Display device, game system, and game method

• US 8,317,615 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2011
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• 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): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US13/019,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20110190061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/24, 463/29, 463 36- 37, 463 39- 40, 463 46- 47, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/139, 273/141.A, 273/141.R, 273/142.A, 273/142.B, 273/142.C, 273/142.H, 273/142.HA, 273/142.J, 273/142.R, 273/143.A, 273/143.R, 273/148.B, 273/309, 273/460, 381/311, 381/315, 370/913, 340/5.61, 340/5.64, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 345/2.3, 455/41.2, 455/106, 455/151.2, 455/226.2, 455/300, 455/311, 455347-349, 4554261-4262, 455/500, 455512-513, 455/526, 455/554.2, 455/555, 455/575.5, 711102-104, 711/115, 711/163, 714 471- 473, 714 48- 49, 714735-737, 902/23
• 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 console type game device, a controller device, a portable display device, and a first infrared emitter,

the game device comprising:

a first receiver configured to receive first operation data from the controller device;

a game processor configured to perform game processes based at least in part on the first operation data;

an image processor configured to generate first game images and second game images based on the game processes;

a compression circuit configured to compress the first game images to generate compressed image data;

a first wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the compressed image data to the portable display device; and

an output configured to output the second game images to an external display device which is separate from the portable display device,

the portable display device comprising;

a second infrared emitter;

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

a decompression circuit configured to decompress the compressed image data to obtain the first game images; and

a display configured to display the first game images obtained by the decompressing,

the controller device comprising;

an infrared detector configured to detect infrared light from at least the first infrared emitter;

a first inertia sensor;

at least one operation button; and

a second wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the first operation data to the game device, wherein the first operation data includes infrared detector data, inertia sensor data, and operation button data.

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

the game processor is configured to control infrared light emission of at least the first infrared emitter.

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

the game system includes two controller devices, each of which is configured to generate respective first operation data; and

the game processor is configured to perform the game processes based on the first operation data received from each of the two controller devices.

4. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the game processor is configured to control infrared light emission of the first infrared emitter and of the second infrared emitter in accordance with content of the game processes.

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

the game processor is configured to generate control data representing control instructions for infrared light emission of the second infrared emitter;

the first wireless transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit the control data to the portable display device;

the second receiver is configured to receive the control data from the game device; and

the second infrared emitter is configured to operate based on the received control data.

6. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display device further comprises:

a touch panel associated with the display;

a second inertia sensor; and

a third wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit to the game device second operation data including touch panel data and inertia sensor data,

wherein the game processor is configured to perform game processes based on the first and/or second operation data.

7. The game system according to claim 6, wherein the second inertia sensor includes a 3-axis acceleration sensor and a 3-axis gyrosensor.

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

the first transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit game sound data generated based on the game processes to the portable display device;

the second receiver is configured to receive the game sound data from the game device; and

the portable display device further comprises a speaker configured to output game sounds corresponding to the received game sound data.

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

the portable display device further comprises a microphone and a third wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit sound data detected by the microphone to the game device.

10. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display device further comprises:

a camera;

a compression circuit configured to compress camera images captured by the camera to generate compressed captured image data; and

a third wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the compressed captured image data to the game device.

11. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display device further comprises:

a plurality of front surface input devices arranged on a front surface of the portable display device, on which the display is provided, at least two of the front surface input devices being disposed on opposite sides of the display; and

first and second direction input devices configured to specify directions, provided on the front surface on opposite sides of the display,

wherein second operation data further comprises front surface input device data and first and second direction input device data and the game processor is configured to perform game processes based on the first and/or second operation data.

12. The game system according to claim 11, wherein the portable display device further comprises:

a plurality of back surface input devices provided on a back surface of the portable display 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 of the portable display device,

wherein the second operation data further comprises back surface input device data and side surface input device data.

13. The game system according to claim 11, wherein the first and second direction input devices each comprises a tiltable stick.

14. The game system according to claim 11, wherein the front surface input devices comprise a cross button adjacent a first side of the display and an arrangement of four buttons adjacent a second opposite side of the display.

15. The game system according to claim 14, wherein the second infrared emitter is arranged adjacent a third side of the display different than the first and second sides.

16. The game system according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the front surface input devices is arranged adjacent a fourth side of the display opposite to the third side.

17. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display device further comprises a magnetic sensor,

wherein second operation data comprises magnetic sensor data and the game processor is configured to perform game processes based on the first and/or second operation data.

18. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the compression circuit comprises a codec.

19. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the decompression circuit comprises a codec.

20. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display device further comprises a connector configured to connect the portable display device to another device.

21. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the display of the portable display device comprises a touch-panel.

22. A game method carried out in a game system comprising a console type game device, a controller device, a portable display device, and a first infrared light emitter, wherein:

the portable display device comprises a second infrared light emitter;

the controller device includes an infrared detector configured to detect infrared light from at least the first infrared light emitter, an inertia sensor, at least one operation button, and a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit operation data to the game device, wherein the operation data includes infrared detector data, inertia sensor data, and operation button data;

the method comprising the game device performing operations including;

receiving operation data from the controller device;

performing game processes based at least in part on the operation data;

generating first game images and second game images based on the game processes;

compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data;

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

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

the method further comprising the portable display device performing operations including;

receiving the compressed image data from the game device;

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

displaying the first game images obtained by the decompressing.

23. A game system comprising a console type game device, a controller device, a portable display device, and a first infrared emitter,

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 operation data received from the controller device,

compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data,

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

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

the portable display device comprising;

a second infrared emitter;

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

a decompression circuit configured to decompress the compressed image data to obtain the first game images; and

a display configured to display the first game images obtained by the decompressing,

the controller device comprising;

an infrared detector configured to detect infrared light from at least the first infrared emitter;

an inertia sensor;

at least one operation button; and

a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the operation data to the game device, wherein the operation data includes infrared detector data, inertia sensor data, and operation button data.