JP6434583B2 - Remote control of a first user's game play by a second user - Google Patents

Description

  This invention automatically creates a proposed minigame based on recorded gameplay, creates a multi-part minigame for cloud gaming based on recorded gameplay, and adds a social graph of recorded gameplay A method and system for sharing and remote control by a second user of a first user's game play.

  The video game industry has seen many changes over the years. As computing power expands, video game developers have created game software that takes advantage of the increased computing power as well. To achieve that goal, video game developers have coded games that employ sophisticated operations and calculations to create a highly realistic gaming experience.

  Examples of gaming platforms include Sony Playstation (registered trademark), Sony Playstation 2 (registered trademark) (PS2), and Sony Playstation 3 (registered trademark) (PS3), each in the form of a game console. Sold. As is well known, the game console is designed to be connected to a monitor (usually a television) and can interact with the user with a handheld controller. The game console includes a CPU, a graphics synthesizer for processing intensive graphics operations, specialized processing hardware including vector units for performing geometric transformations, and other combining hardware. Hardware, firmware and software. The game console is further designed with an optical disc tray that accepts a compact disc for playing locally through the game console. Online gaming is also possible, where users can play interactively against or collaborating with other users via the Internet. As game complexity continues to intrigue players, game and hardware manufacturers have continued to innovate to achieve greater interactivity and computer programs.

  A growing trend within the computer gaming industry is to develop games that increase the interaction between users and gaming systems. One way to achieve a richer interaction experience is to use a wireless game controller whose movement is tracked by the gaming system to track the player's movement and use that movement as input to the game That is. Generally speaking, gesture input refers to causing an electronic device such as a computing system, a video game console, or a smart home appliance to respond to some gesture that a player has performed and captured by the electronic device.

  Another growing trend in this industry is related to the development of cloud-based gaming systems. Such a system can include a remote processing server that executes a game application, receives input from a user, and communicates with a local thin client configured to display video on a display.

  The embodiment of the present invention was born there.

  Embodiments of the invention include the automatic creation of a proposed minigame based on recorded gameplay, the creation of a multipart minigame for cloud gaming based on recorded gameplay, and the social of recorded gameplay A method and system for sharing to a graph and for remote control by a second user of a first user's game play is provided. Of course, the present invention can be implemented in any number of ways by a process, apparatus, system, device or method on a computer readable medium. Several embodiments of the invention are described below.

  In one embodiment, a method is provided for creating a playable limited version video game, including the following method operations, performed by a processor: game play by a user of a full version video game. Recording of the game, analysis of the user's recorded game play to determine the area of interest, definition of boundaries within a game play context of the video game based on the determined area of interest, and defined boundaries Creation of a limited edition video game based on.

  In another embodiment, a method is provided for creating a playable limited version video game, including the following method operations, performed by a processor: game play by a user with a full version video game. Record of the game, analysis of the user's recorded gameplay to determine one or more areas of interest, presentation of each area of interest for selection, selection input indicating the area of interest selected Receiving and defining a boundary within the game play context of the video game based on the selected region of interest with respect to the selected region of interest, and creating a limited version of the video game based on the defined boundary.

  In another embodiment, a method is provided for creating a playable limited edition video game, including the following method operations, wherein the method is performed by a processor: A record of game play by a user of a full video game, including one or more user input data or game state data, where each area of interest is set to one or more thresholds Analysis of the user's recorded gameplay to determine one or more areas of interest that are automatically identified based on correspondence, presentation of each area of interest for selection, selected Receiving selection input indicating the area of interest, within the context of the game play of the video game based on the selected area of interest with respect to the selected area of interest Definition of the boundary, and the creation of the limited edition of the video game based on the defined boundary.

  In one embodiment, a method is provided for creating a playable limited version video game, including the following method operations, performed by a processor: game play by a user with a full version video game Recording, determining a plurality of user-defined portions of a user's recorded game play, for each user-defined portion, defining a boundary within the game play context of the video game based on the user-defined portion, and video based on the defined boundary A continuous array of each playable part of a video game to create a playable part of the game and define a limited edition of the video game.

  In another embodiment, a computer-readable tangible medium is provided that contains program instructions for creating a playable limited edition of a video game, including: A user with a full version of a video game A program instruction for recording a game play by the user, a program instruction for determining a plurality of user-defined portions of the user's recorded game play, and a game play context of a video game based on the user-defined portion for each of the user-defined portions Program instructions for defining boundaries within and creating playable parts of video games based on the defined boundaries, each of the playable parts of the video game in order to define a limited version of the video game Program instruction to arrange.

  In another embodiment, a system is provided that includes: at least one server computing device, wherein the at least one server computing device records game play by a user with a full version video game. For each of the user-defined portions, logic for determining a plurality of user-defined portions of the user's recorded game play, comprising logic for creating a playable limited edition of the video game, including logic for Video game to define a boundary within the gameplay context of a video game based on a user-defined part and the logic for creating a playable part of the video game based on the defined boundary, to define a limited version of the video game Logic to sequentially arrange each playable part of

  In one embodiment, a method is provided for sharing recorded game play for a social graph, including the following method actions performed by a processor: During an active state of a game play session Recording video of the user's game play, receiving a command to start a sharing operation while the game play session is active, and in response to receiving the command, the game play session is paused Providing a shared interface, processing input for determining a user-defined selection of a recorded video received via the shared interface, sharing a user-defined selection of a recorded video for the user's social graph, Active state recovery.

  In another embodiment, a method is provided for sharing a recorded game play for a social graph, including the following method operations performed by a processor: During an active state of a game play session Recording video of a user's game play, receiving a command to initiate a sharing operation during an active state of a game play session, and determining user-defined selection of recorded video in response to receiving the command Share user-defined selections of recorded video for the user's social graph.

  In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium is provided that contains program instructions defined to share recorded game play for a social graph. The program instructions include: a program instruction for recording a video of a user's game play during an active state of a game play session, for initiating a sharing operation during an active state of the game play session Program commands for receiving commands, program commands for determining user-defined selections of recorded video in response to receiving the commands, and user-defined selections of recorded videos for the user's social graph Program instructions to do.

  In one embodiment, a method is provided that includes the following method operations for remotely controlling a user's game play, executed on at least one processor: a first for a remote second user Providing a live video feed of the user's game play, processing a transition control request to the second user of the first user's game play, and starting control of the first user's game play by the second user.

  In another embodiment, a method is provided that includes the following method operations for providing multiplayer game play, executed on at least one processor: a second for a remote second user Providing a live video feed of one user's game play; processing a request for a second user to join a first user's game play session; and playing a game by a second user in the first user's game play session. The start of the.

  In another embodiment, a fixed computer readable medium is provided that contains program instructions for providing remote control of a user's game play. The program instructions include: program instructions for providing a live video feed of a first user's game play to a second user at a remote location, to a second user of the first user's game play Program instructions for processing the transition control request, program instructions for initiating control by the second user of the first user's game play.

  Other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, illustrating the principles of the invention, in accordance with the accompanying drawings.

  The invention can best be understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A shows a user playing a cloud-based video game according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B shows multiple users at multiple locations participating in a cloud-based video game.

FIG. 2A illustrates a system for cloud gaming according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B illustrates the accumulation of game titles across different generations of gaming consoles, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for providing a game demo for a user according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A illustrates the hierarchical organization of portions of a video game, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B illustrates an interface for selecting a portion of a gameplay timeline for creating a minigame or game slice, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4C illustrates an interface for selecting a portion of a game play timeline for creating a mini-game, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a series of screenshots that demonstrate a method for creating a mini-game from an existing cloud-based video game, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a system for creating a game slice code according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7A illustrates changing the virtual space to create a game slice for a video game, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7B illustrates a change of the scene graph to create a game slice according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method for creating a game slice, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9A shows various games according to one embodiment of the present invention. Shows an interface for browsing game slices associated with a title.

  FIG. 9B shows a game slice information page according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a view of user account information including a live view of friends in a cloud gaming social network, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a method for presenting a current user friend's live game play feed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a system including a cloud gaming system and a social network according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating the variation over time of various game state variables according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14A illustrates a method for creating a game slice of a linear video game according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14B illustrates a method for creating a game slice of an open world video game according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14C illustrates a method for creating a game slice of a sports video game according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 conceptually illustrates a multi-game slice game configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 conceptually illustrates the creation of a multi-game slice mini-game, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 illustrates an interface for sharing gameplay in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates an interface 1800 for selecting a portion of a gameplay video recorded for sharing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 illustrates an interface 1900 for viewing a live video stream of a user's game play in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 illustrates hardware and user interfaces that can be used to provide interactivity to a video game according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 illustrates additional hardware that can be used to process instructions in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 shows an example in which scenes A to E are interacted with game client 1102 connected to server processing via the Internet from scene A to scene E, respectively, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 illustrates one embodiment of an information service provider architecture.

  The following embodiments show the automatic creation of a proposed minigame based on recorded gameplay, the creation of a multi-part minigame for cloud gaming based on recorded gameplay, and a social graph of recorded gameplay A method and system for sharing and remote control by a second user of a first user's game play is described.

  However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process operations have not been described in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.

  FIG. 1A shows a user playing a cloud-based video game according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, user U1 is playing a cloud-based video game displayed on display 100. Cloud-based video games are video games that run primarily on remote servers. In one embodiment, the servers can include individual servers or servers running in a virtual machine data center that can virtualize multiple servers to provide the requested processing. In the illustrated embodiment, the cloud gaming server 104 executes a video game displayed on the display 100. The client 101 is at the user's location, receives and processes the inputs, sends them to the cloud gaming server 104, and receives video and audio data from the cloud gaming server 104. The client 101 and the cloud gaming server 104 communicate via a network 102 such as the Internet. In other embodiments, the client is portable as long as it can communicate with the network and provide access to a display for displaying game play, allowing input from the user to drive the interaction. It can be any device, whether it is wireless or not. In one embodiment, the client is a thin client. However, in other embodiments, the client is a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, gaming console, personal computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile computing device, portable gaming device, mobile phone, set top box, streaming media interface Any device / device, smart television or network connected display, or any other computing device that can be configured to meet the client functionality defined herein. In one embodiment, the cloud gaming server is configured to detect the type of client device being used by the user and provide a cloud gaming experience that is appropriate for the user's client device. For example, video settings, audio settings, and other types of settings can be optimized for the user's client device.

  In various embodiments, the degree of processing performed by the client can vary with respect to input and output processing. However, generally speaking, the state of the video game is substantially maintained and executed on the cloud gaming server 104, and the client primarily receives and communicates with user input and receives video / audio data for display. The client 101 may be a stand-alone device that is connected to the display 100 and provides video data to be displayed on the display 100. In other embodiments, the client may be integrated within the display 100. In one embodiment, the display 100 is a networked display that provides a platform operating system for applications or “apps” that utilize the network connectivity of the display. Clients in such embodiments can be defined by applications running on platforms provided by the display operating system.

  FIG. 1B shows multiple users at multiple locations participating in a game play of a cloud-based video game. User U1 is shown at a first point where he interacts with the video game displayed on display 100. Users U2 and U3 are shown at a second point where they interact with the video game displayed on display 106. User U4 is shown at a third point where he interacts with the video game displayed on display. Users U5, U6 and U7 are shown at a fourth point where they interact with the video game displayed on display 110.

  Each of the first, second, third and fourth points includes at least one computer for processing input from various users and displaying a cloud-based video game on their respective display. A wing device is provided. Of course, the computing device can be integrated into a display, or as long as it has at least one processor and memory for data processing and storage, such as a personal computer, set-top box, gaming console, etc. It can be a simple stand-alone device or any other kind of device. The computing device can execute or identify the client, as already described above. The computing device is connected to a network and communicates with the cloud gaming server 104 via a network such as the Internet 102.

  The cloud gaming server 104 executes various video games played by a user, defines a game state of a predetermined video game from moment to moment, and stores video data (including image data and audio data) at a specific point computing device. To send to. The computing device at a given point processes the input from the user playing the video game and sends the input data to the cloud gaming server, which in turn processes the input data that affects the game state of the video game . Of course, this cloud-based gaming facilitates multiplayer gaming from players located at different points by running video games on a remote server accessible to all players over the network To do. In this way, the execution of the video game does not depend on any hardware or network connection of the single player, which affects the user experience for that player.

  FIG. 2A shows a system for cloud gaming according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, a user 200 operates the controller 202 to provide input to a cloud-based video game. The controller 202 can include any of a variety of input devices such as buttons, joysticks, touchpads, trackballs, and motion detection hardware such as accelerometers, magnetometers, and gyroscopes. In one embodiment, the controller 202 can include any illuminated object that can be tracked to determine the position of the controller 202. The controller 202 can communicate with the thin game client 204 wirelessly. The client 204 communicates with the cloud gaming service 210 via the network 208. The client 204 processes the data from the controller 202 and creates an input that is sent to the video game being executed by the cloud gaming service 210. Further, the client 204 receives video data to be displayed on the display 206 from the cloud gaming service 210. In one embodiment, the client 204 can process the received video data and provide a video stream in a format compatible with the display 206. In one embodiment, the client 204 can include a camera for tracking the controller device or an object located on the controller device. As already mentioned, the object may be illuminated to facilitate tracking based on analysis of video frames obtained from the camera.

  The cloud gaming service 210 includes resources for providing an environment in which a video game can be executed. Generally speaking, resources can include various computer server hardware, such as processors, storage devices, and networking equipment, that can be utilized to facilitate the execution of video game applications. In the illustrated embodiment, video game library 212 includes various video game titles. Each game title defines executable code and associated data and asset libraries that are used to materialize the video game. Host 214 may be a single computing device that defines a platform for materializing virtual machine 216. In another embodiment, the host 214 itself can be a virtualized resource platform. In other words, the host 214 can operate one or more server computing devices, manipulate the use of resources defined by the server computing device, and instantiate the virtual machine 216 during that time. Present a possible unified platform.

  Each of the virtual machines 216 can support an operating system and define a resource environment on which the video game application 218 can run. In one embodiment, the virtual machine has its gaming console hardware with an operating system associated with the gaming console running on the virtual machine to support execution of game titles developed for a gaming console. Can be configured to mimic a resource environment. In another embodiment, the operating system is configured to mimic the native operating system environment of the gaming console, regardless of whether the underlying virtual machine is configured to mimic the gaming console hardware. be able to. In another embodiment, the emulator application runs on top of the virtual machine operating system, and the emulator uses the gaming console's native operating system environment to support video games designed for the gaming console. Configured to mimic. Of course, in a cloud-based gaming system, various modern and traditional gaming consoles can be imitated. In this way, the user can access the game title from the different gaming consoles via the cloud gaming system.

