Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

Eran B Egozy

Kasson D Crooker

Matthew C Boch

Daniel A Schmidt

Dean N Tate

Alexander Rigopulos

Gregory B Lopiccolo

Eric J Brosius

Marc A Flury

Dan Schmidt

Alexander P Rigopulos

Ryan William Challinor

Joshua Forrest Stoddard

Greg LoPiccolo

Dare Matheson

Mike McHale

Jonathon Bell

Robert M Kay

Daniel Charles Teasdale

Isaac Adams

Christopher Joseph Foster

Adam Carriuolo

Ryan Lesser

Seth Goldstein

Rafael Baptista

Joshua Randall

Brian Thomas Stephens

John R Eskew

Daniel K Sussman

Michael James

The invention includes methods, systems, computer program products and means for providing an intuitive user interface for interacting with a game console that obviates the need for, or use of, a typical game controller. In one embodiment, the user interface comprises an analog-like mechanism for manipulating a menu and icon system. The menu system allows the user to highlight a menu option or icon using movement along one axis and to activate the menu option or icon via movement on a different axis. In one embodiment, highlighting is associated with a vertical motion and activation is associated with a horizontal motion. The vertical motion can be tied to the vertical movement of a particular appendage, e.g., the up and down movement of the user's right arm, and the horizontal motion can be tied to the horizontal movement of that or another appendage, e.g., movement of the right arm or hand across the body from right to left.

Gesture-based user interface

Gesture-based user interface for navigating a menu

Presented herein are methods, apparatuses, programs, and systems for scoring a player performance comprising one or more poses in a dance-based video game. a performance 3D skeleton is received that indicates a pose of the player. A score is calculated by comparing a position, a timing, or both, associated with one or more joints of the performance 3D skeleton to a position, a timing, or both, associated with one or more joints of a target pose and altering one or more characteristics of the dance-based video game based on the score.

Dance game and tutorial

A simulated musical instrument may be used to alter the audio of a video game, the video aspects of video game, or both. Use of a controller simulating a musical instrument allows a rhythm-action game can be enjoyed in a manner closer to a realistic state of playing an instrument.

Providing realistic interaction to a player of a music-based video game

Described are methods, systems, apparatuses, computer program products embodied in a computer-readable storage medium and means for providing online challenges between bands in a musical video game. Typically the invention is executed on a game server in signal communication with a game platform and involves receiving, by the game server, musical game input data representing a musical performance of a band. Then, the game server calculates a composite score from the input data based on a gameplay challenge. Then the composite score is compared to a composite score of a second band's performance for the same gameplay challenge. In some embodiments, the comparison is displayed as a real-time representation of the two bands, even though score of the second band is based on a stored performance of the second band.

Systems and methods for simulating a rock band experience

Game controller simulating a musical instrument

A method for providing real-time musical interaction among a plurality of players connected via a network includes the steps of receiving input from a local player representing a musical performance, generating audio output responsive to the received input, receiving second music performance data from a remote player representing a musical performance by the remote player, creating emulation data representing the remote musical performance, and using the emulation data to generate a local approximation of the remote musical performance.

Method and apparatus for facilitating group musical interaction over a network

Described are methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer program products, for selectively displaying song lyrics in a rhythm-action game. In one aspect this is accomplished by determining a number of vocal cues to be displayed on a display in communication with a game platform, where the vocal cues are each associated with a lyric. Provided a number of areas available to display a set of lyrics, either before run-time or determined at run-time, the game platform determines, based on a lyric priority associated with each lyric, which of the lyrics associated with each vocal cue to display when the number of vocal cues exceeds the number of areas available.

Selectively displaying song lyrics

Facilitating interaction with a music-based video game

Described are methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer program products, for dynamically displaying a pitch range in a rhythm-action game. In one aspect this is accomplished by a game platform dividing a musical composition into a plurality of portions each comprising one or more notes. Then the game platform determines a pitch range between a highest note and a lowest note for each portion. Then the game platform determines a display density for each portion based on the pitch range of each portion, or alternatively, a display density for the entire song based on the greatest pitch range of all portions. Then, the game platform displays each portion within a viewable area. The viewable area has a density alterable based on the portion to be displayed or a position that is alterable based on the portion to be displayed, or has both an alterable position and alterable pitch density.

Dynamically displaying a pitch range

An in-game interface for a music video game includes one or more feedback mechanisms configured to provide feedback to a player relating to the player's performance of the music video game. A compare module compares the player's performance with a reference performance provided by the music video game. A performance evaluation module determines the performance feedback to be presented to the player while the player performs the musical composition. In some embodiments, the player's pitch and rhythm are compared against a reference pitch and rhythm. If the player's pitch and rhythm matches the reference pitch and rhythm to within a predetermined target range, then the performance feedback is positive. Otherwise, the performance feedback is negative.

In-game interface with performance feedback

Facilitating group musical interaction over a network

A simulated musical instrument may be used to alter the audio of a video game, the video aspects of video game, or both. Use of a controlled simulating a musical instrument allows a rhythm-action game can be enjoyed in a manner closer to a realistic state of playing an instrument.

In a music video game, a player's performance is digitally sampled while the player performs a musical composition. The player's performance is compared with a reference performance of the musical composition provided by the music video game. Performance feedback is presented to the player based on the results of the comparison. In some embodiments, sample times associated with digital samples of the player's live vocal performance are compared against timestamps of data records embedded or otherwise accompanying the reference performance audio track. Pitch and rhythm information is retrieved from the data record having a timestamp that most closely matches the sample time of interest. The pitch and rhythm data is used to compute pitch and rhythm errors, which are used to generate performance evaluation data. The performance evaluation data is used to present performance feedback to the player while the player is performing the musical composition.

System and method for synchronizing a live musical performance with a reference performance

Growing community of inventors

Brookline, MA, United States of America

Eran B Egozy