JP6812190B2 - Information processing system, information processing device, control method of information processing device and information processing program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an information processing system, an information processing device, a control method of the information processing device, and an information processing program, and particularly to a display control process of the information processing system.

Patent Document 1 discloses a game device which is an example of a conventional information processing device.
The game device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a plurality of controllers that can be operated by a plurality of players. Each controller is provided with an indicator consisting of four LEDs. Then, any one of the four LEDs is lit corresponding to the controller number of each controller.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-67731

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned publication, each player needs to visually recognize the indicator in order to confirm the controller number, and the controller number cannot be easily identified, which improves usability. There is room.

The present disclosure is for solving the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system, an information processing device, a control method of the information processing device, and an information processing program capable of improving usability. To do.

An information processing system according to a certain aspect includes an operating device and a main body device capable of communicating with the operating device. The operation device includes a storage unit that stores appearance information indicating the appearance of the operation device, and a transmission unit that transmits the appearance information stored in the storage unit to the main body device. The main unit is generated by a receiving unit that receives appearance information transmitted by the transmitting unit, an image generating unit that generates an operating device image indicating the operating device based on the appearance information received by the receiving unit, and an image generating unit. It includes an image output unit for displaying the operated device image on the display device.

Preferably, the image output unit may display the operation device image and the related information related to the operation device on the display device.

Preferably, a plurality of operating devices capable of communicating with the main body device may be provided. The image generation unit generates a plurality of operation device images indicating the corresponding operation devices based on the plurality of appearance information received by the reception unit, and the image output unit generates a plurality of operation devices generated by the image generation unit. The image may be displayed on the display device.

Preferably, the appearance information may include first appearance data showing a part of the appearance of the operating device and second appearance data showing another part of the appearance of the operating device.

Preferably, the first appearance data may be data indicating the appearance of the housing of the operating device.

Preferably, the second appearance data may be data indicating the appearance of the buttons of the operating device.

Preferably, the appearance information may be information about at least one of the color, pattern, and shape of the operating device.

Preferably, the image generation unit may generate an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the appearance information received by the reception unit and the edge information indicating the edge of the operation device.

Preferably, the image generation unit may generate an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the appearance information received by the reception unit and the edge information stored in the main body storage unit of the main body device.

Preferably, the image generation unit may generate an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the appearance information received by the reception unit and the edge information set based on the application program executed by the main body device.

Preferably, the relevant information may be information that identifies the user of the operating device.
Preferably, the relevant information may be information about the remaining battery level of the operating device.

Preferably, the operation device and the main body device may execute the communication process by wireless communication.
Preferably, the storage unit stores the identification information indicating the type of the operating device and the appearance information indicating the appearance of the operating device, and the transmitting unit transmits the identification information and the appearance information stored in the storage unit to the main unit. The image generation unit may generate an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the identification information and the appearance information received by the reception unit.

Preferably, the operating device may further include a lighting unit that identifies the user number of the user of the operating device.

It is an information processing system according to another aspect, and includes a first information processing device and a second information processing device capable of communicating with the first information processing device.

The first information processing device includes a storage unit that stores appearance information indicating the appearance of the first information processing device, and a transmission unit that transmits the appearance information stored in the memory unit to the second information processing device. The second information processing device is an image generation unit that generates an information processing device image indicating the first information processing device based on a receiving unit that receives appearance information transmitted by the transmitting unit and appearance information received by the receiving unit. And an image output unit that displays the information processing device image generated by the image generation unit on the display unit.

An information processing device that can communicate with an operating device according to a certain aspect, and is a receiving unit that receives appearance information indicating the appearance of the operating device transmitted from the operating device, and an operating device based on the appearance information received by the receiving unit. It is provided with an image generation unit that generates an operation device image indicating the above, and an image output unit that displays the operation device image generated by the image generation unit on the display device.

It is a control method of an information processing device that can communicate with an operating device according to a certain aspect, and is a step of receiving appearance information indicating the appearance of the operating device transmitted from the operating device, and based on the received appearance information, the operating device is operated. It includes a step of generating the operation device image to be shown and a step of displaying the generated operation device image on the display device.

An information processing program executed in a computer of an information processing device capable of communicating with an operating device according to a certain aspect, and the computer receives appearance information indicating the appearance of the operating device transmitted from the operating device by the information processing program. As an image generation unit that generates an operation device image indicating an operation device based on the reception unit and appearance information received by the reception unit, and an image output unit that displays the operation device image generated by the image generation unit on the display device. , Make it work.

Provided are an information processing system, an information processing device, a control method of the information processing device, and an information processing program capable of improving usability.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the appearance of the game apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the appearance of another aspect of the game apparatus 1 which follows this embodiment. It is a hexagonal view which shows the main body apparatus 2 according to this embodiment. It is a hexagonal view which shows the left controller 3 according to this embodiment. It is a hexagonal view which shows the right controller 4 according to this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the appearance when the game apparatus 1 which follows this embodiment is used together with a cradle. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the main body apparatus 2 according to this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 according to this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the usage mode of the game apparatus 1 in the state which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are attached to the main body apparatus 2. It is a figure which shows an example of the usage mode of the game apparatus 1 in the state which the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are removed from the main body apparatus 2. It is a figure which shows an example of how two users hold a controller one by one and use a game apparatus 1 in a detached state. It is a figure which shows an example of the usage mode of the game apparatus 1 with the main body apparatus 2 attached to the cradle 5. It is a figure which shows an example of the usage mode when three or more controllers are used. It is a flow chart explaining an example of the flow of the registration process executed in the main body apparatus 2 based on an embodiment. It is a figure explaining an example of registration information based on an embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the set information based on an embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows an example of the flow of the wireless setting process executed in the main body apparatus 2 based on embodiment. It is a figure explaining the appearance information data based on an embodiment. It is an example diagram explaining the game processing executed by the game apparatus 1 based on an embodiment. It is a figure explaining the implementation example which concerns on the game processing based on an embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows the processing procedure which concerns on the game processing based on an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the appearance of the accessory controller 401 based on an embodiment. It is an example diagram explaining the game processing executed by the game apparatus 1 based on another embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows the processing procedure which concerns on the game processing based on other embodiment. It is a figure explaining the operation apparatus image based on the modification of embodiment.

This embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[A. Information processing system]
The device configuration related to the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described. The information processing system according to the present embodiment is composed of at least the information processing apparatus described below.

For example, the information processing device may be a portable device (also referred to as a portable device) such as a portable game device, a mobile phone, or a smartphone, or a stationary device such as a personal computer or a home-use game machine. It may be a large-scale device such as an arcade game device for business use. In this example, a game device will be described as an example of an information processing device.

(A1: Overall configuration of the game device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of the game device 1 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the game device 1 includes a main body device 2, a left controller 3, and a right controller 4. The main body device 2 has a display 12 as an example of a display unit, and executes various processes including a game process on the game device 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the appearance of another aspect of the game device 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 may be configured to be separable from the main body device 2. At this time, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 may be integrally configured, or the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 may be configured as separate devices. As described above, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 corresponding to the operation unit may be configured separately from the main body device 2.

The left controller 3 can be mounted on the left side of the main body device 2 (the x-axis positive direction side shown in FIG. 1). The right controller 4 can be mounted on the right side of the main body device 2 (on the x-axis negative direction side shown in FIG. 1). In the following description, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 may be collectively referred to as a “controller”. Hereinafter, more specific configuration examples of the main unit 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4 will be described.

(A2: Structure of main unit)
FIG. 3 is a six-view view showing the main body device 2 according to the present embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 3, the main body device 2 has a substantially plate-shaped housing 11.
The main surface of the housing 11 (that is, the surface on the front side or the surface on which the display 12 is provided) has a roughly rectangular shape. The housing 11 has a horizontally long shape, and in the following description, the longitudinal direction (that is, the x-axis direction shown in FIG. 1) of the main surface thereof is referred to as the lateral direction (or the left-right direction), and the main surface thereof is referred to as the lateral direction. The lateral direction of the surface (that is, the y-axis direction shown in FIG. 1) is referred to as a vertical direction (or a vertical direction). The direction perpendicular to the main surface of the housing 11 (that is, the z-axis direction shown in FIG. 1) is referred to as the depth direction (or the front-rear direction).

However, the main body device 2 can be used in a direction in which the main surface becomes horizontally long when the user grips it, or can be used in a direction in which the main surface becomes vertically long. Therefore, the names such as horizontal and vertical are for convenience of explanation.

The shape and size of the housing 11 can be arbitrarily designed. For example, as another embodiment, the housing 11 may be provided with a protrusion or a grip portion for easy gripping by the user.

(1) Members Provided on the Main Surface of the Housing 11 As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a display 12 is provided on the main surface of the housing 11 of the main body device 2. The display 12 displays an image (which may be a still image or a moving image) acquired or generated by the main unit device 2. When the game process is executed, the display 12 displays the virtual space and the objects in the virtual space. Typically, the display 12 is composed of a liquid crystal display (LCD), but any kind of display device can be adopted.

A touch panel 13 is provided on the screen of the display 12. Typically, as the touch panel 13, a device of a method capable of multi-touch input (for example, a capacitance method) is adopted. However, as the touch panel 13, any kind of device such as a device capable of single-touch input (for example, a resistive film method) can be adopted.

Speaker holes 11a and 11b are formed on the main surface of the housing 11 of the main body device 2, and the sound generated from the speaker (speaker 88 shown in FIG. 7) arranged inside the housing 11 is formed in the speaker holes 11a and 11b. It is output from 11b.

The main body device 2 is provided with two speakers, and speaker holes 11a and 11b are formed in association with the positions of the left speaker and the right speaker, respectively. That is, the speaker hole 11a is formed on the left side of the display 12 in association with the left speaker, and the speaker hole 11b is formed on the right side of the display 12 in association with the right speaker.

The positions, shapes, and numbers of the speaker holes 11a and 11b can be arbitrarily designed. For example, as another embodiment, the speaker holes 11a and 11b may be formed on the side surface or the back surface of the housing 11.

(2) Member provided on the left side surface of the housing 11 A left rail member 15 which is a member for detachably mounting the left controller 3 on the main body device 2 is provided on the left side surface of the housing 11. The left rail member 15 extends along the vertical direction on the left side surface of the housing 11. The left rail member 15 has a shape that can be engaged with the slider of the left controller 3 (slider 40 shown in FIG. 4). A slide mechanism is formed by the left rail member 15 and the slider 40. With such a slide mechanism, the left controller 3 can be slidably and detachably attached to the main body device 2.

A left side terminal 17 is provided on the left side surface of the housing 11. The left side terminal 17 is a terminal for performing wired communication between the main body device 2 and the left controller 3. The left terminal 17 is provided at a position where the left controller 3 comes into contact with the terminal of the left controller 3 (terminal 42 shown in FIG. 4) when the left controller 3 is attached to the main body device 2. The left side terminal 17 may be arranged at an arbitrary position where the left side terminal of the main body device 2 and the terminal of the left controller 3 are in contact with each other while the left controller 3 is attached to the main body device 2. As an example, as shown in FIG. 3, the left terminal 17 is provided near the lower end of the left rail member 15.

(3) Member provided on the right side surface of the housing 11 As shown in FIG. 3, the right side surface of the housing 11 is provided with a configuration similar to the configuration provided on the left side surface. That is, on the right side surface of the housing 11, a right rail member 19 which is a member for attaching and detaching the right controller 4 to the main body device 2 is provided. The right rail member 19 extends along the vertical direction on the right side surface of the housing 11. The right rail member 19 has a shape that can be engaged with the slider of the right controller 4 (slider 62 shown in FIG. 5). A slide mechanism is formed by the right rail member 19 and the slider 62. With such a slide mechanism, the right controller 4 can be slidably and detachably attached to the main body device 2.

The right rail member 19 has the same shape as the left rail member 15. That is, the right rail member 19 has a groove having a cross-sectional shape similar to that of the left rail member 15. However, the right rail member 19 does not have to have exactly the same shape as the left rail member 15. For example, as another embodiment, the slider 62 of the right controller 4 is engaged with the left rail member 15 by differentiating the size and / or shape between the groove of the left rail member 15 and the groove of the right rail member 19. It may be configured so that it cannot be fitted and / or the slider 40 of the left controller 3 cannot engage the right rail member 19.

