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Microsoft Files Patents for Virtual Game Controller
SmartAboutThings writes "A newly discovered patent shows that Microsoft might be interested in developing virtual controllers for tablets and smartphones. A while ago, it didn't quite make sense why Microsoft would need such a piece of technology, but with the announcement of their Surface tablet, it suddenly takes on a new perspective."
I think a few board games (Catan comes to mind) would be pretty playable on a moderately-sized, shared touch surface, with everyone's phone acting as their hand.
So instead of buying a $40 board game, one needs a $1000 Surface-compatible computer and 2-6 smartphones.
That phrase right there communicates the state of the patent system. Finding out which patents exist take more research and effort than inventing the patentable items.
...is how easy it is to find prior art. I've played at least three games on my crappy old droidpad that had controllers.
This seem like it's a logical extension/feature of their SmartGlass intiative.
I hope not. I'd rather play on a full screen TV with my surround sound system than squint at a tiny portalble or phone. But then I also prefer a full-sized desktop and a CD player (versus laptop or lossy MP3), and I know I'm in the minority. Things appear to be trending towards everything on a small laptop or phone device.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
So basically it's a combination of a virtual keyboard, like IPad, and a touch pad, like a laptop.
It's not what your Sig can do for you, but what you can do for your for your Sig.
The problem with using a tablet as a game controller is that it involves one of two things. Either the player will have to keep looking down at the controller, something for which the Wii U demos have been ridiculed, or the player will end up missing a lot of on-screen buttons because the player's thumb can't feel whether it's over the on-screen button or not. Perhaps the only gestures that would work are the sort of gestures used on a trackpad, one for each thumb.
Look at Scrabble:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/04/scrabble-for-the-ipad-stir-in-some-iphones-and-its-the-best-1/
I would like to see more alternatives though.
William
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
I'm all for gadgets, but why not just take the Catan board from the shelf and play?
HI!
I'm Clippy Junior!
Aren't you glad I'm here to be your friend and help you play your game!
(stands in front of zombie coming towards you so you can't target it)
Now, let's use your weapon.
First, did you remember to bring bullets?
You can buy more for $1000 in Microserf Bucks!
(pops up giant multi-panel Buy Bullets menus while the zombie eats your brain)
Maybe you should buy some soon - that zombie seems to be eating you!
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
1) Release Surface Tablet
2) Buy ATVI
3) Make WoW an exclusive for said tablet
4) Profit!!
Hey, "virtual controllers" exists from a LONG TIME!
Just check out all the Androids emulators...
I'm going to patent the Virtual^N Controller. Any controller in the window of another controller will be covered. (:-)
All ideas^H^H^H^H^Hprocesses in this post are Patent Pending. (as well as the process of patenting all postings)
The handling of physical playing pieces, rolling dice, peeking at cards, etc is part of what makes board gaming so much fun. And some of that would be lost with such a setup.
I do, however, see the potential for new games built around such a setup. You have a chicken and egg situation though of how you get both the game and the infrastructure. Maybe, nintendo's upcoming console will give that a kick off (though I know next to nothing about it aside from seeing a controller with a screen in a photo at some point).
I suspect there's a while genre of board games that would be opened up by such a setup - the ability to handle lots of hidden stuff on the board basically. But I'm not a good enough game designer to actually come up with something :)
WHAT THE HELL USPTO? Who is working there? Do they just rubber stamp everything?!
How is there not already prior art for this? The iPhone alone has hundreds, THOUSANDS of apps which already do this.
There is absolutely nothing involved in this patent that is not trivial and ALREADY IMPLEMENTED.
This is a patent which absolutely, unequivocally should have been denied.
Freaking patent system in this country is a joke. We need tort reform immediately. This is way out of hand.
So, what, now MS gets to sue every mobile app developer in the world?
GCS/MU/P d- s:- a-- C++++$ UL++ P+ L++ E+ W++ N o K- w--- O M+ V- PS+++ PE Y+ PGP t+ 5- X R++ tv+ b++ DI++ D++ G+ e++ h-
Look here! I'm way ahead of them. Instead of a virtual controller, I have the real thing. This amazing device features not only Drag and Swipe, but also Touch and Grab. Instead of a random number generator and a picture of a dice, this product features real, dice-like, six sided cubes with dots on them which you can actually Throw! Currently supports one game and several different exciting rule sets! To top it all of the entire thing is made is made of environmentally friendly cardboard. Now available in your local toy-..um... gadget store.
Why doesn't a site that talks about a specific patent at least provide the number or link to the patent in question?
Application #20120169610 VIRTUAL CONTROLLER FOR TOUCH DISPLAY
Filed December 29, 2010
It's also got a July 5, 2012 date, but I'm not sure what exactly that indicates.
If I understand the rules correctly, this means any prior art must have been published, sold, or publicly displayed before December 2009.
Patent Application
"everyone's phone acting as their hand"
Took me awhile to realize you meant hand of cards
.
"Love heals scars love left." -- Henry Rollins
The patent referred to by TFA is either
www.google.com/patents/US8049719
www.google.com/patents/US8115732
or
www.google.com/patents/US20120105315
The claimed subject matter is using a camera to detect the position of user's fingers against a background and then control a game using the same. Not sure how easy it would be to find prior art.
So how does MS get a patent on something that I already have in no less than 4 application on my phone and have had on my phone for no less than 2 years?
This is by no means a new concept. Yay for completely dishonest and harmful patent filings.
Does the patent office even try to verify claims any longer?
An input method for use with a computing device having a touch sensitive display including a touch sensor configured to detect touches of a digit of a user, the method comprising: detecting an initial digit down position on the touch sensitive display via the touch sensor; establishing a neutral position for a virtual controller at the digit down position; detecting a subsequent movement of the digit relative to the initial digit down position; determining a controller input parameter based on the subsequent movement of the digit relative to the initial digit down position; and generating a controller input message indicating the determined. controller input parameter.
Remove the "display" part and you have the trackpad that's in every laptop since the mid-1990s. Specifically, it appears to cover the control method of Metroid Prime Hunters First Hunt and Super Mario 64 DS, video games for the Nintendo DS that were first published several years before 2009.
the computer is the perfect gamemaster, it knows the rules and wont let you make moves that aren't in the rules.
the more complex the board game is the bigger of a deal that really is.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
it was useful for some party games, showed your cards on the little lcd on the attachable pack on the controller.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Somebody better go get a patent for playing an air guitar before one of these corps do.
Be seeing you...
Patent Application
USPTO wrote:
United States Patent Application 20120169610
At first glance the idea is a total rip-off of PSXDroid and a multitude of other emulators available for iOS and Android.
But if you look at the patent detail one of the concepts is to add a pressure sensor beneath the capacitive touch glass, which allows you to not only sense where the input is coming from, but also the amount of pressure being applied - thus allowing an analog input using the capacitive touch display. That could give new capabilities for gaming.
But, most of the claims in this patent have ample prior art.
IIRC, it was two years ago that they made Catan for MS Surface:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUFT01vzyI