Apple patents unique concept for handheld gaming?

[CptStern]

"Apple's new patent reveals a unique gaming tablet application"


"Apple’s new accelerometer patent reveals a tablet PC,” it’s all about a wild new video game application for Apple’s accelerometer technology. It provides specific gaming examples of user as a driver and pilot and even provides a glimpse of how the accelerometer will be used in First Person Shooter games."


here's the patent and some speculation as possible applications:



For example, in a flying game, a user could hold a portable device as if the user is driving a flying object (e.g., an airplane), where an accelerometer may be used to detect the movement of the portable device in order to determine where the flying object is heading. For example, the flying object is going up when the portable device is tilted up and the flying object is going down when the portable device is tilted down. Other directions, such as, for example, those or a combination of those shown in FIG. 5A, may be utilized to enable the flying object to fly any directions.

Similarly, in a shooting game according to one embodiment, in addition to those movements described above, which may be used to look up, look down, and/or look around, a vertical movement of the portable device parallel to the display surface of the portable device may be used to detect whether a user is in a standup shooting position or in a hiding position. For example, when the portable device is moved down, a protection barrier may be displayed blocking the opponents to indicate that a user holding the portable device as a shooting weapon is hiding behind the protection barrier. When the portable device is moved up, the protection barrier may be removed exposing the opponents to indicate that the user is in a shooting position without protection.



in other words ..you could have a true 3d handcontroller similiar to the Revolution but much more interactive


"excerpts from Patent Point # 85: According to another embodiment, the techniques described above may be used in a virtual reality environment. For example, a user holding the tablet can turn around and see the view looking backwards from a position in a two or three dimensional image or object database as if the user walks into a virtual reality game space. According to another embodiment, a user may perform an inspection of an image panorama where the view in different directions is provided by multiple cameras pointing outward in different directions from a single location.

In another embodiment presented – it allows a user to use the accelerometer equipped portable display device as a portable and controllable window into a virtual reality image database."


kind of confusing and maybe a little abstract but worth the read. It sounds awesome if true

http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.p...t_reveals_a_unique_gaming_tablet_application/

 

[Lou]

"Apple's new patent reveals a unique gaming tablet application"
http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.p...t_reveals_a_unique_gaming_tablet_application/

Very interesting concept, but it sounds like you actually have to use many arm muscles, which might not be as appealing as sitting on a chair moving a mouse.

 

[Shamrock]

Seems like a great concept idea, but it sounds like it will be intensely complicated.

 

[JNightshade]

Could be very cool. New ideas are always a good thing.

 

[sinkoman]

Imagine how much one of those things would cost.

A Wacom Cintiq is already 2500 USD, imagine one with a motion sensor.

 

[Shamrock]

Imagine how much one of those things would cost.

A Wacom Cintiq is already 2500 USD, imagine one with a motion sensor.

$10?

6char.

 

[Naudian]

Yea, interesting but...Iiiiiiiiii doooooe knooooooooooow....

 

[OCybrManO]

How specific can patents get? I mean, handheld gaming devices with motion sensors aren't exactly new. Kirby Tilt'n'Tumble did it on the GameBoy Color. The DS has touch input (like a tablet) and could use a motion sensor (if they made one) in the GBA cartridge slot while playing a DS game. I fail to see what this brings to the market.

 

[Dekstar]

This is an early version of the advanced hit-detection suit that will come with it. The visor has a HUD built in, and comes with a free hive.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Free hive? Hell yeah, I'm buying it.

That does sound like a cool concept especially when combined with crazy Japanese head-sickness motion-effector brain-ray things.

 

[Cooper]

I could see this being a cool thing to have in some of the more expensive arcade rooms. A form of virtual reality. Not really something a single person would buy though.

 

[CptStern]

How specific can patents get? I mean, handheld gaming devices with motion sensors aren't exactly new. Kirby Tilt'n'Tumble did it on the GameBoy Color. The DS has touch input (like a tablet) and could use a motion sensor (if they made one) in the GBA cartridge slot while playing a DS game. I fail to see what this brings to the market.

yes but apple already has the technology built into existing lap tops ..the patent just expands on it's uses and adds an accelerator to the already created sudden motion sensor that come with powerbooks

just think of it this way ...the only area in handheld items apple has entered is gaming. If anyone could do it right. it's apple ..now if they can only make it platform-free then they have a sure fire hit on their hands ..

it's a fake but you get the idea

/me tries to forget the Pippin

 

[OCybrManO]

If anyone could do it right. it's apple

Well, if you ignore the fact that Apple is the last place people go for games... then, maybe. The Mac as a gaming platform is a joke. That's the biggest thing holding me back... other than their restrictive closed-hardware mentality. If Microsoft does one thing better than Apple, it's gaming.

