DISPLAY DEVICE, GAME SYSTEM, AND GAME METHOD

• US 20110190061A1
• Filed: 02/02/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: TAKEDA, Genyo, Kawai, Eizi
• Granted Patent: US 8,317,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/39
• 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, a controller device, and a portable display device. The portable display device includes an infrared emitter capable of emitting infrared light. The controller device wirelessly transmits to the game device operation image data from an image-capturing section, inertia sensor data, and operation button data. The game device receives the operation data from the controller device, and performs game processes based on the operation data. Moreover, the game device compresses first game images, which are generated based on the game processes, to generate compressed image data. The compressed image data is wirelessly transmitted to the portable display device. The portable display device receives the compressed image data from the game device, expands the compressed image data to obtain the game images, and displays the game images.

Claims

1. A game system comprising a home-console type game device, a controller device and a portable display device,

the game device comprising:

a receiver for receiving operation data from the controller device;

a game processor game processes based on the operation data;

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

a compression section for compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data; and

a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the compressed image data to the portable display device,

the controller device comprising;

an image-capturing section capable of detecting infrared light;

an inertia sensor;

at least one operation button; and

a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the operation data to the game device, wherein the operation data includes image data from the image-capturing section, inertia sensor data, and operation button data,

the portable display device comprising;

an infrared emitter capable of emitting infrared light;

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

an expansion section for expanding the compressed image data to obtain the first game images; and

a display section for displaying the first game images obtained by the expansion.

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

the game system further comprises a marker device capable of emitting infrared light;

the image processor further generates second game images based on the game processes; and

the game device further comprises;

an image outputting section for outputting the second game images to an external display device which is separate from the portable display device; and

the game processor controls the light emission of the marker device.

3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein:

the game system includes two controller devices; and

the game processor performs the game processes based on operation data received from the two controller devices.

4. The game system according to claim 2, wherein the game processor controls the light emission of the marker device and the infrared emitter in accordance with content of the game processes.

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

the game processor generates control data representing control instructions for light emission of the infrared emitter;

the transmitter of the game device wirelessly transmits the control data to the portable display device;

the portable display device further comprises a receiver for receiving the control data from the game device; and

the infrared emitter operates based on the received control data.

6. A portable display device capable of wirelessly communicating with a game device, wherein:

the game device receives image data from a controller device including an image-capturing section capable of detecting infrared light, and transmits, to the display device, compressed image data which is obtained by compressing game images generated based on game processes performed based on the image data; and

the display device comprises;

an infrared emitter capable of emitting infrared light;

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

an expansion section for expanding the compressed image data to obtain the game images; and

a display section for successively displaying the game images obtained by the expansion.

7. The display device according to claim 6, further comprising:

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

an inertia sensor; and

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

wherein the game device performs game processes based on the operation data.

8. The display device according to claim 6, wherein:

the game device wirelessly transmits game sounds generated based on the game processes to the display device; and

the receiver of the display device receives the game sounds from the game device; and

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

9. The display device according to claim 6, wherein:

the display device further comprises a microphone; and

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

10. The display device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a camera; and

a compression section for compressing camera images captured by the camera to generate compressed captured image data,

wherein the transmitter wirelessly transmits the compressed captured image data to the game device.

11. The display device according to claim 6, comprising:

a plurality of front surface operation buttons provided on a front surface of the display device, on which a screen of the display section is provided, at least two of the front surface operation buttons 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,

wherein the operation data further comprises front surface operation button data and direction input device data.

12. The display device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of back surface operation buttons provided on a back surface of the display device opposite to a front surface of the display device, on which the screen of the display section is provided; and

a plurality of side surface operation buttons provided on a side surface extending between the front surface and the back surface,

wherein the operation data further comprises back surface operation button data and side surface operation button data.

13. The display device according to claim 6, further comprising a magnetic sensor,

wherein the operation data further comprises magnetic sensor data.

14. The display device according to claim 6, wherein the inertia sensor includes a 3-axis acceleration sensor and a 3-axis gyrosensor.

15. A game method carried out in a game system comprising a home-console type game device, a controller device and a portable display device, wherein:

the portable display device comprises an infrared emitter capable of emitting infrared light;

the controller device includes an image-capturing section capable of detecting infrared light, an inertia sensor and at least one operation button, and wirelessly transmits operation data to the game device, wherein the operation data includes image data from the image-capturing section, inertia sensor data, and operation button data;

the game device performs steps comprising;

receiving operation data from the controller device;

performing game processes based on the operation data;

generating first game images based on the game processes;

compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data; and

wirelessly transmitting the compressed image data to the portable display device; and

the portable display device performs steps comprising;

receiving the compressed image data from the game device;

expanding the compressed image data to obtain the first game images; and

displaying the first game images obtained by the expansion.

16. A game system comprising a home-console type game device, a controller device and a portable display 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 functions comprising:

generating first game images based at least in part on operation data received from the controller device,

compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data, and

wirelessly transmitting the compressed image data to the portable display device,

the controller device comprising;

an image-capturing section capable of detecting infrared light;

an inertia sensor;

at least one operation button; and

a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the operation data to the game device, wherein the operation data includes image data from the image-capturing section, inertia sensor data, and operation button data,

the portable display device comprising;

an infrared emitter;

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

an expansion section for expanding the compressed image data to obtain the first game images; and

a display section for displaying the first game images obtained by the expansion.