and otherwise controls a second operation in the game with the thumbstick represented as being at a default height in response to the touch detected within the reassignable area of the display.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the output component further renders a toggle button on a toggle area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device, and the interaction analysis component is further configured to detect a touch within the toggle area of the display;

the system further comprising;

an input alteration component that switches between the touch detected within the reassignable area of the display mapping to analog input information for the game and mapping to discrete input information for the game in response to the touch detected within the toggle area of the display, wherein the output component renders the thumbstick on the reassignable area of the display when mapped to the analog input information and renders a directional pad on the reassignable area of the display when mapped to the discrete input information, and wherein the manipulation component controls a third operation in the game in response to the touch detected within the reassignable area of the display when mapped to the discrete input information.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the interaction analysis component measures a degree of tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device relative to a predetermined plane set based upon a rest pose and detects whether the mobile touch-enabled device is rotated in a plane defined by a surface of the display, and wherein the manipulation component controls a third operation in the game in response to the degree of the tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device and a fourth operation in the game in response to whether the mobile touch-enabled device is rotated.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the interaction analysis component detects a gesture of a user from a series of images received from a camera coupled with the mobile touch-enabled device, and wherein the manipulation component controls a third operation in the game in response to the gesture of the user.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the output component vibrates the mobile touch-enabled device to provide force feedback related to control of the game.

20. A mobile touch-enabled device, the mobile touch-enabled device comprising a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts including:

rendering a toggle button on a toggle area of a display of the mobile touch-enabled device;

rendering a thumbstick on a reassignable area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device;

rendering a mode selection button on a mode selection area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device, wherein the reassignable area and the mode selection area are non-overlapping;

detecting a first touch, wherein the first touch is a drag from the mode selection area of the display to the reassignable area of the display;

detecting a second touch within the reassignable area of the display, wherein the first touch and the second touch are detected without discontinuity of contact;

controlling a first operation in a game with the thumbstick represented as being at a depressed height in response to the second touch detected within the reassignable area of the display;

detecting a discontinuation of the second touch;

detecting a third touch within the reassignable area of the display after detecting the discontinuation of the second touch;

controlling a second operation in the game with the thumbstick represented as being at a default height in response to the third touch detected within the reassignable area of the display;

detecting a fourth touch within the toggle area of the display when the thumbstick is rendered on the reassignable area of the display;

switching from rendering the thumbstick to rendering a directional pad on the reassignable area of the display in response to the fourth touch detected within the toggle area of the display;

detecting a fifth touch within the reassignable area of the display with the directional pad rendered on the reassignable area of the display; and

controlling a third operation in the game in response to the fifth touch detected within the reassignable area of the display.