Game system, controller device and game method

• US 8,961,305 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Takeda, Genyo, Kawai, Eizi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas, Eric M
• Application Number:
  US13/019,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20110190052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 31- 34, 463/36, 463 40- 43
• US Class Current: 463/31
• 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 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• 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 13/355 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 13/428 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 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• 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 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering

Abstract

An example game system includes a home-console type game device and a terminal device. The terminal device includes a touch panel and an inertia sensor, and wirelessly transmits to the game device operation data including touch panel data and inertia sensor data. The game device receives the operation data from the terminal device, and performs game processes based on the operation data. Moreover, the game device generates first game images and second game images based on the game processes. The first game images are compressed, and the compressed image data is wirelessly transmitted to the terminal device. The second game image is output to, and displayed on, an external display device which is separate from the terminal device. The terminal device receives the compressed image data from the game device, expands the received compressed image data, and displays the first game images on a display section.

Claims

1. A game system comprising a game device and first and second controller devices,

the game device comprising:

a first receiver for receiving first operation data from the first controller device and second operation data from the second controller device;

a game processor for performing game processes based on the first operation data and/or the second operation data;

an image processor for generating first game images and second game images based on the game processes;

a compressor for compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data;

a first transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the compressed image data to the first controller device; and

an image output for outputting the second game images to an external display device which is separate from the first controller device,

the first controller device providing at least one functionality not provided by the second controller device and comprising;

a display;

a touch panel provided on a screen of the display;

an inertia sensor;

a second transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the first operation data including touch panel data and inertia sensor data to the game device;

a second receiver for receiving the compressed image data from the game device; and

a game image decompressor for decompressing the compressed image data to obtain the first game images,

wherein the display displays the first game images obtained by the decompressing; and

the second controller comprising;

a third transmitter for transmitting the second operation data to the game device.

2. The game system according to claim 1,

the game device further comprising:

a game sound generator for generating first game sounds and second game sounds based on the game processes;

a game sound output for outputting the second game sound to an external acoustic device which is separate from the first controller device; and

wherein the first transmitter wirelessly transmits the first game sounds to the first controller device,

wherein the second receiver receives the first game sounds from the game device; and

the first controller device further comprises a speaker for outputting the received first game sounds.

3. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first controller device further comprises a microphone; and

the second transmitter wirelessly transmits sound data detected by the microphone to the game device.

4. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first controller device further comprises;

a camera; and

a compressor for compressing camera images captured by the camera to generate compressed captured image data;

the second transmitter wirelessly transmits the compressed captured image data to the game device; and

the game device further comprises a decompressor for decompressing the compressed captured image data to obtain the camera images.

5. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first controller device comprises;

a plurality of front surface input devices provided on a front surface of the first controller device, on which the screen of the display and the touch panel are provided, at least two of the front surface input devices being disposed on opposite sides of the screen; and

direction input devices capable of specifying directions, provided on the front surface on opposite sides of the screen; and

the first operation data further comprises data representing inputs supplied via the plurality of front surface input devices and the direction input devices.

6. The game system according to claim 5, wherein:

the first controller device further comprises;

a plurality of back surface input devices provided on a back surface of the first controller device opposite to the front surface; and

a plurality of side surface input devices provided on a side surface extending between the front surface and the back surface; and

the first operation data further comprises data representing inputs supplied via the plurality of back surface input devices and the side surface input devices.

7. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first controller device further comprises a magnetic sensor; and

the first operation data further comprises magnetic sensor data.

8. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the inertia sensor includes a 3-axis acceleration sensor and a 3-axis gyrosensor.

9. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the processing system of the game device reads out information from an external storage medium storing a game program therein which can be attached/detached to/from the game device; and

wherein the game device further comprises;

a network communication interface for connecting to a network for communicating with an information processing device which is capable of communication via the network; and

a power supply for supplying power from an external power supply outside the game device to various sections inside the game device, wherein

the game processor performs game processes based on the read-out game program.

12. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second controller devices have different shapes.

13. The game system according to claim 12, wherein the first controller device has a generally parallelepiped shape and the second controller device has a generally planar shape.

10. A method carried out in a game system comprising a game device, a first controller device and a second controller device, the first controller device providing at least one functionality not provided by the second controller device the method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting, by the first controller device, first operation data to the game device, wherein the first operation data includes touch panel data and inertia sensor data;

wirelessly transmitting, by the second controller device, second operation data to the game device;

receiving, by the game device, the first operation data from the first controller device and the second operation data from the second controller device;

performing, by the game device, game processes based on the first operation data and/or the second operation data;

generating, by the game device, first game images and second game images based on the game processes;

compressing, by the game device, the first game images to generate compressed image data;

wirelessly transmitting, by the game device, the compressed image data to the first controller device;

outputting, by the game device, the second game image to an external display device which is separate from the first controller device;

receiving, by the first controller device, the compressed image data from the game device;

decompressing, by the first controller device, the compressed image data to obtain the first game images; and

displaying, by the first controller device, the first game images obtained by the decompressing.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first and second controller devices have different shapes.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first controller device has a generally parallelepiped shape and the second controller device has a generally planar shape.

18. The game system according to claim 10, wherein the at least one functionality comprises display functionality.

19. The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one functionality comprises display functionality.

11. A game system comprising a game device, a first controller device and a second controller device, the first controller device providing at least one functionality not provided b the second controller device,

the game device comprising a processing system and a memory in communication with the processing system, the memory storing a program which is executable by the processing system to cause the processing system to perform operations comprising:

generating first game images and second game images based at least in part on first input data received from the first controller device and/or second input data received from the second controller device,

compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data,

wirelessly transmitting the compressed image data to the first controller device, and

outputting the second game images to an external display device which is separate from the first controller device,

the first controller device comprising;

a display including a touchscreen;

an inertia sensor;

a first transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the first input data including touchscreen data and inertia sensor data to the game device;

a receiver configured to receive the compressed image data from the game device; and

a decompressor configured to decompress the compressed image data to obtain the first game images,

wherein the display displays the decompressed first game images, and the second controller comprising;

a second transmitter for transmitting the second input data to the game device.

16. The game system according to claim 11, wherein the first and second controllers have different shapes.

17. The game system according to claim 16, wherein the first controller device has a generally parallelepiped shape and the second controller device has a generally planar shape.

20. The game system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one functionality comprises display functionality.