Game system, game device, storage medium storing game program, and game process method

• US 9,808,717 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2015
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ito, Jun, Ohta, Keizo
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEICHLITER, CHASE E
• Application Number:
  US14/591,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20150148132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 463 36- 38, 463 47
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• 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 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• 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 13/428 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 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• 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 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

An example game system includes a controller device, and a game process section for performing a game process based on an operation on the controller device. The controller device includes a plurality of direction input sections, a sensor section for obtaining a physical quantity used for calculating an attitude of the controller device, and a display section for displaying a game image. The game process section first calculates the attitude of the controller device based on the physical quantity obtained by the sensor section. Then, the game process section controls an attitude of a virtual camera in a virtual space based on the attitude of the controller device, and controls a position of the virtual camera based on an input on the direction input section. A game image to be displayed on the display section is generated based on the position and the attitude of the virtual camera.

Claims

1. A game system comprising:

a controller device that includes;

(a1) a first input control that is manipulable by at least one finger of a user, and

(a2) an inertial sensor configured to obtain a physical quantity related to movement of the controller device; and

a processing system with at least one hardware processor that is coupled to a memory device, the processing system configured to;

(b1) locate a virtual game object in a virtual game space,

(b2) calculate a first value as a function of the physical quantity obtained by the inertial sensor,

(b3) calculate a second value as a function of accepted input provided via the first input control,

(b4) control a targeting direction for the virtual game object based on the calculated first value and the calculated second value,

(b5) responsive to reception of a user input, perform a shooting process within the virtual game space in accordance with the controlled targeting direction for the virtual game object,

(b6) generate, based on a virtual camera that is positioned in the virtual game space, game images of the virtual game space, and

(b7) cause the generated images to be outputted to a display screen for display thereon.

2. The game system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

control movement and/or attitude of the virtual camera in accordance with the controlled targeting direction.

3. The game system of claim 1, wherein the virtual camera is controlled to present a first-person perspective view from the virtual game object for the generated images.

4. The game system of claim 1, wherein the virtual camera is controlled to present a third-person perspective view of the virtual game object for the generated images.

5. The game system of claim 1, wherein the first and second values are simultaneously applied to control the targeting direction for the virtual game object.

6. The game system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

include a targeting marker in the generated images that corresponds to the targeting direction of the virtual game object.

7. The game system of claim 6, wherein the targeting marker is displayed substantially in a center of a display area where the generated images are displayed on the display screen.

8. The game system of claim 1, wherein:

the controller device further includes a second input control that is manipulable by at least one finger of the user,

the processing system is further configured to control the virtual game object to move through the virtual game space in accordance with input provided via the second input control.

9. The game system of claim 8, wherein the first input control and the second input control are disposed on opposing sides of the controller device and are simultaneously manipulable by digits of each hand of the user.

10. The game system of claim 9, wherein the first input control and the second input control are both analog directional input controls that are respectively manipulable by thumbs of a user that is holding the controller device.

11. The game system of claim 10, wherein the first input control and the second input control both comprise sticks that are movable by the user to thereby provide input.

12. The game system of claim 1, wherein the controller device further includes a touch screen that displays images of the virtual space.

13. The game system of claim 1, wherein the controller device further includes a touch panel configured to receive touch input from the user, wherein the processing system is further configured to perform a game action of a computer game program in response to the received touch input.

14. The game system of claim 1, wherein the game system is a mobile device where the processing system is disposed in a housing of the mobile device and the first input control is disposed on the housing.

15. The game system of claim 1, wherein the inertial sensor includes an gyro-sensor and an acceleration sensor and the calculated first value is based on measured quantities obtained from the gyro-sensor and the acceleration sensor.

16. The game system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to adjust a position and/or orientation of the virtual camera in accordance with how targeting direction of the virtual game object is controlled.

17. The game system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to set, based on the physical quantity obtained by the inertial sensor, a reference attitude.

18. The game system of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to set the reference attitude in response detection of a predetermined user operation.

19. The game system of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to calculate, using the physical quantity obtained by the inertial sensor, a relative attitude in relation to the set reference attitude,

wherein the calculated first value is associated with the calculated relative attitude.

20. The game system of claim 17, wherein the reference attitude is initially set upon start of a computer game program that is executed by the processing system.

21. The game system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to calculate, based on the physical quantity obtained by the inertial sensor, an initial attitude of the controller device.

22. The game system of claim 21, wherein the processing system is further configured to set the initial attitude of the controller device in response detection of a predetermined user operation.

23. The game system of claim 1, wherein the controller device further includes a shoulder button manipulable by at least one finger of the user, wherein the user input is provided via the shoulder button.

24. The game system of claim 1, wherein the user input is provided via manipulation of a finger-manipulatable control of the controller device that is operable by a non-thumb digit of the user.

25. The game system of claim 1, wherein a first hardware processor and a second hardware processor of the processing system are respectively disposed in a first housing, and a second, separate, housing, the second housing being part of the controller device.

26. The game system of claim 25, wherein at least some of (b1)-(b7) are performed by the first hardware processor.

27. The game system of claim 25, wherein the first and second housings each include a wireless transceiver and data related to execution of a computer game program is transmitted between the respective wireless transceivers.

28. The game system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to automatically control a position of the virtual camera in accordance with the controlled targeting direction.

29. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions of a computer game program for use with a game system that includes a processing system and a controller device, the processing system including at least one hardware processor, the controller device including (1) a first input control that is manipulable by at least one finger of a user and (2) an inertial sensor configured to obtain a physical quantity related to movement of the controller, the stored instructions of the computer game program further comprising instructions that cause the processing system to:

position a virtual game object in a virtual game space;

calculate a first value as a function of the physical quantity obtained by the inertial sensor;

calculate a second value as a function of accepted input provided via the first input control;

control a targeting direction for the virtual game object based on the calculated first value and the calculated second value;

responsive to reception of a user input, perform a shooting process within the virtual game space in accordance with the controlled targeting direction for the virtual game object;

generate, based on a virtual camera that is positioned in the virtual game space, game images of the virtual game space; and

cause the generated images to be outputted to a display screen for display thereon.

30. A computer game method that operates on a game system that includes a processing system and a controller device, the processing system including at least one hardware processor and the controller device including (1) a first input control manipulable by at least one digit of a user, and (2) an inertial sensor configured to determine a physical quantity related to movement of the first controller, the computer game method comprising:

locating a virtual game object in a virtual game space;

calculating a first value as a function of the physical quantity obtained by the inertial sensor;

calculating a second value as a function of accepted input provided via the first input control;

controlling a targeting direction for the virtual game object based on the calculated first value and the calculated second value;

responsive to reception of a user input, performing a shooting process within the virtual game space in accordance with the controlled targeting direction for the virtual game object;

generating, based on a virtual camera that is positioned in the virtual game space, game images of the virtual game space; and

causing the generated images to be outputted to a display screen for display thereon.