A right side terminal 21 is provided on the right side surface of the housing 11. The right side terminal 21 is a terminal for the main body device 2 to perform wired communication with the right controller 4. The right terminal 21 is provided at a position where the right controller 4 comes into contact with the terminal of the right controller 4 (terminal 64 shown in FIG. 5) when the right controller 4 is attached to the main body device 2. The right side terminal 21 may be arranged at an arbitrary position where the right side terminal of the main body device 2 and the terminal of the right controller 4 are in contact with each other while the right controller 4 is attached to the main body device 2. As an example, as shown in FIG. 3, the right side terminal 21 is provided near the lower end portion of the right rail member 19.

As described above, the housing 11 of the main body device 2 according to the present embodiment is provided with the left rail member 15 and the right rail member 19 for mounting the controller. The positions, shapes, and sizes of the left rail member 15 and the right rail member 19 can be arbitrarily designed. For example, as another embodiment, the left rail member 15 and the right rail member 19 may be provided at the left and right ends on the main surface and / or the back surface of the housing 11, respectively. Any configuration can be adopted as the mechanism for detachably mounting the main body device 2 and the controller, and a slider mechanism different from the slider mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 may be adopted, or a mechanism different from the slider mechanism. May be adopted. For example, the convex portion provided on the main body device side and the concave portion provided on the controller side may be fitted to be mounted, or a magnet may be provided on the main body device side or the controller side and a magnetic material may be provided on the other side. It may be configured to be attached by providing a portion composed of and adsorbing both.

(4) Members Provided on the Upper Side Surface of the Housing 11 As shown in FIG. 3, a first slot 23 for mounting a storage medium of the first type is provided on the upper side surface of the housing 11. As a typical configuration, the opening of the first slot 23 is provided with a lid that can be opened and closed, and the first type of storage medium is inserted into the first slot 23 with the lid open. Can be done. The first type of storage medium is, for example, a storage medium (for example, a dedicated memory card) specially designed for the game device 1 and a game device of the same type. The first type of storage medium is, for example, data used in the main unit 2 (for example, save data of an application) and / or a program executed in the main unit 2 (for example, an application program). Used to store.

A power button 28 for switching the power on / off of the main body device 2 is provided on the upper side surface of the housing 11. In this embodiment, the power button 28 is also used to switch between the on mode and the sleep mode.

The on mode is, for example, a mode in which the screen display of the display 12 is performed, and the sleep mode is, for example, a mode in which the screen display of the display 12 is paused. In the sleep mode, the screen display of the display 12 may be paused, or instead, the processing in the running application (for example, the game processing in the game application) may be paused.

When a long press operation is performed on the power button 28 (for example, when the power button 28 is continuously pressed for a predetermined time or longer), a process of switching the power on / off of the main unit 2 is executed. On the other hand, when a short press operation is performed on the power button 28 (for example, when the power button 28 is pressed for a time shorter than the predetermined time), a process of switching between the on mode and the sleep mode is executed. ..

As described above, the power button 28 of the main unit 2 according to the present embodiment is used for switching the power on / off and / or switching between the on mode and the sleep mode. As another embodiment, the power button 28 may perform only switching of either one. In this case, another button for switching the other may be provided in the main body device 2.

An audio input / output terminal 25 (specifically, an earphone jack) is provided on the upper side surface of the housing 11. A microphone or earphone can be attached to the audio input / output terminal 25.

(5) Member provided on the lower side surface of the housing 11 As shown in FIG. 3, a lower terminal 27 for performing wired communication between the main body device 2 and the cradle 5 described later is provided on the lower side surface of the housing 11. Provided. The lower terminal 27 is provided at a position where the main body device 2 comes into contact with the terminal of the cradle 5 when the main body device 2 is mounted on the cradle 5. Typically, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector (more specifically, a female connector) can be adopted as the lower terminal 27.

A second slot 24 for mounting a second type of storage medium different from the first type is provided on the lower side surface of the housing 11. The second slot 24 may be provided on the same surface as the first slot 23. As a typical configuration, the opening of the second slot 24 is provided with a lid that can be opened and closed, and the second type of storage medium is inserted into the second slot 24 with the lid open. Can be done. The second type of storage medium may be, for example, a general-purpose storage medium (for example, an SD card). The second type of storage medium is, for example, the data used in the main unit 2 (for example, save data of an application) and / or executed in the main unit 2 as in the case of the first type of storage medium. It is used to store programs (eg, application programs, etc.).

The position, shape, and number of each component (specifically, buttons, slots, terminals, etc.) provided in the housing 11 described above can be arbitrarily designed. For example, as another embodiment, some of the power button 28, the first slot 23, and the second slot 24 may be provided on the other side or back of the housing 11. Further, a configuration in which some of the above components are omitted may be adopted.

(A3: Structure of left controller)
FIG. 4 is a six-view view showing the left controller 3 according to the present embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 4, the left controller 3 has a substantially plate-shaped housing 31. The main surface of the housing 31 (that is, the surface on the front side or the surface on the negative direction side of the z-axis shown in FIG. 1) has a substantially rectangular shape. The housing 31 has a vertically long shape, that is, a long shape in the vertical direction (that is, the y-axis direction shown in FIG. 1).

The left controller 3 can be used in a direction in which its main surface is vertically long when the user grips it in a state where it is removed from the main body device 2, or it is used in a direction in which its main surface is horizontally long. It is also possible.

The shape and size of the housing 31 can be arbitrarily designed. As another embodiment, the housing 31 may be configured in a shape other than the substantially plate shape. The housing 31 does not have to have a rectangular shape, and may have a semicircular shape, for example. Further, the housing 31 does not have to have a vertically long shape.

The vertical length of the housing 31 is preferably substantially the same as the vertical length of the housing 11 according to the main body device 2. It is preferable that the thickness of the housing 31 (that is, the length in the front-rear direction or the length in the z-axis direction shown in FIG. 1) is substantially the same as the thickness of the housing 11 of the main body device 2. Therefore, when the left controller 3 is attached to the main body device 2 (see FIG. 1), the user can grasp the main body device 2 and the left controller 3 as if they were an integrated device.

The main surface of the housing 31 has a shape in which the left corner portion is more rounded than the right corner portion. That is, the connecting portion between the upper side surface and the left side surface of the housing 31 and the connecting portion between the lower side surface and the left side surface of the housing 31 are the connecting portion between the upper side surface and the right side surface, and the lower side surface and the right side surface thereof. It is rounded (that is, R in chamfering is large) as compared with the connection portion with. Therefore, when the left controller 3 is attached to the main body device 2 (see FIG. 1), the left side of the game device 1 has a rounded shape, which makes it easy for the user to hold.

An analog stick 32 is provided on the left controller 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the analog stick 32 is provided on the main surface of the housing 31. The analog stick 32 is an example of a direction indicating unit capable of inputting a direction. The analog stick 32 has a stick member that can be tilted in all directions parallel to the main surface of the housing 31 (that is, in a 360 ° direction including up, down, left, right, and diagonal directions). The user is an analog input device capable of inputting in a direction corresponding to the tilting direction by tilting the stick member. Further, the analog stick 32 may be configured so that when the stick member is tilted, it is possible to input a size according to the tilted angle in addition to the input in the direction corresponding to the tilting direction. Further, the direction indicating unit may be a slide stick or the like. The slide stick is an input unit having a stick member slidable in all directions parallel to the main surface of the housing 31, and the user can input according to the slide direction by sliding the stick member. The slide stick can also be configured to allow input of a size according to the amount of slide. Further, the direction indicating unit may be configured as an input unit that indicates a direction by pressing a button. For example, the direction indicating unit may be configured as an input unit that indicates a direction by using a cross key or four buttons corresponding to up, down, left, and right. Further, in the present embodiment, it is possible to input to push the stick member (in the direction perpendicular to the housing 31). That is, the analog stick 32 in the present embodiment is an input unit capable of inputting a direction and a size according to the tilting direction and the tilting amount of the stick member and pressing input to the stick member.

The left controller 3 is provided with four operation buttons 33 to 36 (specifically, a right direction button 33, a down direction button 34, an up direction button 35, and a left direction button 36). As shown in FIG. 4, these four operation buttons 33 to 36 are provided below the analog stick 32 on the main surface of the housing 31. In the present embodiment, the number of operation buttons provided on the main surface of the left controller 3 is four, but the number of operation buttons is arbitrary. These operation buttons 33 to 36 are used to give instructions according to various programs (for example, an OS program and an application program) executed by the main unit device 2. In the present embodiment, the operation buttons 33 to 36 may be used for inputting the direction. Therefore, for convenience of explanation, the operation buttons 33 to 36 are used as the right direction button 33, the downward button 34, and the upper button. Also referred to as a direction button 35 and a left direction button 36. However, the operation buttons 33 to 36 may be used to give an instruction other than the direction input.

The operation unit (specifically, the analog stick 32 and the operation buttons 33 to 36) provided on the main surface of the left controller 3 is a user who holds the game device 1 when the left controller 3 is attached to the main body device 2. For example, it is operated by the thumb of the left hand (see FIG. 9). When the left controller 3 is used in a state of being removed from the main body device 2, the operation unit is operated by, for example, the thumb of the left hand of the user who holds the left controller 3 (see FIG. 10).

The left controller 3 is provided with a first L button 38 and a ZL button 39. These operation buttons 38 and 39, like the above-mentioned operation buttons 33 to 36, are used to give instructions according to various programs executed by the main body device 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the first L button 38 is provided on the upper left portion of the side surface of the housing 31. The ZL button 39 is provided in the upper left portion (strictly speaking, the upper left portion when the housing 31 is viewed from the front side) from the side surface to the back surface of the housing 31. That is, the ZL button 39 is provided on the rear side (the z-axis positive direction side shown in FIG. 1) of the first L button 38. In the present embodiment, since the upper left portion of the housing 31 has a rounded shape, the first L button 38 and the ZL button 39 have a rounded shape corresponding to the roundness of the upper left portion of the housing 31.

When the left controller 3 is attached to the main body device 2, the first L button 38 and the ZL button 39 are arranged in the upper left portion of the game device 1 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the user who holds the game device 1 can operate the first L button 38 and the ZL button 39 with the index finger or the middle finger of the left hand.

The left controller 3 has the slider 40 described above. As shown in FIG. 4, the slider 40 extends in the vertical direction on the right side surface of the housing 31. The slider 40 has a shape that can be engaged with the left rail member 15 (more specifically, the groove of the left rail member 15) of the main body device 2. Specifically, the cross section of the slider 40 (specifically, the cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction) has a convex shape. More specifically, the cross section of the slider 40 has a T-shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the left rail member 15. Therefore, the slider 40 engaged with the left rail member 15 is fixed and does not come off in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction (that is, the direction in which the left rail member 15 extends).

The left controller 3 includes a notification LED 45. The notification LED 45 is a notification unit for notifying the user of predetermined information. The information notified by the notification LED 45 is arbitrary. In the present embodiment, the notification LED 45 indicates to the user information for identifying each controller when the main body device 2 communicates with a plurality of controllers. Specifically, the left controller 3 includes as the notification LED 45, the number of LEDs (here, four) that the main body device 2 can communicate with at the same time. Then, of the four LEDs, the LED corresponding to the number assigned to the controller lights up. According to this, it is possible to notify the user of the above number by the notification LED 45.

In another embodiment, the notification LED 45 may notify the user of the state of communication between the left controller 3 and the main unit 2. For example, the notification LE45 may be turned on when communication with the main body device 2 is established. Further, in the present embodiment, the number of LEDs (in other words, the light emitting unit) that function as the notification LED 45 is four, but the number of the LEDs is arbitrary.

In the present embodiment, the notification LED 45 is provided on the mounting surface of the slider 40 as shown in the figure. Therefore, the notification LED 45 is arranged in an invisible position when the left controller 3 is attached to the main body device 2. That is, the notification LED 45 is used when the left controller 3 is removed from the main body device 2.

(A4: Right controller structure)
FIG. 5 is a six-view view showing the right controller 4 according to the present embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 5, the right controller 4 has a substantially plate-shaped housing 51. The main surface of the housing 51 (that is, the surface on the front side or the surface on the negative direction side of the z-axis shown in FIG. 1) has a substantially rectangular shape. The housing 51 has a vertically long shape, that is, a long shape in the vertical direction.

The right controller 4 can be used in a direction in which its main surface is vertically long when the user grips it when it is removed from the main body device 2, or it is used in a direction in which its main surface is horizontally long. It is also possible to do.

Similar to the housing 31 of the left controller 3, the housing 51 of the right controller 4 preferably has a vertical length substantially the same as the vertical length of the housing 11 related to the main body device 2, and its thickness is preferably substantially the same. , It is preferable that the thickness is substantially the same as the thickness of the housing 11 of the main body device 2. Therefore, when the right controller 4 is attached to the main body device 2 (see FIG. 1), the user can grasp the main body device 2 and the right controller 4 as if they were an integrated device.

