Music video game with virtual drums

• US 8,858,330 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Raymond, Jesse B., Ahmed, Muhammad A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US12/172,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20100009746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,283 Days
• Field of Search: 463/35
• US Class Current: 463/35
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games

Abstract

A video game maps each of a plurality of outputs to inputs associated with a video game controller. In some embodiments, the plurality of outputs represent the various potential outputs of a drum set. Combinations of video game controller inputs are used to generate the outputs. Video game controller inputs include traditional input devices such as button inputs, as well as input signals generated from positioning and movement of the video game controllers. In some embodiments, a video game console provides a video representation of the outputs generated by input combinations received from the video game controllers.

Claims

1. A method of providing audio and video outputs for a video game,

comprising:

receiving an input signal from a video game controller, the input signal being based on an output of an accelerometer of the video game controller;

receiving additional signals from a plurality of additional inputs on the video game controller, the additional signals being based on status of a plurality of buttons of the video game controller, at least one combination of the additional inputs being associated with a predefined sequence of successive audio outputs;

selecting one or more audio outputs to output based on the input signal and the additional signals, the one or more audio outputs including the predefined sequence of successive audio outputs; and

determining a video output based on the selection of the one or more audio outputs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one or more audio outputs is selected from a lookup table mapping the input signal and the additional signals to audio outputs, at least a portion of the audio outputs comprising the predefined sequence of successive audio outputs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined sequence of successive audio outputs corresponds to a fill sequence of a drum set.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the one or more audio outputs is mapped to an icon on a visual display.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the video output is a modification of the icon mapped to the selected audio output.