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Nintendo Patents Online Console Gaming

Posted by michael on from the mario-will-save-us dept.

MagicDude writes "Nintendo has patented key console online gaming features. Specifically, it has received patents on things such as player league tables, voice communications and online gaming host services. While the article doesn't address how Nintendo will use these patents, it makes you wonder if this is the first step for Nintendo to become a major player in the online gaming market."

6 of 395 comments (clear)

  1. XBOX Live? by nam37 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Anyone heard of this? It can do these things...

    NAM37

    --
    The two rules for success are:
    1) Never tell them everything you know.
  2. Weird.. by FubarPA · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Wouldn't the XBox, or even Dreamcast, have some sort of prior art against this? I mean, the Gamecube has one (that I know of) online game, and it doesn't support most of the things being patented by Nintendo.

    --
    "Well, I am mad, and I'm a crazy fucka when it comes to tea"
  3. xbox live prior art? by musikit · · Score: 0, Redundant

    how is this different from xbox live?

    would it count as prior art?

    i would think they are either using this as
    1. a defense manuever against sony/microsoft
    2. push sony/microsoft out of the online community so they get more market share.

    i would say more 1 then 2 but if it is 2 would MS/Sony have a defense?

    P.S. i love nintendo. MS can go away quietly please. but you have to be fair

  4. Re:Homer, hmmmm patents. Yum by zerosleep · · Score: 0, Redundant

    You said it.

  5. Another Twist by blueZhift · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Can't help but wonder if Nintendo might be getting ready to open a can of lawyer sized whoop ass on their good neighbors over at Microsoft! It would seem to me that Xbox Live and Sega's earlier online Dreamcast efforts constitute prior art. IANAL (I finally get to use that!), so I could be wrong.

    Best case scenario, Nintendo is getting ready to enter online gaming in a big way and want to get their ducks in a row. If true, I think this means that Shigero Miyamoto has something ready to go online. You can bet that when Nintendo is ready to go online Miyamoto-san will be leading the way!

    --
    To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
  6. *Woop! Woop!* Prior Art Alert! by TrollBridge · · Score: 0, Redundant
    "Specifically, it has received patents on things such as player league tables, voice communications and online gaming host services."

    I suspect that Microsoft will have something to say about all this. Can you say "X-Box Live"? Hell, it even came with the damn McDonald's drive-thru headset! How can Nintendo claim no prior art?

    --
    There's a Mercedes gap too. I want one and can't afford one, but it's not government's job to do anything about it.