The main surface of the housing 51 has a shape in which the right corner portion is more rounded than the left corner portion. That is, the connecting portion between the upper side surface and the right side surface of the housing 51 and the connecting portion between the lower side surface and the right side surface of the housing 51 are the connecting portion between the upper side surface and the left side surface, and the lower side surface and the left side surface thereof. It is rounded (that is, R in chamfering is large) as compared with the connection portion with. Therefore, when the right controller 4 is attached to the main body device 2 (see FIG. 1), the right side of the game device 1 has a rounded shape, which makes it easy for the user to hold.

Like the left controller 3, the right controller 4 is provided with an analog stick 52 as a direction indicator. The analog stick 52 has substantially the same configuration as the analog stick 32 of the left controller 3. Further, the right controller 4 is provided with four operation buttons 53 to 56 (specifically, the A button 53, the B button 54, the X button 55, and the Y button 56) like the left controller 3. These four operation buttons 53 to 56 have substantially the same mechanism as the four operation buttons 33 to 36 of the left controller 3. As shown in FIG. 5, these analog sticks 52 and operation buttons 53 to 56 are provided on the main surface of the housing 51. In the present embodiment, the number of operation buttons provided on the main surface of the right controller 4 is four, but the number of operation buttons is arbitrary.

The positional relationship between the two types of operation units (analog stick 52 and the operation buttons) in the right controller 4 is opposite to the positional relationship between these two types of operation units in the left controller 3. That is, in the right controller 4, the analog stick 52 is arranged above the operation buttons 53 to 56, whereas in the left controller 3, the analog stick 32 is arranged below the operation buttons 33 to 36. With such an arrangement, when the two controllers are removed from the main body device 2 and used, both controllers can be used with similar operational feelings to each other.

The operation unit (specifically, the analog stick 52 and the operation buttons 53 to 56) provided on the main surface of the right controller 4 is a user who holds the game device 1 when the right controller 4 is attached to the main body device 2. For example, it is operated by the thumb of the right hand (see FIG. 9). Further, when the right controller 4 is used in a state of being removed from the main body device 2, the operation unit is operated by, for example, the thumb of the right hand of the user who holds the right controller 4.

The right controller 4 is provided with a first R button 60 and a ZR button 61. As shown in FIG. 5, the first R button 60 is provided in the upper right portion of the side surface of the housing 51. The ZR button 61 is provided in the upper right portion (strictly speaking, the upper right portion when the housing 51 is viewed from the front side) from the side surface to the back surface of the housing 51. That is, the ZR button 61 is provided on the rear side (the z-axis positive direction side shown in FIG. 1) of the first R button 60. In the present embodiment, since the upper right portion of the housing 51 has a rounded shape, the first R button 60 and the ZR button 61 have a rounded shape corresponding to the roundness of the upper right portion of the housing 51.

When the right controller 4 is attached to the main body device 2, the first R button 60 and the ZR button 61 are arranged in the upper right portion of the game device 1 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the user who holds the game device 1 can operate the first R button 60 and the ZR button 61 with the index finger or the middle finger of the right hand.

In the present embodiment, the shape of the first L button 38 and the shape of the first R button 60 are not symmetrical, and the shape of the ZL button 39 and the shape of the ZR button 61 are not symmetrical. .. However, as another embodiment, the shape of the first L button 38 and the shape of the first R button 60 may be symmetrical, and the shape of the ZL button 39 and the shape of the ZR button 61 may be symmetrical.

The right controller 4 has a terminal 64 for the right controller 4 to perform wired communication with the main body device 2. The terminal 64 is provided at a position where the right controller 4 comes into contact with the right terminal 21 (FIG. 3) of the main body device 2 when the right controller 4 is attached to the main body device 2. With the right controller 4 mounted on the main body device 2, the terminal 64 may be arranged at an arbitrary position where the main body device 2 and the right controller 4 come into contact with each other. As an example, as shown in FIG. 5, the terminal 64 is provided near the lower end of the mounting surface of the slider 62.

The position, shape, and number of components (specifically, sliders, sticks, buttons, LEDs, etc.) provided in the housing 31 of the left controller 3 and / or the housing 51 of the right controller 4 can be arbitrarily designed. For example, in another embodiment, the controller may be provided with a type of turn signal other than the analog stick. Further, the slider 40 or 62 may be arranged at a position corresponding to the positions of the left rail member 15 and the right rail member 19 provided in the main body device 2, and may be arranged, for example, on the main surface or the back surface of the housing 31 or 51. May be good. Further, a configuration in which some of the above components are omitted may be adopted.

The right controller 4 includes a notification LED 67. The notification LED 67 is a notification unit for notifying the user of predetermined information, like the notification LED 45 of the left controller 3. Further, the right controller 4 includes four LEDs as notification LEDs 67, similarly to the left controller 3. Of the four LEDs, the LED corresponding to the number assigned to the controller lights up. According to this, it is possible to notify the user of the above number by the notification LED 45.

In the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, the notification LED 67 is provided on the mounting surface of the slider 62 in the same manner as the notification LED 45. Therefore, the notification LED 67 is arranged in an invisible position when the right controller 4 is attached to the main body device 2. That is, the notification LED 67 is used when the right controller 4 is removed from the main body device 2.

(A5: Use of cradle)
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an appearance when the game device 1 according to the present embodiment is used together with the cradle. The game system shown in FIG. 6 includes a game device 1 and a cradle 5.

The cradle 5 is configured so that the game device 1 can be mounted and can communicate with the television 6 which is an example of an external display device separate from the display 12 of the game device 1. When the game device 1 is placed on the cradle 5, the image acquired or generated by the game device 1 can be displayed on the television 6. The communication between the cradle 5 and the television 6 may be wired communication or wireless communication.

The cradle 5 may have a function of charging the mounted game device 1 and a function of a communication hub device (for example, a USB hub).

[B. Internal configuration of each device]
Next, first, the internal configuration of each device related to the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described.

(B1: Internal configuration of main unit)
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the main body device 2 according to the present embodiment.

The main body device 2 has the components shown in FIG. 7. The components shown in FIG. 7 are mounted on an electronic circuit board as electronic components and housed in a housing 11.

The main unit 2 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81 corresponding to an information processing unit (or processor) that executes various processes including game processing. The CPU 81 reads out a program stored in an accessible storage unit (specifically, an internal storage medium such as a flash memory 84, or an external storage medium installed in the first slot 23 or the second slot 24). And execute.

The main unit 2 has a flash memory 84 and a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 85 as an example of the built-in internal storage medium. The flash memory 84 is mainly a non-volatile memory that stores various data (which may be a program) stored in the main unit 2. The DRAM 85 is a volatile memory that temporarily stores various types of data used in information processing.

The main unit 2 has a first slot interface (I / F) 91 and a second slot interface 92. The first slot interface is connected to the first slot 23, and reads and writes data to and from a first type storage medium (for example, an SD card) mounted in the first slot 23 in response to an instruction from the CPU 81. .. The second slot interface 92 is connected to the second slot 24, and reads and writes data to a second type of storage medium (for example, a dedicated memory card) mounted in the second slot 24 in response to an instruction from the CPU 81. To do.

The main device 2 has a network communication unit 82 for communicating (specifically, wireless communication) with an external device via a network. For example, the network communication unit 82 uses a communication module certified by Wi-Fi and communicates with an external device via a wireless LAN. As another embodiment, the main unit 2 connects to a mobile communication network (that is, a mobile phone communication network) in addition to (or instead of) the function of connecting to a wireless LAN to perform communication. It may have a function.

The main body device 2 has a controller communication unit 83 for wirelessly communicating with the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4. The communication method between the main unit 2 and each controller is arbitrary, but for example, a communication method according to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard can be adopted.

The CPU 81 is connected to the left side terminal 17, the right side terminal 21, and the lower terminal 27. When performing wired communication with the left controller 3, the CPU 81 transmits / receives data to / from the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17. Further, when performing wired communication with the right controller 4, the CPU 81 transmits / receives data to / from the right controller 4 via the right terminal 21. The data transmitted by the CPU 81 to the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is, for example, data for controlling the vibration generating unit of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4. The data received by the CPU 81 from the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is, for example, operation data output in response to the user operating the operation unit of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4. When communicating with the cradle 5, the CPU 81 transmits data to the cradle 5 via the lower terminal 27.

In the present embodiment, the main body device 2 can perform both wired communication and wireless communication with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4.

The main body device 2 has a touch panel controller 86 for controlling the touch panel 13. The touch panel controller 86 generates data indicating the position where the touch input is performed in response to the signal from the touch panel 13, and outputs the data to the CPU 81.

The display 12 displays an image generated by the CPU 81 executing various processes and / or an image acquired from the outside.

The main body device 2 has a codec circuit 87 and a speaker 88 (specifically, a left speaker and a right speaker). The codec circuit 87 controls the input / output of audio data to the speaker 88 and the audio input / output terminal 25. More specifically, when the codec circuit 87 receives the voice data from the CPU 81, the codec circuit 87 outputs the voice signal obtained by D / A conversion of the voice data to the speaker 88 or the voice input / output terminal 25. As a result, sound is output from the speaker 88 or the audio output unit (for example, earphone) connected to the audio input / output terminal 25. When the codec circuit 87 receives the audio signal from the audio input / output terminal 25, the codec circuit 87 A / D-converts the audio signal and outputs audio data in a predetermined format to the CPU 81.

The main body device 2 has an acceleration sensor 89 and an angular velocity sensor 90. The acceleration sensor 89 detects the magnitude of linear acceleration along predetermined three axes (for example, the xyz axis shown in FIG. 1). The acceleration sensor 89 may detect acceleration in the uniaxial direction or the biaxial direction. The angular velocity sensor 90 detects the angular velocity around three predetermined axes (for example, the xyz axis shown in FIG. 1). The angular velocity sensor 90 may detect the angular velocity around one axis or two axes. The detection results of the acceleration sensor 89 and the angular velocity sensor 90 are output to the CPU 81. The CPU 81 can calculate information regarding the movement and / or posture of the main body device 2 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 89 and the angular velocity sensor 90.

The main body device 2 has a power control unit 97 and a battery 98. The power control unit 97 controls the power supply from the battery 98 to each component based on the command from the CPU 81. The power control unit 97 controls the power supply according to the input to the power button 28. That is, when the power control unit 97 is operated to turn off the power to the power button 28, the power control unit 97 is operated to stop all or part of the power supply and turn on the power to the power button 28. If so, start all power supply. When the power button 28 is instructed to switch to the sleep mode, the power control unit 97 stops the power supply to some components including the display 12 and instructs the power button 28 to switch to the on mode. If is done, power supply is started.

When an external charging device (for example, the cradle 5) is connected to the lower terminal 27 and power is supplied to the main body device 2 via the lower terminal 27, the battery 98 is charged by the supplied power. The charging capacity of the battery 98 of the main body device 2 is preferably larger than that of the batteries of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4.

(B2: Internal configuration of controller)
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 also depicts the components of the main unit 2 related to the left controller 3 and the right controller 4.

The left controller 3 has a communication control unit 101 for communicating with the main body device 2. The communication control unit 101 can communicate with the main body device 2 by both wired communication via the terminal 42 and wireless communication not via the terminal 42. The communication control unit 101 selects whether to perform wired communication or wireless communication depending on whether or not the left controller 3 is attached to the main body device 2, and communicates according to the selected communication method. That is, when the left controller 3 is mounted on the main body device 2, the communication control unit 101 communicates with the main body device 2 via the terminal 42. Further, when the left controller 3 is removed from the main body device 2, the communication control unit 101 performs wireless communication with the main body device 2 (specifically, the controller communication unit 83). The communication control unit may be configured to perform only wired communication or wireless communication, as long as it can communicate with the main body device. When the left controller 3 is removed from the main body device 2, a case of performing wireless communication will be described as an example, but for example, wired communication may be performed via a cable.

The left controller 3 has, for example, a memory 102 such as a flash memory. The communication control unit 101 is composed of a microprocessor, for example, and executes various processes by executing firmware stored in the memory 102.

The left controller 3 has an operation button group 103 (specifically, operation buttons 33 to 36, 38, 39) and an analog stick 32. Information about the operations performed on the operation button group 103 and the analog stick 32 is repeatedly output to the communication control unit 101 at a predetermined cycle.

