JP6280390B2 - Information processing program, information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing program, an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and an information processing method for executing information processing according to the attitude of an operating device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a technique for causing a user to perform an operation of specifying a position on a display screen or controlling a displayed object by moving an operation device. For example, the information processing apparatus described in Patent Literature 1 can calculate coordinates according to the attitude of the operating device as coordinates (pointing coordinates) representing a position pointed by the operating device.

JP 2013-29921 A

  In the above-described technique for performing an input operation by changing the attitude of the operating device, it is preferable that operability can be further improved.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing program, an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and an information processing method that can improve operability related to an operation that changes the attitude of the operating device.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configurations (1) to (10).

(1)
An example of the present invention is an information processing program that is executed in a computer of an information processing apparatus that performs information processing according to the attitude of the controller device. The information processing program causes the computer to function as processing execution means and movement means. The process execution means executes information processing according to a position indicated by an instruction direction corresponding to the attitude of the controller device in a predetermined area set in the virtual space. When the pointing direction points outside the predetermined area, the moving means moves the predetermined area in the virtual space so that the pointing direction points to a position in the predetermined area.

  The “information processing according to the position indicated by the pointing direction” may be any information processing in which the processing result changes depending on the position (the position and the processing result do not need to correspond one-to-one). That is, the information processing may be arbitrary information processing using the position as an input, or may be arbitrary information processing using the instruction direction as an input. Therefore, the “position indicated by the pointing direction” itself may not be calculated.

  With configuration (1) above, when the pointing direction deviates from the predetermined region in response to the change in the attitude of the controller device, the predetermined region is moved so that the pointing direction points to a position in the region. Therefore, even when the pointing direction deviates from the predetermined area, the position in the predetermined area can be calculated as the position designated by the user, and information processing according to the position in the predetermined area is executed. Thereby, the operability of the operating device can be improved.

(2)
The moving means may move the predetermined area so that the pointing direction points to a position near the outer periphery of the predetermined area when the pointing direction points outside the predetermined area.

  According to the configuration of (2) above, the possibility that the value used for information processing (the value according to the indication direction and / or the position indicated by the indication direction) greatly changes before and after the indication direction deviates from the predetermined area is reduced. can do. Thereby, the possibility that the processing result of the information processing changes greatly before and after the designated direction deviates from the predetermined area can be reduced, and the user's discomfort with respect to the operation can be reduced or suppressed.

(3)
The moving means does not have to move in the predetermined area when the indicated direction points within the predetermined area.

  According to the configuration of (3) above, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the value used for information processing will change due to the movement of the predetermined area when the user does not intend, so there is a possibility of giving the user a sense of incongruity. Can be reduced.

(4)
When the position indicated by the pointing direction moves beyond one side of the predetermined region and moves outside the predetermined region, the moving unit may move the predetermined region so that the pointing direction points to a position near the one side.

  According to the configuration of (4), as in the configuration of (2), it is possible to reduce the possibility that the value used for information processing changes greatly before and after the pointing direction deviates from the predetermined area. Therefore, the user's uncomfortable feeling with respect to the operation can be reduced or suppressed.

(5)
The predetermined area may be a rectangular planar area in the virtual space. The moving means may move the predetermined area in a direction perpendicular to the one side when the position indicated by the pointing direction moves outside the predetermined area beyond one side of the predetermined area.

  According to the configuration of (5) above, when the position indicated by the pointing direction protrudes from one side of the predetermined area, the positional relationship between the position indicated by the pointing direction and the predetermined area changes only for the direction component perpendicular to the one side. The direction component parallel to the one side does not change. According to this, the user's operation to change the posture with respect to the direction component parallel to the one side (change the position indicated by the pointing direction) is effective even if the predetermined area is moved. Therefore, according to the configuration of (5) above, the user's operation can be reflected more accurately, and the operability can be improved.

(6)
The moving means may move a coordinate system for representing a position on the predetermined area. The information processing program may cause the computer to further function as position calculation means for calculating position coordinates on a predetermined area indicated by the pointing direction. The process execution means may execute information processing based on the calculated position coordinates.

  With configuration (6) above, it is possible to execute information processing using the position coordinates of the position indicated by the pointing direction.

(7)
The designated direction may be determined starting from a predetermined position in the virtual space. The moving means may move the predetermined area so that the distance from the starting point to the reference point of the predetermined area is constant.

  According to the configuration of (7) above, the relationship between the change from the reference posture of the controller device in the virtual space and the position indicated by the pointing direction is constant regardless of the position of the predetermined area. As a result, the operability of the controller 5 can be improved because the operational feeling is the same regardless of which direction is used as a reference (when the predetermined area is arranged at any position).

(8)
The predetermined area may be a plane in the virtual space. The moving means adds to the vector from the starting point to the reference point a vector that moves the predetermined region along the plane so that the indicated direction points to a position in the region, and moves from the starting point to the vector direction after the addition. The predetermined area may be moved so that the reference point after moving to the position is located.

  According to the configuration of (8) above, since the predetermined area can be moved by vector calculation, the moving process can be executed by a simple calculation process, and the process can be speeded up.

(9)
The predetermined area may be a planar area in the virtual space.

  According to the configuration of (9) above, by using a planar area as the predetermined area, the position indicated by the pointing direction can be easily calculated.

(10)
The plane may have a rectangular shape.

  According to the configuration of (10) above, by using a rectangular area as the predetermined area, the position indicated by the pointing direction can be easily associated with a position on a rectangular display screen, for example.

  In addition, another example of the present invention may be an information processing apparatus or an information processing system including each means in the above (1) to (10). Another example of the present invention may be an information processing method for executing information processing according to the attitude of the controller device, which is executed in the above (1) to (10).

  According to the present invention, the operability of the controller device can be improved by moving the predetermined area when the pointing direction deviates from the predetermined area.

External view of game system 1 Functional block diagram of game device 3 The perspective view seen from the upper back of controller 5 The perspective view which looked at the controller 5 from the lower front side The figure which shows the internal structure of the controller 5 The figure which shows the internal structure of the controller 5 Block diagram showing the configuration of the controller 5 The figure which shows the predetermined space set in order to calculate a pointing coordinate The figure which shows the controller 5 and the coordinate plane Q at the time of the setting of the coordinate plane Q The figure which shows the controller 5 and the coordinate surface Q at the time of a setting in case an indication direction is near a perpendicular direction The figure which shows the main data memorize | stored in the main memory of the game device 3 Main flowchart showing a flow of game processing executed in the game apparatus 3 12 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of the coordinate system setting process (step S5) shown in FIG. The figure which shows the relationship between the attitude | position of the controller 5, and the inclination A The figure which shows the relationship between the vector P, the vector Y, and the vector U ' The figure which shows each vector Z and U 'showing the attitude | position of the controller 5, and each vector U, V, W showing the attitude | position of the coordinate plane Q The figure which shows the relationship between the vector Z showing the instruction | indication direction of the controller 5, and the pointing position R on the coordinate surface Q The figure which shows the modification of the said embodiment The figure which shows an example in case an instruction | indication direction remove | deviates from the coordinate plane Q The figure which shows an example of the coordinate surface Q before and behind a movement FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of the coordinate plane Q before and after the movement illustrated in FIG. 20 as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the coordinate plane Q. Flow chart showing detailed flow of coordinate plane movement processing The figure which shows an example of the process which moves the coordinate plane Q

<First Embodiment>
[1. Overall configuration of game system]
A game system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an external view of the game system. Hereinafter, the game apparatus and the game program of the present embodiment will be described using a stationary game apparatus as an example. In FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes a television receiver (hereinafter simply referred to as “TV”) 2, a game device 3, an optical disk 4, a controller 5, and a marker device 6. In this system, game processing is executed by the game apparatus 3 based on a game operation using the controller 5.

  The game system 1 is an example of a pointing system for performing pointing based on the attitude of the operating device (controller 5). In the present embodiment, the game system 1 having the configuration including each device shown in FIG. 1 will be described as an example. However, the game system 1 calculates the attitude of the operation device and points to the pointing position (the position indicated by the pointing operation). It suffices to have a configuration capable of calculating the pointing coordinates representing) based on the posture. For example, the game system 1 may include only the game device 3 and the controller 5. In another embodiment, the information processing in this embodiment may be executed by a portable (portable) information processing apparatus that can execute the posture calculation processing and the pointing coordinate calculation processing.

  An optical disk 4 that is an example of an information storage medium that can be used interchangeably with the game apparatus 3 is detachably inserted into the game apparatus 3. The optical disc 4 stores an information processing program (typically a game program) to be executed in the game apparatus 3. An insertion slot for the optical disk 4 is provided on the front surface of the game apparatus 3. The game apparatus 3 executes the game process by reading and executing the information processing program stored in the optical disc 4 inserted into the insertion slot.

  A television 2 which is an example of a display device is connected to the game apparatus 3 via a connection cord. The television 2 displays a game image obtained by a game process executed in the game device 3. The television 2 has a speaker 2a (FIG. 2), and the speaker 2a outputs game sound obtained as a result of the game processing. In other embodiments, the game apparatus 3 and the stationary display apparatus may be integrated. The communication between the game apparatus 3 and the television 2 may be wireless communication.

  A marker device 6 is installed around the screen of the television 2 (upper side of the screen in FIG. 1). Although details will be described later, the user (player) can perform a game operation to move the controller 5, and the marker device 6 is used for the game device 3 to calculate the movement, position, posture, and the like of the controller 5. The marker device 6 includes two markers 6R and 6L at both ends thereof. The marker 6 </ b> R (same for the marker 6 </ b> L) is specifically one or more infrared LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and outputs infrared light toward the front of the television 2. The marker device 6 is connected to the game device 3 by wire (may be wireless), and the game device 3 can control lighting of each infrared LED provided in the marker device 6. The marker device 6 is portable, and the user can install the marker device 6 at a free position. Although FIG. 1 shows a mode in which the marker device 6 is installed on the television 2, the position and orientation in which the marker device 6 is installed are arbitrary.

  The controller 5 gives operation data representing the content of the operation performed on the own device to the game apparatus 3. The controller 5 and the game apparatus 3 can communicate with each other by wireless communication. In the present embodiment, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology is used for wireless communication between the controller 5 and the game apparatus 3. In other embodiments, the controller 5 and the game apparatus 3 may be connected by wire. In FIG. 1, the game system 1 includes one controller 5, but the game system 1 may include a plurality of controllers 5. That is, the game apparatus 3 can communicate with a plurality of controllers, and a plurality of people can play a game by using a predetermined number of controllers simultaneously. A detailed configuration of the controller 5 will be described later.

[2. Internal configuration of game device 3]
Next, the internal configuration of the game apparatus 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the game apparatus 3. The game apparatus 3 includes a CPU 10, a system LSI 11, an external main memory 12, a ROM / RTC 13, a disk drive 14, an AV-IC 15 and the like.

  The CPU 10 executes a game process by executing a game program stored on the optical disc 4, and functions as a game processor. The CPU 10 is connected to the system LSI 11. In addition to the CPU 10, an external main memory 12, a ROM / RTC 13, a disk drive 14, and an AV-IC 15 are connected to the system LSI 11. The system LSI 11 performs processing such as control of data transfer between components connected thereto, generation of an image to be displayed, and acquisition of data from an external device. The internal configuration of the system LSI 11 will be described later. The volatile external main memory 12 stores a program such as a game program read from the optical disc 4 or a game program read from the flash memory 17, or stores various data. Used as a work area and buffer area. The ROM / RTC 13 includes a ROM (so-called boot ROM) in which a program for starting the game apparatus 3 is incorporated, and a clock circuit (RTC: Real Time Clock) that counts time. The disk drive 14 reads program data, texture data, and the like from the optical disk 4 and writes the read data to an internal main memory 11e or an external main memory 12 described later.

  Further, the system LSI 11 is provided with an input / output processor (I / O processor) 11a, a GPU (Graphics Processor Unit) 11b, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 11c, a VRAM 11d, and an internal main memory 11e. Although not shown, these components 11a to 11e are connected to each other by an internal bus.

  The GPU 11b forms part of a drawing unit and generates an image according to a graphics command (drawing command) from the CPU 10. The VRAM 11d stores data (data such as polygon data and texture data) necessary for the GPU 11b to execute the graphics command. When an image is generated, the GPU 11b creates image data using data stored in the VRAM 11d.

  The DSP 11c functions as an audio processor, and generates sound data using sound data and sound waveform (tone color) data stored in the internal main memory 11e and the external main memory 12.