  When the user 200 requests to play a particular video game title, that video game title is retrieved from the library 212. If a matching virtual machine is not already instantiated or available, a new matching virtual machine is instantiated on the host 214. The captured video game title is executed as an application 218 on the virtual machine 216 available or newly materialized there. In one embodiment, this necessarily involves determining the appropriate platform for the video game title (eg, what gaming console or operating system is required to run the game) and running the video game title on the appropriate virtual machine. For example, with an assignment to an emulator application capable of executing the video game title. The execution of this video game is communicated to the game client 204 to provide the user 200 with an interactive gaming experience. More specifically, execution of the video game application 218 receives input data from the client 204 via the network 208. Application 218 processes its input data to update the game state of the running application. As the game state changes, the application 218 outputs video data to be displayed on the display 206 and sends it to the client 204. In addition, the application 218 may output feedback data to the client 204 that is used to provide an additional feedback mechanism for the user. As an example, the user's controller 202 can include a tactile vibration feedback mechanism that is activated based on feedback data output from the video game application.

  In one embodiment, the cloud gaming system is configured to detect the type of client device associated with the user and the type of controller available to the user to provide input to the cloud-based video game. . For example, in one embodiment, when a user logs in to a cloud gaming system, an option may be displayed to specify the type of client device that is accessing the cloud gaming system. In one embodiment, a series of client device options are presented from which the user can select the one corresponding to their client device. The user may also be presented with an option to specify the type of controller device used to play the video game. In one embodiment, a series of controller options can be presented from which the user can select the controller type corresponding to their controller hardware. In other embodiments, the cloud gaming system can be configured to automatically detect the type of client device and / or the type of controller device.

  For example, when logging in, the client device may send information identifying itself as well as the connected controller device to the cloud gaming server (eg, in response to a request from the cloud gaming server). Based on this information, the cloud gaming server can determine an appropriate video game output configuration and input parameter configuration to provide an optimized gaming experience for the user's client device and controller device. In one embodiment, a lookup table is employed to determine the configuration of the video game and the configuration of input parameters based on the detected client device and the detected controller device.

  Of course, certain video games may be developed for specific platforms and specific controller devices. However, once such a game becomes available via a cloud gaming system as described herein, the user may access from a different controller device. For example, while a game was developed for a game console and its associated controller, a user may access a cloud-based version of the game from a personal computer that uses a keyboard and mouse. In such a scenario, the configuration of the input parameters is an input that is acceptable for the execution of the video game, mapping from the inputs that can be created on the controller device (in this case the keyboard and mouse) available to the user. Can be defined as

  In another embodiment, the user can access the cloud gaming system from a tablet computing device, a touch screen smartphone, or other touch screen driven device. In this case, the client device and the controller device are integrated into the same device and the input is provided by the detected touch screen input / gesture. For such a device, the configuration of the input parameters can define a specific touch screen input corresponding to the game input of the video game. The location on the touch screen that the user can touch to create the game input may be displayed or overlaid, for example, with a button, cross key, or other type of input element while the game is in progress. Gestures such as swipes in specific directions and specific touch actions can also be detected as game inputs. In one embodiment, in order for the user to become familiar with the operations for controlling the touch screen, for example, how to provide input to the game play via the touch screen before starting the game play of the video game. A tutorial can be provided to show.

  In some embodiments, the client device serves as a connection point for the controller device. That is, the controller device communicates with the client device via a wireless or wired connection in order to send an input from the controller device to the client device. The client device in turn processes these inputs and then sends the input data to the cloud gaming server via the network (eg accessed via a local networking device such as a router). However, in other embodiments, the controller itself can be a networked device and does not require their inputs to communicate with the client device first, but communicates directly to the cloud gaming server via the network. Has the ability. For example, the controller is connected to a local networking device (such as the router described above) and sends and receives data to and from the cloud gaming server. Thus, even if the client device needs to receive the video output from the cloud-based video game and display it on the local display, the controller bypasses the client device and bypasses the client device to directly cloud gaming via the network Since it can be sent to the server, the input delay can be reduced.

  In one embodiment, networked controllers and client devices can be configured such that certain inputs are sent directly from the controller to the cloud gaming server and other types of inputs are routed through the client device. For example, inputs whose detection does not depend on other additional hardware or processing on the controller itself can be sent directly to the cloud gaming server via the network, bypassing the client device. Such inputs include button inputs, joystick inputs, built-in motion detection inputs (accelerometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes, etc.) and the like. However, inputs that use additional hardware or require processing by the client device can be sent by the client device to the cloud gaming server. These include captured video or audio that requires processing by the client device before being sent to the cloud gaming server. Furthermore, the input from the controller motion detection hardware is processed by the client device along with the captured video to detect the controller motion and position, and then communicated from the client device to the cloud gaming server. Of course, controller devices in accordance with various embodiments also receive data (eg, feedback data) from a client device or directly from a cloud gaming server.

  FIG. 2B conceptually illustrates the accumulation of game titles over various generations of gaming consoles, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In the video gaming industry, video games are being developed for specific video game consoles. Over time, a library of game titles for a particular game console is accumulated. For example, in the illustrated diagram, the first generation console 220 has a collection 228 of game titles developed for it. The second generation console 222 is accompanied by a collection 230 of game titles developed for it. Also shown is a third generation console 224, which has a collection 232 of game titles developed for it. In other embodiments, there is also a collection of game titles 234 developed specifically for cloud-based games for use with clients 226. In addition, other types of games such as internet games can also be developed and collected for distribution via a cloud gaming system as described herein. Of course, game titles from different generations of gaming consoles can be collected and integrated into the cloud gaming library 212. As shown, the library 212 includes a first generation console library 236 developed for the first generation console 220. Similarly, the library 212 also includes a second generation console library 238 and a third generation console library 240 that contain video games respectively developed for the second and third generation consoles. Other types of games such as games developed for clients 226 and Internet games can also be included in the game library 212. As can be seen, a large number of game titles across various generations of gaming consoles are accumulated and made available via the cloud gaming library. As already mentioned, each of these games can be run on a virtual machine that mimics the operating system associated with a given gaming console on which the game was developed. In this way, users accessing this cloud-based gaming system can easily access and play games from many different consoles, as well as games from other contacts such as internet games and their cloud. You can also access and play games specifically developed for the base gaming system.

  FIG. 3 illustrates a method for providing a game demo to a user according to one embodiment. An interface 300 is shown that provides various game title vignettes or icons 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, and 312 that can be used for demonstration. Each icon is configured to provide an image showing the game it represents. In one embodiment, when a user moves over a predetermined icon, the icon is activated to display an animation or video clip representing the video game, or additional information regarding the content of the video game is provided. provide. In the illustrated embodiment, the user has moved to icon 302 so it is highlighted and an active animation representing a scene of the video game is displayed. When the user selects an icon, a preview video is displayed according to method operation 314. If the user continues to select the game in method action 316, then the demo game code is launched in method action 318. At method operation 320, the game demo is immediately available for game play by the user. Of course, since this game demo is cloud-based, it can be used immediately by the instantiation of the pre-loaded game demo in the cloud-based system. When the game demo is launched, execution of the pre-loaded game demo materialization is started. Method action 322 determines whether the user wishes to continue running the game demo or, if available, plays another demo of the video game. If so, the method returns to operation 322 to continue running the game demo or run a new game demo for the video game. If not, the user is presented with an option to purchase a mini version of the video game at method action 324. Further, at method operation 326, the user may be presented with an option to purchase the full version of the video game. If the user chooses to purchase a mini or full version of the game, then the method action 328 adds that version of the game to the user's account. Of course, as games are made available via a cloud-based gaming system, adding a game to a user's account is simply giving the user's account access to a specific version of the game. is there. In addition, once purchased, the game is available instantly from the cloud-based system in practice for the user's game play, especially if it is pre-materialized on the cloud-based system.

  FIG. 4A shows a hierarchical structure of various parts of a video game, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As an example, a video game can be structured into various sections 400. In the illustrated embodiment, a configuration section, an introduction section, various levels of sections, and an end section can be included. A given level can be further divided into various scenes. As shown, the level 3 section is divided into various scenes 402. When the user has finished playing a given scene, record the game play timeline for that scene, including the video that recorded the user's game play, and the recorded input data and game state of the executed game application Can do. In the illustrated embodiment, the game play timeline 404 represents the user's game play in level 3, scene 2 of the game. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the user can select several portions of their recorded game play from which to create a mini-game or game slice. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the game play time line 404 has a start time T0 and an end time Tz, and a portion from the time Tx to the time Ty is included in the game play time line in order to create a mini game. chosen.

  FIG. 4B illustrates an interface for selecting a portion of a game play timeline to create a mini-game or game slice, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, an interface 412 is displayed on the touch screen 411 of the device 410. In one embodiment, device 410 is a tablet computing device. The interface 412 includes a selectable game play timeline 414. In the enlarged view 430 of this game play time line 414, it can be seen that the game play time line 414 according to one embodiment is represented as a filmstrip with adjustable markers 416 and 418. . Marker 416 designates the selected start position along the game play time line 414 and marker 418 designates the selected end position of the game play time line. Further, a marker 419 can be placed inside the portion provided by the start marker 416 and the end marker 418 in the game play time line 414. To facilitate use and to give the user a visual understanding of which part of their gameplay has been selected, a start frame 420 corresponding to the position of the marker 416 on the gameplay timeline. Can be displayed. The start frame 420 is an image of a recorded game play video corresponding to the time when the start marker 416 is placed. Similarly, an end frame 424 corresponding to the position of the marker 418 on the game play timeline can be displayed. Similarly, the end frame 424 is an image of a recorded game play video corresponding to the time when the end marker 418 is placed. In addition, the representative frame 422 can be displayed corresponding to the position where the marker 419 is placed along the game play timeline. The representative frame 422 can be used as a representative image of a mini game created based on a selected portion of the game play timeline. Of course, although the touch screen type interface is presented and described in the illustrated embodiment, in other embodiments, the selection of the start and end positions that define the portion of the game play for creating a mini-game is possible. Various other inputs can be used. For example, input can be through a game controller, keyboard, motion input, voice input, and other types of input devices and mechanisms, thereby selecting a representative frame from the recorded gameplay video. In addition, a part of the game play can be selected.

  In some embodiments, the selection marker may not be continuously adjustable along the game play timeline, but instead, stops at a predetermined time along the game play time line. Can be configured. For example, a predetermined time point can be defined to correspond to a specific event occurring in the game play timeline. The specific events on the timeline of a given game play assigned at a predetermined point in time can be created based on an analysis of the user's game play and depend on the specific game play architecture of the video game. In one embodiment, the predetermined point in time can be assigned based on the geographic location of the character in the virtual world defined by the video game. For example, at a predetermined point in time, a character moves from one geographic location to another, for example, from one scene site to another scene site, from one city to another, It can be assigned at a specific time, such as entering a room in a structure, boarding a vehicle, entering a different kind of environment, or any other important geographical transition. In another embodiment, the predetermined time points may be assigned based on controlled user growth in the video game. For example, at a pre-determined time, a user-controlled character or entity completes a mission, acquires skills, acquires an object, passes a level, or otherwise completes a portion of a video game Or can be assigned when performing or accomplishing some other important activity in the video game.

  FIG. 4C illustrates an interface for selecting a portion of a gameplay timeline to create a minigame, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Gameplay timeline 414 shows a timeline along which the user can set start and end markers 416 and 418, thereby specifying a gameplay selection to create a minigame. A start frame 410 corresponding to the position of the start marker 416 and an end frame 424 corresponding to the position of the end marker 418 are shown. Of course, these frames can be identified from the recorded video of the user's game play. Several candidate frames 440, 442, 444 and 446 are presented from which the user can choose what to use as a representative frame for the minigame. Candidate frames can be determined in various ways. For example, candidate frames are presented at small intervals of a selected portion of the game play timeline. This interval can be equal so that the candidate frames are uniformly arranged along the gameplay timeline, and some frames along the gameplay timeline are more than each other than others. It is also possible to make it non-uniform so as to be close. In one embodiment, the earlier portion of the selected portion of the game play timeline creates candidate frames at a higher density than the later portion of the selected portion of the game play timeline. In one embodiment, candidate frames are created with high density in both the early and late regions of the selected portion of the gameplay timeline, but in the middle portion of the selected portion of the gameplay timeline. Candidate frames are created at a lower density.

  After a user selects a portion of game play to create a mini game, in an embodiment of the present invention, a system and method are provided for creating a playable mini game based on a selected portion of game play. The More specifically, the mini-game allows other users to play essentially the same part of the video game that the original user played, perhaps basically under the same conditions and parameters. To do. In this sense, the minigame is more than just a playback video of the original user's gameplay (although a replay video clip of the original user's gameplay is provided in conjunction with the minigame) and the user's own game It is the playable part of the video game that is specified based on the play selection. Therefore, the second user can experience the same game play as the original user.

  FIG. 5 shows a series of screenshots that demonstrate a method for creating a mini-game from an existing cloud-based video game, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Screenshot 500 shows a user playing a video game. In the illustrated embodiment, the user is playing level 3 of the video game. In screenshot 502, the user has completed level 3 of the video game. Upon completion of a level, the user is provided with an option to create a game slice or mini-game based on the user's game play at that level. When the user chooses to create a game slice, screen shot 504 provides the user with an interface for selecting the starting position of the game slice from the user's recorded game play. As already mentioned, a representation of the game play timeline is displayed with an adjustable slider that the user can use to move to specify the starting position of the game slice. After the user specifies the start position, in screenshot 506, the user is provided with an interface configured to allow selection of the end position of the game slice. Here again, the adjustable slider is moved by the user to specify the end position along the gameplay timeline displayed in the interface. When the start position and end position are designated from the user's game play timeline, a game slice or mini-game is created as described elsewhere. Screen shot 508 gives the user the option to share the newly created game slice with other users or inform other users of the newly created game slice, from the same game play timeline Additional options can be provided, such as an option to create a game slice, an option to continue playing the current video game, or an option to view a user's existing game slice. If the user chooses to view their existing game slice, screenshot 510 shows an interface that displays the game slice that the user previously created. In the illustrated embodiment, the user can select one of the previously created game slices and view the game slice information and statistics as shown in screenshot 512. Information and statistics about a given game slice can include any of the following: the title of the game slice, the video game from which the game slice was created, the date the game slice was created, Number of times played by other users, completion rate indicating the average percentage of game slices completed by the user who played that game slice, comments left by other users, etc.

  In the embodiment just described, the option to create a game slice is presented to the user after a certain level of completion of the video game, but it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the user can create a game slice. As long as there is a recorded game play of the video game for which selections can be defined, the user can create a game slice during the video game or any other time. For example, in one embodiment, an interface may be provided that provides access to various recorded game plays from various video games related to the user. The user creates a game slice by selecting a game play for a particular video game and selecting a portion of the recorded game play from which to create a game slice according to the embodiments described herein. can do.

  FIG. 6 illustrates a system for creating game slice codes according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the terms game slice and mini-game are used interchangeably to define a separable playable portion of a video game created based on a user's selection from an existing recorded game play. Has been. In the illustrated embodiment, the user's game play 600 conceptually represents the user interacting with the full version of the video game. The main game code 602 is executed to define the full version of the video game displayed by the user. While the video game is played, it generates various types of game output, including video data, game state data, and user input data. These can be recorded thereby to define the user's recorded game play. In the illustrated embodiment, the image stream 604 conceptually represents the output of video data from a video game. Game state metadata 606 and user input data 608 are also shown. The game state data 606 includes data that defines the game state of a running video game from moment to moment during game play. The game state data can include the value of any variable that defines the running state of the video game. User input data is created by capturing user-initiated actions that occur during interaction with the video game, possibly activation of input devices on the controller device, detection of sensor data (such as motion sensors), and capture Provided as audio input etc.