The left controller 3 has an acceleration sensor 104 and an angular velocity sensor 105. The acceleration sensor 104 detects the magnitude of linear acceleration along predetermined three axes (for example, the xyz axis shown in FIG. 1). The acceleration sensor 104 may detect acceleration in the uniaxial direction or the biaxial direction. The angular velocity sensor 105 detects the angular velocity around three predetermined axes (for example, the xyz axis shown in FIG. 1). The angular velocity sensor 105 may detect the angular velocity around one axis or two axes. The detection results of the acceleration sensor 104 and the angular velocity sensor 105 are repeatedly output to the communication control unit 101 at a predetermined cycle.

The communication control unit 101 acquires information regarding input (for example, information regarding user operation or detection result by the sensor) from each of the operation button group 103, the analog stick 32, the acceleration sensor 104, and the angular velocity sensor 105. The communication control unit 101 transmits data including acquired information (or information obtained by performing predetermined processing on the acquired information) to the main unit 2. Data transmission to the main unit 2 is repeated at a predetermined cycle. The cycle in which the information regarding the input is transmitted to the main unit device 2 may or may not be the same between the input devices.

The main unit 2 can know the input made to the left controller 3 based on the transmitted data. More specifically, the main body device 2 can determine the operation on the operation button group 103 and the analog stick 32. In addition, the main unit 2 can calculate information regarding the movement and / or posture of the left controller 3.

The left controller 3 has a power supply unit 109 including a battery and a power control circuit. The power supply unit 109 controls the left controller 3 to supply power to each component. When the left controller 3 is mounted on the main body device 2, the battery is charged by power supply from the main body device 2 via the terminal 42.

The power supply unit 109 notifies the main unit 2 of the battery warning information when the power of the battery is exhausted.

The right controller 4 basically has the same configuration as the left controller 3 described above. That is, the right controller 4 includes a communication control unit 111, an operation button group 113 (specifically, operation buttons 53 to 56, 60, 61), an analog stick 52, an acceleration sensor 114, and an angular velocity sensor 115. It has a power supply unit 119. The power supply unit 119 notifies the main unit 2 of the battery warning information when the power of the battery is exhausted.

Since the other components of the right controller 4 have the same configurations and functions as the corresponding components described with respect to the left controller 3, detailed description will not be repeated.

As described above, the game device 1 according to the present embodiment is gripped by the left controller 3 (the portion gripped by the user's left hand) and the user's right hand (the other hand) gripped by the user's left hand (one hand). The right controller 4 (a portion gripped by the user's right hand) is included.

In the present specification, the "operation unit" means a function or configuration for receiving a user operation, and includes buttons, analog sticks, various sensors, etc. arranged on the main body device 2, the left controller 3, the right controller 4, and the like. Anything that can detect the user's operation can be included. The operation unit may be configured so that the user's operation can be detected by a combination of buttons, analog sticks, various sensors, etc., which are separately arranged in the main body device 2, the left controller 3, the right controller 4, and the like.

[C. Game system usage]
As described above, in the game device 1 according to the present embodiment, the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are detachably configured. Further, the game device 1 can output images and sounds to the television 6 by being attached to the cradle 5. Therefore, the game device 1 can be used in various usage modes as described below. Hereinafter, the main usage modes of the game device 1 will be illustrated.

(C1: A mode in which the controller is attached to the main unit and used)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a usage mode of the game device 1 in a state where the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are mounted on the main body device 2 (hereinafter, also referred to as “mounted state”).

As shown in FIG. 9, the game device 1 can be used as a portable device in the mounted state.
In the mounted state, communication between the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is basically performed by wired communication. As another embodiment, communication between the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 may be performed by wireless communication even in the mounted state.

In the mounted state, the four operation buttons 33 to 36 of the left controller 3 may be used to perform direction input (that is, direction instruction). At this time, the user can use the analog stick 32 to input the direction, or can use the operation buttons 33 to 36 to input the direction. Since the user can input the direction by using the operation means suitable for the preference, the operability can be improved. However, what kind of instruction the operation buttons 33 to 36 are used for may be arbitrarily determined by the program executed in the main body device 2.

In the present embodiment, the arrangement of the analog stick and the four operation buttons (that is, the A, B, X, and Y buttons) is reversed between the left controller 3 and the right controller 4. In the mounted state, in the left controller 3, the analog stick 32 is arranged above the four operation buttons 33 to 36, whereas in the right controller 4, the four operation buttons 53 to 56 are located above the analog stick 52. Is also placed on the upper side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when the user holds the game device 1 with both hands at the same height (that is, at the same position in the vertical direction), the analog stick is easily operated with one hand. For the other hand, the four operation buttons are in easy-to-operate positions. As described above, the game device 1 according to the present embodiment provides a configuration in which the analog stick and the four operation buttons can be easily operated.

(C2: A mode in which a set of controllers is removed from the main unit and used)
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a usage mode of the game device 1 in a state where the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are removed from the main body device 2 (hereinafter, also referred to as “disengagement state”).

As shown in FIG. 10, in the detached state, the user can operate the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 by holding them in their left and right hands, respectively.

In the detached state, communication between the main unit 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is basically performed by wireless communication. The main device 2 receives data from a controller that has established wireless communication (typically, paired), and executes game processing based on the received data.

In the present embodiment, in the case of wireless communication, the main body device 2 distinguishes between the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 which are communication partners. That is, the main body device 2 identifies whether the data received from the controller is from the left controller 3 or the right controller 4.

FIG. 10 illustrates a mode in which one user uses a set of controllers (left controller and right controller), but it is also possible for two users to use one controller at a time. In this case, two users can participate in the game at the same time with one set of controllers (left controller and right controller).

FIG. 10 illustrates a state in which both the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are removed from the main body device 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and one of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is removed from the main body device 2. It is also possible to use the game device 1 with the other attached to the main body device 2.

(C3: A mode in which two users use the controller one by one)
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of how two users hold the controller one by one and use the game device 1 in the detached state.

As shown in FIG. 11, two users can perform the operation in the detached state. Specifically, one user (called a "first user") operates using the left controller 3, and the other user (called a "second user") uses the right controller 4. It is possible to perform operations. The game device 1 controls the operation of the first object (for example, the player character) in the virtual space based on the operation on the left controller 3, and the operation of the second object in the virtual space based on the operation on the right controller 4, for example. Executes information processing that controls. In the mode shown in FIG. 11, as in the mode shown in FIG. 10, the user can operate the operation unit included in the controller and / or move the controller itself.

Further, in the present embodiment, the positional relationship between the analog stick 52 and the operation buttons 53 to 56 in the right controller 4 is opposite to the positional relationship between these two types of operation units in the left controller 3. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, when two users hold the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 in the same direction, the positional relationship between the two types of operation units is the same for the two controllers. That is, in the present embodiment, the user can use the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 removed from the main body device 2 with the same operation feeling with respect to the above two types of operation units. As a result, the operability of the controller can be improved.

Further, in the detached state, the four operation buttons 33 to 36 of the left controller 3 may be used as the same functions as the four operation buttons 53 to 56 of the right controller 4 (in other words, to give the same instruction). May be used for). Specifically, the right button 33 is used as the same function as the Y button 56, the down button 34 is used as the same function as the X button 55, and the up button 35 is used as the same function as the B button 54. The left direction button 36 may be used as the same function as the A button 53. As described above, in the present embodiment, the functions of the operation buttons 33 to 36 may be changed between the mounted state and the detached state. However, what kind of instruction each operation button is used for may be freely determined by the program executed in the main body device 2.

In FIG. 11, the game device 1 divides the display area of the display 12 of the main body device 2 into two, and an image for the first user (for example, a first object) is divided into one of the divided display areas. (Image containing) is displayed, and an image for a second user (for example, an image containing a second object) is displayed in the other divided display area. However, depending on the application executed in the game device 1, the game device 1 may display images for two users (for example, both the first object and the second object) without dividing the display area of the display 12. The image including the image) may be displayed.

Further, in the mode shown in FIG. 11, as in the mode shown in FIG. 10, communication between the main body device 2 and the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is performed by wireless communication. At this time, the main body device 2 distinguishes the controller as the communication partner.

(C4: Mode of using TV)
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a usage mode of the game device 1 with the main body device 2 mounted on the cradle 5.

As shown in FIG. 12, by mounting the main body device 2 on the cradle 5, the image acquired or generated by the game device 1 can be displayed on the television 6. The user operates the left controller 3 and / or the right controller 4 while watching the image displayed on the television 6 (and, if necessary, the image displayed on the display of the main unit 2).

(C5: A mode in which three or more controllers are used)
As described above, in the present embodiment, the main body device 2 can communicate with a plurality of left controllers. Further, the main body device 2 can communicate with a plurality of right controllers. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to use three or more controllers at the same time.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a usage mode when three or more controllers are used.

FIG. 13 illustrates a case where a total of four controllers, two left controllers 3a and 3b and two right controllers 4a and 4b, are used. Here, it is assumed that each controller is removed from the main body device 2. When four controllers are used in this way, a mode in which four users use one controller per person (FIG. 13 (a)) and two controllers per person by two users (specifically). Is at least considered to be an embodiment (FIG. 13 (b)) in which a pair of left and right controllers) is used.

(A mode in which one user uses one controller)
In FIG. 13A, four controllers 3a, 3b, 4a, and 4b are used one per user. That is, in the present embodiment, when four controllers are prepared, four users, users A to D, can perform operations using the controllers. The game device 1 executes information processing that controls the operation of an object corresponding to the controller, for example, based on an operation on each controller.

In FIG. 13A, the main body device 2 wirelessly communicates with the four controllers 3a, 3b, 4a, and 4b, respectively. Here, in the present embodiment, the main body device 2 distinguishes between the four controllers 3a, 3b, 4a, and 4b. That is, the main unit 2 identifies which of the four controllers the received operation data is from. In the case of FIG. 13A, the main body device 2 distinguishes between the left controller 3a and the left controller 3b, and also distinguishes between the right controller 4a and the right controller 4b.

(A mode in which one user uses one set of controllers)
In FIG. 13B, one set of four controllers 3a, 3b, 4a, and 4b is used for each user. That is, the user A uses a set of controllers of the left controller 3a and the right controller 4a, and the user B uses a set of controllers of the left controller 3b and the right controller 4b. As described above, in the present embodiment, when four controllers are prepared, it is possible for two users to operate one set of controllers (which can also be said to be a set of controllers).

The game device 1 executes information processing with two operation data received from one set of controllers as one set. For example, the game device 1 executes information processing that controls the operation of an object corresponding to the set of controllers based on an operation on the set of controllers. Specifically, the operation of the first object is controlled based on the operation on the left controller 3a and the right controller 4a, and the operation of the second object is controlled based on the operation on the left controller 3b and the right controller 4b. The object.

Here, in the present embodiment, in the usage mode shown in FIG. 13B, the main unit device 2 sets a pair of a left controller and a right controller used by one user. The main unit 2 executes information processing by using each operation data from two controllers included in the set set as one set (for example, using it as operation data for controlling one operation target). ..

Any method may be used to set the set of controllers, but in the present embodiment, the set is set by attaching the left and right controllers to the main body device 2. That is, the main body device 2 sets the left controller and the right controller mounted at the same time as a set of controllers. For example, when setting the set of controllers shown in FIG. 13B, the user first attaches the left controller 3a and the right controller 4a to the main body device 2, and then attaches these two left controller 3a and the right controller 4a to the main body device 2. After removing from 2, another left controller 3b and right controller 4b are attached to the main body device 2. Thereby, the set of the left controller 3a and the right controller 4a and the set of the left controller 3b and the right controller 4b can be set (also referred to as registration) in the main body device 2.

When three or more controllers are used, the information processing system can be used in various modes other than the usage mode shown in FIG. For example, it is possible for a user to use a set of controllers including left and right controllers, and for another user to use the information processing system in a manner in which one controller is used. Further, for example, it is possible for a certain user to use a controller attached to the main body device 2 and another user to use a controller removed from the main body device 2.

(C6: Other aspects)
In addition to the above-mentioned usage modes, an HMD (head-mounted display) type display device can also be used.

(C7: Operational advantage)
In the present embodiment, information on the movement and / or attitude of each controller can be calculated based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor and / or the angular velocity sensor possessed by the left controller and the right controller. The game device 1 can accept a user operation for moving each controller itself as an input. The user can perform not only user operations on the operation units (operation buttons and analog sticks) of each controller, but also user operations for moving the controller itself. That is, in the present embodiment, the game device 1 can provide the user with an operation of moving the controller (without moving the display) even though it is a portable device. Further, the game device 1 can also provide a game device that can be operated by a user at a place away from the display 12, even though it is a portable device.