  The image data and audio data generated as described above are read out by the AV-IC 15. The AV-IC 15 outputs the read image data to the television 2 via the AV connector 16, and outputs the read audio data to the speaker 2 a built in the television 2. As a result, an image is displayed on the television 2 and a sound is output from the speaker 2a.

  The input / output processor 11a performs transmission / reception of data to / from components connected to the input / output processor 11a and downloads data from an external device. The input / output processor 11a is connected to the flash memory 17, the wireless communication module 18, the wireless controller module 19, the expansion connector 20, and the memory card connector 21. An antenna 22 is connected to the wireless communication module 18, and an antenna 23 is connected to the wireless controller module 19.

  The game device 3 can connect to a network such as the Internet and communicate with an external information processing device (for example, another game device or various servers). In other words, the input / output processor 11a is connected to the network via the wireless communication module 18 and the antenna 22, and can communicate with other game devices and various servers connected to the network. The input / output processor 11a periodically accesses the flash memory 17 to detect the presence / absence of data that needs to be transmitted to the network. If there is such data, the input / output processor 11a communicates with the network via the wireless communication module 18 and the antenna 22. Send. Further, the input / output processor 11a receives data transmitted from other game devices and data downloaded from the download server via the network, the antenna 22 and the wireless communication module 18, and receives the received data in the flash memory 17. Remember. By executing the game program, the CPU 10 reads out the data stored in the flash memory 17 and uses it in the game program. In the flash memory 17, in addition to data transmitted and received between the game apparatus 3 and other game apparatuses and various servers, save data (game result data or intermediate data) of the game played using the game apparatus 3 May be stored.

  The game apparatus 3 can receive operation data from the controller 5. That is, the input / output processor 11a receives the operation data transmitted from the controller 5 via the antenna 23 and the wireless controller module 19, and stores (temporarily stores) it in the buffer area of the internal main memory 11e or the external main memory 12.

  Further, the game apparatus 3 can be connected to another device or an external storage medium. That is, the expansion connector 20 and the memory card connector 21 are connected to the input / output processor 11a. The expansion connector 20 is a connector for an interface such as USB or SCSI, and connects a medium such as an external storage medium, a peripheral device such as another controller, or a wired communication connector. By connecting, communication with the network can be performed instead of the wireless communication module 18. The memory card connector 21 is a connector for connecting an external storage medium such as a memory card. For example, the input / output processor 11a can access an external storage medium via the expansion connector 20 or the memory card connector 21 to store data in the external storage medium or read data from the external storage medium.

  The game apparatus 3 is provided with a power button 24, a reset button 25, and an eject button 26. The power button 24 and the reset button 25 are connected to the system LSI 11. When the power button 24 is turned on, power is supplied to each component of the game apparatus 3 from an external power source by an AC adapter (not shown). When the reset button 25 is pressed, the system LSI 11 restarts the boot program for the game apparatus 3. The eject button 26 is connected to the disk drive 14. When the eject button 26 is pressed, the optical disk 4 is ejected from the disk drive 14.

[3. Configuration of controller 5]
Next, the controller 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the controller 5. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the controller 5. 3 is a perspective view of the controller 5 as seen from the upper rear side, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the controller 5 as seen from the lower front side.

  3 and 4, the controller 5 includes a housing 31 formed by plastic molding, for example. The housing 31 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction (the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 3), and is a size that can be gripped with one hand of an adult or a child as a whole. The user can perform a game operation by pressing a button provided on the controller 5 and moving the controller 5 itself to change its position and posture (tilt).

  The housing 31 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons. As shown in FIG. 3, a cross button 32a, a first button 32b, a second button 32c, an A button 32d, a minus button 32e, a home button 32f, a plus button 32g, and a power button 32h are provided on the upper surface of the housing 31. It is done. In the present specification, the upper surface of the housing 31 on which these buttons 32a to 32h are provided may be referred to as a “button surface”. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a recess is formed on the lower surface of the housing 31, and a B button 32i is provided on the rear inclined surface of the recess. A function corresponding to the information processing program executed by the game apparatus 3 is appropriately assigned to each of the operation buttons 32a to 32i. The power button 32h is for remotely turning on / off the main body of the game apparatus 3. The home button 32 f and the power button 32 h are embedded in the upper surface of the housing 31. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the user from pressing the home button 32f or the power button 32h by mistake.

  A connector 33 is provided on the rear surface of the housing 31. The connector 33 is used to connect another device (for example, another sensor unit or controller) to the controller 5. Further, locking holes 33a are provided on both sides of the connector 33 on the rear surface of the housing 31 in order to prevent the other devices from being easily detached.

  A plurality (four in FIG. 3) of LEDs 34 a to 34 d are provided behind the upper surface of the housing 31. Here, the controller type (number) is assigned to the controller 5 to distinguish it from other controllers. The LEDs 34a to 34d are used for the purpose of notifying the user of the controller type currently set in the controller 5 and notifying the user of the remaining battery level of the controller 5. Specifically, when a game operation is performed using the controller 5, any one of the plurality of LEDs 34a to 34d is turned on according to the controller type.

  Further, the controller 5 has an imaging information calculation unit 35 (FIG. 6), and a light incident surface 35a of the imaging information calculation unit 35 is provided on the front surface of the housing 31, as shown in FIG. The light incident surface 35a is made of a material that transmits at least infrared light from the markers 6R and 6L.

  A sound release hole 31a is formed between the first button 32b and the home button 32f on the upper surface of the housing 31 for emitting sound from the speaker 47 (FIG. 5) built in the controller 5 to the outside.

  Next, the internal structure of the controller 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing the internal structure of the controller 5. FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper housing (a part of the housing 31) of the controller 5 is removed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lower casing (a part of the housing 31) of the controller 5 is removed. The perspective view shown in FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the substrate 30 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 5, a substrate 30 is fixed inside the housing 31, and operation buttons 32 a to 32 h, LEDs 34 a to 34 d, an acceleration sensor 37, an antenna 45, and a speaker 47 are provided on the upper main surface of the substrate 30. Etc. are provided. These are connected to a microcomputer (microcomputer) 42 (see FIG. 6) by wiring (not shown) formed on the substrate 30 and the like. In the present embodiment, the acceleration sensor 37 is disposed at a position shifted from the center of the controller 5 with respect to the X-axis direction. This makes it easier to calculate the movement of the controller 5 when the controller 5 is rotated about the Z axis. The acceleration sensor 37 is disposed in front of the center of the controller 5 in the longitudinal direction (Z-axis direction). Further, the controller 5 functions as a wireless controller by the wireless module 44 (FIG. 6) and the antenna 45.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 6, an imaging information calculation unit 35 is provided at the front edge on the lower main surface of the substrate 30. The imaging information calculation unit 35 includes an infrared filter 38, a lens 39, an imaging element 40, and an image processing circuit 41 in order from the front of the controller 5. These members 38 to 41 are respectively attached to the lower main surface of the substrate 30.

  Further, the microcomputer 42 and the vibrator 46 are provided on the lower main surface of the substrate 30. The vibrator 46 is, for example, a vibration motor or a solenoid, and is connected to the microcomputer 42 by wiring formed on the substrate 30 or the like. When the vibrator 46 is actuated by an instruction from the microcomputer 42, vibration is generated in the controller 5. As a result, a so-called vibration-compatible game in which the vibration is transmitted to the user's hand holding the controller 5 can be realized. In the present embodiment, the vibrator 46 is disposed slightly forward of the housing 31. That is, by arranging the vibrator 46 on the end side of the center of the controller 5, the entire controller 5 can be vibrated greatly by the vibration of the vibrator 46. The connector 33 is attached to the rear edge on the lower main surface of the substrate 30. 5 and 6, the controller 5 includes a crystal resonator that generates a basic clock of the microcomputer 42, an amplifier that outputs an audio signal to the speaker 47, and the like.

  The shape of the controller 5, the shape of each operation button, the number of acceleration sensors and vibrators, and the installation positions shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 are merely examples, and other shapes, numbers, and installation positions may be used. May be. In the present embodiment, the imaging direction by the imaging unit is the positive Z-axis direction, but the imaging direction may be any direction. That is, the position of the imaging information calculation unit 35 in the controller 5 (the light incident surface 35a of the imaging information calculation unit 35) does not have to be the front surface of the housing 31, and other surfaces can be used as long as light can be taken from the outside of the housing 31. May be provided.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller 5. The controller 5 includes an operation unit 32 (operation buttons 32a to 32i), an imaging information calculation unit 35, a communication unit 36, an acceleration sensor 37, and a gyro sensor 48. The controller 5 transmits data representing the content of the operation performed on the own device to the game apparatus 3 as operation data.

  The operation unit 32 includes the operation buttons 32a to 32i described above, and the operation button data indicating the input state (whether or not each operation button 32a to 32i is pressed) to each operation button 32a to 32i is transmitted to the microcomputer of the communication unit 36. Output to 42.

  The imaging information calculation unit 35 is a system for analyzing the image data captured by the imaging unit, discriminating a region having a high luminance in the image data, and calculating a center of gravity position, a size, and the like of the region. Since the imaging information calculation unit 35 has a sampling period of, for example, about 200 frames / second at the maximum, it can track and analyze even a relatively fast movement of the controller 5.

  The imaging information calculation unit 35 includes an infrared filter 38, a lens 39, an imaging element 40, and an image processing circuit 41. The infrared filter 38 passes only infrared rays from the light incident from the front of the controller 5. The lens 39 collects the infrared light transmitted through the infrared filter 38 and makes it incident on the image sensor 40. The image sensor 40 is a solid-state image sensor such as a CMOS sensor or a CCD sensor, for example, and receives the infrared light collected by the lens 39 and outputs an image signal. Here, the marker device 6 to be imaged is composed of a marker that outputs infrared light. Accordingly, by providing the infrared filter 38, the image sensor 40 receives only the infrared light that has passed through the infrared filter 38 and generates image data, so that the image of the imaging target (marker device 6) can be captured more accurately. Can do. Hereinafter, an image captured by the image sensor 40 is referred to as a captured image. Image data generated by the image sensor 40 is processed by the image processing circuit 41. The image processing circuit 41 calculates the position of the imaging target in the captured image. The image processing circuit 41 outputs coordinates indicating the calculated position to the microcomputer 42 of the communication unit 36. The coordinate data is transmitted to the game apparatus 3 as operation data by the microcomputer 42. Hereinafter, the coordinates are referred to as “marker coordinates”. Since the marker coordinates change corresponding to the direction (tilt angle) and position of the controller 5 itself, the game apparatus 3 can calculate the direction and position of the controller 5 using the marker coordinates.

  In other embodiments, the controller 5 may not include the image processing circuit 41, and the captured image itself may be transmitted from the controller 5 to the game apparatus 3. At this time, the game apparatus 3 may have a circuit or a program having the same function as the image processing circuit 41, and may calculate the marker coordinates.

  The acceleration sensor 37 detects the acceleration (including gravity acceleration) of the controller 5, that is, detects the force (including gravity) applied to the controller 5. The acceleration sensor 37 detects the value of the acceleration (linear acceleration) in the linear direction along the sensing axis direction among the accelerations applied to the detection unit of the acceleration sensor 37. For example, in the case of a multi-axis acceleration sensor having two or more axes, the component acceleration along each axis is detected as the acceleration applied to the detection unit of the acceleration sensor. The acceleration sensor 37 is, for example, a capacitive MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) type acceleration sensor, but other types of acceleration sensors may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the acceleration sensor 37 has a vertical direction (Y-axis direction shown in FIG. 3), a horizontal direction (X-axis direction shown in FIG. 3), and a front-back direction (Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 3) with reference to the controller 5. ) Linear acceleration is detected in each of the three axis directions. Since the acceleration sensor 37 detects acceleration in the linear direction along each axis, the output from the acceleration sensor 37 represents the linear acceleration value of each of the three axes. That is, the detected acceleration is represented as a three-dimensional vector in an XYZ coordinate system (controller coordinate system) set with the controller 5 as a reference.

  Data representing the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 37 (acceleration data) is output to the communication unit 36. Note that the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 37 changes corresponding to the direction (inclination angle) and movement of the controller 5 itself, so the game apparatus 3 calculates the direction and movement of the controller 5 using the acquired acceleration data. can do. In the present embodiment, the game apparatus 3 calculates the attitude, tilt angle, and the like of the controller 5 based on the acquired acceleration data.