  As already mentioned, the user interface graphically illustrates the user's recorded game play and facilitates selection of certain portions of the user's game play to create a game slice. In the illustrated embodiment, the user has defined a selection 610 from their recorded game play. This selection of the user's recorded game play is used by the game slice generator to create a game slice code 622 that defines a limited game based on the selected portion of the user's game play. Game slice generator 612 includes a game state analyzer 614 that analyzes the recorded game state of selection 610. Based on an analysis of the recorded game state of choice, a game breakpoint processor determines appropriate breakpoints that define the beginning and end of the game slice. Breakpoints are based on geography, time, mission or goal achievement, scene boundaries (physical or temporal), or any other aspect with which video game play can be divided to create a game slice Can also be defined. A brief description of some illustrative embodiments will help highlight certain possibilities of breakpoint determination.

  For example, certain video games involve controls that allow a character to move from one geographic scene or location to another. A selected portion of the user's game play can be determined to be created from the game play in a particular scene. In such an embodiment, a particular scene boundary can define a geographic breakpoint for the game slice, and by selecting a scene with the exclusion of other scenes, inevitably other proximity Or it will exclude adjacent scenes, as well as scenes that are not adjacent or adjacent to that particular scene, or otherwise less relevant or irrelevant. Of course, the recorded game play selection 610 may involve game play from multiple scenes, in which case the game breakpoint processor 616 may be used to select multiple recorded game play selections. Breakpoints can be defined according to the boundaries of

  It should be noted that the scene is inherently both geographical and temporal. That is, the scene not only defines a geographical area within the virtual space defined by the video game, but also exists at a specific time or a specific age in the larger context of the video game. It is also possible to configure as described above. Such a scene can have a purpose or goal defined to be achieved by the player. Thus, game breakpoints can be defined from chronology or other temporal aspects, as defined by video games.

  In addition, a given scene can have associated objects or features as part of the scene during game play. These objects or features can be analyzed to further define breakpoints according to their content. For example, objects in the scene can be captured from a subset of the asset library, where the subset of asset libraries can be defined for game slices by the game breakpoint processor 616 and related to the recorded game play selection. Exclude other objects in the asset library that are not used in the selected scene. Of course, objects and features in a given scene can be dynamic elements with associated mechanisms that define their changes in response to events occurring in the video game. For example, an object may have a damage modeling module that determines when an object is damaged (eg, hit with a weapon) and adjusts the appearance of the object. Alternatively, a feature may be a vehicle enabled in a scene with associated logic that defines the appearance, operation and response to user input during game play. Logic or damage modeling such as those can further define game breakpoints for creating game slices.

  Various aspects of a video game that define or otherwise use selected portions of the video game can be the basis for defining game breakpoints. The example just described is provided as an example only and is not a constraint. Of course, in other embodiments, other aspects of the video game may constitute the basis for defining breakpoints for creating game slices.

  In one embodiment, the video game can be organized into various scenes that must be completed in succession, such that subsequent scenes cannot be tried without first completing the preceding scene. Each scene can include multiple objectives or goals, some of which are necessary to complete the scene, some of which are also options for scene completion. The purpose is to move from the start position in the scene to a predetermined end position, survive for a predetermined length of time, destroy a predetermined number of enemies, gain a certain score, Defeat enemies, or any other activity that can be defined in the game. In some scenes, once the user achieves its completion point, if for some reason it is impossible for the user to continue playing the game (for example, if the user quits the game, or the user's game character dies) , Running out of life or health, collisions of the user's vehicle, etc.) may have various predetermined completion points that allow the user to return there. At a predetermined completion point, the video game can be configured to automatically save the user's progress or present the user with an option to save the progress.

  In one embodiment, the game breakpoint processor 616 is configured to define a game breakpoint at a predetermined completion point. In one embodiment, this finds completion points that are closest to the start and end positions selected from the user's recorded game play selection and defines those closest completion points as game breakpoints for the game slice. Is achieved by using for. In other embodiments, to define a start breakpoint for creating a game slice, the closest completion point occurring before the start position selected from the recorded gameplay selection is used, while the end breakpoint Is defined using the closest completion point that occurs after the end position selected from the recorded game play selection. In yet another embodiment, if the completion point is located within a predetermined radius (eg, before or after) from the start or end position of the user's recorded game play selection, the completion point is a game slice. Used to define a start or end game breakpoint corresponding to. If there is no completion point located within a predetermined radius, a game breakpoint is defined that more closely matches the start or end position selected by the user for the recorded selection. In another embodiment, the predetermined radius for the start and end positions may be different for purposes of determining whether to use an existing completion point to define a game breakpoint.

  As already mentioned, the game breakpoint processor 616 determines appropriate breakpoints applicable to various aspects of the video game based on the user's recorded game play selection. Breakpoints defined by the processor 616 serve to define a limited range of game slices that are created based on the user's recorded game play selection. In one embodiment, an overlay processor 617 is provided that creates an overlay that can contribute to an improved user experience when playing game slices created by the game slice generator 612. For example, in one embodiment, the overlay processor 617 defines pre-game slice data that defines video, game play or additional information that can be provided as an introduction to the game prior to the actual game play of the game slice. An example of pre-game slice data is an introductory video that can provide a background to the user who started the game play that became the slice. In another embodiment, pre-game slice data defines introductory game play for a game slice and provides the user with an opportunity to learn skills that may or may be useful to the user when playing that game slice. To do. In another embodiment, the pre-game slice data can define one or a series of information screens or images that provide the user with information about the game slice. Such information may include controller configuration, story background information, objectives or goals, maps, or any other type of information that is useful to the user or otherwise improves the user's playing experience for the game slice. Is also included.

  Overlay processor 617 can also be configured to define post game slice data. In some embodiments, the post game slice data may define a video or image that is displayed after completing game play for the game slice. For example, after the user completes the game slice, a congratulatory video is displayed. Such video can be customized based on game play by the user of the game slice, for example by displaying information or images based on the user's game play. In one embodiment, the post-game slice data may define a playback mechanism that plays a recorded portion of the user's game play after completion of the game slice. In another embodiment, the post-game slice data displays statistics about the user's game play at that game slice and shows a comparison with other users of the user's game play and the original creator of the game slice. be able to. In yet another embodiment, the post-game slice data can define additional interactive elements that are presented to the user upon completion of the game slice. These include an option to purchase some or all of the video game that the game slice is based on, an option to redirect to additional sources of information about the video game, and so forth.

  In some embodiments, the overlay processor 617 can be configured to define the elements that are overlaid in the game slice. These include elements that can be customized by the user playing the game slice, such as characters, objects, property customization, and other customization options. In some embodiments, this overlay processor 617 can be configured to define a simplified element for a game slice, thereby increasing the complexity of the game slice code and executing the game slice. The necessary resources can be reduced. By way of example, many video games include artificial intelligence (AI) bodies such as characters, vehicles, enemies, and the like. These AI bodies are managed in a complete video game by an artificial intelligence model that defines AI body reactions and activities based on events that occur within the video game. However, in a limited range of game slices, certain AI activities are hard-coded definitions or simplified rather than full modeling as is the case in a complete video game. It may be a simple definition through extrapolation.

  For example, if in a recorded game play selection of a complete video game, a given AI character moves in a way that follows an AI model that is unlikely to change in that game slice, It is more efficient to define an approximation of the movement of the AI character. Such an approximation does not require a complete AI model to be included as part of the game slice code, but the user who plays the game slice will still have the experience of the AI character as the experience with the AI character. Are substantially equivalent to those in the user's game play. Resource savings achieved by approximating AI body activity are even more important when multiple AI bodies exist and interact with the user's recorded game play selection. Each AI body may have an AI model that depends on the output of the AI model of the other AI body. However, when a game play is recorded, the activities of each of these AI bodies are known, and therefore can be reduced by a simplified mechanism such as direct encoding of their control variables or approximation of their activities. It can be played in a game slice.

  With continued reference to FIG. 6, a game settings state processor 618 is provided to define the initial state of the game slice. Based on the operation of game state analyzer 614, game breakpoint processor 616, and game setting state processor 618, code assembly manager 620 collects various portions of code to define game slice code 622. When the game slice code 622 is executed, the user's game play 624 provides input defining the execution state of the game slice code, which includes video data and feedback data for displaying the game slice to the user. Create play output. The video data may include a pre-game slice overlay video 622, a game slice video 624 resulting from game play of the game slice, and a post-game slice overlay video 626.

  Of course, in one embodiment, the game slice code 622 is completely self-contained, including all portions of the code necessary to execute the game slice. However, in other embodiments, the game slice code 622 may incorporate references or advice on existing code portions within the main game code of a complete video game. Further, the game slice code 622 may include or use references to existing assets in the asset library for the main game code of the complete video game. However, in other embodiments, a new asset library can be created for the game slice code.

  FIG. 7A shows a change in virtual space to create a game slice for a video game, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The map 700 represents a scene or geographical part of a video game. The map shown is a two-dimensional representation that can represent a three-dimensional virtual space that moves and experiences during the actual game play of the video game. As shown, map 700 shows region 702 and several passages 704, 706, 708 and 710. In the game play in which the video game is recorded, the user character 712 moves from the area 702 to the passage 710. Based on this recorded movement and other analysis of the game play of the video game, it may be determined that additional passages 704, 706, and 708 are not required to create a game slice. Those passages represent an incorrect choice compared to passage 710, lead to an area unrelated to the game slice, or the ability of the game slice player to follow the passage and experience the same game play as the original user. There is a possibility to decrease. Further, if the area that the passages 704, 706 and 708 lead is not supported in the game slice, including such passages can fool the player or at least be a poor user experience. Thus, in the modified map 720, the passage 710 and the area 702 are left unchanged, but the passages 704, 706, and 708 are disabled for game play within that game slice. Thus, when a user plays a game slice that employs the terrain defined in map 720, he will experience a virtual space in which he cannot pass through passages 704, 706 and 708. The user is then likely to go through the passage 710 and thus experience a similar game play as the original user did.

  Of course, the portion of the virtual space defined for a game slice or mini-game can be defined by boundaries determined based on the user's recorded game play. The boundary defines a small area of the larger virtual space and includes a small portion of the features available in the larger virtual space. In some embodiments, the boundaries of the virtual space determine positions in the virtual space defined by the user's game play, where they are closest to and surround those positions associated with that virtual space. This can be determined by determining a predetermined boundary arranged in the. For example, the user's game play may define a path through which the user's video game character passes. This path can be analyzed, and based on the position of the path in virtual space, a set of predetermined boundaries that define the area surrounding the path can be selected. In some embodiments, the predetermined boundaries are defined by specific features that essentially define portions of virtual space, such as doors, windows, walls, rooms, hallways, fences, roads, intersections, hallways, etc. can do.

  FIG. 7B illustrates a change of the scene graph to create a game slice according to an embodiment of the present invention. The scene graph 730 conceptually shows the structure of various scenes A to G of a video game. Of course, the scenes described here are geographical and / or temporal in nature and each can be played in a video game as the player progresses from one scene to another. Represents a stage, level, section, point, or any other structural unit. In this scene graph 730, various nodes representing scenes A to G are shown. As shown, the player can proceed from scene A to scene B, and from scene B can proceed to either scene D or E. The player can also proceed from scene A to scene C and from scene C to either scene F or G. The scene graph 730 describes the structure of a complete video game scene. However, in terms of the purpose of creating a game slice, not all available scenes are required for that game slice. Thus, as an example, a scene structure for a game slice with a scene graph 732 is shown. As shown, the scene graph 732 includes scenes A, B, C, and F, but does not include the other scenes included in the complete video game scene graph 730. This allows the user to proceed from scene A to either scene B or C and from scene C to scene F. However, the other scenes in the complete video game scene graph 730 are not available for game play for that game slice. As already mentioned, systems according to embodiments of the present invention can be configured to limit the use of scenes when creating game slices. As such, a game slice does not include scenes that are not necessary for the limited context and intended purpose of the game play.

  FIG. 8 illustrates a method for creating a game slice according to an embodiment of the present invention. In method operation 800, a user's game play of a video game is recorded, including a video recording of the user's game play and video game data, such as video game input data and game state data. In method operation 802, a user interface is provided for use in selecting a recorded game play to create a game slice. The interface defines a mechanism for receiving user input that defines starting and ending positions from recorded game play. For example, an interface for reviewing recorded game play can be provided, whereby the user can define start and end positions in the game play video based on movement on the game play video or playback thereof. At method operation 804, a user-defined selection of a game play video is received. At method operation 806, a video game breakpoint is identified based on a user-defined selection of the received gameplay video. In one embodiment, there are predefined breakpoints for the video game. Based on the selection defined by the user of the game play video, the game breakpoint closest to the start and end positions of the selection defined by the user can be selected as the game breakpoint of the game slice to be created. In method operation 808, game code is defined for slice selection, as defined by the identified breakpoint. In method operation 810, a game setting state is defined for the slice selection. In one embodiment, the game setting state is based on a game state that exists in the user's recorded game play. At method operation 812, a game slice code is created, and at method operation 814, the game slice code is stored in a game slice library and associated with the user's account.

  In one embodiment, the method can include a method action 816 in which a video selection of the proposed game slice is created based on the user's recorded game play video and data. The proposed user's game play selection can be determined based on an analysis of the user's recorded game play. For example, if a portion of game play in which a high level of activity takes place (eg, actively exceeding a predetermined threshold) is detected, it may be suggested for selection of a game slice video. is there. In method operation 818, the interface for game slice selection may provide a user with a selection of suggested game slice videos. In one embodiment, a screen shot representing each proposed game slice video selection may be provided to the user. At method operation 820, a selection by the user of one of the proposed game slice video selections is received. Based on the user's selection, the game slice code can be created and saved as described above.

  FIG. 9A illustrates an interface for browsing game slices associated with various game titles, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the interface is organized into a series of tabs including tabs 900, 902, and 904 that, when selected, provide access to various pages corresponding to different game titles. In the illustrated embodiment, tab 900 is currently selected, so the presented page provides information about the game slice created for a particular game title T1. The game slice listing 904 displays a list of various game slices created from the game title T1. In one embodiment, the game slice listing 904 also identifies the user who created the game slice (eg, displays the user name of the user who created the game slice). In one embodiment, the game slice listing 904 can be browsed or navigated to highlight different game slices of the game slices listed in the game slice listing 904. In the illustrated embodiment, game slice A created by user A is currently highlighted, thereby displaying details 906 associated with game slice A. Details 906 provides various types of information related to the game slice, the level or stage at which the game slice was generated, the game details that provide more specific information about where the game slice was created, and creates the game slice Including comments by user A, the number of comments from others, the number of times the game slice has been played, or any other type of information about the game slice that can be provided when the listing for the game slice is highlighted. is there.