The game device 1 has information on the movement and / or posture of the game device 1 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor and / or the angular velocity sensor possessed by the left controller and the right controller not only in the detached state but also in the mounted state. Can be calculated. Further, the game device 1 calculates information on the movement and / or posture of the game device 1 based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 89 and / or the angular velocity sensor 90 possessed by the main body device 2 in the mounted state. You can also.

[D. Outline of game processing]
Next, an outline of the game processing executed in the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described. In addition, more detailed specific examples will be described with respect to some processes executed when the above-mentioned operations are performed.

(D1: Registration process)
As described above, in the present embodiment, communication is performed between the main unit 2 and the controllers 3 and 4. Therefore, the main unit 2 executes a registration process for registering the controller in order to identify the controller that communicates with itself. The controller provided (specifically, sold) together with the main body device 2 may be registered in the main body device 2 at the time of provision.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a flow of registration processing executed in the main body device 2 based on the embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the registration process is executed in response to the controller being attached to the main body device 2. That is, the main body device 2 detects that the left controller 3 or the right controller 4 is attached, and starts executing the registration process shown in FIG. 14 in response to the detection of the attachment.

The method of detecting that the controller is attached to the main body device 2 is arbitrary. For example, the detection method may be a method based on a signal state (for example, a voltage state) at a predetermined pin included in the terminal of the main body device 2 and / or the controller. Further, for example, the detection method may be a method of mechanically detecting that the terminals of another device are connected to the own machine.

Further, the main body device 2 and the controller may each have the above-mentioned detection function, or only one of them may have the detection function. If only one of them has a detection function, the one device may notify the other device that the connection has been detected, if necessary.

The processing of each step in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14 is merely an example, and if the same result can be obtained, the processing order of each step may be changed, and in addition to the processing of each step ( Alternatively) another process may be performed. Further, in the present embodiment, the processing of each step in the flowchart is described as being executed by the CPU 81 of the main unit 2, but the processing of some steps in the flowchart is executed by a processor other than the CPU 81 or a dedicated circuit. You may do so. Further, a part of the processing executed by the main body device 2 may be executed by another information processing device capable of communicating with the main body device 2 (for example, a server capable of communicating with the main body device 2 via a network). That is, each process shown in FIG. 14 and the like may be executed by the cooperation of a plurality of information processing devices including the main device 2.

In the registration process shown in FIG. 14, first, in step S1, the CPU 81 determines whether or not the controller detected to be mounted on the main body device 2 has been registered. Here, in the present embodiment, the main unit device 2 stores the registration information indicating the controller registered by itself in its own storage unit (for example, the flash memory 84). The determination in step S1 is performed based on this registration information.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of registration information based on the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 15, the registration information is number information, identification information, information associated with wireless communication information, and appearance information regarding the appearance of the controller. The number information is a number assigned to the registered controller. The notification LED described above in the controller may be controlled to represent a value based on this number.

The identification information is information indicating a value (for example, ID) uniquely assigned to the controller. The controller can be uniquely identified by this identification information.

Here, in the present embodiment, the identification information includes information indicating whether the controller is the left controller or the right controller. That is, the main body device 2 can determine whether the controller is the left controller or the right controller based on the identification information attached to the controller. In other embodiments, the identification information does not have to include information indicating whether the controller is the left controller or the right controller. At this time, the registration information may include information indicating whether the controller is the left controller or the right controller (apart from the identification information).

When the CPU 81 acquires the identification information from the controller, the controller indicated by the identification information is the left controller or the right controller, depending on whether the identification information is acquired via the left side terminal 17 or the right side terminal 21. It is possible to determine whether or not there is.

The wireless communication information indicates whether or not the connection setting (that is, pairing) related to wireless communication with the main unit 2 has been completed. That is, when the pairing between the main unit device 2 and the controller is completed, the information indicating "set" is stored as the wireless communication information regarding the controller. On the other hand, when the pairing between the main unit device 2 and the controller is not completed, information indicating "not set" is stored as wireless communication information regarding the controller. Note that the main unit 2 may store information related to wireless communication connection settings (apart from the registration information) so that the controller that has been paired once does not have to be paired again. ..

The appearance information indicates whether or not the information regarding the appearance of the controller has been registered. That is, when the pairing between the main unit device 2 and the controller is completed, the information indicating "registered" is stored as the appearance information regarding the controller. On the other hand, when the pairing between the main unit device 2 and the controller is not completed, information indicating "unregistered" is stored as appearance information regarding the controller. The main unit 2 may store information related to appearance information (apart from the registration information) so that the controller that has been paired once does not have to be paired again.

In addition, a part of the registration information may be deleted or changed according to the instruction of the user. For example, the main unit 2 may delete the information about the designated controller or change the number assigned to the controller according to the instruction of the user.

Returning to the description of FIG. 14, in step S1, the CPU 81 first acquires identification information from the controller whose attachment is detected. It is assumed that the identification information attached to the controller is stored in advance in the memory of the controller (for example, the memory 102 or 112). The controller transmits its own identification information to the main body device 2 in response to the connection to the main body device 2 or the request from the CPU 81. The CPU 81 determines whether or not the controller whose attachment has been detected is registered, depending on whether or not the acquired identification information is included in the registration information.

If the CPU 81 determines in step S1 that the controller has not been registered (NO in step S1), the CPU 81 executes the process of step S2.

On the other hand, in step S1, when the CPU 81 determines that the controller has been registered (YES in step S1), the process of step S2 is skipped and the process of step S3 is executed.

In step S2, the CPU 81 registers the controller whose attachment is detected. That is, the CPU 81 updates the registration information stored in the storage unit so as to associate the number information, the identification information, the wireless communication information, and the appearance information about the controller with the registration information. As the number information, for example, information indicating a number that has not been set for another registered controller is set. As the identification information, the identification information acquired from the controller in step S1 is set. As the wireless communication information and the appearance information, since pairing has not been performed at this point, information indicating "not set" and "unregistered" is set. The process of step S3 is executed after step S2.

In step S3, the CPU 81 determines whether or not both the left and right controllers are mounted on the main body device 2. That is, it is determined whether or not it is detected at the present time that the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 are mounted on the main body device 2.

If it is determined in step S3 that both controllers are mounted (YES in step S3), the CPU 81 executes the process of step S4.

On the other hand, in step S3, when the CPU 81 determines that both controllers are not mounted (NO in step S3), the process of step S4 is skipped and the registration process is terminated (end).

In step S4, the CPU 81 sets the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 mounted on the main body device 2 as one set. Here, in the present embodiment, the main unit device 2 stores the set information indicating the set of the left controller and the right controller in the storage unit (for example, the flash memory 84).

Then, the CPU 81 ends the registration process (end).
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of group information based on the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16, the set information in the present embodiment is information in which the left identification information and the right identification information are associated with each other. The left identification information is the identification information of the left controller set as a set among the registered controllers (in other words, the controller indicated by the identification information included in the registration information). The right identification information is the identification information of the right controller set as a set among the registered controllers (in other words, the controller indicated by the identification information included in the registration information). Further, the left identification information and the right identification information associated in the set information indicate a set consisting of the left and right controllers.

In step S4, the CPU 81 first acquires the identification information of the left and right controllers mounted on the main body device 2. It is not necessary to acquire the identification information again for the controller for which the identification information has been acquired in step S1. Next, the CPU 81 associates the acquired identification information of the left and right controllers and adds them to the set information. That is, the C PU 81 updates the set information so as to add the set of the two acquired identification information to the set information (to be exact, the set information before the update). At this time, the updated set information is stored in the storage unit.

If the set information already includes information indicating a set of the two identification information, the CPU 81 does not have to update the set information. Further, when the set information already includes information indicating a set including one of the two identification information, the CPU 81 deletes the set from the set information. As a result, the setting of the set including one of the controllers included in the set set this time is deleted (that is, deleted from the set information). After step S4, the CPU 81 ends the registration process (end).

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the controller is attached to the main body device 2, the controller is registered in the main body device 2. According to this, the user can easily perform the registration work of the controller. Further, in the present embodiment, since the registration process is executed when the main unit device 2 and the controller perform wired communication, there is a possibility that the main unit device 2 cannot acquire information (specifically, identification information) from the controller. Can be reduced, and the possibility of registration failure can be reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, these two controllers are set as a set according to the fact that both the left and right controllers are mounted on the main body device 2. Since the user only needs to attach the two controllers to be used as a set to the main body device 2, the set can be set by an easy-to-understand and easy operation.

The main body device 2 may be set as a set of two controllers that are simultaneously mounted on the main body device 2 as in the above embodiment, and unlike the above embodiment, they are not mounted at the same time. Two controllers may be set as one set. For example, the main body device 2 may set the left controller last mounted on itself and the right controller last mounted on itself as a set.

In other embodiments, the method of setting the set is arbitrary, and the set of controllers may be set by another method. For example, the main unit 2 may set two controllers in which a predetermined operation is performed within a predetermined period as the same set. Specifically, the main unit device 2 notifies the user that a predetermined operation is performed when a predetermined condition is satisfied (for example, when an instruction to set a set is received from the user). To do. Then, the main body device 2 sets two or more controllers in communication as a set of controllers in which the predetermined operation is performed within a predetermined period from the notification. The "predetermined operation" may be, for example, an operation of pressing the A button, or an operation of hitting two controllers (this operation can be determined based on, for example, the detection result of the acceleration sensor. ) May be.

(D2: Wireless setting process)
As described above, in the present embodiment, wireless communication may be performed between the main unit 2 and the controllers 3 and 4. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the game device 1 is set (also referred to as pairing) for wireless communication between the main body device 2 and the controller. Regarding the controller provided (specifically, sold) together with the main body device 2, the wireless communication setting may be completed at the time of provision.

In the present embodiment, the main unit 2 executes a wireless setting process for making settings related to wireless communication with the controller.

FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing an example of a flow of wireless setting processing executed in the main body device 2 based on the embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the wireless setting process is executed in response to the controller being removed from the main unit device 2. That is, the main body device 2 detects that the left controller 3 or the right controller 4 has been removed, and responds to the detection that the left controller 3 or the right controller 4 has been removed (referred to as “disengagement”), and the wireless setting process shown in FIG. Starts executing.

The method of detecting the detachment of the controller from the main body device 2 is arbitrary, but for example, the same method as the method of detecting the attachment of the controller to the main body device 2 may be used.

As shown in FIG. 17, in the wireless setting process, first, in step S11, the CPU 81 determines whether or not the pairing of wireless communication is completed for the controller whose disconnection from the main device 2 is detected. .. This determination is made using the registration information described above. That is, when the wireless communication information included in the registration information indicates "set" for the controller for which the withdrawal is detected, the CPU 81 determines that the wireless communication pairing is completed. On the other hand, regarding the controller for which the withdrawal is detected, when the wireless communication information included in the registration information indicates "not set", the CPU 81 determines that the pairing of the wireless communication is not completed. If the determination result in step S11 is negative (NO in step S11), the process in step S12 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S11 is affirmative (YES in step S11), the processes such as step S12 are skipped, and the CPU 81 ends the wireless setting process.

In step S12, the CPU 81 executes a pairing process for enabling wireless communication with the controller in which the disconnection is detected. The pairing process in the present embodiment may be the same as the pairing process in the communication technology according to the conventional Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. In the present embodiment, the controller executes the pairing process in response to being removed from the main unit device 2. As a result, pairing is performed between the main unit 2 and the controller, and wireless communication is established. Step S13 is executed after step S12.

In step S13, the CPU 81 determines whether or not the pairing with the controller in which the withdrawal is detected is successful. The process of step S13 is executed at a timing when a predetermined predetermined time has elapsed after the process of step S12. If the CPU 81 determines in step S13 that the pairing was successful (YES in step S13), the CPU 81 requests the controller for appearance information (step S14).

Next, the CPU 81 determines whether or not the appearance information has been received from the controller (step S15).

If the CPU 81 determines in step S15 that the appearance information has been received from the controller (YES in step S15), the process proceeds to step S16.

If the CPU 81 determines in step S15 that it does not receive appearance information from the controller (NO in step S15), it returns to step S14 and requests the controller for appearance information. The process is repeated. The CPU 81 may repeat the above process a plurality of times, and when it is determined that the appearance information is not received, the CPU 81 may end the wireless setting process.

On the other hand, in step S13, when the CPU 81 determines that the pairing is not successful (NO in step S13), the processes of steps S14 to S16 are skipped, and the CPU 81 ends the wireless setting process (end). ..