  In addition, based on the acceleration signal output from the acceleration sensor 37, a computer such as a processor (for example, the CPU 10) of the game apparatus 3 or a processor (for example, the microcomputer 42) of the controller 5 performs processing, whereby further information regarding the controller 5 is obtained. Those skilled in the art will be able to easily understand from the description of the present specification that can be estimated or calculated (determined). For example, when processing on the computer side is executed on the assumption that the controller 5 on which the acceleration sensor 37 is mounted is stationary (that is, the processing is executed assuming that the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor is only gravitational acceleration). When the controller 5 is actually stationary, it can be determined whether or not the attitude of the controller 5 is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity based on the detected acceleration. Specifically, whether or not the controller 5 is inclined with respect to the reference depending on whether or not 1G (gravity acceleration) is applied, based on the state in which the detection axis of the acceleration sensor 37 is directed vertically downward. It is possible to know how much it is inclined with respect to the reference according to its size. Further, in the case of the multi-axis acceleration sensor 37, it is possible to know in detail how much the controller 5 is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity by further processing the acceleration signal of each axis. . In this case, the processor may calculate the tilt angle of the controller 5 based on the output from the acceleration sensor 37, or may calculate the tilt direction of the controller 5 without calculating the tilt angle. Good. Thus, by using the acceleration sensor 37 in combination with the processor, the tilt angle or posture of the controller 5 can be determined.

  On the other hand, when it is assumed that the controller 5 is in a dynamic state (a state where the controller 5 is moved), the acceleration sensor 37 detects an acceleration corresponding to the movement of the controller 5 in addition to the gravitational acceleration. Therefore, the moving direction of the controller 5 can be known by removing the gravitational acceleration component from the detected acceleration by a predetermined process. Even if it is assumed that the controller 5 is in a dynamic state, the direction of gravity is obtained by removing the acceleration component corresponding to the movement of the acceleration sensor from the detected acceleration by a predetermined process. It is possible to know the inclination of the controller 5 with respect to. In another embodiment, the acceleration sensor 37 is a built-in process for performing a predetermined process on the acceleration signal before outputting the acceleration signal detected by the built-in acceleration detection means to the microcomputer 42. An apparatus or other type of dedicated processing apparatus may be provided. A built-in or dedicated processing device converts the acceleration signal into a tilt angle (or other preferred parameter) if, for example, the acceleration sensor 37 is used to detect static acceleration (eg, gravitational acceleration). It may be a thing.

  The gyro sensor 48 detects angular velocities about three axes (XYZ axes in the present embodiment). In this specification, with the imaging direction (Z-axis positive direction) of the controller 5 as a reference, the rotation direction around the X axis is the pitch direction, the rotation direction around the Y axis is the yaw direction, and the rotation direction around the Z axis is the roll direction. Call. The gyro sensor 48 only needs to be able to detect angular velocities about three axes, and any number and combination of gyro sensors may be used. For example, the gyro sensor 48 may be a three-axis gyro sensor or a combination of a two-axis gyro sensor and a one-axis gyro sensor to detect an angular velocity around three axes. Data representing the angular velocity detected by the gyro sensor 48 is output to the communication unit 36. Further, the gyro sensor 48 may detect an angular velocity around one axis or two axes.

  The communication unit 36 includes a microcomputer 42, a memory 43, a wireless module 44, and an antenna 45. The microcomputer 42 controls the wireless module 44 that wirelessly transmits data acquired by the microcomputer 42 to the game apparatus 3 while using the memory 43 as a storage area when performing processing.

  Data output from the operation unit 32, the imaging information calculation unit 35, the acceleration sensor 37, and the gyro sensor 48 to the microcomputer 42 is temporarily stored in the memory 43. These data are transmitted to the game apparatus 3 as operation data (controller operation data). That is, the microcomputer 42 outputs the operation data stored in the memory 43 to the wireless module 44 when the transmission timing to the wireless controller module 19 of the game apparatus 3 arrives. The wireless module 44 modulates a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency with operation data using, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology, and radiates a weak radio signal from the antenna 45. That is, the operation data is modulated by the wireless module 44 into a weak radio signal and transmitted from the controller 5. The weak radio signal is received by the wireless controller module 19 on the game apparatus 3 side. By demodulating and decoding the received weak radio signal, the game apparatus 3 can acquire operation data. Then, the CPU 10 of the game apparatus 3 performs a game process using the operation data acquired from the controller 5. Note that the wireless transmission from the communication unit 36 to the wireless controller module 19 is sequentially performed at predetermined intervals, but the game processing is generally performed in units of 1/60 seconds (one frame time). Therefore, it is preferable to perform transmission at a period equal to or shorter than this time. The communication unit 36 of the controller 5 outputs the operation data to the wireless controller module 19 of the game apparatus 3 at a rate of once every 1/200 seconds, for example.

  As described above, the controller 5 can transmit the marker coordinate data, the acceleration data, the angular velocity data, and the operation button data as the operation data representing the operation on the own device. Further, the game apparatus 3 executes a game process using the operation data as a game input. Therefore, by using the controller 5, the user can perform a game operation for moving the controller 5 itself in addition to the conventional general game operation for pressing each operation button. For example, an operation of tilting the controller 5 to an arbitrary posture, an operation of instructing an arbitrary position on the screen by the controller 5, an operation of moving the controller 5 itself, and the like can be performed.

  Note that the controller 5 is an input device 8 having a gyro sensor 48, an acceleration sensor 37, and an image sensor 40 as a configuration for calculating the movement of the controller 5 (including position and orientation, or changes in position and orientation). Will be described as an example. However, in other embodiments, the controller 5 may be configured to include only one or two of these configurations. Moreover, in other embodiment, it may replace with these structures, or may be provided with another sensor with these structures.

[4. Overview of pointing coordinate calculation process]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, an outline of a calculation process of pointing coordinates (coordinates indicating a position pointed by the controller 5) executed in the game apparatus 3 will be described. In the present embodiment, the user (player) can use the controller 5 to perform a pointing operation for designating a position in space or a plane. The user performs a game operation by an operation on the controller 5 including a pointing operation.

  First, an outline of a method for calculating pointing coordinates will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a predetermined space set for calculating pointing coordinates. In FIG. 8, a controller 5 and a coordinate plane Q are arranged in a predetermined space (virtual space). The predetermined space may represent a real space or a game space. That is, a space coordinate system (X′Y′Z ′ coordinate system) for representing a position in a predetermined space may be set so as to represent a position in an actual space, or a position in a predetermined game space or the like. It may be set to represent. In the present embodiment, the spatial coordinate system is set so that the Y ′ axis faces the vertical direction in the predetermined space (the Y ′ axis negative direction is the gravity direction), and the X ′ axis and the Z ′ axis face the horizontal direction in the predetermined space. Is done. The coordinate plane Q is a plane defined by a plane coordinate system (ab coordinate system) set for calculating pointing coordinates. That is, a plane coordinate system different from the spatial coordinate system is set on the coordinate plane Q, and the position on the coordinate plane Q is calculated as the pointing position. In the present embodiment, the position of the controller 5 is fixedly arranged in a predetermined space, and the coordinate plane Q is arranged at a position away from the controller 5 by a predetermined distance.

  The game apparatus 3 calculates the pointing coordinates based on the attitude of the controller 5. In the present embodiment, the pointing coordinates are calculated based on the direction indicated by the controller 5. The designated direction is a direction determined by the attitude of the controller 5. In the present embodiment, the indication direction is the longitudinal direction of the controller 5 that is a longitudinal shape (the direction of the vector Z). As shown in FIG. 8, the game apparatus 3 calculates pointing coordinates that represent the position indicated by the indicated direction on the coordinate plane Q defined by the plane coordinate system. Here, the “position indicated by the pointing direction on the coordinate plane Q” is ideally the position of the intersection R of the straight line extending in the pointing direction through the position of the controller 5 and the coordinate plane Q. However, in practice, the game apparatus 3 does not have to calculate the coordinates of the intersection R as the pointing coordinates, and may calculate the coordinates representing the position near the intersection R. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the user can change the pointing position by changing the pointing direction of the controller 5, it is possible to easily perform a pointing operation using the controller 5. In other embodiments, the pointing coordinates may be calculated based on the posture, and may be a position that changes according to the posture and represents a position different from the position of the intersection R. May be.

  In the present embodiment, the user can set the coordinate plane Q (planar coordinate system) to a desired position. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the controller 5 and the coordinate plane Q when the coordinate plane Q is set. When a predetermined setting operation on the controller 5 is performed by the user, the game apparatus 3 places the coordinate plane Q ahead of the instruction direction during the setting operation. As shown in FIG. 9, the coordinate plane Q is arranged such that the origin O is located on a straight line extending from the position of the controller 5 in the indicated direction. The coordinate plane Q is arranged at a position away from the position of the controller 5 by a predetermined distance so as to be perpendicular to the pointing direction. After the coordinate plane Q is arranged, until the setting operation is performed again, pointing coordinates are calculated using the arranged coordinate plane Q (planar coordinate system). Therefore, the user can perform a pointing operation based on the direction of the controller 5 at the time of the setting operation by performing the setting operation with the controller 5 directed in a free direction.

  Further, the game apparatus 3 can set the orientation of the coordinate axes of the plane coordinate system with reference to the predetermined space (with reference to a predetermined direction in the predetermined space), and with the controller 5 as a reference (of the controller 5). It is possible to set the direction of the coordinate axis (based on the direction). In the present embodiment, when the pointing direction of the controller 5 is close to the horizontal direction, the direction of the coordinate axes is set based on the predetermined direction in the predetermined space. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the plane coordinate system is set so that the b-axis corresponding to the upper direction of the coordinate plane Q faces vertically upward (Y′-axis positive direction) in the predetermined space.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the controller 5 and the coordinate plane Q at the time of setting when the pointing direction is close to the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, when the pointing direction of the controller 5 is close to the vertical direction, the direction of the coordinate axes is set based on the direction of the controller 5. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the plane coordinate system is set so that the b axis corresponding to the upper direction of the coordinate plane Q faces the upper direction (vector Y) in the controller 5. Note that, when the pointing direction of the controller 5 is close to the vertical direction, the coordinate plane Q is perpendicular to the pointing direction at a position that is a predetermined distance away from the position of the controller 5 in the pointing direction, as in the case where the pointing direction is close to the horizontal direction. It arrange | positions so that it may become.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the orientation of the coordinate axis of the coordinate plane Q is determined according to the instruction direction at the time of the setting operation. That is, when the pointing direction is closer to the horizontal direction than the predetermined reference, the game apparatus 3 sets the direction of the coordinate axis with reference to the vertical direction in the predetermined space (FIG. 9), and the pointing direction is the vertical direction higher than the predetermined reference. When the value is close to, the direction of the coordinate axis is set with reference to a predetermined direction of the controller 5 (FIG. 10). That is, the game apparatus 3 sets the direction of the coordinate axis by using two different types of reference according to the designated direction.

  Here, in the method of setting the direction of the coordinate axis with a single reference, the direction of the coordinate axis may not be set appropriately. For example, in the method of setting the direction of the coordinate axis with the predetermined direction in the predetermined space as a reference at all times, there is a possibility that the direction of the coordinate axis cannot be appropriately set when the indication direction of the controller 5 is close to the vertical direction (FIG. 10). is there. That is, according to the above method, when the pointing direction is close to the vertical direction, the difference between the pointing direction and the vertical direction is small, so that the direction of the coordinate axis changes greatly only by slightly changing the pointing direction. Therefore, there is a slight error in the calculated posture of the controller 5, or there is a slight difference between the posture intended by the user and the actually calculated posture, so that the direction of the coordinate axes is determined by the user. Is greatly different from the direction that is assumed. And as a result of setting the direction of the coordinate axes to be different from the user's intention, the user feels uncomfortable with the pointing operation. In addition, when the pointing direction matches the vertical direction, the direction of the coordinate axis cannot be determined based on the vertical direction, and thus the direction of the coordinate axis cannot be set appropriately.