  FIG. 9B shows a game slice information page according to an embodiment of the present invention. The game slice information page is for game slice A described with respect to FIG. 9A and can be reached when the user selects the listing for game slice A as shown in FIG. 9A. With continued reference to FIG. 9B, the game slice information page provides various types of information related to the game slice. In addition to bibliographic information about the game slice (eg, title, user name of the user who created the game slice, creation date, etc.), a video 910 of the game slice may be displayed. In one embodiment, video 910 is a recorded game play video of the original user who created the game slice. In another embodiment, video 910 may be a recorded gameplay video of another user, such as a user who has achieved the highest score on a game slice or a user who has recently played a game slice. In one embodiment, video 910 will be a live feed of a user who is currently playing a game slice. In other embodiments, a representative image of a game slice will be shown instead of a video.

  The game slice information page may further include a selectable button 912 for initiating game play of the game slice. The game slice information page may also include a detail section 914 that can pick up various details and statistical information about the game slice, such as the number of plays, average completion rate, and the like. The game slice information page may also include a comment section 916 that picks up comments left by the user. Sort button 918 provides various options for sorting comments (eg, chronologically, most popular, by rating, relationship to current user (eg, comments by users of social graph users' friends). ) Etc.) can be provided to select.

  FIG. 10 shows a diagram of user account information including a live view of friends on a cloud gaming social network in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The library unit 1002 displays various game titles in the user's library. These may be game titles purchased by the user or otherwise acquired. The display of the game title may include display of representative graphics in addition to the title information. Limited editions where the game may be a full game title but each may be part of the full game title or may be limited by some ability compared to the full game title It will be understood that it may be a mini version. The friend listing 1004 lists the current user's friends (ie, other users of the current user's social graph) on social networks associated with the cloud gaming system. A social network may be a social network that is specific to a cloud gaming system, or it exists separately from a cloud gaming system with which the cloud gaming system communicates to obtain information about a user's social graph (third party). It may be a party) social network. The friend listing 1004 shows the games owned by each friend, the friend's online status (eg, online, offline, inactive, etc.), the friend's last login and its duration, the last game played by the user, etc. May include additional information about the user's friends.

  In one embodiment, a live active user portion 1006 provides a live view of a friend's game play that may be currently online and playing a video game. In one embodiment, each user has an option to set whether their live game play is subject to live viewing by other users. In such an embodiment, live views are presented only from those users who have the option specified to allow other users to view their live game play. In the illustrated embodiment, live active user portion 1006 includes not only live view 1010 of friend B's current game play, but also live view 1008 of friend A's current game play. In one embodiment, the current user can navigate or browse friends in friend listing 1004 and / or browse live views that are available in live active user section 1006. In one embodiment, the live view can be highlighted when the current user navigates to the live view and can be rendered differently than other live views. For example, a live view may be displayed with a desaturated color scheme by default, but may be displayed with a fully saturated color scheme when highlighted or selected. Live views are also displayed at a lower resolution, frame rate or default size, but may be displayed at a higher resolution, frame rate or size when selected. In this way, a specific live view based on the user's choice to present a live view that the user is interested in watching with higher fidelity than other live views that may be active at the same time. Can be allocated bandwidth. Live view is not just a specific gameplay of a video game, but may also show other activities of a friend on a cloud gaming system, such as navigation through a menu, or other types of activities related to that cloud gaming session Should be understood.

  In one embodiment, live view is only available to those users currently actively involved in video game play. In other words, a given user's live view is not available either when the user is offline or online but not actively involved in video game play. Thus, when a user is performing other activities in the cloud gaming system other than game play (eg, navigating the cloud gaming system's graphic interface while logged into the system), such activities are: It is not provided for live feeds viewed by others. In another embodiment, the live view may include all activities of the user logged into the cloud gaming system, including not only other activities other than game play but also the user's game play.

  In one embodiment, a given user's live view may be filtered to prevent exposing potentially sensitive or personal information to viewing by others. For example, a cloud gaming system may support a chat function. Some users want to keep chats open to everyone, so they can offer an option to exclude chat logs when presenting a live view. It should be understood that chat functionality can be implemented not only during non-game play activities, but also during game play activities, and can be filtered out of the live view of either or both of these situations It is. In another embodiment, video game aspects may be filtered out of the live view. For example, a user may want to keep certain user-defined settings secret because they may give the user an advantage during game play. Thus, an option may be provided that activities associated with settings are not displayed as part of the live feed (eg, when a user accesses a video game settings interface). In another embodiment, the live view is configured to prevent viewing of personal information (eg, preventing viewing when a user accesses a personal information page, enters payment information, enters a password, etc.). it can.

  In one embodiment, the interface provides an option to require the primary user to participate in a secondary user's gaming session that is currently online. For example, a primary user may want to watch a secondary user's live game play feed and participate in a secondary user's game play. In one embodiment, when the option is activated, a request is sent to the secondary user to inform the secondary user that the primary user wants to join their session. If the secondary user accepts the request, then a multiplayer mode of the video game is activated to facilitate multiplayer game play by the first user and the second user. In another embodiment, two or more secondary users may already be involved in multiplayer game play. In such embodiments, the primary user can send a request to participate in multiplayer game play. If the request is accepted by one of the secondary users (eg, a designated host of the game play session), the primary user can join the video game multiplayer session. It should be understood that the above-described interface showing the secondary user's live game play feed facilitates the primary user to participate in the secondary user's game play after the secondary user's game play can be viewed. It is.

  In one embodiment, the option to make a request to participate in the secondary user's game play presupposes a determination of the ownership status of the video game by the primary user. If the primary user does not own the video game, the option may not be presented, whereas if the primary user owns the same video game as the secondary user, the secondary user's game Options to make requests to play are available as part of the interface. In one embodiment, even if it is determined that the primary user is not the owner of the video game, the primary user will then continue with game play duration, available scenes / levels / stages / etc., Customization options, abilities, skills, weapons. Capabilities, such as characters, vehicles, or any other aspect of a video game that may be limited, may participate in secondary user game play in a multiplayer mode. In one embodiment, following a limited game play of a video game, the primary user is provided with an option to purchase the video game completely. In another embodiment, the primary user is provided with an option to purchase additional portions of the video game.

  With continued reference to FIG. 10, the displayed information may also include game history information 1012 of the user's friend. Game history information 1012 may provide information about a given friend's game play history, such as recently played games, duration of game play sessions, statistics about game play, and the like.

  It will be appreciated that many methods and configurations for presenting a cloud gaming interface are possible in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. In one such embodiment, a method operation for presenting a primary user's cloud gaming interface, a method operation for determining one or more secondary users who are friends of the primary user, and determining a current status of each of the secondary users A method operation to determine that the current status is one of online or offline, and to at least one online secondary user, the current status of the online secondary user at the primary user's cloud gaming interface A method operation for presenting a live feed of a gaming session, wherein the live feed includes an option for the primary user to provide an option to join an online secondary user's current gaming session; Next you In response to receiving a request to activate an option to join the current gaming session of the online secondary user, a method operation of activating the multiplayer mode of the current gaming session of the online secondary user, wherein the multiplayer mode is the current status of the online secondary user. Providing the primary user game play in a gaming session and activating multiplayer mode includes determining a primary user ownership status for the video game that defines the current gaming session of the online secondary user, When it is determined that the user owns the video game, then the multiplayer mode provides full game play of the video game, and when the primary user is determined not to own the video game, then the multiplayer mode is provided. Yamodo is to provide a game play limited edition of the video game, including a method operations to start, how to display the current gaming status of the user of the cloud gaming system is provided.

  In one embodiment, the limited version of the video game is compared to the full version of the video game in terms of available levels, available scenes, available functions, time limits, virtual space, campaign length, number of lives, Alternatively, a reduction in one or more of the number of replays is defined.

  In one embodiment, the method further includes a method operation in which the primary user presents an option to purchase at least a portion of the video game when the video game is not owned by the primary user.

  In one embodiment, the online secondary user's live feed is presented at a first resolution, and the selection of the live feed results in the presentation of the online secondary user's live feed at a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution. Trigger.

  In one embodiment, the online secondary user's live feed is presented in a desaturated color mode and the selection of the live feed triggers the presentation of the online secondary user's live feed in saturated color mode.

  In one embodiment, presenting the cloud gaming interface includes presenting a library of game titles associated with each of the secondary users.

  In one embodiment, determining one or more secondary users includes accessing a social graph associated with the primary user. In one embodiment, accessing the social graph includes accessing a social network API.

  In one embodiment, presenting the primary user's cloud gaming interface includes presenting each secondary user's listing in priority order, where the priority is current status, login freshness, or primary user Based on one or more of the game's joint ownership.

  FIG. 11 illustrates a method for presenting a current user friend's live game play feed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. At method operation 1100, the current user logs on to the cloud gaming system. At method operation 1102, the current user's friends are identified from the current user's social graph. As described above, the current user's social graph may be from a social network that is specific to the cloud gaming system, or perhaps from a social network that exists separately from the cloud gaming system. At method operation 1104, the library information of the user's friends is retrieved. The user's friend library information can identify the game title of the user's friend library. At method operation 1106, the current status of the current user's friend is identified. If the current status of the given friend is online, then at method operation 1108, it is determined whether the given friend is currently involved in video game play in the cloud-based system. If so, then at method operation 1112, a live game play feed for the user is obtained. At method operation 1110, friends of the current user are prioritized for display based on various factors or preferences. At method operation 1114, the current user's friends and their status information and life game play feed are presented in priority order. In one embodiment, current user friends who are online are preferred over friends who are currently offline. In one embodiment, friends of the current user who are currently involved in active game play have priority over friends who are not currently involved in active game play. In one embodiment, a friend with an available live game play feed may be preferred over other friends. In one embodiment, friends may be prioritized based on the freshness with which the friend has logged into the cloud gaming system. In another embodiment, friends may be prioritized based on joint ownership of video games. The above example of friend prioritization is provided as an example only, not as a limitation. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in other embodiments, the current user's friends can be prioritized and presented according to priorities based on other relevant factors.

  FIG. 12 shows a system including a cloud gaming system and a social network according to an embodiment of the present invention. Cloud gaming system 1200 provides access to your cloud-based game. The cloud gaming system includes a game library 1202 that includes various game titles that may be played by a user. User data 1204 includes various types of data associated with a user account, such as a game title owned by the user, any saved game play of the user, and the like. In the illustrated embodiment, various game play sessions including Session A, Session B, and Session C are conceptually shown. Session A defines a game play for user A who views the game play for session A on display 1208. Session A's game play is rendered as view 1210 on user A's display 1208. Similarly, session B defines user B's game play rendered on user B's device 1212 as view 1214. In the illustrated embodiment, view 1214 of user B's session shows an interface that includes live views from other users, including a live view of session A and a live view of session C. As game play from session A and session C progresses, gameplay video is output from sessions A and C and can be streamed through user B's session, as displayed in user B's view 1214. The game play video may be processed for streaming through User B's session, eg, reducing resolution, size, frame rate, color saturation, etc. to conserve bandwidth.

  With continued reference to FIG. 12, a social network 1216 is also shown. The social network 1216 includes user data 1218 that includes data such as a user's social graph, job, photo, video, bio, and the like. The app 1220 can be executed on a social network platform. A graphic user interface (GUI) 1222 sets an interface for interacting with a social network. API 1224 facilitates access to social networks. The notification module 1226 processes social network user notifications according to social network user preferences. As described above, User B's view 1214 includes live feeds from other users' sessions. In one embodiment, User B's friend was determined based on access to API 1224 of social network 1216 to determine a member of User B's social graph. These members were cross-referenced to users of the cloud gaming system to provide live game play feeds from User B's friends, including feeds from Session A and Session C.

  In one embodiment, user A chooses to share from his game play session A to his social graph. User A's session A communicates via the API 1224 to activate the notification module 1226 of the social network 1216 and send an appropriate notification to a friend of the user A's social graph. When a social network user 1230 in User A's social graph accesses the social network via device 1228, they may see a message or post from User A for User A's session. If set up, the user may receive a notification, such as an email, indicating that User A is sharing something on the social network. User A has a variety of achievements in video games, invitations to play video games, comments about video games, invitations to watch or play game slices created by user A, video clips of user A's game play, etc. It should be understood that common video game related activities may be shared.

  FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating various game state variables over time according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that in various embodiments, there may be many different types of game state variables that are unique to a particular video game. The game state variables shown and described with respect to the illustrated embodiment are provided merely as examples, not as limitations. The game state variable may include not only a value set by a user input but also a value set by executing a video game. In the illustrated embodiment, there are illustrated positional variables that indicate the X position, Y position, and Z position of the object in the virtual space of the video game, such as a character or vehicle. The camera angle variable indicates the direction of the virtual camera or virtual view in the video game. In one embodiment, the camera angle is defined by an azimuth component measured with respect to an azimuth reference (eg, along a horizontal plane) and a tilt component measured with respect to a tilt reference (eg, relative to a vertical plane). Action variables such as the action A variable and action B variable shown indicate the start and sustain of various actions within the video game. It should be understood that the action of a given video game is specific to the context of that video game. By way of example, an action may be an existing action such as the start of a specific strategy, the application of skills, increasing its level such as strength or frequency, or any other type of action that can be triggered by user input in a video game stream or It will include a trigger for a modification mechanism that modifies the activity. With continued reference to FIG. 13, the weapon variable indicates a weapon trigger in the video game. The health variable indicates the level of health of the user's character in a video game, for example. The button variable indicates the state of the button of the controller device, for example, whether the button is in a pressed state or a release statement. The joystick state variable of the illustrated embodiment indicates the magnitude of joystick movement relative to the neutral position. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above-described game state variables described with respect to the illustrated embodiment are merely exemplary and that many other types of game state variables can be tracked over time.

  Referring again to the embodiment of FIG. 6, in one embodiment, the game state analyzer 614 can be configured to analyze the game state variables of the user's recorded game play. Based on an analysis of the user's recorded game play, various regions of interest for the user's recorded game play can be defined and presented to the user as a possible choice of game slice generators. For example, an area of game play characterized by a high level of activity for a particular game state variable may define a user's recorded game play selection. It should be understood that the activity level of a given game state variable may be based on a variety of factors such as intensity level, frequency of activation, sustain duration, etc. In some embodiments, the analysis of game state variables may involve a search for areas of game play, such as two or more than two, such as two or more variables having high activity levels simultaneously. The activity levels of different game state variables are correlated with each other in a predetermined manner. The high activity level can be determined based on a predetermined threshold.

  In various embodiments, the user's recorded area of gameplay interest is the following: one or more user inputs, user input speed, input frequency, input type repetition, input pattern generation, For detection of any one or more thresholds of combinational input (eg, combo keys), motion vectors, pressure applied to the controller, user excitement (eg, detected based on user captured image or audio data) It may be determined automatically based on.

