Distributed Network Game System

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing network-based games to otherwise non-networked devices are provided herein. A network server may provide video game execution and rendering capabilities in accordance with video game software on the server, and may transcode video game output into a media stream for sending to a remotely located media player in use by a user playing the video game. The transcoded media stream is in a format displayable by the media player. The media player may include an expansion card providing wireless network access to the media player for communication with the network gaming server, and may further relay the transcoded media stream received from the network gaming server to the media player, as well as relay user input from a game controller back to the network gaming server. Alternatively, the game controller may communicate directly with the network gaming server.

Description

FIELD[0001]This disclosure relates generally to networked computing and computer games. More specifically, the disclosure provides a networked gaming server that generates and sends video streams to remotely located gaming clients, thereby negating the need to generate video at the gaming clients.BACKGROUND[0002]Network gaming has dramatically increased in popularity in recent years. Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) are commonplace, and often include millions of players in a single game. MMOGs are commonly played using a convention computer, e.g., a desktop computer, or a computer specifically designed for game play and including high-end processing and graphics capabilities. Current generation game consoles also provide sophisticated network gaming abilities whereby users can easily locate others and connect to games being played across a network. However, game consoles and computers designed specifically for gaming are expensive, and often a consumer is precluded from up...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]To overcome limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will be apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, aspects described herein are directed to a new solution for playing video game and media content on various media players otherwise not-enabled for network-based game play. A network server may provide media server capability, and may transcode media prior to sending the transcoded media to the media player, thereby alleviating the need of the media player to perform video generation, and also alleviating the need for gaming software to be resident on the media player or other device on which the game is rendered or displayed (other than to provide minimal administrative functions).

Problems solved by technology

However, game consoles and computers designed specifically for gaming are expensive, and often a consumer is precluded from upgrading his or her hardware based on the cost of doing so.

There is an existing installed base of millions of media player devices that do not provide any sort of network gaming capabilities.

For example, portable media players such as iPods®, Zunes®, Archos®, Creative Zens®, set top boxes, and other multimedia devices allow a user to listen to music or watch videos, but do not provide network gaming capabilities, and often provide no gaming capabilities at all.

In addition, these devices are incompatible with the gaming networks to which current generation game consoles are connected, and do not have integrated networking so they also cannot connect to networked games accessible by conventional computers.

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