Game system, controller device, and game method

• US 9,358,457 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• 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:
  US13/244,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20120015732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/31, 463/36
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 a controller device,

the game device comprising:

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

a game processor for performing game processes based on the 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 transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the compressed image data to the controller device; and

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

the controller device comprising;

a display;

a touch panel provided on a screen of the display;

an inertia sensor;

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

a 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

wherein the controller device is a thin-client 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 sounds to an external acoustic device which is separate from the controller device; and

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

wherein the receiver of the controller device receives the first game sounds from the game device; and

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

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

the controller device further comprises a microphone; and

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

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

the controller device further comprises;

a camera; and

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

the transmitter of the controller device 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 controller device comprises;

a plurality of front surface input devices provided on a front surface of the 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 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 controller device further comprises;

a plurality of back surface input devices provided on a back surface of the 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 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 controller device further comprises a magnetic sensor; and

the 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.

10. A controller device capable of wirelessly communicating with a game device, the controller device comprising:

a display section;

a touch panel provided on a screen of the display section;

an inertia sensor;

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

a receiver for receiving compressed image data from the game device, wherein the compressed image data is obtained by performing a compression process on game images generated based on game processes performed in the game device based on the operation data; and

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

wherein the display section displays the game images obtained by the expansion, and

wherein the controller device is a thin-client device.

11. A method carried out in a game system comprising a game device and a controller device, wherein the controller device is a thin-client device, the method comprising:

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

receiving, by the game device, the operation data from the controller device;

performing, by the game device, game processes based on the 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 controller device;

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

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

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

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

12. A game system comprising a game device and a 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 inputs received from the controller device,

compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data,

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

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

the controller device comprising;

a display including a touchscreen;

an inertia sensor;

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the inputs which include 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

wherein the controller device is a thin-client device.

13. A game system comprising a game device and a controller device,

the game device comprising:

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

a game processor for performing game processes based on the 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 transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the compressed image data to the controller device; and

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

the controller device comprising;

a display;

a touch panel provided on a screen of the display;

an inertia sensor;

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

a 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

wherein the controller device does not perform game processing.

14. A controller device capable of wirelessly communicating with a game device, the controller device comprising:

a display section;

a touch panel provided on a screen of the display section;

an inertia sensor;

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

a receiver for receiving compressed image data from the game device, wherein the compressed image data is obtained by performing a compression process on game images generated based on game processes performed in the game device based on the operation data; and

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

wherein the display section displays the game images obtained by the expansion, and

wherein the controller device does not perform game processing.

15. A method carried out in a game system comprising a game device and a controller device, wherein the controller device does not perform game processing, the method comprising:

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

receiving, by the game device, the operation data from the controller device;

performing, by the game device, game processes based on the 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 controller device;

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

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

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

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

16. A game system comprising a game device and a 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 inputs received from the controller device,

compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data,

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

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

the controller device comprising;

a display including a touchscreen;

an inertia sensor;

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the inputs which include 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

wherein the controller device does not perform game processing.