In step S16, the CPU 81 updates the registration information. That is, for the controller in which the withdrawal is detected, the wireless communication information included in the registration information is changed to the content indicating "set". Further, the CPU 81 changes the appearance information received from the controller to the content indicating "registered".

After step S16, the CPU 81 ends the wireless setting process.
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating appearance information data based on the embodiment.

FIG. 18 shows appearance information data stored in the memory of the controller based on the embodiment. In the present embodiment, appearance information data regarding the appearance of the controllers 3 and 4 corresponding to the memories 102 and 112 of the controllers 3 and 4 in advance is stored in advance.

The appearance information data 200 includes the controller shape data 201, the first appearance data 202, and the second appearance data 203.

The controller shape data 201 is data (identification data) for identifying the type of the controller, and in this example, the case where the data “CT0” is set as the identification data is shown. As an example, "CT0" indicates that the controller type is the left controller 3. Further, "CT1" indicates that the controller type is the right controller 4. Further, "CT2" indicates that it is an attached controller that can be provided as an accessory and is gripped by both hands, which will be described later.

As will be described later, it is possible to specify the form of the controller based on the identification data. As an example, it is possible to specify the contour shape of the controller.

In this example, appearance information data is used when generating an image of an operating device that is a controller.

The first appearance data 202 is data showing the appearance of the housing of the controller. In this example, color information is shown as an example of the first appearance data 202. In this example, the case where "red" is set is shown.

The second appearance data 203 is data indicating the appearance of the buttons of the controller. In this example, color information is shown as an example of the second appearance data 203. In this example, the case where "white" is set is shown.

When the buttons of the controller have a fixed color, it is possible to generate an operation device image described later without providing the second appearance data 203.

Further, in this example, the case where the operation device image which is a controller is generated by the configuration in which the appearance information data includes three data, that is, the controller shape data 201, the first appearance data 202, and the second appearance data 203. As described, there may be at least one piece of data, for example, the controller shape data alone may be used to specify the shape of the controller, the appearance of the housing, and the appearance of the buttons.

Further, in this example, the color information will be described as the data indicating the appearance of the controller, but the information may be information on at least one of the color, the pattern, and the shape of the controller. It is also possible to incorporate information that combines these into appearance information data.

Further, in this example, the data indicating the appearance of the buttons of the controller will be described as the second appearance data 203, but the data is not particularly limited to this, and data indicating the appearance of the analog stick may be used. Alternatively, in the case of a configuration in which the controller is provided with an operation unit such as a slide pad or a touch pad, the data indicating the appearance of the operation unit may be used, and any data indicating the appearance of the operable member may be used. However, it can be used.

In the present embodiment, regarding the wireless setting process, the controllers 3 and 4 also execute the same process as the main unit 2 (referred to as “radio setting process on the controller side”). Specifically, the controller stores registration information (for example,) that associates the identification information of the main unit in which the controller is mounted with the wireless communication information indicating whether or not pairing with the main unit is completed. It is stored in the memory 102 or 112). The controller (specifically, the communication control unit 101 or 111) determines whether or not the pairing with the main body device 2 is completed in response to the removal from the main body device 2. If the pairing is not completed, the controller executes the pairing process. Further, the controller determines whether or not the pairing is successful, and if the pairing is successful, updates the above registration information. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the controller is removed from the main body device 2, the pairing process is executed in the main body device 2 and the controller, so that the pairing is successful and wireless communication is established. ..

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the controller is removed from the main body device 2, the setting process related to the wireless communication between the main body device 2 and the controller is executed, and the wireless communication is established. Here, in the present embodiment, wired communication is performed when the controller is attached to the main body device 2, and wireless communication is performed when the controller is removed from the main body device 2. Therefore, wireless communication can be established at an appropriate timing by executing the setting process when the controller is removed from the main body device 2. In the present embodiment, since the controller is registered when the controller is first attached to the main body device 2, the above setting process is executed when the controller is first removed from the main body device 2. It will be. According to this, it is possible to reduce the possibility that "wireless communication is not established when the registered controller is removed from the main device 2", and it is possible to reduce the possibility that the game device is easy for the user to use. 1 can be provided. Further, according to the present embodiment, the user can easily cause the game device 1 to perform the above setting process by removing the controller from the main body device 2.

The conditions for executing the setting process related to the wireless communication in the game device 1 are arbitrary, and the controller is not necessarily removed from the main device 2. For example, in another embodiment, the above setting process may be executed according to the fact that the controller is attached to the main body device 2. Further, for example, in another embodiment, the above setting process may be executed in response to an instruction from the user. Specifically, the main unit 2 may execute the wireless setting process (FIG. 17) in response to a predetermined instruction from the user. This predetermined instruction may be given by the user selecting a predetermined item displayed on the menu screen, or may be given by pressing a predetermined button provided on the main body device 2. Further, the controller may execute the above-mentioned "radio setting process on the controller side" in response to a predetermined instruction from the user. This predetermined instruction may be given by pressing a predetermined button provided on the controller.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the controller is removed from the main body device 2, the main body device 2 and the controller determine whether or not the pairing between the controller and the main body device 2 is completed, and the pairing is performed. The pairing process was executed if it was not completed. Here, in another embodiment, when the controller is removed from the main body device 2, the main body device 2 and the controller may execute the pairing process without performing the above determination.

(D3: Example of executing game processing by multiple players)
FIG. 19 is an example diagram illustrating a game process executed by the game device 1 based on the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 19, the image generated by the game device 1 is displayed on the television 6.
In this example, the case where the users PA to PD, which are four players, operate the corresponding objects by using the controllers 3a, 4a, 3b, and 4b, respectively, is shown.

In this example, the game device 1 divides the display area of the television 6 into four, displays an image for the user PA (for example, an image including the first object) in the divided display area 6A, and divides the display area 6. An image for the user PB (for example, an image including a second object) is displayed in the displayed display area 6B. Similarly, the game device 1 displays an image for the user PC (for example, an image including a third object) in the divided display area 6C, and an image for the user PD in the divided display area 6D. (For example, an image including the fourth object) is displayed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the game device 1 is controlled to generate an operation device image for each controller and display it in the corresponding display area.

For example, in the divided display area 6A, an operation device area 600A (collectively, also referred to as an operation device area 600) for displaying an operation device image is provided. An operating device image 602A and an indicator image 604A are provided in the operating device area 600A.

Similarly, in the divided display area 6B, an operation device area 600B for displaying the operation device image is provided. An operating device image 602B and an indicator image 604B are provided in the operating device area 600B.

In the divided display area 6C, an operation device area 600C for displaying the operation device image is provided. An operating device image 602C and an indicator image 604C are provided in the operating device area 600C.

In the divided display area 6D, an operation device area 600D for displaying the operation device image is provided. An operating device image 602D and an indicator image 604D are provided in the operating device area 600D.

The operation device image 602A is an image showing a controller operated by a user PA who is a player.

In the present embodiment, the game device 1 generates an operation device image corresponding to the controller based on the appearance information data included in the registration information, and displays the generated operation device image in a predetermined operation device area. The appearance information data includes the controller shape data 201, the first appearance data 202, and the second appearance data 203, and an operating device image is generated based on the data. The contour shape of the operating device image is specified according to the controller shape data 201. Further, according to the first appearance data 202, a designated color is given to the region corresponding to the housing in the contour shape of the operating device image. Further, according to the second appearance data 203, the designated color is given to the region corresponding to the button in the contour shape of the operation device image.

For example, in the case of the first appearance data 202 (red) and the second appearance data 203 (white), red is added to the region corresponding to the housing in the contour shape of the operating device image. In addition, white is added to the region corresponding to the button in the contour shape of the operating device image.

Therefore, the user PA, who is a player, can confirm the operation device image having the same form and color as the controller 3a operated by himself / herself in the display area 6A.

Similarly, the user PB, which is another player, can confirm the operation device image having the same shape and color as the controller 4a operated by the user PB in the display area 6B.

The user PC, which is a player, can confirm the operation device image having the same form and color as the controller 3b operated by itself in the display area 6C.

Similarly, the user PD, which is another player, can confirm the operation device image having the same form and color as the controller 4b operated by the user PD in the display area 6D.

Therefore, it is possible for each player to easily grasp that he / she is operating an object in the display area in which the operation device image corresponding to his / her controller is displayed, thereby improving usability regarding the operation of the controller. It is possible to improve.

Further, the game device 1 generates an indicator image indicating a number assigned to the controller based on the number information included in the registration information, and displays the generated indicator image in a predetermined area.

In this example, an indicator image provided with four boxes is displayed as related information related to the operating device image. In this example, a case where an indicator image is displayed as related information related to the operation device image will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the indicator image, and may be an image for the player (an image that can identify the player). Any image may be used.

Specifically, in the display area 6A, one of the four boxes included in the indicator image 604A corresponding to the number information "1" of the user PA is shown as a hatch area. In the display area 6B, two of the four boxes included in the indicator image 604B corresponding to the number information "2" of the user PB are shown as hatch areas. In the display area 6C, three of the four boxes included in the indicator image 604C corresponding to the number information "3" of the user PC are shown as hatch areas. In the display area 6D, four of the four boxes included in the indicator image 604D corresponding to the number information "4" of the user PD are shown as hatch areas.

It is possible to easily grasp the number assigned to the controller by the number of hatching areas.

Further, in this example, the operation device image and the related information (indicator image) are arranged in the operation device area 600. That is, by displaying the images in association with each other, the operating device image corresponding to the own controller and the number information are associated with each other, and it is possible to more easily grasp that the object in the display area is being operated. This makes it possible to further improve the usability regarding the operation of the controller. In this example, the case where the operation device image and the indicator image are displayed side by side on the top and bottom is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the operating device image and the indicator image may be arranged on the left and right, respectively, and displayed on top of each other. You can do it.

Further, the game device 1 transmits the number information to each controller.
Each controller controls the notification LED based on the number information from the game device 1.

In this example, the case where the users PA to PD, which are four players, operate the corresponding objects using the controllers 3a, 4a, 3b, and 4b, respectively, has been described, but in the case of one player. The same applies to.

[E: Game processing implementation example]
Next, an implementation example of game processing based on the embodiment will be described.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an implementation example related to game processing based on the embodiment.
With reference to FIG. 20, the display control module 300 and the communication control module 310 are realized by the CPU 81 of the main unit 2 executing the program related to the game processing.

The program related to the game processing is read from, for example, the flash memory 84 of the main unit 2 or the memory card installed in the first slot, stored in the DRAM 85, and executed.

The display control module 300 is a module that controls the display related to the game processing, and sequentially updates the display contents of the display 12 and the like according to the contents of the user operation. More specifically, the display control module 300 includes an image generation module 302 and an image output module 304.

In the present embodiment, the image generation module 302 generates an operating device image to be displayed on the display 12 or the like based on the appearance information data stored in the flash memory 84.

The image output module 304 outputs the operating device image generated by the image generation module 302 so as to be displayed on the display 12 or the like.

The communication control module 310 executes communication processing with the controller as needed.

Further, in the wireless setting process, the communication control module 310 executes a wireless communication pairing process with the controller to acquire the appearance information of the controller and update the registration information. Specifically, the communication control module 310 stores appearance information data in the flash memory 84.

[F: Processing procedure]
Next, a processing procedure related to game processing in the game device 1 based on the embodiment will be described.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure related to game processing based on the embodiment.
Each step shown in FIG. 21 is typically realized by the CPU 81 of the main unit 2 executing a program.

With reference to FIG. 21, the CPU 81 determines whether or not the start of the game process is instructed (step S100).

When the CPU 81 determines that the start of the game process is instructed (YES in step S100), the CPU 81 generates a game image in which the object is arranged in the game space (step S102). The image generation module 302 generates a game image in which objects are arranged in the game space based on a program stored in the DRAM 85 and executed.

Next, the CPU 81 generates an operation device area for arranging the operation device image (step S103). The image generation module 302 generates an operating device area for arranging the operating device image in the game space based on a program stored and executed in the DRAM 85.

When game processing is executed by a plurality of players, an operation device area is generated for each controller corresponding to each player.

Next, the CPU 81 generates an operating device image based on the appearance information data (step S104). The image generation module 302 generates an operating device image according to the appearance information data stored in the flash memory 84 based on a program stored in the DRAM 85 and executed. When the game process is executed by a plurality of players, an operation device image is generated for each controller corresponding to each player.

Next, the CPU 81 generates an indicator image based on the number information (step S105). The image generation module 302 generates an indicator image based on the number information stored in the flash memory 84 based on a program stored in the DRAM 85 and executed. When game processing is executed by a plurality of players, an indicator image is generated for each controller corresponding to each player.

