Game system and game information storage medium used for same

• US 9,138,645 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Masuyama, Iwao, Suzuki, Toshiaki, Tahara, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): LIM, SENG HENG
• Application Number:
  US12/585,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20090325698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,211 Days
• Field of Search: 463/31, 463 35- 37, 367/111, 345/156, 345/169, 345/158, 345/684
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• 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 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video

Abstract

A game system includes a housing to be held by a player. The housing incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in a X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction. The sensor and switch detect at least one of an amount (e.g. tilt amount, movement amount, impact amount or the like) and a direction (e.g. tilt direction, movement direction, impact direction or the like) of a change applied to the housing. A simulation program provides simulation such that a state of a game space is changed related to at least one of the amount and direction of the change applied to the housing.

Claims

1. A game system which includes a game program storage and a processor executing the game program, and a display to display an image based on a processed result by the processor, comprising:

a housing to be gripped by a hand of a player; and

a state detector provided in relation to said housing to detect at least a tilt applied to said housing around a first axis or around a second axis perpendicular to the first axis so that said housing is tilted and a linear movement applied to said housing along a third axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the first and the second axis so that said housing linearly moves along the third axis, wherein

said game program storage stores character data for displaying a character in a game space and a program, and

said program causes said processor to at least perform

displaying the character on said display based on said character data;

movement controlling for controlling said character to move on a predetermined virtual plane in said game space when the tilt around the first or second axis is detected by said state detector; and

action controlling for controlling said character to move in a direction away from said virtual plane when the linear movement along the third axis is detected by said state detector, and wherein

said movement controlling suspends the movement according to the detection of the tilt around the first or second axis by said state detector when said character is being away from said virtual plane.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein said game program further causes said processor to perform:

storing moving speed data of said character on said virtual plane; and

determining, in relation to a detection amount in said first or second axis detected by said state detector, a change amount of said moving speed data and renewing said moving speed data, and

said movement controlling controls said character to move based on said moving speed data.

3. The game system according to claim 1, wherein

said housing is a housing of a game apparatus, said game apparatus being a portable game apparatus provided with said display on said housing.

4. The game system according to claim 3, wherein

said game program storage is provided in a cartridge which is detachably attached to said housing of said portable game apparatus, and said state detector is provided in said housing of said portable game apparatus.

5. The game system according to claim 1, wherein

said housing is a housing of a controller which is connected to said game apparatus.

9. The game system according to claim 1, wherein

the movement applied to said housing along the third axis is an impact movement.

6. A non-transitory game program storage medium which stores a game program readable by a processor provided in a game system including a display, a housing to be gripped by a hand of a player and a state detector provided in relation to said housing to detect at least a tilt applied to said housing around a first axis or around a second axis perpendicular to the first axis so that said housing is tilted and a linear movement applied to said housing along a third axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the first and the second axis so that said housing linearly moves along the third axis, said processor executing the game program and displaying in a game space an image obtained by executing the game program on said display based on character data,

said game program causes said processor to at least perform:

displaying the character on said display based on said character data;

movement controlling for controlling said character to move on a predetermined virtual plane in said game space when the tilt around the first or second axis so that said housing is tilted is detected by said state detector; and

action controlling for controlling said character to move in a direction away from said virtual plane when the linear movement along the third axis so that said housing moves along the third axis is detected by said state detector, and wherein

said movement controlling suspends the movement according to the detection of the tilt around the first or second axis by said state detector when said character is being away from said virtual plane.

10. The non-transitory game program storage medium according to claim 6, wherein

the movement applied to said housing along the third axis is an impact movement.

7. A game system, comprising:

a housing to be gripped by a hand of a player;

a state detector provided in relation to said housing to detect at least a tilt applied to said housing around a first axis or around a second axis perpendicular to the first axis so that said housing is tilted and a linear movement applied to said housing along a third axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the first and the second axis so that said housing linearly moves along the third axis; and

a computer configured to perform at least;

displaying a character in a game space on a display based on character data;

controlling said character to move on a predetermined virtual plane in said game space when the tilt around the first or second axis is detected by said state detector; and

controlling said character to move in a direction away from said virtual plane when the linear movement a tong the third axis is detected by said state detector, wherein

said controlling suspends the movement according to the detection of the tilt around the first or second axis by said state detector when said character is being away from said virtual plane.

8. A method for executing a game program and displaying in a game space an image obtained by executing the game program on a display of a game system based on character data, the game system including a housing to be gripped by a hand of a player and a state detector provided in relation to said housing to detect at least a tilt applied to said housing around a first axis or around a second axis perpendicular to the first axis so that said housing is tilted and a linear movement applied to said housing along a third axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the first and the second axis so that said housing linearly moves in along the third axis, the game program being executed by a processor, the method comprising:

displaying the character on said display based on said character data;

controlling said character to move on a predetermined virtual plane in said game space when the tilt around the first or second axis so that said housing is tilted is detected by said state detector; and

controlling said character to move in a direction away from said virtual plane when the linear movement along third axis so that said housing linearly moves along the third axis is detected by said state detector, and wherein

the movement according to the detection of the tilt around the first or second axis by said state detector is suspended when said character is being away from said virtual plane.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein

the movement applied to said housing along the third axis is an impact movement.