Dynamic Controller Pairing via User Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional game systems have a fixed one-to-one relationship between a user and a controller, which limits flexibility and requires users to stop and restart the game to change controllers, hindering multi-user experiences and accommodating different user interactions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing dynamic user-centric mappings that allow users to associate controllers with profiles during gameplay, enabling changes in controller pairings without disrupting the game experience, using a system menu accessible from controllers or other devices, and managing these mappings through user interfaces like graphical or voice recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed one-to-one mapping between player slot and controller is used, then the system structure is simple and reliable, but the adaptability is poor and requires game termination to change mappings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the mapping relationship into two separate mappings: (1) player slot to user profile, and (2) user profile to controller. This segmentation allows independent management of each mapping relationship, enabling flexible controller switching without disrupting the player slot assignment, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic mapping where the controller-to-profile and profile-to-player-slot relationships can be changed during game execution without terminating the game process. This dynamic approach allows users to switch controllers freely while maintaining active game sessions, improving adaptability without requiring complex reconfiguration protocols.
2Ease of operation
If controller mappings are fixed at game startup, then the system operation is simple and reliable, but the ease of operation deteriorates as users cannot change controllers without stopping the game
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes user profiles in advance that serve as intermediaries between controllers and player slots. This preliminary setup allows the system to quickly resolve controller identities during gameplay without requiring time-consuming reconfiguration or game termination, thus improving ease of operation while minimizing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces user profiles as intermediary entities that decouple the direct relationship between controllers and player slots. This intermediary layer enables seamless controller switching during gameplay by redirecting controller inputs through the profile layer, eliminating the need to stop the game and thus reducing time loss while improving operational convenience.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a direct player slot to controller mapping is used, then the device complexity is low, but the adaptability to multi-user scenarios with different controllers is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the mapping structure into two independent layers: player slot to user profile, and user profile to controller. This segmentation enables the system to support multiple users with different controllers simultaneously by maintaining separate mapping relationships, thus improving multi-user adaptability while keeping each individual mapping relationship simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the user profile a universal intermediary that can be associated with multiple controllers and multiple player slots across different games and sessions. This universal profile system allows a single user profile to work with various controllers and games, enhancing multi-user support and versatility without requiring complex game-specific configuration for each controller combination.
Data Source
AI summary
Example methods manage data that relates a user to a player slot and to a game controller. One example method operates in a multi-user computer environment that includes a game console and a game controller. The method may establish a first mapping and a second mapping for a game running on the console. The first mapping relates a generic player position to a user profile and the second mapping relates the user profile with a game controller. The mappings rely on mapping data provided to the game through a user interface available during the game. The method controls the game, as a function of the first mapping and the second mapping, to manage controller pairings to attribute actions performed at a controller with a currently mapped user profile and then to a player slot. Controller pairings may be managed while the game is in progress without interrupting a game experience.