  FIG. 14A illustrates a method for generating a game slice of a linear type video game according to an embodiment of the present invention. Broadly speaking, a linear video game is a video game in which the player progresses along a straight course, and in order for the video game to proceed, the player must complete the previous goal before proceeding to a later goal. . Thus, all players must complete the same objectives in the same order to advance the video game. The purpose of a linear video game may be tied not only to the time location but also to the geographical location in the context of the storyline of the video game space-time. At method operation 1400, a video game scene is identified. A scene is both spatial and temporal in nature and may have a variety of purposes defined therein. At method operation 1402, the spatial length and temporal length of the scene are defined. The length of the scene can be defined according to user input and may be defined based on the purpose associated with the scene. At method operation 1404, an initial setting of an item, character, or any other object in the scene to which a characteristic can be assigned is determined. At method operation 1406, a game slice is generated for the identified length of the scene having the previously defined initial characteristics.

  FIG. 14B illustrates a method for generating a game slice of an open world type video game according to an embodiment of the present invention. An open world video game can be characterized as a video game in which a user may freely pursue any number of goals in a unique selection order. Also, open world type video games typically allow a user to navigate one or more virtual spaces at will. In order to proceed to a different level video game or a complete video game, the completion of a specific set of objectives may be required, but the user is free to complete these objectives in a different ordering. At method operation 1410, a location within the virtual world of the video game is identified. At method operation 1412, a limited portion of the virtual world is defined. A limited portion of the virtual world can be defined based on user input defining recorded game play selections, as described herein. For example, a user's game play in an open world video game may span a wide variety of locations during the game play process. However, to generate a game slice, the user may select portions of game play that occur within a limited geographic area of the virtual world of the video game. This limited geographic area, for example, tracks the location of a character controlled by the user in the virtual world and defines a boundary that includes all locations where the character is found to exist. A decision can be made based on an analysis of the portion selected by the user of the recorded gameplay. In method operation 1414, the initial of various objects, characters, items, vehicles, or any other objects found within a limited geographic area previously determined from the user's recorded game play selection. Characteristics are defined. At method operation 1416, a game slice is generated based on the limited geographical area of the open world and previously defined characteristics.

  FIG. 14C illustrates a method for generating a game slice of a sports video game according to an embodiment of the present invention. A game slice can be generated based on a user-defined selection of a gameplay recorded by the user. At method operation 1420, a setting value is identified based on the user's recorded game play selection. By way of example, the setpoint may define a location for a court, stadium, track, or any other location setting where a video game sporting event may occur. At method operation 1422, a time period is defined based on the user's recorded game play selection. The time period can be determined based on a recorded game play user choice that defines the time portion over which the game slice is generated. The duration of a sports video game may determine certain aspects of the video game slice, such as the inclusion of activities that occur during particular rules or specific periods during sports. At method operation 1424, a player of the game slice is determined based on the player included in the user's recorded game play selection. A player may include not only AI characters controlled by the artificial intelligence (AI) character control logic of the video game to be executed, but also one or more characters defined by the user during game play. As explained elsewhere in this specification, the action of an AI character may approximate in some examples. On the other hand, in some embodiments, AI character control logic is defined for a game slice with parameters as defined by the user's recorded game play selection. At method operation 1426, a scene attribute for the location setting of the sports video game slice is defined. For example, these may include attributes such as weather, track or course status, and other attributes of sports settings. At method operation 1428, a game slice of the video game is generated based on the parameters described above.

  FIG. 15 conceptually illustrates formation of a multi-game slice game according to an embodiment of the present invention. Video games can be organized into various levels or stages. In the illustrated embodiment, user game play from various levels of a video game is shown. Specifically, game play time series 1502 and game play time series 1506 represent the user's game play from the second and third levels of the video game, respectively, while game play time series 1500 Represents the user's game play from the first level of the video game. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a user can concatenate multiple game slices from a video game to form a larger multi-game slice minigame. In the illustrated embodiment, a selection 1502 from the user's game play timeline 1500 is utilized to define a first game slice 1514. A selection 1504 from the user's game play timeline 15 of 2 is utilized to define the second game slice 1818. The selection 1508 from the user's game play timeline 1506 is then utilized to define the third team slice 1522. The first game slice, the second game slice, and the third game slice are arranged in succession to define a mini game 1510. In doing so, the mini-game 1510 includes game slices from each of the first level, the second level, and the third level of the video game. In this way, a user playing a mini game 1510 can experience limited portions of video games by playing through the mini game 1510. This may help to provide a more convincing preview or demo of the video game than a traditional game demo where the user can only play one part from one level or stage of the video game. . The experience is typically similar to a movie preview experience that provides clips from different parts of the same movie rather than just a single clip. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the user enjoys a multi-part game demo that provides a better meaning of the complete video game range and can take game play continuously from one part to the next. Can do.

  In one embodiment, the user may insert additional data such as user-defined videos, messages, images, or other types of information before or after the game slice. In the illustrated embodiment, an intro 1512 is provided to introduce a player to the minigame 1510 and possibly also introduce the player to the first game slice 1514. In addition, a message 1516 is inserted between the first game slice 1514 and the second game slice 1518. On the other hand, another message 1520 is inserted between the second game slice 1518 and the third game slice 1522. In one embodiment, the inserted data may include a game play video that records the game play of the original user from which the game slice was generated. If the recorded game play is shown before playing the game slice, the player who initiates the game slice can better understand the game slice and its purpose before beginning game play, whereas the game play of the game slice The player can understand how the game play of the game slice is compared to the game play of the original user.

  FIG. 16 conceptually illustrates generation of a multi-game slice mini-game according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, a game play time series 1600 recorded by a user of game A is combined with a game play time series 1604 recorded by a user of game B and a game play time series 1608 recorded by a user of game C. Indicated. In one embodiment, a user can generate a multi-game slice minigame based on game slices from different video games. In the illustrated embodiment, a selection 1606 from a user's recorded game play 1604 is utilized to define a game slice 1620, and a selection 1610 from the user's recorded game play 1608 selects a game slice 1624. Whereas the user's recorded game play 1600 selection 1602 is utilized to define a game slice 1616, it is utilized to define. Game slices 1616, 1620, and 1624 are arranged sequentially to define a mini-game 1612. Optionally, additional data can be inserted before or after the game slice. In the illustrated embodiment, an introde 1618 is defined between game slice 1616 and game slice 1620, and another interlude 1622 is defined between game slice 1620 and game slice 1624, whereas intro 1614 is defined as It is inserted before the game slice 1616.

  It will be appreciated that in the illustrated embodiment, game slices are taken from different video games. This gives the user great flexibility to mix different game titles, genres, and game slices from the entire console platform generation. By way of example only, a user may create a mini-game with game slices from each of several game titles in a single video game series. In this way, mini-game players can experience and understand the evolution of the video game series with a continuous game play experience.

  Embodiments of the present invention have been generally described with respect to cloud-based gaming systems. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that concepts and principles similar to those described herein can be applied to conventional console-based video systems, perhaps in conjunction with cloud-based gaming systems. For example, a user may play a console-based video game and have the user's game play input data and game retention metadata recorded during game play. Based on the user's game play input data and game state metadata, the actual game play output of the video game can later be played. Thus, the recorded input data and game state metadata are combined with the video game code to provide an interface for selection of the gameplay portion of the user from which the minigame was generated, as described. Can be used. The mini game code can be generated at the console, uploaded to the cloud system, and provided for download by other users. In another embodiment, the mini game code is generated by the cloud system after receiving selected portions of user game play input data and game state metadata. The cloud system processes selected portions of the user game play input data and game state metadata to generate a mini game code based on the video game code stored in the cloud system. Once a minigame is created, minigame execution occurs in a cloud-based system, but to a traditional console-based system for execution on the console to facilitate console-based gameplay of the minigame Can be used for cloud-based gaming that can also be used for downloading. In this way, both console-based video gaming system users and cloud-based video gaming system users can create and play minigames.

  Embodiments of the present invention have been generally described with respect to playable user-defined portions of mini-games or video games. However, many of the principles described herein also include the generation and sharing of recorded gameplay, including sharing recorded gameplay, screenshots, and live streaming of active gameplay. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that it is easily applied. In some embodiments, providing access to a minigame (eg, in response to receiving a notification) presents a recorded video of the original user's gameplay on which the minigame was based. May be included. In yet another embodiment, methods, systems, and interfaces are intended to facilitate sharing of a user's game play to the user's social graph.

  In one embodiment, a method for storing game play is contemplated. Game play can be performed by the operating system of the game console in response to a user request that may be provided in the form of standard file operations for the set of data associated with the desired game play. The request can be sent from an application associated with the game. Game play may include, for example, video content, audio content, and / or static visual content, including wallpaper, themes, code “add-on” content, or content related to any other type of game. It is intended that the user or developer can generate such content, whether it is free or paid, full or trial, and / or for sale or rental.

  The part of the game play can be buffered, i.e. stored temporarily. As further described herein, for previous actions in game play, for example, the previous completed level for the previous 15 seconds may be temporarily stored. As used herein, a “portion” is a single bit or single byte of data, or any portion of game play that can be divided into any associated group or multiple groups of multiple bits or bytes It may correspond to. For example, a “portion” of game play may correspond to a level, chapter, scene, action, character, background, texture, course, action, song, theme, duration, size, file, portion thereof, and combinations thereof . Further, the game play portion may include a video game screenshot or a predetermined duration.

  In one embodiment, portions of game play can be stored locally on a game console in either primary or permanent storage. Alternatively or additionally, the game play portion can be transmitted over a remotely stored network. For example, a portion of game play can be transmitted over a wireless or wired network to another computing device, to another game console, or to a remote server. Such remote servers may include social media servers.

  Optionally, portions of game play that are not removed from the buffer, or portions of game play that are outside a particular gaming interval (eg, specific duration, level, chapter, course, etc.) can be deleted from the buffer. This deletion process can be completed using standard file operations in the operating system.

  The game play portion can be displayed on any of a number of display devices that have access to stored game play. For example, the stored game play can be displayed on a television set connected to the game console in which the game play was captured. In another example, the stored game play can be displayed on the computer to which the stored game play was transmitted. The stored game play can be displayed alone or in conjunction with other information, such as on a social media website.

  In one embodiment, the portion of the game play is displayed by another game console associated with a user other than the user who buffered or captured the game play. According to this embodiment, the game play portion may show the ball being thrown from the first user to the second user from the viewpoint of the first user. The portion of the game play can then be sent to the second user's game console. Therefore, the second user can view the game play from the viewpoint of the first user. The second user may also have a stored gameplay portion that shows the ball that was thrown by the first user and captured the second user from the second user's point of view. In the present embodiment, the second user can review the game play from both the viewpoint of the first user and the viewpoint of the second user. Further, the portion of the game play stored by the second user can be sent to the first user's game console, so the first user can review the game play from two perspectives. This embodiment can be applied to any number of users having any number of viewpoints, and thus game play can be reviewed from any number of different viewpoints.

  With respect to storage, transmission and / or display of game play as described herein, it is contemplated that portions of game play can be stored, transmitted and displayed as image data or video data. However, in another embodiment, the gameplay portion can be stored and transmitted as telemetry or metadata representing image data or video data, and created as an image or video by a game console or other device prior to display. Can be redone.

  In some embodiments, the portion of game play has a predetermined relationship with the played game play. For example, the portion of game play may correspond to a certain amount of game play prior to the currently running game play, such as 10 seconds before game play. In another embodiment, the first portion of game play has a predetermined relationship with the second portion of game play. For example, the first portion of game play may correspond to a certain amount of game play prior to receiving a capture request for the second portion of game play, such as 10 seconds of game play prior to selection of the capture button. There is. In each of these embodiments, the user can configure and adjust the amount of game play or requested game play that was buffered prior to the current game play according to his particular preferences.

  In other embodiments, the buffer is “smart” or “elastic”, so the buffer captures game play according to variables regardless of time. In one such embodiment, the first portion of game play has a predetermined relationship with an event associated with game play. For example, the first part of game play includes anomalies that appear in statistics such as reaching high scores, collecting a large number of points in a short time, multiple selections of buttons on the controller, and other unusual events May be buffered as follows: The anomaly that appears in such statistics can be determined by comparing game play metrics to an average metric for a particular game or scene, or generally for all games. Such average metrics can be stored locally or remotely for comparison. For example, a game console can track a global high score for a particular game, and a user can approach that high score and buffer more game play. In another example, a remote server can track a global high score for a particular game, and the user can approach that high score and communicate that information to a game console that buffers more game play.

  In another example, portions of game play can be buffered to include achievements such as trophy gains or other landmark arrivals. Such a trophy or landmark commemorated any goal or gaming outcome, such as a specific number of achievement points, a specific achievement level. For example, game play can be buffered to include awarding trophies for reaching level 10, reaching 100,000 points, etc.

  Similarly, progress towards event arrivals in addition to the actual achievement of trophy or anomalies appearing in the statistics can be buffered to be included in the game play portion. For example, a screen shot can be taken at each of levels 1 to 10, and a photo album can be created to commemorate the receipt of the trophies reaching level 10. In another example, a video of a user who has won the race from the 1st to the 5th can be taken, and the trophy is awarded for 5 wins.

  In this way, according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the executed game can always be stored in the running buffer. In other words, when a request to share a gameplay portion is received, the previous gameplay portion can already be captured to include the previous video. For example, if a game play sharing request is received after a user has scored in a racing game, the buffered game play may also include the video of the user who has scored. In other words, the user will be able to capture the moment that occurs before the game play sharing request is made.

  FIG. 17 illustrates an interface for sharing game play according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the interface 17 includes a variety of selectable icons to facilitate sharing to a user's friend, such as a member of the user's social graph. In one embodiment, the interface 1700 can be accessed from a dedicated button on the controller device. When a button is pressed during game play, an interface 1700 can be presented to allow users to share their game play.

  Icon 1702 can be selected to start uploading the screenshot from the user's game play. In one embodiment, area 1704 of icon 1702 is loaded with a representative screenshot from the user's recent game play, thereby providing a small preview of the screenshot that may be shared. In one embodiment, selection of the icon 1702 allows an additional screenshot selection interface to allow the user to select a particular screenshot from the user's recorded game play for sharing to the user's social graph. Access is provided. This may take the form of a navigable game play timeline that can be traversed or navigated to identify a specific point in time in the game play and its corresponding screenshot.

  Icon 1706 can be selected to initiate a video upload of the user's gameplay. An area 1708 of the icon 1706 displays a representative video clip from the user's recent game play, such as the last 5 seconds of the user's game play, recent achievements, etc., and thereby can be shared with others. Can be configured to display a small preview of video clips from play.

  Icon 1710 can be selected to initiate live video streaming of the user's active game play. In one embodiment, selection of icon 1710 initiates a live video streaming of the user's game play while triggering a resume of the user's game play. In another embodiment, selecting icon 1710 enables commenting with whom to share the streaming video and whether to include a video stream from a local image capture device intended to show the user himself during game play. Access to the interface is provided to determine settings for the streaming video broadcast, such as whether to do so.