  Further, for example, in the method of setting the direction of the coordinate axis with the predetermined direction of the controller 5 as a reference at all times, the direction of the coordinate axis may not be appropriately set when the indicated direction of the controller 5 is close to the horizontal direction (FIG. 9). There is. That is, according to the above method, the orientation of the coordinate system changes depending on the orientation of the controller 5, and therefore the orientation of the coordinate system varies depending on how the controller 5 is held by the user. For example, when the user has the controller 5 so that the upward direction of the controller 5 is directed in the horizontal direction in the predetermined space, in the above method, the coordinate system is set so that the upward direction of the coordinate system becomes the horizontal direction in the predetermined space. Is set. However, when the pointing direction is close to the horizontal direction, the direction in the predetermined space and the direction of the coordinate system coincide with each other regardless of the direction or holding method of the controller 5 (specifically, the vertical upward direction in the predetermined space is the coordinate It is considered natural and uncomfortable for the user. In other words, according to the above method, when the pointing direction is close to the horizontal direction, the upper direction of the coordinate system changes depending on how the controller 5 is held, and as a result, the user may feel uncomfortable with respect to the direction of the coordinate axes. .

  As described above, in the method of setting the direction of the coordinate axis based on a single reference, the direction of the coordinate axis cannot be appropriately set when the indicated direction is a certain direction. As a result, the user feels uncomfortable with the direction of the coordinate system. There is a risk that the operability of the hugging and pointing operations will deteriorate.

  On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the game apparatus 3 can set the direction of the coordinate axis based on two different types of standards. That is, when the pointing direction is closer to the horizontal direction than the predetermined reference, the direction of the coordinate axis of the planar coordinate system is set with reference to the vertical direction in the predetermined space (FIG. 9), and the pointing direction is set to be higher than the predetermined reference. When it is close to the vertical direction, the direction of the coordinate axis is set with reference to a predetermined direction of the controller 5 (FIG. 10). According to this, when the indicated direction is closer to the horizontal direction than the predetermined reference, the direction in the predetermined space matches the direction of the coordinate system (specifically, the vertical upward direction in the predetermined space is the upper side of the coordinate system). In this case, it is possible to set an appropriate coordinate system for the user. In addition, when the pointing direction is closer to the vertical direction than the predetermined reference, a coordinate system suitable for the user can be set by setting the direction of the coordinate axis according to the direction of the controller 5. Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately set the coordinate system regardless of whether the pointing direction is close to the horizontal direction or close to the vertical direction, and a pointing operation with good operability. Can be provided to the user.

[5. Details of game processing]
Next, details of game processing (information processing) executed in the game system 1 will be described. First, various data used in the game process will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating main data stored in the main memory (the external main memory 12 or the internal main memory 11e) of the game apparatus 3. As shown in FIG. 11, a game program 50, operation data 51, and processing data 56 are stored in the main memory of the game apparatus 3. In addition to the data shown in FIG. 11, the main memory stores data necessary for the game such as image data of various objects appearing in the game and sound data used for the game. Further, any storage means for storing each data shown in FIG. 11 may be used. In other embodiments, a part of each data may be stored in the flash memory 17 or the VRAM 11d. Good.

  The game program 50 is acquired by the game apparatus 3 by an appropriate method and executed in the game apparatus 3. In the present embodiment, a part or all of the game program 50 is read from the optical disc 4 and stored in the main memory at an appropriate timing after the game apparatus 3 is powered on. The game program 50 may be obtained from the flash memory 17 or an external device of the game apparatus 3 (for example, via the Internet) instead of the optical disc 4. Further, a part (for example, a program for calculating the attitude of the controller 5) or the whole included in the game program 50 may be stored in the game apparatus 3 in advance.

  The operation data 51 is data representing a user (player) operation on the controller 5. The operation data 51 is transmitted from the controller 5, received (acquired) by the game apparatus 3, and stored in the main memory. The game apparatus 3 can communicate with a plurality of controllers, and can acquire operation data from each controller. When there are a plurality of controllers, each operation data transmitted from each controller is stored in the main memory. A predetermined number of operation data may be stored in the main memory in order from the latest (last acquired) for each controller 5. In the present embodiment, the operation data 51 includes angular velocity data 52, acceleration data 53, marker coordinate data 54, and operation button data 55.

  The angular velocity data 52 is data representing the angular velocity detected by the gyro sensor 48. The angular velocity data 52 only needs to represent the angular velocity of the controller 5, and in the present embodiment, represents the angular velocities around the three axes XYZ shown in FIG. In other embodiments, the angular velocity data 52 may represent angular velocities related to any one or more directions.

  The acceleration data 53 is data representing the acceleration (acceleration vector) detected by the acceleration sensor 37. The acceleration data 53 only needs to represent the acceleration of the controller 5, and in the present embodiment, represents the three-dimensional acceleration vector having the respective components in the XYZ three-axis directions shown in FIG. In other embodiments, the acceleration data 53 may represent acceleration in any one or more directions.

  The marker coordinate data 54 is data representing coordinates calculated by the image processing circuit 41 of the imaging information calculation unit 35, that is, the marker coordinates. The marker coordinates are expressed in a two-dimensional coordinate system for representing a position on a plane corresponding to the captured image. Note that the marker coordinate data 54 may represent two marker coordinates or one marker coordinate depending on whether or not the markers 6R and 6L are included within the imageable range of the image sensor 40, respectively. In some cases, the marker coordinates are not present.

  The operation button data 55 is data indicating an input state for each of the operation buttons 32a to 32i.

  The operation data 51 only needs to represent the player's operation on the controller 5, and may include only a part of each data included in the operation data 51 in the present embodiment. When the controller 5 has other input means (for example, a touch panel, an analog stick, etc.), the operation data 51 may include data representing an operation on the other input means. When the attitude of the controller 5 itself is used as a game operation, the value of the operation data 51 changes according to the attitude of the controller 5 itself, such as angular velocity data 52, acceleration data 53, or marker coordinate data 54. Include data.

  The processing data 56 is data used in a game process (FIG. 12) described later. The processing data 56 includes posture data 57, inclination data 58, coordinate plane data 59, and pointing coordinate data 63. In addition to the data shown in FIG. 11, the processing data 56 includes various data used in the game processing, such as data representing various parameters set for various objects appearing in the game.

  The attitude data 57 is data representing the attitude of the controller 5. The posture of the controller 5 may be expressed by, for example, a rotation matrix representing rotation from a predetermined reference posture to the current posture, or may be expressed by a cubic vector or three angles. In the present embodiment, a posture in a three-dimensional space is used as the posture of the controller 5, but in another embodiment, a posture in a two-dimensional plane may be used. In the present embodiment, the posture data 57 is calculated based on the angular velocity data 52, acceleration data 53, and marker coordinate data 54 included in the operation data 51. A method for calculating the attitude data 57 will be described later in step S3.

  The inclination data 58 is data representing the inclination in the direction indicated by the controller 5. The degree of inclination indicates how much the indicated direction is inclined from the vertical direction (or horizontal direction) in the predetermined space. The inclination data 58 is calculated based on the attitude data 57.

  The coordinate plane data 59 is data representing the attitude of the coordinate plane Q described above. The coordinate plane data 59 includes upward direction data 60, right direction data 61, and depth direction data 62. The upward data 60 represents the upward direction on the coordinate plane Q (ab coordinate system), and specifically represents a unit vector that faces the positive direction of the b-axis. The right direction data 61 represents the right direction in the coordinate plane Q (ab coordinate system), and specifically represents a unit vector that faces the positive direction of the a axis. The depth direction data 62 represents the depth direction in the coordinate plane Q (ab coordinate system), and specifically represents a unit vector that is perpendicular to the coordinate plane Q and faces the origin O from the position of the controller 5. The coordinate plane data 59 is calculated based on the attitude data 57 and the inclination data 58.

  The pointing coordinate data 63 is data representing the above-described pointing coordinates. That is, the pointing coordinate data 63 represents two-dimensional coordinates in the ab coordinate system. The pointing coordinate data 63 is calculated based on the posture data 57 and the coordinate plane data 59.

  Next, details of the game process executed in the game apparatus 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a main flowchart showing a flow of game processing executed in the game apparatus 3. When the power of the game apparatus 3 is turned on, the CPU 10 of the game apparatus 3 executes a startup program stored in a boot ROM (not shown), whereby each unit such as the main memory is initialized. Then, the game program stored in the optical disc 4 is read into the main memory, and the CPU 10 starts executing the game program. The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing performed after the above processing is completed. Note that the game device 3 may be configured such that the game program is executed immediately after the power is turned on, or a built-in program that displays a predetermined menu screen is executed first after the power is turned on. The game program may be executed in response to an instruction to start the game by a selection operation.

  Note that the processing of each step in the flowcharts described below (FIGS. 12 and 13) is merely an example, and the processing order of each step may be changed as long as similar results are obtained. Moreover, the value of the variable and the threshold value used in the determination step are merely examples, and other values may be adopted as necessary. In the present embodiment, the processing of each step in the flowchart is described as being executed by the CPU 10. However, the processing of some steps in the flowchart may be executed by a processor or a dedicated circuit other than the CPU 10. Good.

  First, in step S1, the CPU 10 executes an initial process. The initial process is a process of constructing a virtual game space, placing each object appearing in the game space at an initial position, and setting initial values of various parameters used in the game process. In the present embodiment, the coordinate plane is set to a predetermined initial position and initial posture in the initial processing. That is, data representing a predetermined initial position and initial posture is stored in the main memory as coordinate plane data 59. In other embodiments, the coordinate plane may not be set in the initial process. At this time, in the processing loop of steps S2 to S8 described later, the processing for calculating the pointing coordinates (step S6) may not be executed until the setting operation is first performed. Following step S1, the process of step S2 is executed. Thereafter, a processing loop composed of a series of steps S2 to S8 is repeatedly executed at a rate of once per predetermined time (one frame time).

  In step S <b> 2, the CPU 10 acquires operation data from the controller 5. That is, since the controller 5 repeatedly transmits operation data to the game apparatus 3, in the game apparatus 3, the wireless controller module 19 sequentially receives the operation data, and the received operation data is sequentially received by the input / output processor 11a to the main memory. Remembered. The operation data 51 stored in the main memory is read at an appropriate timing in the processing of steps S3 to S7 described later. Following step S2, the process of step S3 is executed.

  In step S <b> 3, the CPU 10 calculates the attitude of the controller 5. In the present embodiment, the attitude of the controller 5 is calculated based on a physical quantity for calculating the attitude represented by the operation data 51. In the present embodiment, the angular velocity represented by the angular velocity data 52, the acceleration represented by the acceleration data 53, and the marker coordinates represented by the marker coordinate data 54 are used as physical quantities for calculating the posture. Details of the posture calculation process will be described below.

  In the posture calculation process, first, the CPU 10 calculates the posture of the controller 5 based on the angular velocity data 52. Any method may be used for calculating the posture based on the angular velocity. The posture is calculated based on the previous posture (the posture calculated in step S3 in the previous processing loop) and the current angular velocity (current processing). And the angular velocity obtained in step S2 in the loop). Specifically, the CPU 10 calculates the posture by rotating the previous posture by a unit time at the current angular velocity. Data representing the calculated posture is stored in the main memory.

  When calculating the attitude from the angular velocity, it is preferable to determine the initial attitude. That is, when calculating the attitude of the controller 5 from the angular velocity, the CPU 10 first sets the initial attitude of the controller 5. The initial posture of the controller 5 may be calculated based on the acceleration data 53, or when a predetermined operation is performed by causing the player to perform a predetermined operation with the controller 5 in a specific posture. A specific posture may be set as the initial posture. In addition, when calculating the attitude | position of the controller 5 as an absolute attitude | position on the basis of the predetermined direction in space, it is good to calculate the said initial attitude | position. On the other hand, for example, when calculating the attitude of the controller 5 as a relative attitude based on the attitude of the controller 5 at the start of the game, the initial attitude may not be calculated.

  When the posture is calculated based on the angular velocity, the CPU 10 next corrects the calculated posture based on the acceleration of the controller 5. Here, in a state where the controller 5 is substantially stationary, the acceleration applied to the controller 5 corresponds to the gravitational acceleration. That is, in this state, the acceleration vector represented by the acceleration data 53 represents the direction of gravity in the controller 5. Therefore, the CPU 10 performs correction so that the downward direction (gravity direction) of the posture calculated based on the angular velocity approaches the gravitational direction represented by the acceleration vector. That is, the posture is rotated so that the downward direction approaches the gravitational direction represented by the acceleration vector at a predetermined rate. Accordingly, the posture based on the angular velocity can be corrected so as to be a posture considering the gravity direction based on the acceleration. The predetermined ratio may be a predetermined fixed value or may be set according to detected acceleration or the like.

