Topic: USPTO stuff

[jasonditz]

Don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, but patent 20040029640 describes some very trippy stuff.

Acceleration sensors in all three dimensions being used to control the action.

Some sort of cooking game is described as well.

Some juicy bits:

" This game is to enjoy virtual cooking while moving the portable game apparatus as if it was a frypan or kitchen knife. "

"In the frypan space process, the portable game apparatus is operated just like a frypan to play a game of cooking a fried egg. "

" it is possible to provide the player with a feeling as if he or she adjusts a position to cut the cabbage by controlling the positional relationship between the cabbage and the kitchen knife. "

And my personal favorite:

" Incidentally, in this embodiment, a communication cable 50 is used to communicate between the two portable game apparatuses. However, communication means such as wireless or portable phone may be utilized."

[KDR_11k]

Now that's what Iwata meant with "enabling completely new movements", eh?

[Caustic Saint]

Unfortunately the full patent text - http://tinyurl.com/3gadm - and the images from the patent - http://tinyurl.com/2a9c8 - don't shed any more light on what the device (if it's all about the DS) looks like. They use illustrations that resemble a Gameboy Pocket more than anything else to show how the x,y,z controls would work.

[jasonditz]

Whether this is the DS or just some other gadget Nintendo is coming out with, I know one thing:

I want one.

[blablamax]

WOW

[blablamax]

I dont sure..

I think this Trade mark is about the cartidges an and not about the system itself, am I wrong?

Cause the GBA and the GBC used the tilt option which was developed in the cartidge itself and not in the machine...

hope you understand what I meant

[Ian Sane]

Wow I can't wait to fry an egg!  WHEEE!

What a lame idea for a game.  The concept is neat in theory but this would be fun to play for about two minutes.  This is the sort of stuff I get worried about when Iwata starts going on about "new types of gameplay".

A f*cking chef game?!  Who would possibly buy such a thing?

[KDR_11k]

Ian: The Chef remake is awesome!

Either way, this is just an EXAMPLE. If the device was connected to the GC, you could use it as a sword, gun or anything you want. Basically a more versatile "lightgun".

[Bill Aurion]

Leave it to Ian to judge a product off its patent... =P

[jasonditz]

Quote
Originally posted by: blablamax
I dont sure..

I think this Trade mark is about the cartidges an and not about the system itself, am I wrong?

"A game system includes a housing to be held by a player. The housing incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in an X-axis and Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction. "

The housing incorporates it, not the cart. It sounds like the level of sensitivity (based on the projected uses) would be a factor of 10 finer than Kirby's Tilt and Tumble was.

[KDR_11k]

It's accelleration, not rotation.

[jasonditz]

with acceleration sensors in all 3 directions, you could do rotation too...

At any rate, I'm hoping they get the Iron Chef license and make "Iron Chef DS" a launch title.

[KDR_11k]

Nope. You'd need three accelleration sensors to detect every form of rotation (though they'll probably add rotation sensors instead, the device has to turn its acceleration according to the rotation, after all).

[jasonditz]

Actually, since we know the thing has two CPUs, one of them might be for translating acceleration into rotation.

Since people can't make a rotation without accelerating in at least two of the three directions it seems like the system could take a pretty good guess. Adding rotation sensors is a good idea though, assuming they don't add too much cost.  

[kirby_killer_dedede]

Very, very nice find, Mr. Ditz.  Mr. Von Riktor salutes you.  Personally, I think this game could be a hit - I think Nintendo might really have it straight with the DS.  I just hope it's not "too weird for us" like Giftpia is...

[KDR_11k]

If you were to rotate it around the accelleration sensor it'd either get no signal or really weird readings. Only one sensor couldn't tell the difference between rotation and accelleration, anyway.

[jasonditz]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
If you were to rotate it around the accelleration sensor it'd either get no signal or really weird readings. Only one sensor couldn't tell the difference between rotation and accelleration, anyway.

Thats very true. At any rate, unless the screens were on both sides of the thing, rotation wouldn't be particularly useful to gameplay anyhow, you couldn't see what you were doing half the time.