  A user shares a gameplay (eg, selected screenshot, video, or live gameplay stream) to one or more specifically selected friends, to their entire social graph, or to any friend on a social network It will be understood that this is possible. The social network may be a gaming social network associated with the platform on which the video game is executed, or a third party social network that exists separately from the video game or its platform. The social network can be accessed through an API configured to allow connection with the social network. Users with shared gameplay may receive a notification informing them of the shared gameplay. Such notifications may take the form of posts on social news feeds, private messages through social networks, in-game notifications, e-mails, chat notifications, and the like. Sharing game play to a social network involves making game play available to other subsets of users of the social network that may or may not be part of the sharing user's social graph Sometimes. For example, for a given video game, the game play may be shared or available to any user of a social network that also owns the video game and thus is granted access to the shared game play of the video game. May be. Such shared game play may be accessed through online forums, chat rooms, or other online channels available only to video game players. In one embodiment, the video game may have a dedicated page or site on the social network. Shared game play is available to users accessing video game pages or sites. Of course, it will be appreciated from the sharing user's point of view that options can be provided to allow the user to specify and coordinate with whom and with which forum their gameplay will be shared.

  FIG. 18 illustrates an interface 1800 for selecting portions of gameplay that are recorded for sharing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The interface 1800 includes a preview area 1802 that loops a preview of the currently selected portion of the video from the user's game play. Screenshots 1804, 1806, 1808, 1810, and 1812 are placed adjacent to each other in chronological order to define a time series of screenshots showing the content of the gameplay video. The various screenshots 1804, 1806, 1808, 1810, and 1812 may be image frames that are extracted at regular intervals from the game play video. The screenshot timeline can be scrolled to the right or left to show additional frames that precede or follow the currently displayed frame. Markers 1814 and 1816 indicate the start and end points of the currently selected video clip (or segment or portion). The currently selected video clip can be repeatedly played in the preview area 1802, as described above.

  In one embodiment, buttons 1818 and 1820 can be selected to reduce or increase the duration of the selected video portion, respectively. Preview portion 1822 can be selected to trigger playback of a full screen preview of the currently selected video clip. Trimming option 1824 can be selected to access additional video trimming functions.

  FIG. 19 illustrates an interface 1900 for viewing a live video stream of a user's game play in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. At reference 1902, the name and / or alias of the user streaming their game play is shown. At reference 1904, the number of users currently viewing the live video stream is indicated. A live video stream of the user's game play is displayed in the video display area 1906. In addition, a live user video 1908 can be included that shows a live video of the actual user whose game play is being streamed live. Command options 1910 can be selected to allow the viewing user to issue commands that affect the video game, or even take control of the streaming user's gameplay. Issuing in-game commands or remote control of a user's game play is required from a user playing the game to allow the viewing user to perform such actions, at a predefined or at the time of game play Either permission may be required.

  Option 1912 allows the viewing user to participate in the streaming user's game play. Option 1914 then allows the viewing user to purchase an ongoing video game.

  Further, the interface may include a comment portion 1916 that displays comments from users viewing the live video stream that indicate the time of each comment. A comment input field 1918 is provided for entering text for comments posted by the viewing user. Then, a send button 1920 is pressed to upload a viewing comment by a user who performs live streaming and another person who views the live video stream.

  While embodiments of the present invention have been described with respect to accessing various interfaces for sharing from pressing a dedicated button, in other embodiments, some or all of these interfaces are user social. It will be appreciated that it may not be necessary to facilitate sharing game play to the graph. For example, in one embodiment, the controller button can be configured to capture a screenshot of user game play when pressed. The captured screenshot can then be automatically uploaded and shared to the user social graph.

  In another embodiment, recording a game play video is initiated when a particular button is pressed on the controller. When a particular button is pressed a second time, the gameplay video recording is stopped and the video clip can be uploaded to the user social graph and shared. In one embodiment, uploading and sharing of video clips to the user social graph may occur automatically following the end of the video recording operation. However, in another embodiment, when a particular button is pressed a second time to stop recording, the user customizes various options such as trimming the video, selecting a representative screenshot of the video, An interface is presented to determine the specific users who will share the video, add captions or titles, and so on. After customization by the user, the video can be shared with others or otherwise made available for viewing.

  In one embodiment, certain buttons on the controller can be configured to share a predetermined duration of the game play video on the social network. For example, when a user presses a button, the user may specify that the previous 10 seconds of the game play video is shared with the user social graph. In another embodiment, when the button is pressed, the next 10 seconds of the game play video may be recorded and specified to be shared with the user social graph. It should be understood that options for trimming the video and performing other types of customization can be applied to the recorded gameplay video. Further, a pre-determined recorded game play video following a button trigger can be combined with a previously buffered game play video as described.

  In yet another embodiment, certain buttons on the controller device can be configured to initiate live video streaming of the user's active game play. Live video streaming is only for members of the user social graph or to other smaller or larger groups of users, such as a specific subset of the user social graph, or otherwise own the same video game or otherwise to the same video game It can be pre-defined to be available to all users with access, any user of the gaming platform, etc.

  Automatic creation of proposed minigames for cloud gaming based on recorded gameplay

  In one embodiment, a method operation for recording a user's game play of a full version of a video game, a method operation for analyzing a user's recorded game play to determine a region of interest, and a determined region of interest A video game comprising: a method operation for defining a boundary within a game play context of a video game based on; and a method operation for generating a limited version of the video game based on the defined boundary, wherein the method is executed by a processor A method for generating a playable limited edition of is provided.

  In one embodiment, recording a user's game play includes recording one or more of user input data or game state data. In one embodiment, analyzing the user's recorded game play includes determining a level of activity of user input data or game state data, and the region of interest has a level of activity that exceeds a predetermined threshold. It is an area.

  In one embodiment, defining a boundary within the game play context of the video game includes defining a spatial boundary within the virtual space of the video game. In one embodiment, the spatial boundaries within the virtual space of the video game define a portion of the virtual space that is less than the entire virtual space, and the portion of the virtual space has a subset of the features of the virtual space.

  In one embodiment, defining a boundary within the game play context of the video game includes defining a temporal boundary within the temporal context of the video game.

  In one embodiment, defining the boundary includes identifying one or more closest start points or closest end points of the stage, level, or scene.

  In one embodiment, analyzing the user's recorded game play includes determining a user game state setting based on the user's recorded game play and generating a limited version of the video game. This includes defining a limited version of the video game to have an initial game state set value based on the determined user game state set value.

  In one embodiment, the region of interest is automatically identified based on a match against one or more thresholds. In one embodiment, at least one of the thresholds is user input, speed of user input, frequency of user input, repeated user input, input patterns, sharing gameplay context with other users, on social networks Is associated with one or more of the command postings associated with the game play or popularity of the video game portion based on social network sharing level.

  In another embodiment, a method operation for recording a user's game play of a full version of a video game, and a method operation for analyzing a user's recorded game play to determine one or more regions of interest; A method operation that presents each of the regions of interest for selection, a method operation that receives a selection input indicating the selected region of interest, and a video game based on the selected region of interest for the selected region of interest. A playable limited version of a video game, comprising: a method operation for demarcating a boundary within a game play context; and a method operation for generating a limited version of a video game based on the defined boundary, wherein the method is executed by a processor. A method for generating is provided.

  In one embodiment, recording a user's game play includes recording one or more of user input data or game state data. In one embodiment, analyzing the user's recorded game play includes determining a level of activity of user input data or game state data, wherein each region of interest has a level of activity that exceeds a predetermined threshold. It is an area to have.

  In one embodiment, analyzing the user's recorded game play includes determining a user game state setting based on the user's recorded game play and generating a limited version of the video game. This includes defining a limited version of the video game to have an initial game state set value based on the determined user game state set value.

  In one embodiment, each region of interest is automatically identified based on a match against one or more thresholds.

  In another embodiment, a method operation for recording a user's game play of a full version of a video game, wherein recording the user's game play includes one or more of user input data or game state data. A method operation for recording, including recording, and a method operation for analyzing a user's recorded game play to determine one or more regions of interest, wherein each region of interest includes one or more A method action that is automatically identified based on a match to a threshold, a method action that presents each of the regions of interest for selection, a method action that receives a selection input indicating the selected region of interest, and a selection A method action for demarcating within a game play context of a video game based on the selected region of interest for the selected region of interest; And a method operation of generating a limited edition of the video game based on the law operation, the method is executed by a processor, a method for producing playable limited edition of the video game is provided.

  In one embodiment, a method action for defining a boundary in a game play context for a video game includes a method action for defining a spatial boundary in a virtual space for a video game, where the spatial boundary in a virtual space for a video game is virtual A portion of the virtual space that is less than the entire space is defined, the portion of the virtual space having a subset of the features of the virtual space.

  In one embodiment, the method operations for defining boundaries within a game play context of a video game include method operations for defining temporal boundaries within a video game temporal context.

  In one embodiment, the method operations that define a boundary include a method operation that identifies one or more closest start positions or closest end positions of a stage, level or scene.

  In one embodiment, at least one of the above thresholds is for user input speed, user input frequency, user input repetition, input pattern, gameplay context sharing with other users, gameplay on social networks. Associated with the posting of an associated comment or one or more popular user inputs of a portion of a video game based on social network sharing level.

  Generation of multi-part mini-games of cloud games based on recorded game play

  In one embodiment, a method for generating a playable limited version of a video game comprising the following method operations: a method operation for recording a user's game play of a full version of a video game, and a user recorded A method operation for determining multiple user-defined portions of game play, and for each user-defined portion, a boundary within the game play context of the video game can be defined based on the user-defined portion to play a video game And a method operation for arranging each playable portion of the video game in series to define a limited version of the video game, the method comprising: Provides a method implemented by

  A method operation for determining a user-defined portion of each of a user's recorded game play includes: a method operation for receiving a user-defined start position and a user-defined end position in a user's recorded game play; And a method operation for determining the portion based on a received user-defined start position and a user-defined end position.

  In one embodiment, the method operation of recording a user's game play includes a method operation of recording one or more of user input data or game state data. In one embodiment, a method operation for generating a playable portion of a video game includes: a method operation that analyzes game state data to identify code elements; and assembling the code elements to generate a playable portion of a video game. And a method operation for defining executable code to define.

  In one embodiment, the method operations for defining boundaries within the game play context of the video game include method operations for defining spatial boundaries within the virtual space of the video game. In one embodiment, the spatial boundaries within the virtual space of the video game define a portion of the virtual space that is less than the entire virtual space, and the portion of the virtual space has a subset of the features of the virtual space.

  In one embodiment, the method operations for defining boundaries within a game play context of a video game include method operations for defining temporal boundaries within a video game temporal context.

  In one embodiment, the method further includes a method action of analyzing the user's recorded game play for each user-defined portion to determine a user game state setting to generate a playable portion of the video game. The method actions include defining a playable portion of the video game to have an initial game state setting based on the determined user game state setting.

  In one embodiment, the method operations that define the boundaries include method operations that identify one or more closest start or end positions of a stage, level or scene.

  In one embodiment, the method further includes a method action of recording a user-defined video, the method action of placing a playable portion of the video game preceding or following one of the playable portions of the video game. Includes a method operation of placing a user-defined video at a location in a series. In one embodiment, the user-defined video includes video from at least one of the user-defined portions of the user's recorded gameplay.

  In another embodiment, a tangible computer readable medium embodying program instructions for generating a playable limited version of a video game, the following: a program recording a user's game play of a full version of a video game Instructions, program instructions for determining a plurality of user-defined portions of the user's recorded game play, and for each user-defined portion, a boundary within the game play context of the video game is defined based on the user-defined portion Program instructions for generating playable portions of the video game based on defined boundaries, and program instructions for arranging each of the playable portions of the video game in series to define a limited version of the video game A tangible computer readable medium comprising:

  In one embodiment, a method operation for determining a user-defined portion of each of a user's recorded game play is a method of receiving a user-defined start position and a user-defined end position within the user's recorded game play. An operation and a method operation for determining a user-defined portion based on a receiving user-defined start position and a user-defined end position.

  In one embodiment, the method operation of recording a user's game play includes a method operation of recording one or more of user input data or game state data. In one embodiment, a method operation for generating a playable portion of a video game includes: a method operation that analyzes game state data to identify code elements; and assembling the code elements to generate a playable portion of a video game. And a method operation for defining executable code to define.

  In one embodiment, the computer-readable medium further includes program instructions for analyzing the user's recorded game play for each user-defined portion to determine user game state settings, wherein the playable portion of the video game is The method actions to be generated include a method action that defines a playable portion of the video game to have an initial game state setting based on the determined user game state setting.

  In another embodiment, at least one server computing device having logic circuitry to generate a playable limited edition of a video game, including logic circuitry that records a user's game play of a full video game: And a logic circuit for determining a plurality of user-defined portions of the user's recorded game play, and for each user-defined portion, a boundary within the game play context of the video game is defined based on the user-defined portion. A logic circuit for generating playable portions of the video game based on defined boundaries, and a logic circuit for arranging each of the playable portions of the video game in series to define a limited version of the video game; A system including

  In one embodiment, a method operation for determining a user-defined portion of each of a user's recorded game play is a method of receiving a user-defined start position and a user-defined end position within the user's recorded game play. An operation and a method operation for determining a user-defined portion based on a receiving user-defined start position and a user-defined end position.

  In one embodiment, the method operation of recording a user's game play includes a method operation of recording one or more of user input data or game state data. In one embodiment, a method operation for generating a playable portion of a video game includes: a method operation that analyzes game state data to identify code elements; and assembling the code elements to generate a playable portion of a video game. And a method operation for defining executable code to define.

  In one embodiment, the logic circuit further includes a logic circuit that analyzes a user's recorded game play to determine a user game state setting for each user-defined portion, wherein the playable portion of the video game The method operation of generating a method operation includes defining a playable portion of the video game to have an initial game state setting based on the determined user game state setting.

  Distributing recorded gameplay to the social graph

  In one embodiment, a method for distributing recorded game play to a social graph comprising the following method operations: a method operation for recording video of a user's game play during an active state of a game play session, and distribution A method operation for receiving a command to start work during an active state of a game play session, a method operation for entering a dormant state of a game play session and presenting a distribution interface in response to receiving the command, and a distribution A method operation that processes input received via the interface to determine a user-defined selection of the recorded video; a method operation that distributes the user-defined selection of the recorded video to the user's social graph; Including a method action to resume the active state of a game play session. Method, a method that is executed by the processor.

  In one embodiment, a method operation for recording a video of a user's game play includes a method operation for storing the video in a buffer during an active state of a game play session.

  In one embodiment, the method operations for presenting a shared interface include method operations for retrieving and presenting one or more portions of a video from a buffer.

  In one embodiment, the shared interface includes a duration selector that defines the duration of the user-defined selection.

  In one embodiment, the method operations for distributing selections include method operations for uploading selections for availability on a social network service that defines a user's social graph.

  In one embodiment, the method operation of uploading a selection includes a method operation of compressing the selection and uploading the compressed selection.

  In one embodiment, the method action of distributing the selection includes a method action of generating a notification to members of the user's social graph.

  In one embodiment, notifications are defined by one or more of private messages, chat messages, in-game notifications, posting on social news feeds, emails.

  In one embodiment, the method actions for distributing the selection include a method action for presenting the selection on the user's profile page.