  Once the correction based on the acceleration is performed, the CPU 10 corrects the attitude of the controller 5 based on the marker coordinates. First, the CPU 10 calculates the attitude of the controller 5 based on the marker coordinates. Since the marker coordinates indicate the positions of two markers (markers 6L and 6R or markers 55A and 55B) in the captured image, the attitude of the controller 5 can be calculated from these positions. Next, the CPU 10 corrects the posture based on the angular velocity using the posture based on the marker coordinates. Specifically, the CPU 10 corrects the posture based on the angular velocity to approach the posture based on the marker coordinates at a predetermined rate. This predetermined ratio is, for example, a predetermined fixed value. The corrected posture obtained as described above is used as the posture of the controller 5. That is, data representing the corrected posture is stored in the main memory as posture data 57. Although the attitude of the controller 5 may be expressed in any form, in the present embodiment, the attitude is a vector (a vector Z described later) representing the tip direction of the controller 5 in a predetermined space, and the controller 5. And a vector (a vector Y to be described later) representing the upward direction. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the vector Y and the vector Z are each normalized to a unit vector having a length of 1. Following step S3, the process of step S4 is executed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the controller 5 includes the sensor unit including the gyro sensor 48 and the acceleration sensor 37, and the game apparatus 3 is based on the detection results (angular velocity data 52 and acceleration data 53) of the sensor unit. Then, the attitude of the controller 5 is calculated. As a result, the orientation of the controller 5 can be calculated regardless of the orientation of the controller 5. In this embodiment, the attitude of the controller 5 is calculated based on three pieces of information such as angular velocity, acceleration, and marker coordinates. However, in other embodiments, one or two of the above three pieces of information are used. The posture may be calculated based on In other embodiments, the posture may be calculated based on other information different from the above three pieces of information. For example, when the game system 1 includes a camera that images the controller 5, the game apparatus 3 acquires an imaging result captured by the camera and calculates the attitude of the controller 5 using the imaging result. It may be.

  In step S4, the CPU 10 determines whether or not a predetermined condition for setting the coordinate system is satisfied. The predetermined condition may be any condition, and in the present embodiment, a predetermined setting operation is performed. That is, in step S4, the CPU 10 determines whether or not a setting operation has been performed. The setting operation is an operation for setting (or resetting) the coordinate plane Q for calculating the pointing coordinates. The setting operation may be any operation. In this embodiment, the setting operation is an operation of pressing a predetermined button (for example, the B button 32i) of the controller 5. The CPU 10 reads the operation data 51 from the main memory and determines whether or not the setting operation has been performed based on the operation data 51. If the determination result of step S4 is affirmative, the process of step S5 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S4 is negative, the process of step S5 is skipped and the process of step S6 is executed.

  In another embodiment, the predetermined condition may be a condition relating to a game, for example. Specifically, in a game in which a pointing operation is possible when a specific item is used, the game apparatus 3 obtains the item or starts using the item as the predetermined condition. It may be used.

  In step S5, the CPU 10 executes a coordinate system setting process. The coordinate system setting process is a process of setting a plane coordinate system (coordinate plane Q) for calculating pointing coordinates in a predetermined space. That is, in this embodiment, the plane coordinate system is set according to the setting operation being performed. If a plane coordinate system has already been set, the plane coordinate system is reset according to the setting operation.

  In the present embodiment, in the coordinate system setting process, the CPU 10 uses the vertical direction in the predetermined space as a reference when the indicated direction of the controller 5 is closer to the horizontal direction than the predetermined reference (when the inclination A = 1 described later). Set the orientation of the coordinate axes as When the indicated direction is closer to the vertical direction than the predetermined reference (when the inclination A = 0), the CPU 10 sets the direction of the coordinate axis with reference to the predetermined direction of the controller 5. By such a coordinate system setting process, the coordinate system can be set in an appropriate direction regardless of whether the indicated direction is close to the horizontal direction or close to the vertical direction. Hereinafter, the details of the coordinate system setting process will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of the coordinate system setting process (step S5) shown in FIG. In the coordinate system setting process, first, in step S <b> 11, the CPU 10 calculates the inclination A in the direction indicated by the controller 5. The inclination A indicates the degree of inclination from the horizontal direction (or vertical direction) in the predetermined space. Here, in the coordinate system calculation process in the present embodiment, the CPU 10 determines that the predetermined axis (b axis) of the coordinate system is closer to the vertical direction and the indicated direction is closer to the horizontal direction in the predetermined space. The coordinate system is set so that the predetermined axis is closer to a predetermined direction (upward) of the controller 5 as it is closer to the vertical direction. The slope A is calculated for use as an indicator of whether the indicated direction is close to the horizontal direction (or vertical direction) in the predetermined space. The inclination A is calculated based on the attitude of the controller 5 calculated in step S3. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 14, a method of calculating the inclination A will be described.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the relationship between the attitude of the controller 5 and the inclination A. The inclination A can be calculated by any method as long as it is calculated so as to represent the degree of inclination of the indicated direction with respect to the vertical direction (Y′-axis direction shown in FIG. 14) or the horizontal direction in the predetermined space. May be. In the present embodiment, the inclination A is calculated using a vector Z representing the indicated direction (here, the tip direction of the controller 5). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, the CPU 10 has a maximum value (here, “1”) when the pointing direction (vector Z) is horizontal, and decreases as the pointing direction approaches the vertical direction. The inclination A is calculated so as to be the minimum value (here, “0”) when the indicated direction is the vertical direction. Specifically, the slope A is calculated according to the following formula (1).
A = 1−Zy × Zy (1)
The variable Zy in the above equation (1) is the value of the Y ′ component of the vector Z. In the present embodiment, as shown in the above equation (1), in addition to the case where the indication direction is close to the horizontal direction, the inclination is determined when the indication direction is an intermediate direction between the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. A is a value close to “1”. As a specific process of step S11, the CPU 10 reads the attitude data 57 from the main memory, and calculates the inclination A according to the above equation (1) using the vector Z. Then, data representing the calculated inclination A is stored in the main memory as inclination data 58. Following step S11, the process of step S12 is executed.

  In step S12, the CPU 10 calculates a vector U ′ corresponding to the upward direction (b axis) of the coordinate plane Q to be set. The vector U ′ calculated in step S12 is a vector corresponding to the above upward direction, and does not need to accurately represent the upward direction. Here, the vector U ′ is a vector such that a vector obtained by projecting the vector U ′ onto the coordinate plane Q represents the upward direction (b axis) of the coordinate plane Q. In the present embodiment, the upward direction of the coordinate plane Q is set based on the vertical direction in the predetermined space and / or the upward direction of the controller 5. Therefore, the vector U ′ is calculated based on the vector P pointing in the vertical direction and the vector Y representing the upward direction of the controller 5. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 15, a calculation method of the vector U ′ is declared.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the vector P, the vector Y, and the vector U ′. In FIG. 15, it is assumed that the button surface side of the controller 5 is the upper side of the controller 5, and the direction of the vector Y perpendicular to the button surface is the upward direction of the controller 5. However, the upward direction of the controller 5 is not limited to the direction of the vector Y, and may be a predetermined direction based on the controller 5. For example, in another embodiment, when a usage mode in which the user performs a game operation with the button surface (vector Y) of the controller 5 oriented in the horizontal direction is assumed, the game apparatus 3 is configured in the side direction of the controller 5 (see FIG. Processing may be performed with the X axis direction shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the vector P is a unit vector (= (0, 1, 0)) facing the Y′-axis positive direction.

As shown in FIG. 15, the direction of the vector U ′ is calculated to face the vertical direction (vector P) in the predetermined space, the upward direction of the controller 5 (vector Y), or the direction between these two directions. The vector U ′ is calculated so as to approach the vertical direction as the gradient A increases, and to approach the upward direction of the controller 5 as the inclination A decreases. Specifically, the vector U ′ = (Ux ′, Uy ′, Uz ′) is calculated according to the following equation (2).
Ux ′ = (0−Yx) × A + Yx
Uy ′ = (1−Yy) × A + Yy
Uz ′ = (0−Yz) × A + Yz (2)
In the above equation (2), variables Yx, Yy, and Yz are the X ′ component value, Y ′ component value, and Z ′ component value of the vector Y, respectively. As shown in the above equation (2), the end point of the vector U ′ is a point that internally divides the end point of the vector Y and the end point of the vector P into A: (1-A).

  As a specific process of step S12, the CPU 10 reads the posture data 57 and the gradient data 58 from the main memory, and uses the component values of the vector Y and the gradient A to calculate the vector U ′ according to the above equation (2). calculate. Then, the data representing the calculated vector U ′ is stored as the upward data 60 in the main memory. Following step S12, the process of step S13 is executed.

  By step S12, a vector U ′ corresponding to the upward direction (b axis) of the plane coordinate system (coordinate plane Q) is calculated. Here, when the slope A = 1, the vector U ′ matches the vector P. That is, the upward direction of the planar coordinate system is directed vertically upward in the predetermined space, and the upward direction of the planar coordinate system is directed vertically downward (gravity direction) in the predetermined space. On the other hand, when the slope A = 0, the vector U ′ matches the vector Y. That is, the upward direction (downward direction) of the planar coordinate system faces the upward direction (downward direction) of the controller 5.

  As described above, the direction of the vector U ′ does not necessarily coincide with the upper direction of the coordinate plane Q, and the vector U ′ does not necessarily become parallel to the coordinate plane Q. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the processing of the following steps S13 to S15, the CPU 10 calculates an upward vector U representing the upward direction of the coordinate plane Q based on the vector U ′ (the vector U ′ is converted into the vector U). And correct).

In step S13, the CPU 10 calculates the depth direction vector V of the coordinate plane Q to be set. The depth direction vector V is perpendicular to the coordinate plane Q and represents the direction from the position of the controller 5 to the origin O. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the vectors Z and U ′ representing the attitude of the controller 5 and the vectors U, V and W representing the attitude of the coordinate plane Q. As shown in FIG. 16, the depth direction vector V coincides with a vector Z representing the instruction direction of the controller 5. That is, the depth direction vector V = (Vx, Vy, Vz) is calculated according to the following equation (3).
Vx = Zx
Vy = Zy
Vz = Zz (3)
In the above equation (3), variables Zx, Zy, and Zz are the X ′ component value, the Y ′ component value, and the Z ′ component value of the vector Z, respectively. As a specific process of step S13, the CPU 10 reads the attitude data 57 from the main memory, and calculates the vector V according to the above equation (3) using each component value of the vector Z. Data representing the calculated vector V is stored in the main memory as depth direction data 62. Following step S13, the process of step S14 is executed.

In step S14, the CPU 10 calculates the right direction vector W of the coordinate plane Q to be set. The right direction vector W represents the right direction (a-axis positive direction) of the coordinate plane Q. The right direction vector W is calculated so as to be perpendicular to the vector U ′ and perpendicular to the depth direction vector V (see FIG. 16). Specifically, the right direction vector W = (Wx, Wy, Wz) is calculated based on the following equation (4).
Wx = Uz ′ × Vy−Uy ′ × Vz
Wy = Ux ′ × Vz−Uz ′ × Vx
Wz = Uy ′ × Vx−Ux ′ × Vy (4)
As shown in the above equation (4), the right direction vector W is calculated as an outer product of the depth direction vector V and the vector U ′. As a specific process of step S14, the CPU 10 reads the upward direction data 60 and the depth direction data 62 from the main memory, and uses the vector U ′ and the depth direction vector V to calculate the right direction vector W according to the above equation (4). calculate. Then, the calculated right direction vector is normalized (the length is set to 1). Data representing the normalized right direction vector W is stored in the main memory as right direction data 61. Following step S14, the process of step S15 is executed.

  In step S14, when the vector U ′ and the depth direction vector V are in the same direction, the outer product of the depth direction vector V and the vector U ′ is “0”, and the right direction vector W is calculated. I can't. Therefore, in the above case, the CPU 10 may redo the coordinate system setting process based on the previous calculated posture (the posture calculated in step S3 in the previous processing loop). Or you may make it redo a coordinate system setting process based on the attitude | position calculated after one (attitude calculated by step S3 in the next process loop). In the above case, the setting operation may be invalidated. That is, the CPU 10 may cancel the coordinate system setting process in the above case and not set the coordinate system.