 

[CptStern]

yes but apple wouldnt be stupid enough to jump in and create a whole new console when the market is so saturated ...the Pippin was a very hard lesson to learn but they wont be repeating that again

 

[kupocake]

From what I understand of the description, I'm not sure i'd want to be the person caught playing it on the Bus...

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

 

[CptStern]

yes ....

yes but apple wouldnt be stupid enough to jump in and create a whole new console when the market is so saturated ...the Pippin was a very hard lesson to learn but they wont be repeating that again

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

yes ....

righto

 

[Codcommando]

When will Apple realise that the only people who like them are trendy IPOD owners and college kids with there laptops....not gamers

 

[JNightshade]

Well, quite frankly, I like Apple. I merely use PC because apple gaming = shit on a bun.

 

[Xune]

It's an etch-a-sketch?

 

[CptStern]

Well, quite frankly, I like Apple. I merely use PC because apple gaming = shit on a bun.

that's why I eventually switched to pc ..my first love is still apple

 

[JNightshade]

If these new Pentium processors Apple is using bring games back to the Mac, I may just switch over eventually... but chances are, no.

 

[OCybrManO]

It's not the processor that keeps the games away. Compilers take care of a lot of processor differences. The API is what makes the difference. They would have to recode everything designed for Win32, DirectX, etc. That's why gaming on Linux is in almost as bad a state as Mac gaming... even though Linux has been running on x86 processors for a long time. Microsoft tries to do whatever it can to ruin open standards and push their own proprietary standards so that people don't have the option of not using Windows. They try to block OpenGL from adding new features, strong-arm people/companies into not adopting open standards, threaten to boycott retailers that distribute Linux, push for patent "reform" in their favor, blatantly rip off other people's ideas, and tons of other bullshit which harms the consumers and/or stifles competition.

 

[Lou]

It's not the processor that keeps the games away. Compilers take care of a lot of processor differences. The API is what makes the difference. They would have to recode everything designed for Win32, DirectX, etc. That's why gaming on Linux is in almost as bad a state as Mac gaming... even though Linux has been running on x86 processors for a long time. Microsoft tries to do whatever it can to ruin open standards and push their own proprietary standards so that people don't have the option of not using Windows. They try to block OpenGL from adding new features, strong-arm people/companies into not adopting open standards, threaten to boycott retailers that distribute Linux, push for patent "reform" in their favor, blatantly rip off other people's ideas, and other bullshit which harms the consumers and/or stifles competition.

This reminds me of, what was it called, j++? a little program made by MS used to create java applications, the only problem being that such applications would work only on windows, sort of defeating the purpose of a java program, which is cross platform functionality.

 

[Sulkdodds]

When will Apple realise that the only people who like them are trendy IPOD owners and college kids with there laptops....not gamers

And people who like an operating system that actually works and isn't built out of matchsticks.

 

[Ravioli]

I have an old science magazine ( Illustrated Science) from like 2003 or something, and it shows this invention of very very very thin plastic paper, that works as a screen.

Its just like a paper, exept its made of plastic, you can bend it all you want, and its like a screen, it has text in it, and you just tuch it (tuch screen) to navigate in it. It updates everyday by itself with news and pictures. The good thing is that you never have to change, because it updates itself.

Soon they might expand it to support movies etc! I thought this was very cool, and the article had REAL pictures of it being used...so its no joke!


So i was thinking...why not make a handheld gamestation like this? Like this plastic paper that you just fold up and you can start playing, however the bad things is that it cant think as a computer and play games from a CD etc, because..its just paper, and even so, if you play you would be very fustrated when you bend it and the graphics gets smudged out and the light on the plastic makes it weird.


Maybe we will see that soon!

 

[Majestic XII]

I can do this with my IBM laptop, even some Apple laptops have sensors like this in them. You even get a little utility with you IBM where it displayes a small 3d model of the laptop and shows exactly (more or less) how its positioned. I also recall a game taking advantage of this feature (think marble madness).

I havent read into the patent yet, but the things ive read and seen, its exactly like this feature.