Game system and storage medium storing game program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9327192-B2
Application number	US-98444507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2007
Priority date	Nov 17, 2006
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A movement vector of an object which appears in a virtual game world is determined in accordance with an operation of a direction instruction section which is provided in a housing. The movement vector is corrected in accordance with a change in an orientation of the housing from a reference orientation or acceleration generated in the housing. Then, movement of the object in the virtual game world is controlled based on the corrected movement vector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A game system comprising a game controller including a housing, a game apparatus in communication with the game controller, and an orientation detector for detecting aspects of orientation of the housing,
the game controller including at least a direction input device which is provided in the housing for receiving a direction input, and
the game apparatus including:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, control the game apparatus to generate images of a virtual game world, each of one or more of the images being generated by at least:
receiving, from the game controller, a transmission of operation data including both direction input data corresponding to a direction input received by the direction input device of the game controller and orientation data corresponding to aspects of orientation of the game controller detected by the orientation detector;
determining a movement vector of an object, which appears in the virtual game world, in accordance with the direction input data from the received transmission of operation data;
combining the determined movement vector with a correction vector determined based on the orientation data from the same received transmission of operation data, to produce a corrected movement vector;
moving the object in the virtual game world based on the corrected movement vector; and
generating, for display, an image of the virtual game world after the moving of the object.

2. The game system according to claim 1 , wherein the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in a predetermined direction in the virtual game world in accordance with rotation of the housing about a predetermined axis.

3. The game system according to claim 2 , wherein the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in a forward direction thereof in the virtual game world in accordance with rotation of the housing about a left-right axis of the housing.

4. The game system according to claim 2 , wherein the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in a left-right direction thereof in the virtual game world in accordance with rotation of the housing about a front-rear axis of the housing.

5. The game system according to claim 1 , wherein the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in a predetermined direction in the virtual game world in accordance with rotation of a predetermined axis of the housing about an axis perpendicular to the predetermined axis.

6. The game system according to claim 1 , wherein
the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in a first direction in the virtual game world in accordance with rotation of a first axis of the housing about an axis perpendicular to the first axis, and
the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in a second direction in the virtual game world, which is different from the first direction, in accordance with rotation of a second axis of the housing, which is different from the first axis, about an axis perpendicular to the second axis.

7. The game system according to claim 1 , wherein
the direction input device includes at least a stick which is configured for inclining in a predetermined direction of the housing thereby to receive an input,
the movement vector is determined so as to move the object in a first direction in the virtual game world when the stick is inclined in the predetermined direction, and
the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in the first direction in the virtual game world in accordance with rotation of the housing so as to be inclined in the predetermined direction.

8. The game system according to claim 1 , wherein
the direction input device includes at least a stick which is configured for inclining so as to rotate about a predetermined axis of the housing thereby to receive an input,
the movement vector is determined so as to move the object in a first direction in the virtual game world when the stick is inclined in a direction to rotate about the predetermined axis, and
the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in the first direction in the virtual game world in accordance with rotation of the housing about the predetermined axis.

9. The game system according to claim 1 , wherein
the direction input device includes at least a stick which is configured for inclining in a predetermined direction of the housing or a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction thereby to receive an input,
the movement vector is determined so as to move the object in a first direction in the virtual game world when the stick is inclined in the predetermined direction, and the movement vector is determined so as to move the object in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in the virtual game world when the stick is inclined in the perpendicular direction, and
the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in the first direction in the virtual game world in accordance with rotation of the housing so as to be inclined in the predetermined direction, and the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in the second direction in the virtual game world in accordance with rotation of the housing so as to be inclined in the perpendicular direction.

10. The game system according to claim 1 , wherein
the direction input device includes at least a stick which is configured for inclining in a forward, backward, leftward, or rightward direction of the housing thereby to receive input for a forward, backward, leftward, or rightward direction,
the movement vector is determined so as to move the object in a reference direction by changing the reference direction, in which the object moves in the virtual game world, in accordance with a direction input to the direction input device when the stick is inclined in the forward direction of the housing,
the correction vector is determined so as to increase a movement amount of the object in the reference direction in the virtual game world in accordance with inclination of the housing in the forward direction.

11. A game system comprising a game controller operated by a player and a game apparatus in communication with the game controller,
the game controller including:
a housing;
a direction input device provided so that, when the player holds the housing with one hand, the direction input device is operable by the player's thumb; and
a movement detector for detecting movement of the housing, and

the game apparatus including:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, control the game apparatus to generate image of a virtual game world, each of one or more of the images being generated by at least:
receiving, from the game controller, a transmission of operation data including both direction input data corresponding to a direction input supplied to the direction input device of the game controller and movement data corresponding to movement detected by the movement detector;
determining, in accordance with the direction input data from the received transmission of operation data, a forward direction of an object, which appears in the virtual game world, as a direction of a movement vector of the object when the direction input data corresponds to input to the directio

Assignees

• Nonaka Toyokazu
• Izuno Toshiharu
• Nishimura Kentaro
• Tanaka Kenta
• Ito Norihito
• Okada Masayuki
• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nonaka Toyokazu
• Izuno Toshiharu
• Nishimura Kentaro
• Tanaka Kenta
• Ito Norihito
• Okada Masayuki

Classifications

• A63F13/10 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63F2300/105

  using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes · CPC title

• A63F2300/6045

  for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands · CPC title

• A63F2300/1087

  comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera · CPC title

• A63F2300/8017

  Driving on land or water; Flying · CPC title