  In one embodiment, the method action of receiving a command to start a distribution task is defined from a button press on the controller device.

  In another embodiment, a method for distributing recorded game play to a social graph comprising the following method operations: a method operation for recording a user game play video during an active state of a game play session; A method operation for receiving a command to initiate a distribution task during an active state of a game play session, a method operation for determining a user-defined selection of a recorded video in response to receiving the command, and a recorded A method operation for distributing a user-defined selection of video to a user's social graph, wherein the method is performed by a processor.

  In one embodiment, a method operation for recording a video of a user's game play includes a method operation for storing the video in a buffer during an active state of a game play session.

  In one embodiment, the method operations for determining a user-defined selection of recorded video include a method operation for retrieving and presenting video from a buffer and a method operation for processing user input that identifies portions of the video.

  In one embodiment, the method operations for distributing selections include method operations for uploading selections for availability on a social network service that defines a user's social graph.

  In one embodiment, the method action of receiving a command to start a distribution task is defined from a button press on the controller device.

  In another embodiment, a fixed computer readable medium is provided that defines program instructions for distributing recorded game play to a social graph. As a program command, a program command for recording a user's game play video during an active state of a game play session, a program command for receiving a command for starting a distribution operation during the active state of a game play session, and receiving a command In response, there are program instructions for determining a user-defined selection of the recorded video and program instructions for distributing the user-defined selection of the recorded video to the user's social graph.

  In one embodiment, a method operation for recording a video of a user's game play includes a method operation for storing the video in a buffer during an active state of a game play session.

  Method operations for determining a user-defined selection of recorded video include method operations for retrieving and presenting video from a buffer and method operations for processing user input that identifies portions of the video.

  In one embodiment, the method operations for distributing selections include method operations for uploading selections for availability on a social network service that defines a user's social graph.

  The method action of receiving a command to start a distribution task is defined from a button press on the controller device.

  Remote control of game play by user

  In one embodiment, a method for remote control of a user's game play comprising the following method operations: a method operation of presenting a live video feed of a first user's game play to a second remote user; A method operation that processes a request to transition control of a first user's game play to a second user, and a method operation that initiates control of the first user's game play by a second user, the method comprising: A method executed by at least one processor.

  In one embodiment, the method action of initiating control of the first user's game play by the second user is not controlled by the first controller device associated with the first user. A method operation to activate, and a method operation to activate control of a first user's game play by a second controller device associated with the second user.

  In one embodiment, the control of the first user's game play by the second user receives an input command from the second controller device and applies the input command to define the first user's game play. Including method operations.

  In one embodiment, the live video feed is presented to the second user via the social interface, the social interface provides access to the second user's social graph, and the first user Defined as a member of the user's social graph.

  In one embodiment, the social interface includes a comment interface that posts comments during the first user's game play.

  In one embodiment, the method operation for processing a request to transition control includes a method operation for receiving an acknowledgment from the first user that allows the second user to control the game play of the first user.

  In one embodiment, a method operation for presenting a live video feed of a first user's game play to a second user includes a method operation of presenting a live video feed in a non-full screen format, the first user's game The method operation of initiating control of play by the second user includes a method operation that triggers the presentation of a live video feed in full screen format.

  In another embodiment, a method for providing multiplayer game play comprising the following method operations: a method operation for presenting a live video feed of a first user's game play to a second remote user; A method operation for processing a request for two users to join the first user's game play session and a method operation for initiating game play by the second user in the first user's game play session, the method comprising: A method executed by at least one processor.

  In one embodiment, the method action of initiating game play by the second user in the first user's game play session includes a method action of initiating a multiplayer mode of the video game.

  In one embodiment, the live video feed is presented to the second user via the social interface, the social interface provides access to the second user's social graph, and the first user Defined as a member of the user's social graph.

  In one embodiment, the social interface includes a comment interface that posts comments during the first user's game play.

  In one embodiment, a method operation for processing a request to join a first user's game play session includes an acknowledgment that allows control of game play by the second user in the first user's game play session. Including a method operation of receiving from one user.

  In one embodiment, a method operation for presenting a live video feed of a first user's game play to a second user includes a method operation of presenting a live video feed in a non-full screen format, Method actions initiated by a user in a first user's game play session include method actions that trigger the presentation of a live video feed in full screen format.

  In another embodiment, processing a program instruction to present a live video feed of a first user's game play to a second remote user and a request to transition control of the first user's game play to the second user A fixed computer-readable medium embodying program instructions for remote control of user game play, including program instructions for controlling the game play of the first user by a second user To do.

  In one embodiment, the method action of initiating control of the first user's game play by the second user is not controlled by the first controller device associated with the first user. A method operation to activate, and a method operation to activate control of a first user's game play by a second controller device associated with the second user.

  In one embodiment, the control of the first user's game play by the second user receives an input command from the second controller device and applies the input command to define the first user's game play. Including method operations.

  In one embodiment, the live video feed is presented to the second user via the social interface, the social interface provides access to the second user's social graph, and the first user Defined as a member of the user's social graph.

  In one embodiment, the social interface includes a comment interface that posts comments during the first user's game play.

  In one embodiment, a method operation for processing a request to transition control includes a method operation that receives an acknowledgment from a first user that enables control of a first user's game play by a second user.

  In one embodiment, a method operation for presenting a live video feed of a first user's game play to a second user includes a method operation of presenting a live video feed in a non-full screen format, the first user's game The method operation of initiating control of play by the second user includes a method operation that triggers the presentation of a live video feed in full screen format.

  FIG. 20 illustrates hardware and user interfaces that can be used to provide interactivity in a video game, according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 20 illustrates the overall system architecture of a Sony® Playstation 3® entertainment device, adapted to interface a control device with a computer program executed on a base computing device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 schematically shows a console that can be used. A system unit 2000 is provided, and various peripheral devices can be connected to the system unit 2000. The system unit 2000 includes a cell processor 2028, a Rambus® dynamic random access memory (XDRAM) unit 2026, a Reality Synthesizer graphics unit 2030 having a dedicated video random access memory (VRAM) unit 2032, and an I / O bridge 2034. including. The system unit 2000 includes a Blu Ray (registered trademark) disk BD-ROM (registered trademark) optical disk reading device 2040 for reading from the disk 2040a, a removable slot-in hard disk drive accessible via the I / O bridge 2034. (HDD) 2036 is also included. Optionally, the system unit 2000 also includes a memory card reader 2038 that reads a CompactFlash® memory card, a Memory Stick® memory card, etc. that are also accessible via the I / O bridge 2034. .

  The I / O bridge 2034 includes six universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 ports 2024, a Gigabit Ethernet (registered trademark) port 2022, an IEEE 802.11b / g wireless network (Wi-Fi) port 2020, and a maximum of seven. Connected to a Bluetooth® wireless link port 2018 that can support up to four Bluetooth® connections.

  In operation, the I / O bridge 2034 handles all wireless data, USB data, and Ethernet data, including data from one or more game controllers 2002-2003. For example, when a user is playing a game, the I / O bridge 2034 receives data from the game controllers 2002-2003 via a Bluetooth link and updates the current state of the game accordingly. Guide to 2028.

  In addition to the game controllers 2002-2003, the wireless USB and Ethernet (registered trademark) ports also include a portable entertainment device 2010 such as a remote control 2004, a keyboard 2006, a mouse 2008, a Sony Playportable (registered trademark) entertainment device, and EyeToy (registered trademark). ) Provides connectivity towards other peripheral devices such as a video camera 2012, such as a video camera, microphone headphones 2014, and microphone 2015. Thus, such peripheral devices can in principle be connected wirelessly to the system unit 2000, for example, the portable entertainment device 2010 can communicate via a Wi-Fi ad hoc connection, while a microphone The headphones 2014 can communicate via a Bluetooth (registered trademark) link.

  The installation of these interfaces means that the Playstation 3 device is compatible with other peripheral devices such as digital video tape recorders (DVR), set-top boxes, digital cameras, portable media players, voice over IP phones, mobile phones, printers and scanners. Means potential fit.

  In addition, the traditional memory card reader 2016 can be connected to the system unit via the USB port 2024, so that the type of memory card used by the Playstation® or PlayStation 2® device 2048 readings are possible.

  The game controllers 2002-2003 are operable to communicate wirelessly with the system unit 2000 via a Bluetooth® link or to be connected to a USB port so that the game controllers 2002-2003 Power for charging the battery is also supplied. Game controllers 2002-2003 include a memory, a processor, a memory card reader, a permanent memory such as a flash memory, an illuminated spherical section, a light emitter such as LED or infrared light, a microphone and speaker for ultrasonic communication, an acoustic chamber, Recognizable shapes such as digital cameras, internal clocks, spherical sections facing the game console, and wireless communications using protocols such as Bluetooth®, WiFi®, and the like.

  The game controller 2002 is a controller designed to be used with two hands, and the game controller 2003 is a one-handed controller having an attachment. In addition to one or more analog joysticks and conventional control buttons, game controllers are susceptible to three-dimensional location decisions. As a result, gestures and movements by the user of the game controller may be interpreted as input to the game in addition to or instead of conventional buttons or joystick commands. Optionally, other wirelessly enabled peripheral devices such as Playstation® portable devices can be used as the controller. In the case of PlayStation®, portable device, additional game or control information (eg, number of control instructions or life) can be provided on the screen of the device. A dance mat (not shown), light gun (not shown), handle and pedal (not shown), or a single or several large buttons for a quick corresponding quiz game (also not shown) Other alternative or auxiliary control devices can also be used, such as order-specific controllers.

  The remote control 2004 is also operable to communicate wirelessly with the system unit 2000 via a Bluetooth® link. The remote control 704 includes operations suitable for Blu Ray ™ disc BD-ROM reader 2040 operation and disc content navigation.

  The Blu Ray ™ disc BD-ROM reader 2040 reads CD-ROMs compatible with Playstation and Playstation 2 devices in addition to conventional pre-recorded and recordable CDs and so-called super audio CDs. Is operable. The reader 2040 is also operable to read DVD-ROMs compatible with Playstation 2 and Playstation 3 devices in addition to conventional pre-recorded and recordable DVDs. The reader 2040 is further operable to read a Playstation 3 device and a BD-ROM that is compatible with a conventional pre-recorded and recordable Blu-Ray disc.

  The system unit 2000 displays audio and video generated or decoded by the Playstation 3 device via the Reality Synthesizer graphics unit 2030, and displays and sounds such as a monitor or television receiver having a display 2044 and one or more speakers 2046. The output device 2042 is operable to supply via audio and video connectors. The audio connector 2050 can include conventional analog and digital outputs, while the video connector 2052 includes component video, S-video, composite video, and one or more high definition multimedia interfaces (HDMI (registered)). Trademark)) output can be variously included. As a result, the video output can be in a format such as PAL or NTSC, or a high resolution of 720p, 1080i or 1080p.

  Audio processing (generation, decoding and others) is performed by the cell processor 2028. Playstation 3 device operating system supports 7.1 surround sound decoding from Dolby® 5.1 surround sound, Dolby® theater surround (DTS) and Blu-Ray® discs To do.

  In this embodiment, the video camera 2012 can transmit the compressed video data for decoding by the system unit 2000 in a reasonable format, such as an intra-layer image-based MPEG standard. Single charge coupled device (CCD), LED indicator and hardware based real time data compression and encoding device. The camera LED indicator is arranged to illuminate in response to appropriate control data from the system unit 2000 to indicate an unsuitable lighting state, for example. Embodiments of the video camera 2012 can be variously connected to the system unit 700 via USB, Bluetooth®, or Wi-Fi communication ports. Video camera embodiments can include one or more associated microphones, and can also transmit audio data. In video camera embodiments, the CCD can have the appropriate resolution for high resolution video capture. In use, the image captured by the video camera can be incorporated into a game, for example, or interpreted as a game control input. In another embodiment, the camera is an infrared camera suitable for detecting infrared light.

  In general, a reasonable piece of software such as a device driver should be provided so that data communication can occur without failure with a peripheral device such as a video camera or a remote control via one of the communication ports of the system unit 2000. It is. Device driver technology is well known and will not be described in detail here, but as an exception, one skilled in the art may be required in this embodiment described by a device driver or similar software interface. You will understand that.

  FIG. 21 illustrates additional hardware that can be used to process instructions according to one embodiment of the invention. The cell processor 2028 includes four basic components: an external input / output structure including a memory controller 2160 and a dual bus interface controller 2170A, B), a main processor called a power processing element 2150, and a synergistic processing element (SPE) 2110A- It has an architecture that includes eight coprocessors, H, and a circular data bus connecting the above components, the element interconnect bus 2180. The total floating point performance of the cell processor is 218 GFLOPS compared to 6.2 GFLOPs of the Emotion Engine of the Playstation 2 device.

  The power processing element (PPE) 2150 is based on a PowerPC core (PPU) 855 that is compliant with a bidirectional simultaneous threading power 570 running with an internal clock of 3.2 GHz. Includes 512 kB level 2 (L2) cache and 32 kB level 1 (L1) cache. The PPE 2150 is capable of eight single position operations per clock cycle converted to 25.6 GFLOPs at 3.2 GHz. The primary role of the PPE 2150 is to serve as a controller for synergistic processing elements 2110A-H that handles most of the computer workload. In operation, the PPE 2150 maintains a job queue, schedules jobs for the synergistic processing elements 2110A-H and monitors their progress. As a result, each synergistic processing element 2110A-H executes a kernel whose role is to fetch and execute jobs and synchronize with the PPE 2150.

  Each synergistic processing element (SPE) 2110A-H includes a respective synergistic processing unit (SPU) 2120A-H, and each memory flow controller (MFC) 2140A-H includes a respective dynamic memory access controller (DMAC). 2142A-H, each including a memory management unit (MMU) 2144A-H and a bus interface (not shown). Each SPU 2120A-H is a RISC processor that includes a 256kB local RAM 2130A-H that is clocked at 3.2GHz and is in principle scalable to 4GB. Each SPE gives a theoretical 25.6 GFLOPS of single precision performance. The SPU can operate on 4 single precision floating point members, 4 32-bit numbers, 8 16-bit integers, or 16 8-bit integers in a single clock cycle. Memory operations can also be performed in the same clock cycle. The SPUs 2120A-H do not directly access the system memory XDRAM 2026, and the 64-bit addresses formed by the SPUs 2120A-H access the memory via the element interconnect bus 2180 and the memory controller 2160 to the DMA controllers 2142A-H. To MFC 2140A-H, which instructs to do so.

  The element interconnect bus (EIB) 2180 connects the above-mentioned processor elements that are a total of 12 participating elements, that is, the PPE 2150, the memory controller 2160, the dual bus interfaces 2170A and B, and the eight SPEs 2110A to H. A logically circular communication bus within the cell processor 2028. Participating elements can simultaneously read from and write to the bus at a rate of 8 bytes per clock cycle. As described above, each SPE 2110A-H includes a DMAC 2142A-H that schedules a longer read or write sequence. The EIB includes four channels, two each in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. As a result, for twelve participants, the longest gradual data flow between any two participants is six steps in a reasonable direction. Thus, the theoretical peak instantaneous EIB bandwidth of 12 slots is 96B per clock for full utilization via arbitration between participating elements. This equals a peak bandwidth of 307.2 GB / s (gigabytes / second) at a clock rate of 3.2 GHz.