Next, the CPU 81 outputs the generated image to the television 6 (step S106).
The image output module 304 outputs the game image to the television 6 so that the operation device image and the indicator image are arranged and displayed in the generated operation device area in the game image. By this process, the image generated by the game device 1 described with reference to FIG. 19 is displayed on the television 6.

Next, the CPU 81 updates and outputs the game image according to the user operation (step S108). The image generation module 302 generates a game image according to the user operation based on a program stored in the DRAM 85 and executed. Further, the image output module 304 updates and outputs to the television 6 according to the generated game image.

The operation device area may be continuously maintained with the area output to the television 6 together with the game image, or may be controlled so as to be hidden after a lapse of a certain period of time. Alternatively, the display / non-display may be repeated every time a predetermined period elapses. Alternatively, the display / non-display may be switched according to the input of a predetermined button.

Next, the CPU 81 determines whether or not the end of the game process is instructed (step S110).

When the CPU 81 determines in step S110 that the end of the game process is instructed (YES in step S110), the CPU 81 ends the process (end).

On the other hand, in step S110, when the CPU 81 determines that the end of the game process is not instructed (NO in step S110), the CPU 81 returns to step S108 and repeats the above process.

[G: Attached controller]
Next, the attached controller 401 will be described.

In addition to the left controller 3 and the right controller 4, it is also possible to provide an accessory controller 401 capable of communicating with the main body device 2 of the game device 1.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the appearance of the accessory controller 401 based on the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 22, the attached controller 401 is provided on the surface of the housing 402 having grip portions 400L and 1400R (hereinafter, also collectively referred to as grip portions 400) on the left and right sides. It is mainly composed of two analog sticks protruding from the opening and an operation unit including a plurality of operation buttons (described later).

When viewed from the front, the housing 402 has a gentle substantially trapezoidal shape with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction, the upper side thereof is slightly recessed, and the lower side is more recessed than the upper side. In other words, the grip portions 400L and 400R may each have a shape extending to the bottom surface side (the front side when viewed from the player when the controller is gripped). Further, the front side may be configured to be substantially flat except for the position where the analog stick is located.

The position where the analog stick is located is slightly raised, and the grip portions 400L and 400R may be configured to draw a gentle curve from the front portion to the back surface portion. The housing 402 of this embodiment may be formed by, for example, plastic molding.

A first analog stick 411 (hereinafter, left stick) is provided near the upper surface side of the front left end of the housing 402, and a second analog stick 412 (hereinafter, right stick) is provided near the upper surface side of the right end of the front of the housing 402. More specifically, the left stick 411 is arranged at a position that can be operated by the thumb of the left hand that grips the grip portion 400L (more preferably, the thumb of the left hand that grips the grip portion 400L is naturally located). The right stick 412 is arranged at a position that can be operated by the thumb of the right hand that grips the grip portion 400R (more preferably, the thumb of the right hand that grips the grip portion 400R is naturally located). The left stick 411 and the right stick 412 are sticks that can be tilted in any direction of 360 degrees and are used to indicate an arbitrary direction.

Further, the left stick 411 and the right stick 412 can be pushed in the back direction, respectively, and have a role as a push button. The left stick 411 and the right stick 412 function according to the program executed by the main unit device 2 to which the controller is connected.

In this way, since the distance between the left stick 411 and the right stick 112 is wide, the distance between the thumbs is not narrowed even when both are tilted inward, which makes the operation easier. There is.

The cross key (direction key) is located on the left side of the front substantially center position of the housing 402, inside the left stick 411, and can be operated by the thumb of the left hand holding the grip portion 400L. (Sometimes called) 421 is provided. More specifically, the cross key 421 is provided at a position at the lower right of the left stick 411. The cross key 421 is a cross-shaped four-way push switch, and operating portions corresponding to the four directions (front-back, left-right) are arranged on the protruding pieces of the cross at intervals of 90 °. When the player presses any operation portion of the cross key 421, either the front, back, left, or right direction is selected. The cross key 421 functions according to the program executed by the main unit device 2 to which the controller is connected.

Further, the shape of the cross key 421 is not limited to the shape shown in the figure, and may be any shape as long as it can input in four directions. For example, the shape may be such that a cross-shaped groove is raised on a round pedestal, or the four keys may be separated.

Further, in the area on the right side of the front substantially center of the housing 402, which is inside the right stick 412, and which can be operated by the thumb of the right hand holding the grip portion 400R, the operation buttons 422A to 422D (hereinafter, also referred to as a first operation button group) is arranged in a cross shape at the up, down, left, and right positions. More specifically, the operation buttons 422A to 422D are arranged in a cross shape at the up, down, left, and right positions in the area located at the lower left of the right stick 412. The operation buttons 422A to 422D are used, for example, the operation buttons 422A to 422D are used for a determination operation, a cancel operation, and the like.

By arranging the cross key 421 at the lower right position of the left stick 411 as described above, the belly of the thumb can be moved to the position of the cross key 421 by the movement of the thumb with the base of the thumb of the left hand as the fulcrum. .. In other words, the abdomen of the thumb can be moved to the position of the cross key 421 by simply moving the thumb to the right with the base of the grip as a fulcrum without changing the posture of gripping the grip 400L. It is also possible to return the thumb to the position of the left stick 411 by moving the thumb to the left. That is, it becomes easy to move back and forth between the left stick 411 and the cross key 421, and the operability can be improved. In other words, when operating the cross key 421, the stick is positioned between the tip of the thumb (the position of the cross key) and the base of the thumb, so that the stick does not interfere and the operability does not deteriorate.

Similarly, by arranging the first operation button group (operation buttons 422A to 422D) at the lower left position of the right stick 412, the right stick 412 and the first operation button 412 and the first operation buttons can be moved only by the movement of the thumb with the base of the right thumb as the fulcrum. It is possible to move the thumb to and from the operation buttons of. As a result, it becomes easy to move between the right stick 412 and the first operation button group, and the operability can be improved.

An L button 425L is provided on the front side of the upper left end of the housing 402, a ZL button is provided below it (rear side), and an R button 425R is provided below (rear) on the front side of the upper right end of the housing 402. A ZR button is arranged on the side). The L button 425L is arranged at a position where the index finger of the left hand that grips the grip portion 400L can reach, and the ZL button is arranged at a position where the middle finger and ring finger of the left hand can reach. Further, the R button 425R is arranged at a position where the index finger of the right hand holding the grip portion 400R can reach, and the ZR button is arranged at a position where the middle finger and the ring finger of the right hand can reach. The L button 425L, the R button 425R, the ZL button, and the ZR button are appropriately assigned functions according to the program executed by the information processing apparatus.

The attached controller 401 is also provided with the same operation buttons as the operation buttons provided on the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 described above.

Further, a plurality of indicators are provided on the bottom surface side of the front surface of the housing 402. Specifically, the notification LED 431 is provided. The notification LED 431 is a notification unit for notifying the user of predetermined information, like the notification LED of the left controller. Further, the notification LED 431 includes four LEDs. Of the four LEDs, the LED corresponding to the number assigned to the controller lights up. According to this, it is possible to notify the user of the above number by the notification LED 431.

Further, since the internal configuration of the attached controller 401 is basically the same as the internal configuration of the left controller 3 or the right controller 4 described with reference to FIG. 8, the detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

In the memory of the attached controller 401, appearance information data regarding the appearance of the attached controller 401 is stored in advance. The appearance information data includes controller shape data, first appearance data, and second appearance data.

The data "CT2" is preset as the identification data of the attached controller.
Further, in the first appearance data, data indicating the appearance of the housing of the attached controller is set. Data indicating the appearance of the buttons of the attached controller is set in the second appearance data.

In the present embodiment, the appearance information data is used when generating an image of the operating device which is an attached controller.

When the pairing between the main unit device 2 and the attached controller is completed, the registration information is registered in the flash memory 84 of the main unit device 2 in the same manner as described above.

The CPU 81 generates an image of the operating device of the attached controller based on the appearance information data and outputs the image to the television 6 or the like as described above.

This makes it possible for the player to easily grasp that he / she is operating an object in the display area in which the operation device image corresponding to his / her attached controller is displayed, and thereby usability regarding the operation of the attached controller. It is possible to improve.

[H: Other forms]
FIG. 23 is an example diagram illustrating a game process executed by the game device 1 based on another embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 23, the image generated by the game device 1 is displayed on the television 6.
Compared with the case described with reference to FIG. 19, the case where the battery information 610 is additionally displayed in the operating device area 600A is shown.

The other points are the same, so the detailed explanation will not be repeated.
Specifically, the case where the battery information 610 (“battery dead”) is displayed as the information (related information) related to the controller of the user PA is shown.

As a result, the user PA can easily grasp that the battery of his / her controller has run out, and is urged to take a mode of charging his / her controller.

By displaying the information related to the controller (related information) in the operating device area 600A, it is possible to easily grasp which user's information is related to the controller.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure related to game processing based on other embodiments.

Each step shown in FIG. 24 is typically realized by the CPU 81 of the main unit 2 executing a program.

The difference is that steps S109A and S109B are further added as compared with the flow chart described with reference to FIG. Since the other processes are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 21, the detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

In step S108, the CPU 81 updates and outputs the game image according to the user operation. The image generation module 302 generates a game image according to the user operation based on a program stored in the DRAM 85 and executed. Further, the image output module 304 updates and outputs to the television 6 according to the generated game image.

Next, the CPU 81 determines whether or not the battery warning information has been received (step S109A). Specifically, the communication control module 310 determines whether or not the battery warning information has been received from the controller. When the communication control module 310 receives the battery warning information from the controller, the communication control module 310 outputs the reception to the display control module 300.

When the CPU 81 determines in step S109A that the battery warning information has been received (YES in step S109A), the CPU 81 displays the battery information (step S109B).

Specifically, the display control module 300 displays the battery information (“battery dead”) when receiving the notification that the battery warning information from the communication control module 310 has been received. By this process, the image generated by the game device 1 described with reference to FIG. 23 is displayed on the television 6.

Therefore, each player can easily grasp the related information together with the image of the operating device corresponding to his / her own controller, which can improve the usability regarding the operation of the controller.

On the other hand, if the CPU 81 determines in step S109A that the battery warning information has not been received (NO in step S109A), the CPU 81 skips step S109B and proceeds to step S110.

Next, the CPU 81 determines whether or not the end of the game process is instructed (step S110).

When the CPU 81 determines in step S110 that the end of the game process is instructed (YES in step S110), the CPU 81 ends the process (end).

On the other hand, in step S110, when the CPU 81 determines that the end of the game process is not instructed (NO in step S110), the CPU 81 returns to step S108 and repeats the above process.

In this example, the method of displaying the battery information with respect to the controller when the battery warning information is received has been described, but this is just an example, and it is also possible to display other battery information. For example, information on the remaining battery level may be displayed. Further, the information about the controller is not limited to the battery information, and other information may be displayed as the state (status) of the operating device. For example, when the communication state is unstable, the fact that the communication state is unstable may be displayed as information.

[I: Other variants]
In the above, the configuration in which the operation device image is displayed in the operation device area 600 has been described. If a background color is given to the operating device area 600, a part of the game image may be invisible due to the background color.

Therefore, it is possible to widen the range of the display area in which the player visually recognizes the game image by not giving the background color to the operation device area 600 (making it transparent).

On the other hand, by not imparting a background color to the operation device area 600 (making it a transparent state), the operation device image overlaps with the game image.

In this respect, when the color of the game image and the color of the operating device image are the same, it may be difficult to identify the operating device image.

Therefore, as another modification of the present embodiment, a method capable of easily identifying the operating device image will be described.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an image of an operating device based on a modified example of the embodiment.
With reference to FIG. 25, an operating device image 612 is shown as a modification of the embodiment.

The operating device image 612 shows a case where the edge image 603 is added to the outer peripheral region of the contour shape of the controller as compared with the operating device images 602A to 602D.

The edge image 603 is given a color different from the color of the region corresponding to the housing.
For example, when the housing area is set to red according to the first appearance data, the edge image is set to have a color different from that of the housing area (for example, white).

By making the housing area and the edge image different colors, the contour shape of the housing area can be visually recognized and the operating device image can be identified.

The edge information for generating the edge image may be included in the appearance information data as a fixed color in advance.

In this respect, the image generation module 302 can generate the operating device image 612 based on the edge information included in the received appearance information data. The edge information may be held by the flash memory 84 of the main unit 2. It is possible to reduce the amount of appearance information data by sharing the edge information and holding it in the main body device 2.