In step S15, the CPU 10 calculates an upward vector U of the coordinate plane Q to be set. The upward vector U represents the upward direction (b-axis positive direction) of the coordinate plane Q. As shown in FIG. 16, the upward vector U is calculated so as to be perpendicular to the depth direction vector V and perpendicular to the right direction vector W. Specifically, the upward vector U = (Ux, Uy, Uz) is calculated based on the following equation (5).
Ux = Vz × Wy−Vy × Wz
Uy = Vx × Wz−Vz × Wx
Uz = Vy × Wx−Vx × Wy (5)
As shown in the above equation (5), the upward vector U is calculated as an outer product of the right direction vector W and the depth direction vector V. As a specific process of step S15, the CPU 10 reads the right direction data 61 and the depth direction data 62 from the main memory, and uses the right direction vector W and the depth direction vector V according to the above equation (5). Is calculated. Then, the data representing the calculated upward vector U is stored as the upward data 60 in the main memory. After step S15, the CPU 10 ends the coordinate system setting process.

  As described above, in the coordinate system setting process, the inclination A becomes the maximum value when the indication direction of the controller 5 is the horizontal direction in the predetermined space, and decreases as the indication direction approaches the vertical direction in the predetermined space. When the indicated direction is the vertical direction, it is calculated to be the minimum value (step S11). Then, the vector U ′ is calculated so as to approach the vertical direction as the gradient A increases, and to approach the upward direction of the controller 5 as it decreases (step S12). As a result, the b-axis representing the upper direction of the coordinate plane Q is set so as to be closer to the vertical direction as the indicated direction is closer to the horizontal direction, and closer to the upper direction of the controller 5 as the indicated direction is closer to the vertical direction. (Step S15).

  In the present embodiment, when the pointing direction is the horizontal direction, the CPU 10 sets the planar coordinate system so that the downward direction in the planar coordinate system faces the direction of gravity in the predetermined space. Further, when the pointing direction is the vertical direction, the planar coordinate system is set so that the downward direction in the planar coordinate system faces the downward direction of the controller 5. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the upward direction is set without any sense of incongruity for the user whether the pointing direction is the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. Thereby, the operability of the pointing operation can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the orientation of the planar coordinate system at the time of the setting operation is set so as to continuously change according to the instruction direction of the controller 5 at the time of the setting operation. That is, in the plane coordinate system, the predetermined axis (b axis) is closer to the vertical direction as the pointing direction is closer to the horizontal direction, and the predetermined axis is closer to the predetermined direction (upward direction) of the controller 5 as the pointing direction is closer to the vertical direction. It is set to be close to. In other words, when the pointing direction is close to the horizontal direction, the upward direction of the planar coordinate system is substantially vertical, and when the pointing direction is close to the vertical direction, the upward direction of the planar coordinate system is approximately the Look up. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the designated direction is an arbitrary direction, the plane coordinate system is set in a direction that does not give the user a sense of incongruity.

  In other embodiments, the orientation of the planar coordinate system at the time of the setting operation is not limited to that continuously changing according to the instruction direction. For example, in another embodiment, the CPU 10 determines that the predetermined axis of the plane coordinate system is oriented in the vertical direction depending on whether the indicated direction is closer to the horizontal direction than the predetermined reference, or closer to the vertical direction, or It may be determined whether the predetermined axis faces a predetermined direction of the controller 5. Specifically, when the slope A is larger than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined axis (b-axis) faces the vertical direction in the predetermined space, and when the slope A is equal to or lower than the threshold, the predetermined axis (b-axis) The planar coordinate system may be set so that) faces a predetermined direction of the controller 5. Also in this manner, as in the present embodiment, when the designated direction is an arbitrary direction, it is possible to set the plane coordinate system in a direction that does not feel uncomfortable for the user.

  In the present embodiment, the “direction in the planar coordinate system” such as the upward direction or the downward direction of the planar coordinate system typically corresponds to the direction designated by the user by a pointing operation. For example, when a pointing operation related to the downward direction in the planar coordinate system (for example, an operation in which the pointing coordinates are moved downward) is performed, the game apparatus 3 determines that the user has instructed the downward direction, and moves the cursor Processing such as moving the screen downward is executed. However, the direction in the coordinate system does not necessarily correspond to the direction designated by the user by the pointing operation.

  In the coordinate system setting process, the coordinate plane Q (ab coordinate system) is set by calculating the upward vector U, the right direction vector W, and the depth direction vector V. Here, in the present embodiment, since the pointing coordinate is calculated by a method that does not use the position of the origin O in the later-described pointing coordinate calculation process (step S6), the position of the origin O is set in the coordinate system setting process. Not calculated. However, in this embodiment, since the information on the position of the controller 5 and the distance from the controller 5 to the coordinate plane Q is determined in advance, the position of the origin O is the position of the controller 5, the distance, It is uniquely determined from the vector Z. That is, in the present embodiment, the position of the coordinate plane Q is not explicitly calculated in the coordinate system setting process, but it can be said that the position of the coordinate plane Q is substantially determined. In other embodiments, in the coordinate system setting process, the CPU 10 may execute a process of calculating the position of the coordinate plane Q (for example, the position of the origin O).

  Returning to the description of FIG. 12, in step S <b> 6, the CPU 10 calculates pointing coordinates based on the attitude of the controller 5. The pointing coordinates are calculated based on the attitude relationship of the controller 5 with respect to the plane coordinate system (coordinate plane Q) set in step S4. A specific method for calculating the pointing coordinates may be any method. In the present embodiment, the pointing coordinates are calculated based on the indicated direction determined by the attitude of the controller 5. Specifically, the CPU 10 calculates, as pointing coordinates, a position on the coordinate plane Q indicated by the pointing direction of the controller 5, more specifically, a coordinate representing the position of the intersection of the coordinate plane Q and the extension line of the pointing direction. (See FIG. 8). Hereinafter, a method for calculating the pointing coordinates will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the relationship between the vector Z representing the pointing direction of the controller 5 and the pointing position R on the coordinate plane Q. In FIG. 17, a vector Za is a component of the vector Z in the a-axis direction, a vector Zb is a component of the vector Z in the b-axis direction, and a vector Zc is a component of the vector Z in the direction perpendicular to the coordinate plane Q. As apparent from FIG. 17, the ratio between the coordinate value Ra of the a-axis component at the position R and the magnitude of the vector Za is equal to the ratio between the distance L from the controller 5 to the coordinate plane Q and the magnitude of the vector Zc. Therefore, the coordinate value Ra can be calculated according to the following equation (6).
Ra = L × | Za | / | Zc | (6)
Similarly to the a-axis component for the b-axis component, the ratio between the coordinate value Rb of the b-axis component at the position R and the magnitude of the vector Zb is the distance L from the controller 5 to the coordinate plane Q and the magnitude of the vector Zc. Equal to the ratio. Therefore, the coordinate value Rb can be calculated according to the following equation (7).
Rb = L × | Zb | / | Zc | (7)
In the above equations (6) and (7), the magnitude | Za | of the vector Za can be calculated as the inner product of the vector Z and the right vector W. That is, “| Za |” is a signed magnitude, and when the vector Za is in the negative direction of the a-axis, the coordinate value Ra becomes a negative value (“| Zb |” and “| Zc |”). The same applies to. The magnitude | Zb | of the vector Zb can be calculated as an inner product of the vector Z and the upward vector U. The magnitude | Zc | of the vector Zc can be calculated as an inner product of the vector Z and the depth direction vector V. Therefore, the pointing coordinates (Ra, Rb) can be calculated based on the orientation of the coordinate plane Q (three vectors U, V, W), the pointing direction (vector Z), and the distance L.

  Any method may be used for calculating the pointing coordinates. For example, when the coordinates representing the position of the intersection point R are calculated as pointing coordinates, the CPU 10 calculates the coordinates of the origin O in the spatial coordinate system and the coordinates of the intersection R in the spatial coordinate system, and these 2 The coordinates of the intersection R in the plane coordinate system may be calculated from the positional relationship between the two coordinates. In addition, a coordinate representing another position different from the coordinate representing the position of the intersection R may be calculated as the pointing coordinate. For example, the CPU 10 calculates, as pointing coordinates, a coordinate that represents a position moved from the origin O by a movement amount corresponding to the change amount in a direction corresponding to the change direction of the instruction direction with reference to the instruction direction at the time of the setting operation. Also good.

  As a specific process of step S6, the CPU 10 reads the posture data 57 and the coordinate plane data 59 from the main memory, and calculates the pointing coordinates according to the above equations (6) and (7). Data representing the calculated pointing coordinates is stored in the main memory as pointing coordinate data 63. Following step S6, the process of step S7 is executed.

  In step S7, the CPU 10 executes information processing (game processing) using the pointing coordinates. This information processing may be any process as long as it uses the pointing coordinates calculated in step S6 as an input. In the present embodiment, the CPU 10 reads the pointing coordinate data 63 from the main memory, executes information processing using the pointing coordinates, generates an image (game image) representing the execution result of the information processing, and displays the display device ( Output to TV 2). For example, the CPU 10 may generate a game image in which a cursor for performing a game operation is arranged at a position corresponding to the pointing coordinates and display the game image on the television 2. Further, the CPU 10 may operate an object appearing in the game space according to the pointing coordinates, generate an image of the game space including the object, and display the generated image on the television 2. Following step S7, the process of step S8 is executed.

  In step S8, the CPU 10 determines whether or not to end the game. The determination in step S8 is made based on, for example, whether or not the player has given an instruction to stop the game. If the determination result of step S8 is negative, the process of step S2 is executed again. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S8 is affirmative, the CPU 10 ends the game process shown in FIG. When ending the game process, a process such as saving game data in a memory card or the like may be executed. Thereafter, a series of processes in steps S2 to S8 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step S8 that the game is to be ended.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when a setting operation is performed (Yes in step S4), the plane coordinate system is set ahead of the instruction direction of the controller 5 (step S5), and the set plane coordinates are set. Pointing coordinates are calculated using the system (step S6). Therefore, the user can perform the pointing operation with the orientation of the controller 5 at the time of performing the setting operation as a reference (front) by performing the setting operation by directing the controller 5 in a desired direction. At this time, in this embodiment, since the direction of the coordinate axis of the plane coordinate system is appropriately set according to the direction of the designated direction, the game system can be operated regardless of the direction in which the controller 5 is set by the user. 1 can set a coordinate system in which a pointing operation can be easily performed. According to this embodiment, the user can easily perform a pointing operation in an arbitrary direction. For example, even when the pointing operation is performed upward while the user is lying down, or the pointing operation is performed toward the ground, the pointing operation can be performed without a sense of incongruity.

[6. Modified example]
The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention. In other embodiments, for example, the first embodiment can be implemented with the configuration described below.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a modification of the above embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the system using the controller 5 as an example of the operation device has been described. Here, the operating device may be any device that can be operated by the user. In this modification, instead of the controller 5, a portable (portable) terminal device 70 having a display device is used as the operation device. The game system 1 includes a terminal device 70 instead of the controller 5 (or together with the controller 5). The terminal device 70 may be a portable game device that can execute a game process by executing a game program.

  First, the configuration of the terminal device 70 will be described. As shown in FIG. 18, the terminal device 70 has a plate shape. Therefore, the user can operate by gripping both the left and right sides or one side of the plate-like terminal device 70.

  The terminal device 70 includes a communication unit that can communicate with the game apparatus 3. The data transmitted / received to / from the game apparatus 3 may be any data. In the present modification, the communication unit transmits operation data representing a user operation on the terminal device 70 to the game apparatus 3. Further, the communication unit receives image data generated by the game apparatus 3 from the game apparatus 3.

  The terminal device 70 includes a sensor unit that detects a physical quantity for calculating the attitude of the terminal device 70. In the present modification, the terminal device 70 includes a gyro sensor and / or an acceleration sensor similar to the controller 5 as a sensor unit. In other embodiments, the sensor unit may be capable of detecting the physical quantity, and may include a magnetic sensor, for example. In another embodiment, the game system 1 includes a camera that images the terminal device 70, and the game device 3 acquires an imaging result captured by the camera, and uses the imaging result to position the terminal device 70. May be calculated.

  The terminal device 70 includes a display unit such as an LCD. The terminal device 70 receives the image data generated by the game apparatus 3 and displays it on the display unit. In other embodiments, the terminal device 70 may be capable of generating an image based on data received from the game device 3.

  The terminal device 70 includes an operation unit for performing another operation different from the operation of moving the terminal device 70. Although any operation unit may be used, in the present modification, the terminal device 70 is provided on the screen of the display unit as one or more buttons, a stick capable of inputting a direction, and the operation unit. Touch panel.