  The memory controller 2160 includes an XDRAM interface 2162 developed by Rambus Incorporated. The memory controller interfaces with Rambus XDRAM 2026, which has a theoretical peak bandwidth of 25.6 GB / s.

  The dual bus interface 2170A, B includes a Rambus FlexIO (registered trademark) system interface 2172A, B. The interface is organized into 12 channels, each 8 bits wide, 5 paths are inbound and 7 are outbound. Thus, the theory of 62.4 GB / s (36.4 GB / s outbound, 26 GB / s inbound) between the I / O bridge 2034 via the cell processor and the controller 2170A and the Reality Simulator graphics unit 2130 via the controller 2170B. Peak bandwidth is obtained.

  The data sent by the cell processor 2128 to the Reality Simulator graphics unit 2130 typically includes a display list that is a series of commands such as drawing vertices, applying a surface pattern to a polygon, and specifying lighting conditions. Become.

  FIG. 22 is an exemplary illustration of scenes A through E where each user A through user E interacts with game client 2202 connected to the server process via the Internet, according to one embodiment of the present invention. A game client is a device that allows a user to connect to server applications and processes over the Internet. Game clients allow users to access and play online entertainment content such as, but not limited to, games, videos, music and photos. In addition, game clients can provide access to online communication applications such as VOIP, text chat protocols, and email.

  The user interacts with the game client via the controller. In some embodiments, the controller is a dedicated game client controller, while in other embodiments the controller may be a keyboard and mouse combination. In one embodiment, the game client is a stand-alone device that can output audio and video signals to create a multimedia environment via a monitor / TV and associated audio equipment. For example, the game client can be, but is not limited to, a thin client, an internal PCI-express card, an external PCI-express device, an ExpressCard device, an internal, external, or a wireless USB device or Firewire® device. . In other embodiments, the game client is integrated with a television or other multimedia device such as a DVR, Blu-Ray player, DVD player or multi-channel receiver.

  In scene A of FIG. 22, user A interacts with a client application displayed on monitor 2204A using controller 2206A, which is paired with game client 2202A. Similarly, within scene B, user B interacts with another client application displayed on monitor 2204B using controller 2206B paired with game client 2202B. Scene C shows a view from the back of user C when looking at a monitor showing a game and a game and buddy list from client 2202C. Although FIG. 22 shows one server processing module, in one embodiment, there are multiple server processing modules worldwide. Each server processing module includes sub-modules for user session control, sharing / communication logic, user geographic location, and load balancing processing services. In addition, the server processing module includes network processing and distributed storage.

  When the game client 2202 connects the processing module to the server, user session control can be used to authenticate the user. An authenticated user can have associated virtualized distributed storage and virtualized network processing. Exemplary items that can be stored as part of a user's virtualized distributed storage include purchased media such as, but not limited to, games, videos and music. In addition, distributed storage can be used to store game states for multiple games, customized environments for individual games, and general environments for game clients. In one embodiment, the user geographic location module of the server process is used to determine the geographic location of the user and each game client. Shared / communication logic and load balancing processing services can use the user's geographic location to optimize performance based on the geographic location and processing requirements for multiple server processing modules. By virtualizing one or both network processing and network storage, processing tasks from game clients can be dynamically transferred to under-utilized server processing modules. Thus, load balancing can be used to minimize latency associated with recall from storage and data transmission between the server processing module and the game client.

  The server processing module has instances of server application A and server application B. The server processing module can support multiple server applications as indicated by server application X1 and server application X2. In one embodiment, server processing is based on a cluster computing architecture that allows multiple processors in a cluster to process server applications. In another embodiment, different types of multi-computer processing schemes are applied to process server applications. This allows the server process to be scaled to accommodate a larger number of game clients executing a plurality of client applications and corresponding server applications. Alternatively, server processing can be scaled to accommodate the increased computational demands required by more demanding graphics processing or games, video compression, or application complexity. In one embodiment, the server processing module performs most of the processing via the server application. This allows relatively expensive components such as graphics processors, RAM and general processors to be centrally located, reducing the cost of game clients. The processed server application data is sent back to the corresponding game client via the Internet so as to be displayed on the monitor.

  Scene C shows an exemplary application that can be executed by a game client and server processing module. For example, in one embodiment, game client 2202C enables user C to create and display a buddy list 2220 that includes user A, user B, user D, and user E. As shown, in scene C, user C can see each user's real-time image or avatar on monitor 2204C. The server process executes each application of the game client 2202C and the game clients 2202 of the user A, the user B, the user D, and the user E. Since the server process recognizes the application being executed by the game client B, the user A's buddy list can indicate which game the user B is playing. Still further, in one embodiment, user A can display the actual in the game video directly from user B. This is enabled simply by sending user B's processed server application data to game client A in addition to game client B.

  In addition to being able to display videos from buddies, the communication application can allow real-time communication between buddies. As applied to the previous embodiment, this allows User A to provide encouragement or hints while watching User B's real-time video. In one embodiment, two-way real-time voice communication is established via a client / server application. In another embodiment, the client / server application enables text chat. In yet another embodiment, the client / server application converts speech to text for display on a peer screen.

  Scene D and scene E show the respective user D and user E interacting with game consoles 2210D and 2210E, respectively. Each game console 2210D and 2210E is connected to a server processing module and represents a network in which the server processing module coordinates game playback for the game console and game client.

  FIG. 23 illustrates an embodiment of an Internet service provider architecture. An information service provider (ISP) 2370 distributes a number of information services over a network 2386 to geographically distributed and connected users 2382. The ISP can distribute only one type of service such as stock price latest information or various services such as radio wave media, news, sports, and games. Further, the services provided by each ISP are dynamic, i.e., services can be added or deleted at any point in time. Thus, an ISP that provides a particular type of service to a particular individual can change over time. For example, the user can be handled by an ISP at a location close to the user while the person is in his / her hometown, and the user can be handled by a different ISP when moving to a different city. The home ISP will transfer the necessary information and data to the new ISP, so that the user information will “follow” the user to the new city, making the data familiar to the user and accessible. In another embodiment, a master-server relationship can be established between a master ISP that manages information about a user and a server ISP that interfaces directly with a user under the control of the master ISP. In other embodiments, data is transferred from one ISP to another as clients move around the world to make the ISP in a better location to serve users the ISP delivering these services. Is done.

  ISP 2370 includes an application service provider (ASP) 2372 that provides computerized services to customers over a network. Software provided using the ASP model is sometimes referred to as on-demand software or software as a service (SaaS). A simple form of providing access to special purpose programs (such as customer relationship management) is by using standard protocols such as HTTP. Application software resides on the seller's system and is accessed by the user via a web browser using HTML with dedicated client software provided by the seller or other remote interface such as a thin client.

  Cloud computing is often used for services distributed over a wide geographical area. Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and frequently virtualized resources are provided as services on the Internet. The user need not be a technical infrastructure expert in the “cloud” supporting the user. Cloud computing can be divided into different services, such as a service (IaaS), a platform as a service (PaaS), and an infrastructure as software as a service (SaaS). Cloud computing services often provide common business applications that are accessed online from a web browser, while software and data are stored on a server. The term cloud is an Internet metaphor, based on how the Internet is shown in computer network diagrams, and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure that the Internet hides.

  Further, ISP 2370 includes a game processing server (GPS) 2374 that is used by game clients to play single and multiplayer video games. Most video games played on the Internet operate via a connection to a game server. Normally, a game uses a dedicated server application that collects data from a player and distributes it to other players. This is more efficient and effective than peer-to-peer deployment, but requires a separate server to employ the server application. In another embodiment, GPS establishes communication between players, and each game pre-device exchanges information without relying on centralized GPS.

  Dedicated GPS is a server that runs independently of the client. Such servers are typically run on dedicated hardware located within the data center, which provides more bandwidth and dedicated processing power. A dedicated server is a preferred method of adopting a game server for multiplayer games based on most PCs. On a large scale, multiplayer online games typically run on dedicated servers employed by software companies that own the titles of the games, which can control and update content.

  A broadcast processing server (BPS) 2376 delivers audio or video signals to viewers. Broadcasting to a very narrow audience is sometimes referred to as narrow casting. The final step in broadcast distribution is whether the signal reaches the listener or viewer as if it were, and as with radio or television broadcasters, it may come to antennas and receivers wirelessly, Or, it may come through a station or directly from a network via wired TV or radio (or “wireless cable”). The Internet can also bring radio or TV to the receiver, especially with multicasting that allows signal and bandwidth to be shared. Traditionally, broadcasts have been separated by geographic area, such as country level broadcasts or regional level broadcasts. However, with the rapid spread of the Internet, broadcast is not defined by geography as content can reach almost any country in the world.

  A storage service provider (SSP) 2378 provides computer storage space and associated management services. The SSP also provides regular backup and archive processing. By providing storage areas as a service, the user can order more storage areas as needed. Another major advantage is that SSP includes a backup service, and users will not lose all their data if their computer hard drive fails. In addition, multiple SSPs can have full or partial copies of user data, which allows users to be efficient and independent of the device they are using to access their location or data. To access the data. For example, a user can access personal files in motion on a home computer as well as on a mobile phone while traveling.

  Communication provider 380 provides connectivity to the user. One type of communication provider is an Internet service provider (ISP) that provides access to the Internet. ISPs connect customers using data transmission techniques that are reasonable to deliver Internet protocol datagrams, such as dial-up, DSL, cable modem, wireless or dedicated high-speed interconnect. Communication providers can also provide messaging services such as email, instant messaging and SMS texting. Another type of communications provider is a network service provider (NSP) that sells bandwidth or network access by providing direct backbone access to the Internet. Network service providers may consist of telecommunications companies that provide high-speed Internet access, data carriers, wireless communication providers, Internet service providers, and cable television operators.

  Data exchange 2388 interconnects several modules inside ISP 2370 and connects these modules to user 2382 via network 2386. Data exchange 2388 may target a small area where all modules of ISP 2370 are close, or may cover a large geographical area where different modules are geographically distributed. is there. For example, the data exchange 2388 can include a high speed Gigabit Ethernet (or higher speed) or intercontinental virtual local area network (VLAN) within a data center partition.

  A user 2382 accesses remote services with a client device 2384 that includes at least a CPU, a display, and I / O. The client device can be a PC, mobile phone, netbook, PDA, or the like. In one embodiment, ISP 2370 recognizes the type of device used by the client and adjusts the employed communication method. In other cases, the client device uses standard communication methods such as html to access ISP 2370.

  Embodiments of the invention may be practiced with various computer system configurations including handheld devices, microprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a wired or wireless network.

  With the previous embodiments in mind, it should be understood that the present invention can employ various computer-implemented operations involving data stored in a computer system. These operations are those requiring physical manipulation of physical quantities. Any of the operations described herein that form part of the present invention are useful machine operations. The present invention relates to an apparatus or an apparatus for performing these operations. The device can be made specifically for the required purpose, or the device can be a general purpose computer that is selectively activated or configured by a computer program stored in the computer. In particular, various general purpose machines can be used with computer programs written in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may be more convenient to create a more specialized device to perform the necessary operations.

  The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of computer readable media include hard drives, network attached storage (NAS), read only memory, random access memory, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape and other optical and non-optical data storage devices. There is. Computer-readable media can include computer-readable tangible media that is distributed over a networked computer system such that computer-readable code is distributed and stored and executed.

  Although the method operations have been described in a particular order, can other housekeeping operations be performed between operations, or can they be performed at slightly different times as long as the overlay operation is processed in the desired manner? It should be understood that the work can be adjusted so that it can be distributed in a system that allows the generation of processing work at various intervals associated with the process.

  Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not limited to the details shown herein, but within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims. Can be modified.

Claims (12)

A method for remotely controlling a user's game play,
The step of the cloud gaming server executing a first user game play session of a video game, wherein the first user game play session occurs in the first user game play session. Processing input received over a network from a first controller device associated with the first user to manage game play events;
Processing a request from a remote second user to view a live video feed of the first user's game play;
Responsive to the request from the second user at the remote location, presenting a live video feed of the first user's game play to the second user at the remote location via the network;
Processing a request to transfer control of the first user's game play session to the second user while presenting the live video feed to the second user at the remote location;
Initiating control of the first user's game play session by the second user;
Including
The step of initiating control by the second user deactivates control by the first controller device and activates control by a second controller device associated with the second user;
The step of initiating control by the second user is received from the second controller device over the network to manage the game play event that occurs in the first user's game play session. Processing the input,
The method is performed by at least one processor;
A method characterized by that. The control of the first user's game play session by the second controller device receives an input command from the second controller device and applies the input command to the first user's game play. Including the step of defining a session,
The method according to claim 1. The live video feed is presented to the second user via a social interface, the social interface provides access to the second user's social graph, and the first user Defined as a member of the user's social graph,
The method according to claim 1. The social interface includes a comment interface for posting comments during the game play of the first user;
The method according to claim 3. The step of processing the request to transition control comprises receiving an acknowledgment from the first user enabling the control of the first user's game play by the second user;
The method according to claim 1. Presenting the live video feed of the first user's game play to the second user comprises presenting the live video feed in a non-full screen format;
The step of initiating control of the first user's game play by the second user comprises triggering the presentation of the live video feed in full screen format;
The method according to claim 1. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program instructions for remote control of a user's game play, the program instructions comprising:
A program instruction for a cloud gaming server to execute a first user's game play session of a video game, wherein executing the first user's game play session comprises: Processing instructions received over a network from a first controller device associated with the first user to manage game play events occurring at:
Program instructions for processing a request from a remote second user to view a live video feed of the first user's game play;
A program for providing a live video feed of the first user's game play to the second user at the remote location via the network in response to the request from the second user at the remote location. Instructions and
Program instructions for processing a request to transition control of the first user's game play session to the second user while presenting the live video feed to the second user at the remote location;
Program instructions for initiating control of the first user's game play session by the second user;
Initiating control by the second user deactivates control by the first controller device and activates control by a second controller device associated with the second user;
Initiating control by the second user is received via the network from the second controller device to manage the game play event occurring in the first user's game play session. Including processing,
A non-transitory computer readable medium characterized by: The control of the first user's game play session by the second controller device receives an input command from the second controller device and applies the input command to the first user's game play. Including the step of defining a session,
The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7 . The live video feed is presented to the second user via a social interface, the social interface provides access to the second user's social graph, and the first user Defined as a member of the user's social graph,
The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7 . The social interface includes a comment interface for posting comments during the game play of the first user;
The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 . Processing the request to transition control comprises receiving an acknowledgment from the first user that enables the control of the game play of the first user by the second user;
The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7 . Presenting the live video feed of the first user's game play to the second user comprises presenting the live video feed in a non-full screen format;
Initiating control of the first user's game play by the second user includes triggering the presentation of the live video feed in full screen format;
The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7 .