Alternatively, the edge information may be set based on the program executed by the CPU 81, and the operation device image 612 may be generated based on the set edge information.

For example, it is assumed that the program in which the CPU 81 is executed includes a program that generates edge information. Specifically, when the game image is generated, information (edge information) regarding colors that are not used in the game image is generated. The image generation module 302 can generate an edge image of the operating device image based on the edge information, thereby generating an edge image capable of clearly distinguishing the game image and the operating device image. ..

Further, as the program in this embodiment, an application that can be executed on a personal computer may be provided. At this time, the program according to the present embodiment may be incorporated as a part of the functions of various application programs executed on the personal computer.

<Effect>
Next, the action and effect of this embodiment will be described.

An information processing system according to the present embodiment includes a left controller 3 and a right controller 4, and a main body device 2 capable of communicating with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 have memories 102 and 112 that store appearance information data indicating the appearance of the controller, and communication control units 101 and 111 that transmit appearance information data stored in the memories 102 and 112 to the main unit 2. And are provided. The main unit 2 generates an operation device image 602 showing the controller based on the communication control module 310 that receives the appearance information data transmitted by the communication control units 101 and 111 and the appearance information data received by the communication control module 310. The image generation module 302 is included, and the image output module 304 for displaying the operating device image 602 generated by the image generation module 302 on the television 6. It is possible to easily identify its own controller by the operation device image 602 showing the controller, and it is possible to improve the usability regarding the operation of the controller.

The image output module 304 may display the operation device image 602 and the battery information 610 related to the controller on the television 6. By displaying additional information related to the controller together, it is possible to easily grasp which user's information is related to the controller, and it is possible to improve usability.

The main body device 2 is provided so as to be able to communicate with the left controllers 3a and 3b and the right controllers 4a and 4b. The image generation module 302 generates a plurality of operating device images 602A, 602B, 602C, 602D indicating each corresponding controller based on the plurality of appearance information data received by the communication control module 310. The image output module 304 may display a plurality of operating device images 602A, 602B, 602C, 602D generated by the image generation module 302 on the television 6. When a plurality of users operate the controller, it is possible to easily identify the own controller by the operation device image 602 showing the controller, and it is possible to improve the usability regarding the operation of the controller.

The appearance information data may include a first appearance data 202 showing a part of the appearance of the controller and a second appearance data 203 showing another part of the appearance of the controller. It is possible to clearly distinguish the appearance characteristics of the controller by the data showing a plurality of appearances, and it is possible to easily identify the own controller.

The first appearance data 202 may be data indicating the appearance of the housing of the controller. Since the operating device image is generated according to the color information of the housing, it is possible to easily identify its own controller.

The second appearance data 203 may be data indicating the appearance of the buttons of the controller. Since the operating device image is generated according to the color information of the button, it is possible to easily identify its own controller.

The appearance information may be information on at least one of the color, pattern, and shape of the controller. Since the operating device image is generated based on the information regarding at least one of the color, the pattern, and the shape of the controller, it is possible to easily identify the own controller.

The image generation module 304 may generate an operating device image 612 showing the controller based on the appearance information data received by the communication control module 310 and the edge information indicating the edge of the controller. By adding the edge image, it is possible to clearly distinguish between the game image and the operating device image, and it is possible to easily identify the own controller.

The image generation module 304 may generate an operation device image indicating the controller based on the appearance information data received by the communication control module 310 and the edge information stored in the flash memory 84 of the main unit 2. It is possible to reduce the amount of appearance information data by sharing and storing edge information in the flash memory 84 of the main unit 2.

The image generation module 304 may generate an operation device image indicating the controller based on the appearance information data received by the communication control module 310 and the edge information set based on the application program executed by the main unit 2. .. By setting the edge information based on the application program, for example, when the game image is generated, the edge information regarding the color not used for the game image is generated, and the edge image of the operation device image is generated based on the edge information. By doing so, it is possible to clearly distinguish between the game image and the operation device image.

The information associated with the controller may be an indicator image that identifies the user of the controller. It is possible to easily recognize the number attached to the controller that identifies the user from the indicator image.

The information related to the controller may be information about the state of the controller. It is possible to easily recognize the battery status of the controller from the information on the remaining battery level.

Communication processing may be executed between the controller and the main unit 2 by wireless communication. Wireless communication makes it possible to operate the device 2 at a remote location, improving usability.

The memory 102, 112 of the controller stores identification data indicating the type of the controller and the first and second appearance data indicating the appearance of the operating device, and the communication control units 101, 111 store the controller stored in the memories 102, 112. The identification data indicating the type of the operation device and the first and second appearance data indicating the appearance of the operation device are transmitted to the main unit 2, and the image generation module 304 receives the identification data and the operation indicating the type of the controller received by the communication control module 310. Based on the first and second appearance data showing the appearance of the device, the operation device image 602 showing the operation device may be generated. By generating the operating device image according to the identification data indicating the type of the controller, it is possible to generate the operating device image corresponding to various controllers, and for example, the controller such as the attached controller 401 can be easily identified. It becomes.

The controller may further include notification LEDs 45, 67 that identify the user number of the controller user. The user number can be easily identified by the notification LEDs 45 and 67.

It is an information processing system according to another aspect, and includes a left controller 3 and a right controller 4 which are first information processing devices, and a main body device 2 which is a second information processing device capable of communicating with the first information processing device. The left controller 3 and the right controller 4 transmit the appearance information data stored in the memories 102 and 112 to the main unit 2 and the memories 102 and 112 that store the appearance information data indicating the appearance of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4. Includes communication control units 101 and 111. The main unit 2 shows the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 based on the communication control module 310 that receives the appearance information data transmitted by the communication control units 101 and 111 and the appearance information data received by the communication control module 310. It includes an image generation module 302 that generates an information processing device image, and an image output module 304 that displays an information processing device image indicating the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 generated by the image generation module 302 on the television 6. It is possible to easily identify its own controller by the information processing device image showing the controller, and it is possible to improve the usability regarding the operation of the controller.

A communication that is a main unit 2 capable of communicating with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 according to a certain aspect, and receives appearance information data indicating the appearance of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 transmitted from the left controller 3 and the right controller 4. An image generation module 302 that generates an operation device image indicating the left controller 3 and a right controller 4 based on the appearance information data received by the control module 310 and the communication control module 310, and an operation device generated by the image generation module 302. It includes an image output module 304 for displaying an image on the television 6. It is possible to easily identify its own controller by the information processing device image showing the controller, and it is possible to improve the usability regarding the operation of the controller.

Appearance information data indicating the appearance of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 transmitted from the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 is a control method of the main body device 2 capable of communicating with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 according to a certain aspect. It includes a step of receiving, a step of generating an operating device image showing the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 based on the received appearance information data, and a step of displaying the generated operating device image on the television 6. It is possible to easily identify its own controller by the operation device image showing the controller, and it is possible to improve the usability regarding the operation of the controller.

An information processing program executed by the CPU 81 of the main unit 2 capable of communicating with the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 according to a certain aspect, and the operation of the CPU 81 transmitted from the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 by the information processing program. A communication control module 310 that receives appearance information data indicating the appearance of the device, and an image generation module 302 that generates an operating device image indicating the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 based on the appearance information data received by the communication control module 310. And, it functions as an image output module 304 for displaying the operation device image generated by the image generation module 302 on the television 6. It is possible to easily identify its own controller by the operation device image showing the controller, and it is possible to improve the usability regarding the operation of the controller.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

1 Game device, 2 Main unit, 3 Left controller, 4 Right controller, 5 Cradle, 6 TV, 11, 31, 51, 402 Housing, 11a, 11b Speaker holes, 12 Display, 13 Touch panel, 15 Left rail member, 17 Left side Terminal, 19 Right rail member, 21 Right terminal, 23 1st slot, 24 2nd slot, 25 Audio input / output terminal, 27 Lower terminal, 28 Power button, 33-38 operation button, 40, 62 slider, 42, 64 Terminal, 82 network communication unit, 83 controller communication unit, 84 flash memory, 85 RAM, 86 touch panel controller, 87 codec circuit, 88 speaker, 89,104,114 acceleration sensor, 90,105,115 angular speed sensor, 92 second slot Interface, 97 power control unit, 98 battery, 101, 111 communication control unit, 102 memory, 103, 113 operation buttons, 109, 119 power supply unit, 401 attached controller.

Claims (18)

Operating device and
It is equipped with a main unit capable of communicating with the operating device.
The operating device
A storage unit that stores appearance information indicating the appearance of the operating device, and
Including a transmission unit that transmits appearance information stored in the storage unit to the main unit.
The appearance information includes identification data for identifying the type of the operating device, first appearance data showing a part of the appearance of the operating device, and a second appearance showing another part of the appearance of the operating device. Including data
The main body device
A receiver that receives the appearance information transmitted by the transmitter and
An image generation unit that generates an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the identification data, the first appearance data, and the second appearance data received by the reception unit.
An information processing system including an image output unit that displays an operation device image generated by the image generation unit on a display device. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the image output unit causes the display device to display an image of the operating device and related information related to the operating device. A plurality of the operating devices capable of communicating with the main body device are provided.
The image generation unit generates a plurality of operation device images indicating the corresponding operation devices based on the plurality of appearance information received by the reception unit.
The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the image output unit displays a plurality of operating device images generated by the image generation unit on the display device. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first appearance data is data indicating the appearance of the housing of the operating device. The information processing system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second appearance data is data indicating the appearance of an operation unit provided in the operation device. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the appearance information is information relating to at least one of a color, a pattern, and a shape of the operating device. According to any one of claims 1 to 6, the image generation unit generates an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the appearance information received by the reception unit and the edge information indicating the edge of the operation device. The information processing system described. The information processing according to claim 7, wherein the image generation unit generates an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the appearance information received by the reception unit and the edge information stored in the main body storage unit of the main body device. system. The image generation unit generates an operation device image showing the operation device based on the appearance information received by the reception unit and the edge information set based on the application program executed by the main body device. The information processing system according to 8. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the related information is information that identifies a user of the operating device. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the related information is information regarding a state of the operating device. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the operation device and the main body device execute communication processing by wireless communication. The storage unit stores identification information indicating the type of the operating device and appearance information indicating the appearance of the operating device.
The transmitting unit transmits the identification information and the appearance information stored in the storage unit to the main unit, and then transmits the identification information and the appearance information.
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the image generation unit generates an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the identification information and appearance information received by the reception unit. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the operating device further includes a lighting unit that identifies a user number of a user of the operating device. With the first information processing device
A second information processing device capable of communicating with the first information processing device is provided.
The first information processing device is
A storage unit that stores appearance information indicating the appearance of the first information processing apparatus, and
Including a transmission unit that transmits appearance information stored in the storage unit to the second information processing apparatus.
The appearance information includes identification data for identifying the type of the first information processing device, first appearance data indicating a part of the appearance of the first information processing device, and appearance of the first information processing device. Includes second appearance data showing some other parts
The second information processing device is
A receiver that receives the appearance information transmitted by the transmitter and
An image generation unit that generates an information processing device image indicating the first information processing device based on the identification data, the first appearance data, and the second appearance data received by the receiving unit.
An information processing system including an image output unit that displays an information processing device image generated by the image generation unit on the display unit. An information processing device that can communicate with the operating device
Identification data for identifying the type of the operating device transmitted from the operating device, first appearance data showing a part of the appearance of the operating device, and a second showing the other part of the appearance of the operating device. 2 A receiver that receives appearance data and
An image generation unit that generates an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the identification data, the first appearance data, and the second appearance data received by the reception unit.
An information processing device including an image output unit for displaying an operation device image generated by the image generation unit on a display device. A control method for an information processing device that can communicate with an operating device.
Identification data for identifying the type of the operating device transmitted from the operating device, first appearance data showing a part of the appearance of the operating device, and a second showing the other part of the appearance of the operating device. 2 Steps to receive appearance data and
A step of generating an operation device image showing the operation device based on the received identification data, the first appearance data, and the second appearance data.
A control method for an information processing device, comprising a step of displaying the generated operation device image on a display device. An information processing program executed on a computer of an information processing device that can communicate with an operating device.
The computer by the information processing program
Identification data for identifying the type of the operating device transmitted from the operating device, first appearance data showing a part of the appearance of the operating device, and a second showing the other part of the appearance of the operating device. 2 A receiver that receives appearance data and
An image generation unit that generates an operation device image indicating the operation device based on the identification data, the first appearance data, and the second appearance data received by the reception unit.
An information processing program that functions as an image output unit that displays an operation device image generated by the image generation unit on a display device.