  Next, the target (setting target) set in the virtual space will be described. In the above embodiment, the setting object is the coordinate system (coordinate plane Q), but the setting object may be any object. In the present modification, the setting target is an image (an object representing an image) 72 as shown in FIG. The image 72 may have any content, but is, for example, an image of a web page. That is, the game system (information processing system) 1 in this modification is a system for browsing a web page by the terminal device 70. On the screen 71 of the display unit in the terminal device 70, an image of a partial area of the Web page (area 73 in FIG. 18) is displayed. Although details will be described later, the user can move the region 73 on the image 72 by moving the terminal device 70 (changing the posture), and can view a desired portion of the Web page. In other embodiments, the target set in the virtual space is not limited to a planar shape but may be a three-dimensional shape.

  In the present modification, the process of arranging (setting) the image 72 in the virtual space is the same as the process of setting the coordinate plane Q in the above embodiment. That is, the game apparatus 3 calculates the attitude of the terminal device 70 in the virtual space. The method for calculating the attitude of the terminal device 70 in the present modification may be any method, for example, the same as the method for calculating the attitude of the controller 5 in the above embodiment.

  In this modification, when a setting operation (here, a predetermined operation on the terminal device 70) is performed by the user, the image 72 is set in the virtual space by the processing in steps S11 to S15 similar to the above embodiment. The In other words, the game apparatus 3 sets the vertical direction (Y′-axis direction) in the virtual space as a reference when the pointing direction determined by the attitude of the terminal device 70 at the time of the setting investigation is closer to the horizontal direction in the virtual space than a predetermined reference. Set the target orientation. That is, when the pointing direction is close to the horizontal direction, the image 72 is arranged so that the vertical direction in the virtual space is the upward direction. In this modification, the indication direction (vector Z) of the terminal device 70 is determined as a direction perpendicular to the plate-like surface of the terminal device 70 (more specifically, a direction from the front of the screen 71 to the back). It is done. On the other hand, when the pointing direction is closer to the vertical direction than the predetermined reference, the game apparatus 3 sets the direction of the setting target based on the predetermined direction of the terminal device 70. In the present modification, the upward direction of the terminal device 70 is the upward direction of the screen 71 of the display unit. That is, when close to the vertical direction, the image 72 is arranged so that the upward direction in the terminal device 70 is the upward direction. As described above, in this modification, the image 72 is arranged in an appropriate direction regardless of whether the pointing direction is close to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. As a result, the image 72 is easily displayed for the user to be displayed on the terminal device 70, and the operability of the operation of moving the area 73 described later is improved.

  In the present modification, the game apparatus 3 sets a virtual camera in the virtual space, and causes the terminal device 70 to display a partial image of the image 72 viewed from the virtual camera. The virtual camera is set such that the visual field range (region 73 on the image 72) changes according to the attitude of the terminal device 70. Specifically, the game apparatus 3 arranges a virtual camera at the position of the terminal device 70 and controls the attitude of the virtual camera so that the instruction direction of the terminal device 70 becomes the line-of-sight direction. Thereby, the visual field range of the virtual camera becomes an area 73 on the image 72, and the user can move the area 73 on the image 72 by an operation of changing the attitude of the terminal device 70. Thus, in the present modification, the pointing operation as in the above embodiment is not performed. The setting method for the setting target in the above embodiment is not limited to the coordinate system in the case of calculating pointing coordinates, and can be applied to processing for setting an arbitrary object.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a game system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the game system 1 moves (rearranges) the coordinate plane Q when a predetermined setting operation is performed. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, when the pointing direction of the controller 5 deviates from the coordinate plane Q (the pointing direction does not indicate a position in the coordinate plane Q), the game system 1 indicates that the pointing direction is The coordinate plane Q is moved so as not to deviate from the coordinate plane Q.

  Here, since the user can freely move the controller 5 in the real space, there is a case where the indication direction of the controller 5 is unintentionally changed from the coordinate plane Q. For example, although an attempt is made to designate the vicinity of the outer periphery of the coordinate plane Q, the indicated direction is deviated from the coordinate plane Q by moving the controller 5 too much, or the direction of the controller 5 is gradually changed without being noticed. May deviate from the coordinate plane Q. According to the present embodiment, even in such a case, since the position (pointing coordinates) in the coordinate plane Q can be calculated as the position designated by the user, the operability can be improved. Details of the second embodiment will be described below.

  Note that the hardware configuration of the game system 1 in the second embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[1. Overview of coordinate plane movement processing]
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example where the pointing direction deviates from the coordinate plane Q. As shown in FIG. 19, in the second embodiment, the coordinate plane Q is a rectangular area having a predetermined size. For example, the shape of the coordinate plane Q is determined to be a shape corresponding to the shape of the screen of the display device (television 2). Further, in FIG. 19, a position R is a position (pointing coordinate) indicated by the pointing direction immediately before deviating from the coordinate plane Q, and a position R ′ is a position indicating the pointing direction immediately after deviating from the coordinate plane Q.

  In FIG. 19, the pointing direction of the controller 5 is deviated from the coordinate plane Q in the virtual space. That is, the position R ′ pointed to by the pointing direction is a position outside the coordinate plane Q. In FIG. 19, the position R ′ is the position of the intersection of the plane including the coordinate plane Q and a straight line (dotted line shown in FIG. 19) that passes through the position of the controller 5 and extends in the indicated direction. According to the process of step S6 in the first embodiment described above, the position coordinate of the intersection point can be calculated as the pointing coordinate regardless of the position within the coordinate plane Q or the position outside the coordinate plane Q. Is possible. That is, the game system 1 can calculate the position R ′ (as a pointing coordinate) even outside the coordinate plane Q.

  As described above, when the pointing direction of the controller 5 deviates from the coordinate plane Q, the pointing coordinate is not a position in the coordinate plane Q. Therefore, when information processing (step S7) is performed using such pointing coordinates, there is a risk that the information processing may not be as intended by the user or may not be performed correctly. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the game system 1 executes a process of moving the coordinate plane Q when the pointing direction of the controller 5 deviates from the coordinate plane Q. This movement process is executed even when there is no user operation (the above setting operation). In other words, the movement process is executed independently of the user operation.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of the coordinate plane Q before and after movement. In FIG. 20, the coordinate plane Q before movement is indicated by a dotted line, and the coordinate plane Q after movement is indicated by a solid line. As shown in FIG. 20, in the movement process, the game system 1 moves the coordinate plane Q so that the pointing direction points to a position in the coordinate plane Q (after movement). As a result, the position R ′ indicated by the pointing direction becomes a position in the coordinate plane Q. Accordingly, when the pointing direction deviates from the coordinate plane Q, the user can return to the coordinate plane without performing a special operation such as returning the attitude of the controller 5 or performing the setting operation described above. A position in Q can be specified. As described above, according to the second embodiment, the user can easily specify the position in the coordinate plane Q, so that the operability of the operation using the controller 5 can be improved.

  In the second embodiment, the coordinate plane Q is moved so that the position R ′ is a position near the outer periphery of the coordinate plane Q (and a position in the coordinate plane Q). That is, when the pointing direction points outside the coordinate plane Q, the game system 1 moves the coordinate plane Q so that the pointing direction points to a position near the outer periphery of the coordinate plane Q (see FIG. 20). In other words, when the position indicated by the pointing direction moves from one side of the coordinate plane Q to the outside (beyond that side), the position R ′ on the coordinate plane Q after the movement is a position near the one side. (See FIG. 20).

  Here, if the coordinate plane Q is moved so that the position R ′ is near the center of the coordinate plane Q, the pointing coordinate value used for information processing is before and after the pointing direction is outside the coordinate plane Q. Will change greatly. As a result, the user may feel uncomfortable with the operation. On the other hand, according to the second embodiment, a change in values used for information processing can be suppressed, and a user's uncomfortable feeling can be reduced or suppressed.

  Although details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the game system 1 does not position the position R ′ strictly on the outer periphery of the coordinate plane Q after movement, but positions the position R ′ near the outer periphery of the coordinate plane Q. The coordinate system Q is moved so that is positioned (FIG. 23). Thus, the game system 1 does not have to move the coordinate plane Q so that the position R ′ is strictly positioned on the outer periphery of the coordinate plane Q. That is, the position R ′ may be a position on the outer periphery of the coordinate plane Q after the movement, or may be a position within a predetermined range from the outer periphery.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram of an example of the coordinate plane Q before and after the movement illustrated in FIG. 20 as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the coordinate plane Q. As shown in FIG. 21, in the present embodiment, when the pointing coordinate deviates from a predetermined one side of the rectangular coordinate surface Q, the game system 1 moves the coordinate surface Q in a direction perpendicular to the one side. Moving. As described above, the moving direction of the pointing coordinates and the moving direction of the coordinate plane Q do not always coincide completely. Here, the positional relationship between the pointing coordinate and the coordinate plane Q changes depending on the movement of the coordinate plane Q. According to the above, the positional relationship changes only for the direction component perpendicular to the one side where the pointing coordinate protrudes. The positional relationship does not change for the direction component parallel to one side. According to this, since the user's operation of moving the pointing coordinates in the direction parallel to the one side is effective even if the coordinate plane Q is moved, the user's operation can be reflected more accurately.

  In other embodiments, the coordinate plane Q may be moved so that the movement direction of the pointing coordinates coincides with the movement direction of the coordinate plane Q. In other words, the coordinate plane Q may be moved so that the positional relationship between the coordinate plane Q and the position R ′ after the movement is substantially the same as the relationship between the coordinate plane Q and the position R before the movement. That is, when the pointing direction deviates from the coordinate plane Q, the game system 1 displays the coordinate plane Q so that the position indicated by the pointing direction immediately before deviating or the position in the vicinity thereof is pointed by the pointing direction after deviating. You may move.

  Note that when the pointing direction points within the coordinate plane Q, the movement process of the coordinate plane Q is not executed. According to this, when the coordinate plane Q moves when the user does not intend, the value of the pointing coordinate used for information processing changes, and as a result, the possibility that the user feels uncomfortable can be reduced.

  In the second embodiment, the movement of the coordinate plane Q is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above. That is, the game system 1 moves (places) the coordinate plane Q so that the distance from the position (starting point) of the controller 5 in the virtual space to the reference point (origin O) of the coordinate plane Q is constant. According to this, the distance from the controller 5 to the coordinate plane Q in the virtual space is kept constant. For this reason, the relationship between the change from the reference posture of the controller 5 (the posture in which the pointing direction faces the origin O) and the pointing coordinates is constant regardless of the position of the coordinate plane Q. As a result, the operability of the controller 5 can be improved because the operation feeling is the same regardless of which direction is used as a reference (when the coordinate plane Q is arranged at any position).

  In the second embodiment as well, as in the first embodiment, the game system 1 is such that the position (starting point) of the controller 5 is positioned in the normal direction at the reference point (origin O) of the coordinate plane Q. The coordinate plane Q is moved (arranged). According to this, since the way of changing the pointing coordinates is the same regardless of which direction the controller 5 is rotated from the reference posture, the operability of the controller 5 can be improved.

[2. Specific example of game processing]
Next, details of game processing (information processing) executed in the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, various data shown in FIG. 11 are used in the game process. In the second embodiment, the processing data 56 includes area size data. The area size data indicates the size of the coordinate plane Q, and indicates, for example, a length Ma in the a-axis direction and a length Mb in the b-axis direction. The size of the coordinate plane Q may be set to a predetermined value, or set according to the content of information processing executed using the pointing coordinates, the instruction by the user, the game situation, etc. May be.

  In the second embodiment, when the series of processes shown in FIG. 12 is executed, the coordinate plane moving process is executed after the process of step S6. Since the processes other than the coordinate plane moving process are the same as the processes shown in FIG. 12, detailed description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, the coordinate plane moving process will be described.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of the coordinate plane movement process. In the coordinate plane movement process, first, in step S21, the CPU 10 calculates the distance (Ha, Hb) where the pointing coordinates protrude from the coordinate plane Q. The variable Ha indicates the protruding distance in the a-axis direction of the coordinate plane Q, and the variable Hb indicates the protruding distance in the b-axis direction of the coordinate plane Q. This distance (Ha, Hb) can be calculated based on the pointing coordinates (Ra, Rb) calculated in step S6 and the size (Ma, Mb) of the coordinate plane Q. That is, the CPU 10 reads the pointing coordinate data 63 and the region size data from the main memory, and calculates the distance based on the read data. If the pointing coordinate is a position in the coordinate plane Q, the CPU 10 sets the distance to 0 (Ha = Hb = 0). Following step S21, the process of step S22 is executed.

