Computer-readable storage medium, information processing system, and information processing method for operating objects in a virtual world based on orientation data related to an orientation of a device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9539511-B2
Application number	US-201113283072-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2011
Priority date	Mar 8, 2011
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

It is determined, based on attitude data, whether or not a direction of a predetermined axis set in a portable display device is within a first range. When the result of the determination is that the direction of the predetermined axis is within the first range, an action of a first object arranged in a virtual world is controlled based on the direction of the predetermined axis. When it is determined that the direction of the predetermined axis is outside the first range, at least an action of a second object arranged in the virtual world is controlled based on the direction of the predetermined axis. Then, a first image showing the virtual world including at least the first object and the second object is displayed on the portable display device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program executed on a computer of an information processing apparatus which is capable of displaying an image on a portable display device which outputs at least attitude data based on an attitude of a body of the portable display device, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to perform functionality comprising:
calculating an attitude of the portable display device with respect to a predetermined direction in real space;
determining, based on the calculated attitude of the portable display device, whether or not a direction of a predetermined axis is within a first range which is set with respect to the predetermined direction in the real space, based on the attitude of the portable display device with respect to the predetermined direction in the real space;
controlling an action of a first object arranged in a virtual world, with reference to a predetermined direction which is set in the virtual world and corresponds to the predetermined direction in the real space, based on the direction of the predetermined axis with respect to the predetermined direction in the real space, when the result of the determination is that the direction of the predetermined axis is within the first range;
controlling at least an action of a second object arranged in the virtual world, with reference to the predetermined direction set in the virtual world, based on the direction of the predetermined axis with respect to the predetermined direction in the real space, when the result of the determination is that the direction of the predetermined axis is outside the first range; and
displaying, on the portable display device, a first image showing the virtual world including at least the first object and the second object.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
the action of the first object is controlled based on a change in the direction of the predetermined axis, and
at least the action of the second object is controlled based on the change in the direction of the predetermined axis.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein
the action of the first object is controlled such that the greater the change in the direction of the predetermined axis is, the greater the movement of the first object is, and
the action of the second object is controlled such that the greater the change in the direction of the predetermined axis is, the greater the movement of the second object is.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
the action of the first object is controlled by causing the first object to rotate in accordance with an angle of the predetermined axis, and
the action of the second object is controlled by causing the second object to rotate in accordance with the angle of the predetermined axis.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
the action of the second object is controlled in accordance with the direction of the predetermined axis, and the action of the first object is controlled in accordance with the action of the second object.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5 , wherein
the action of the second object is controlled in accordance with the direction of the predetermined axis, and the action of the first object is controlled such that the first object performs the same action as the second object.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising:
setting, as the first range, a range within a first angle, and setting, as a second range, a range which is within a second angle larger than the first angle and is outside the first range, and determining whether or not the direction of the predetermined axis is within the second range,
controlling the action of the second object by causing the second object to rotate at a first angular velocity in accordance with the direction of the predetermined axis, when the result of the determination is that the direction of the predetermined axis is within the second range, and
controlling the action of the second object by causing the second object to rotate at a second angular velocity which is lower than the first angular velocity, in accordance with the direction of the predetermined axis, when the result of the determination is that the direction of the predetermined axis is neither in the first range nor in the second range.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7 , wherein
a reference direction is set with respect to the direction of the predetermined axis, and a range within the first angle centering around the reference direction is set as the first range, and a range which is within the second angle centering around the reference direction and is outside the first range is set as the second range.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
a reference direction is set with respect to the direction of the predetermined axis, and a range within the first angle centering around the reference direction is set as the first range.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 9 , wherein
the reference direction is set on a predetermined horizontal plane, and a range within the first angle on the horizontal plane centering around the reference direction is set as the first range.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
a second image showing the virtual world on another display device connected to the information processing apparatus is displayed separately from the first image.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11 , wherein
an image of the virtual world including the first object and the second object is displayed on the other display device as the second image, in which the virtual world is viewed from a viewpoint different from the viewpoint of the virtual world of the first image.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12 , wherein
a viewpoint of the virtual world of the second image is set in a position apart from the first object and the second object by a distance longer than the distance from the viewpoint of the virtual world of the first image to the first object and the second object, and
a range of the virtual world is displayed on the other display device as the second image, which is larger than the range of the virtual world shown by the first image.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12 , wherein
a viewpoint for generating the second image is set in a position in the virtual world from which the first object and the second object are viewed in a manner of bird's eye viewing, and
an image in which the first object and the second object arranged in the virtual world are viewed in a manner of bird's eye viewing is displayed on the other display device as the second image.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11 , wherein
a first virtual camera for generating the first image and a second virtual camera for generating the second image are set, and a line-of-sight direction of the second virtual camera in the virtual world is caused to change in acco

Assignees

• Matsunaga Hiroshi
• Minato Keiichi
• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsunaga Hiroshi
• Minato Keiichi

Classifications

• A63F2300/6684

  by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball · CPC title

• A63F2300/105

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

• A63F2300/301

  using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller · CPC title

• A63F2300/1056

  involving pressure sensitive buttons · CPC title

• A63F2300/403

  Connection between platform and handheld device · CPC title