Another Xbox 2 Patent?
By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"
Jan. 11th, 2005 10:03 am
Last week, we brought you the first info on a Microsoft patent that reveals some of the technologies that will presumably power the Xbox successor. Today, we bring you a new patent application that was filed in July, 2004 and published last week, in which Microsoft is patenting a “system, method, and data storage medium for sharing data between video gamesâ€
Back to the N64 Era? No!
The invention relates to “video game cartridges or other storage media†that will be used mostly, not to share data between different games, but for subsequent versions of a game.
Microsoft is patenting with this new invention a “data sharing systemâ€, which includes a “control unit†and a “data storage mediumâ€.
Later on, the document explains that one alternative is to have the control unit being a videogame console and the data storage media being the game cartridges. To further understand the purpose of this new invention it is worth reading the Background section:
The content of video games can be quite vast. Some video game programs require the player to traverse a maze, while others require the player to find hidden objects to, for example, fight against evil or help save a princess. Once the player reaches the end of the game or feels he or she has sufficiently completed the game, the player often loses interest in the game. In response, manufacturers often create multiple versions of a popular game offering, for example, new quests for the character of that game. However, even though the general essence of the game is retained in subsequent versions, the original game remains essentially useless to the player. Furthermore, each of the subsequent games in the sequence is separate and distinct, providing no interaction between the games but rather only a common theme.
Therefore, there is a need for a system that prolongs the useful life of video games, and thus video game cartridges or other storage media, by maintaining a player's interest in the game by the sharing of data between separate games.
This basically means that what Microsoft is trying to address with this new invention is a way to share data between different games within a franchise. So, when playing a game’s sequel you could be asked to play a previous title in the series in order to unlock hidden items such as levels, weapons or characters.
But the invention is not just intended to go backwards, playing old games in a franchise. The patent also covers the possible scenario in which a first game will use the info of a second game in a series.
As exemplified above, the data sharing system of the present invention not only provides for the sharing of information from one program with another stored on the same or a separate data storage medium, but also provides for the interaction between the programs. Although a first game program may provide hints about how to solve a problem or get through a challenging situation as in the above example, the complexity of the first game program is increased by requiring the interaction with another game program which may in turn trigger new problems or challenges to be resolved. As a result, by providing for the interaction between video game programs, the present invention enhances a player's interest in the video games and, thus in turn, prolongs the useful playing life of the video games.
Obviously, in most cases the games will be released at different times and the interaction between titles of a franchise could even expand across different generations.
Right now, the big questions in our mind are; could there already be Xbox games whose code will be used by sequels and vice versa?
Why are game cartridges mentioned so many times? Could these game cartridges be the hardware that M-Systems will provide for the Xbox successor? Is the Xbox 2 going to have a removable storage medium instead of a fixed HDD? xPod anyone?
We’ll have more on Microsoft’s moves as they develop.
http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/7455/Another-Xbox-2-Patent/
By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"
Jan. 11th, 2005 10:03 am
Last week, we brought you the first info on a Microsoft patent that reveals some of the technologies that will presumably power the Xbox successor. Today, we bring you a new patent application that was filed in July, 2004 and published last week, in which Microsoft is patenting a “system, method, and data storage medium for sharing data between video gamesâ€
Back to the N64 Era? No!
The invention relates to “video game cartridges or other storage media†that will be used mostly, not to share data between different games, but for subsequent versions of a game.
Microsoft is patenting with this new invention a “data sharing systemâ€, which includes a “control unit†and a “data storage mediumâ€.
Later on, the document explains that one alternative is to have the control unit being a videogame console and the data storage media being the game cartridges. To further understand the purpose of this new invention it is worth reading the Background section:
The content of video games can be quite vast. Some video game programs require the player to traverse a maze, while others require the player to find hidden objects to, for example, fight against evil or help save a princess. Once the player reaches the end of the game or feels he or she has sufficiently completed the game, the player often loses interest in the game. In response, manufacturers often create multiple versions of a popular game offering, for example, new quests for the character of that game. However, even though the general essence of the game is retained in subsequent versions, the original game remains essentially useless to the player. Furthermore, each of the subsequent games in the sequence is separate and distinct, providing no interaction between the games but rather only a common theme.
Therefore, there is a need for a system that prolongs the useful life of video games, and thus video game cartridges or other storage media, by maintaining a player's interest in the game by the sharing of data between separate games.
This basically means that what Microsoft is trying to address with this new invention is a way to share data between different games within a franchise. So, when playing a game’s sequel you could be asked to play a previous title in the series in order to unlock hidden items such as levels, weapons or characters.
But the invention is not just intended to go backwards, playing old games in a franchise. The patent also covers the possible scenario in which a first game will use the info of a second game in a series.
As exemplified above, the data sharing system of the present invention not only provides for the sharing of information from one program with another stored on the same or a separate data storage medium, but also provides for the interaction between the programs. Although a first game program may provide hints about how to solve a problem or get through a challenging situation as in the above example, the complexity of the first game program is increased by requiring the interaction with another game program which may in turn trigger new problems or challenges to be resolved. As a result, by providing for the interaction between video game programs, the present invention enhances a player's interest in the video games and, thus in turn, prolongs the useful playing life of the video games.
Obviously, in most cases the games will be released at different times and the interaction between titles of a franchise could even expand across different generations.
Right now, the big questions in our mind are; could there already be Xbox games whose code will be used by sequels and vice versa?
Why are game cartridges mentioned so many times? Could these game cartridges be the hardware that M-Systems will provide for the Xbox successor? Is the Xbox 2 going to have a removable storage medium instead of a fixed HDD? xPod anyone?
We’ll have more on Microsoft’s moves as they develop.
http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/7455/Another-Xbox-2-Patent/