  In step S <b> 22, the CPU 10 moves the coordinate plane Q according to the protrusion distance (Ha, Hb) so that the designated direction points to a position in the coordinate plane Q. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process of moving the coordinate plane Q. FIG. 23 is a diagram of the virtual space viewed from the b-axis direction of the coordinate plane Q, and the a-axis (negative) direction in response to the pointing coordinates protruding from the coordinate plane Q with respect to the a-axis (negative) direction Fig. 8 shows how the coordinate plane Q is moved.

  In step S22, the CPU 10 calculates the position and orientation after the movement of the coordinate plane Q by changing the direction of the coordinate direction vector. Here, the coordinate direction vector indicates a direction from the position (starting point S) of the controller 5 in the virtual space to the coordinate plane Q. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23, the coordinate direction vector is a vector from the position of the controller 5 (starting point S) to the reference point (origin O) of the coordinate plane Q.

  Specifically, the CPU 10 first adds the movement vector H (= (Ha, Hb)) corresponding to the protruding distance to the coordinate direction vector N before the coordinate plane Q moves, thereby normal lines. Change the direction of the direction vector. The vector after the addition is a vector from the starting point S to the point T shown in FIG. Next, the CPU 10 normalizes the normal direction vector whose direction has changed, thereby calculating a normal direction vector N ′ related to the coordinate plane Q after the movement (see FIG. 23). As a result, the position of the origin O of the coordinate plane Q after the movement and the posture other than the posture component relating to the rotation about the direction of the normal vector are determined.

  When the size of the depth direction vector V on the coordinate plane Q described above is set to coincide with the distance from the starting point S to the origin O, the depth direction vector and the coordinate direction vector are the same. Therefore, in this case, the depth direction vector can be used as the coordinate direction vector in processing. That is, the position after the movement of the coordinate plane Q can be calculated by changing the depth direction vector. Therefore, as a specific process of step S22, the CPU 10 reads the depth direction data 62 from the main memory, and performs the above calculation process (addition and normalization of the movement vector H) to the depth direction vector indicated by the depth direction data 62. Process). Then, data indicating the vector obtained by execution is stored in the main memory as new depth direction data 62. Following step S22, the process of step S23 is executed.

  In step S23, the CPU 10 executes a coordinate system setting process. This coordinate system setting process is the same as the coordinate system setting process (S5) in the first embodiment, except that the process of step S13 described above is not executed. That is, since the depth direction vector is determined in step S22, in step S23, the CPU 10 executes the processes of steps S11, S12, S14, and S15 described above, thereby executing the right direction vector and the upward direction vector. Is calculated. With this process, the posture related to the rotation about the direction of the normal vector is determined for the coordinate plane Q after the movement. Therefore, the position and orientation of the coordinate plane Q are determined by steps S22 and S23. After step S23, the CPU 10 ends the coordinate plane movement process.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the CPU 10 causes the indicated direction to indicate the position in the coordinate plane Q with respect to the vector (coordinate direction vector N) from the starting point S to the reference point O of the coordinate plane Q. A vector (movement vector H) for moving the coordinate plane Q along the plane of the coordinate plane Q is added. Then, the coordinate plane Q is moved so that the moved reference point O 'is located in the direction of the vector after addition from the starting point (FIG. 23). Here, a specific processing method for moving the coordinate plane Q is arbitrary. In another embodiment, for example, the game system 1 calculates the rotation direction and rotation angle of the controller 5 between immediately before and immediately after the pointing direction no longer points to the coordinate plane Q, and according to the rotation direction and rotation angle. Then, the coordinate plane Q may be moved. In addition, according to the method in the second embodiment, the coordinate plane Q can be moved by vector calculation (addition and normalization). Therefore, the calculation is simpler than the method of calculating the rotation direction and the rotation angle. The movement process can be executed by the process, and the process can be speeded up.

  In the method according to the second embodiment, the pointing coordinate when the coordinate plane Q after movement is used is not strictly the end (outer periphery) of the coordinate plane Q, but is positioned slightly inside the outer periphery. Show. However, when the processes of steps S2 to S6 are repeatedly executed at a relatively short time interval, the distance that the pointing coordinate protrudes from the coordinate plane Q is very small. Therefore, the pointing when the coordinate plane Q after movement is used is used. The position indicated by the coordinates does not greatly deviate from the outer periphery. Therefore, according to the method in the second embodiment, it is possible to speed up the processing without greatly deteriorating the accuracy of the pointing coordinates.

  In the second embodiment, after the coordinate plane movement process, the process of step S7 described above is executed. Note that the values stored in the main memory as the pointing coordinate data at the time of step S7 are those calculated in step S6. Therefore, when the coordinate plane Q is moved (immediately after) by the coordinate plane movement process, the pointing coordinates do not indicate a position in the coordinate plane Q. Therefore, in the above case, the CPU 10 may calculate the pointing coordinates again using the coordinate plane Q after movement, and execute the processing in step S7 using the calculated pointing coordinates. In the above case, the CPU 10 may correct the pointing coordinates to a position in the coordinate plane Q, and execute the process in step S7 using the corrected pointing coordinates. In the above case, the pointing coordinate indicates a position outside the coordinate plane Q is temporary (in the processing loop of the next steps S2 to S8, the pointing coordinate is calculated using the coordinate plane Q after the movement. Therefore, the pointing coordinates indicate the position in the coordinate plane Q). Therefore, even in the above case, the CPU 10 may execute the processing in step S7 using the pointing coordinates indicating the position outside the coordinate plane Q as they are.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the game system 1 has an instruction direction determined according to the posture of the controller 5 in a predetermined area (area of the coordinate plane Q) set in the virtual space. Information processing corresponding to the pointed position (pointing coordinates) is executed (step S7). Here, when the pointing direction points outside the predetermined area, the game system 1 moves the predetermined area in the virtual space so that the pointing direction points to a position in the area (S21 to S23). Thereby, the operability of the controller 5 can be improved.

  Note that in the second embodiment as well, the method for calculating the attitude of the controller 5 is arbitrary as in the first embodiment. For example, in the second embodiment, not only a mode in which the user uses the controller 5 toward the television 2 (marker 6) but also a mode in which the controller 5 is used in a free direction is assumed. When a mode in which the controller 5 is used in a free direction is assumed, it is conceivable that the controller 5 cannot image the marker 6 (the controller 5 does not face the marker 6). Therefore, in the second embodiment, the game system 1 may calculate the attitude of the controller 5 without using the marker coordinates.

  In the second embodiment, the coordinate system setting process (step S5) in the first embodiment may not be executed. In the second embodiment, the direction of the coordinate axis on the coordinate plane Q may be set by an arbitrary method. In the coordinate system setting process in step S23, the orientation of the coordinate axes may be set by an arbitrary method.

  Also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the predetermined area set in the virtual space is not limited to the area of the coordinate plane, and may be any object. The predetermined area may be, for example, an area of an image (an object representing an image) as shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, a planar and rectangular area is used as the predetermined area. By using the planar area, the pointing coordinates can be easily calculated (for example, by the method of step S6). Further, by using the rectangular area, the pointing coordinates can be easily associated with the position on the rectangular display screen. In other embodiments, the predetermined region is not limited to a planar region, and may be a curved region. Furthermore, the shape of the predetermined region is not limited to the rectangular shape as in the above embodiment, but is arbitrary. The shape of the predetermined region may be set to a shape according to the content of information processing using pointing coordinates, and may be, for example, a circular shape or an elliptical shape.

<Modification>
In each of the above embodiments, the case where the information processing system that sets a predetermined setting target in the virtual space based on the attitude of the operation device is applied to the game system has been described as an example. Can also be applied. In other words, each of the above embodiments can be applied to an information processing program, an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method for executing arbitrary information processing based on a position indicated by a direction indicated by an operation device.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the information processing system including the game apparatus 3 and the controller 5 has been described as an example. However, the information processing system is not limited to being configured by a plurality of devices that can communicate with each other. It may be realized by a single device. In another embodiment, in an information processing system having a plurality of information processing apparatuses that can communicate with each other, the plurality of information processing apparatuses may share and execute information processing.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the controller 5 is used as an example of the operation device has been described. However, the operation device may be any device that can be operated by the user. For example, in another embodiment, the above-described terminal device 70 or a portable game device may be used as the operation device.

  As described above, the present invention can be used for, for example, a pointing system or a game system for performing a pointing operation for the purpose of improving the operability related to the operation for changing the attitude of the operating device. is there.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game system 2 Television 3 Game apparatus 4 Optical disk 5 Controller 6 Marker apparatus 10 CPU
11e Internal main memory 12 External main memory 37 Acceleration sensor 48 Gyro sensor 50 Game program 51 Operation data 57 Attitude data 59 Coordinate plane data 63 Pointing coordinate data

Claims (12)

An information processing program that is executed in a computer of an information processing device that performs information processing according to the attitude of the operating device,
Processing execution means for executing information processing in accordance with a position indicated by an instruction direction in accordance with the attitude of the operating device in a predetermined area set in the virtual space;
When the pointing direction points outside the predetermined area, the computer functions as a moving unit that moves the predetermined area in the virtual space so that the pointing direction points to a position in the predetermined area .
The indicated direction is determined starting from a predetermined position in the virtual space,
The information processing program for moving the predetermined area so that a distance from the starting point to a reference point of the predetermined area is constant .   2. The information processing program according to claim 1, wherein, when the pointing direction points outside the predetermined area, the moving unit moves the predetermined area so that the pointing direction points to a position near the outer periphery of the predetermined area. .   The information processing program according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit does not move the predetermined area when the pointing direction points within the predetermined area.   The moving means moves the predetermined area so that the pointing direction indicates a position near the one side when the position indicated by the pointing direction moves outside the predetermined area beyond one side of the predetermined area. The information processing program according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The predetermined area is a rectangular planar area in the virtual space;
5. The moving unit according to claim 4, wherein the moving unit moves the predetermined region in a direction perpendicular to the one side when the position indicated by the pointing direction moves outside the predetermined region beyond one side of the predetermined region. Information processing program. The moving means moves a coordinate system for representing a position on the predetermined area,
The information processing program causes the computer to further function as position calculation means for calculating position coordinates on the predetermined area indicated by the instruction direction,
The information processing program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processing execution unit executes the information processing based on the calculated position coordinates. The predetermined area is a plane in the virtual space;
The moving means adds a vector for moving the predetermined area along the plane so that the indicated direction points to a position in the area to the vector from the starting point to the reference point, and adds from the starting point. The information processing program according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the predetermined area is moved so that the moved reference point is located at a position in the direction of a later vector. The information processing program according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the predetermined area is a planar area in the virtual space. The information processing program according to claim 8 , wherein the plane has a rectangular shape. An information processing apparatus that performs information processing according to the attitude of the operating device,
Processing execution means for executing information processing in accordance with a position indicated by an instruction direction in accordance with the attitude of the operating device in a predetermined area set in the virtual space ;
Moving means for moving the predetermined area in the virtual space so that the pointing direction points to a position in the area when the pointing direction points outside the predetermined area ;
The indicated direction is determined starting from a predetermined position in the virtual space,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the moving means moves the predetermined area so that a distance from the starting point to a reference point of the predetermined area is constant . An information processing system that executes information processing according to the attitude of an operating device,
Processing execution means for executing information processing in accordance with a position indicated by an instruction direction in accordance with the attitude of the operating device in a predetermined area set in the virtual space;
Moving means for moving the predetermined area in the virtual space so that the pointing direction points to a position in the area when the pointing direction points outside the predetermined area ;
The indicated direction is determined starting from a predetermined position in the virtual space,
The information processing system, wherein the moving means moves the predetermined area so that a distance from the starting point to a reference point of the predetermined area is constant . An information processing method according to the attitude of the operating device,
A process execution step of executing information processing according to a position indicated by an instruction direction according to an attitude of the controller device in a predetermined area set in a virtual space;
A moving step of moving the predetermined region in the virtual space so that the pointing direction points to a position in the region when the pointing direction points outside the predetermined region ;
The indicated direction is determined starting from a predetermined position in the virtual space,
In the moving step, an information processing method of moving the predetermined area so that a distance from the starting point to a reference point of the predetermined area is constant .

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