Video game recording and playback with visual display of game controller manipulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9526995-B2
Application number	US-84845107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2007
Priority date	Nov 22, 2006
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A system and method for recording and playback of game data is provided. A recording engine may be configured to record and playback game data, including broadcast data received over a network. The recording engine may be included in a game console or at other network-enabled devices, such as a desktop computer. The recording engine may be configured to record the game data in a buffer memory, an archival memory, and to assist in the display of the game (e.g., interacting with a graphics processing unit). Game data stored in the buffer memory may later be transferred to the archival memory. Playback commands may be operable when a portion of the game broadcast has been recorded. When a playback command is received, the game recording engine may access a portion of the game data from buffer or archival memory and displays a selected portion and may be subject to certain seek functions (e.g., fast forward and rewind). Spectators may be able to independently archive and playback game data using local memory.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for network playback of a video game, the system comprising:
a participant client computing device associated with at least one participant playing a video game, the participant client computing device coupled to a network, the participant client computing device including:
a recording engine that receives game data generated by the at least one participant playing the video game, the game data including controller manipulation data corresponding to a physical domain manipulation of a game controller coupled to the participant client computing device, the controller manipulation data generated during participant interaction with the video game, and
a memory coupled to the recording engine that stores the game data received by the recording engine and corresponding meta-data to identify different portions within the same game data; and

a spectator client computing device coupled to the network, the spectator client computing device including a processor and a memory storing executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor:
generates a user interface that receives playback commands from a spectator associated with the spectator client computing device,
transmits the playback commands over the network, wherein the playback commands include:
an indication to play back a spectator-selected portion of the game data stored in the memory of the participant client computing device, wherein the spectator-selected portion of the game data is selected based on user input via a menu associated with the spectator client computing device, the user input corresponding with the meta-data included in the game data stored in the memory of the participant client computing device, and wherein the spectator-selected portion of the game data is a section of the stored game data that is shorter than the full length of the stored game data, and
an indication to edit the spectator-selected portion of game data, wherein editing includes introducing into the spectator-selected portion of game data at least one of advertising, captions, titles, special effects, slow-motion replay, accelerated reply, and picture-in-picture,

displays the spectator-selected portion of the game data on the spectator client computing device and one or more other spectator client computing devices coupled to the same network;
generates a textual interface that facilitates communication between a spectator of the spectator client computing device and one or more other spectators viewing the spectator-selected portion of game data, and
generates the menu that provides a plurality of options including searching other stored game data via the meta-data and sharing the spectator-selected portion of game data with one or more other the one or more other spectators.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the spectator-selected portion of the game data is played back from the memory of the participant client computing device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the spectator-selected portion of the game data is played back from a network storage device communicatively coupled to the network, the game data having been copied to the network storage device from the participant client computing device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the recording engine stores the game data while the game data is simultaneously broadcast to another recipient over the network.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the recording engine stores the game data while game data associated with a second video game is simultaneously broadcast to another recipient over the network.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the spectator-selected portion of the game data played back in response to the playback commands includes a graphic display of the game controller.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the graphic display of the game controller is scaled against a game environment of the video game.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the graphic display of the game controller is visually blended with a game environment of the video game.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the graphic display of the game controller includes at least one participant manipulation of the game controller that corresponds to the physical domain manipulation of the game controller by the at least one participant during interaction with the video game and that generated the spectator-selected portion of the game data stored in the memory of the participant client computing device.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the game controller coupled to the participant client computing device generates controller manipulation data corresponding to pitch, roll, and yaw in three-dimensional space.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein play back of the game data includes a graphic representation of hands of the participant manipulating the game controller.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the participant client computing device and spectator client computing device are each a portable gaming device and the network is a mobile ad-hoc network.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the participant client computing device transmits the game data to the spectator client computing device over the mobile ad-hoc network.

14. A method for playback of game data, comprising
storing the game data in a memory device, the game data including controller manipulation data corresponding to a physical domain manipulation of a game controller by a participant during interaction with a video game and meta-data used to identify different portions within the same game data;
receiving over a network from a spectator client computing device a plurality of playback commands identifying a spectator-selected portion of the game data, wherein the spectator-selected portion of the game data is a section of the stored game data that is shorter than the full length of the stored game data, and wherein the plurality of playback commands include:
an indication to play back the spectator-selected portion of the game data, wherein the spectator-selected portion of the game data is selected based on user input via a menu associated with the spectator client computing device, the user input corresponding with the meta-data included in the game data stored in the memory device; and
an indication to edit the spectator-selected portion of the game data, wherein editing includes introducing into the spectator-selected portion of game data at least one of advertising, captions, titles, special effects, slow-motion replay, accelerated reply, and picture-in-picture;

accessing the spectator-selected portion of the game data stored in the memory device as identified by the playback commands;
displaying the spectator-selected portion of the game data at the spectator client computing device, wherein displaying the spectator-selected portion of the game data includes displaying a graphic display of a game controller and at least one participant manipulation of the game controller that corresponds to the physical domain manipulation of the game controller by the participant during interaction with the video game and that generated the spectator-selected portion of the game data stored in the memory device, and wherein the spectator-selected portion of the game data is also displayed on one or more other spectator client computing devices coupled to the same network;
facilitating by way of a textual interface communication between a spectator of the spectator client computing device and one or more other spectators viewing the spectator-selected portion of game data; and
providing a plurality of options on the menu including functions for searching

Assignees

• Brunstetter Aaron
• Zalewski Gary M
• Sony Interactive Entertainment America Llc

Inventors

• Brunstetter Aaron
• Zalewski Gary M

Classifications

• A63F13/86 Primary

  Watching games played by other players · CPC title

• A63F13/31

  Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range · CPC title

• A63F2300/577

  for watching a game played by other players · CPC title

• A63F2300/305

  for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player · CPC title

• A63F2300/50

  characterized by details of game servers · CPC title