Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Roderick Michael Toll

C Shane Evans

Paul E Newson

G Andrew Johnston, Ii

John Raymond Justice

Krassimir Emilov Karamfilov

Peter M Wiest

Aaron L Culbreth

Charles Claudius Marais

Emad Barsoum

David James Quinn

Jonathan David Hildebrandt

Kareem A Choudhry

Roger H Wynn

Timothy Arthur Gill

Eddie Louis Mays, Iii

Stan Dale Pennington

Keumars A Ahdieh, Ii

Tyson Storey

Khanh Tan Le

Aaron William Ogus

Evan J Schrier

Matthew L Coill

James Mason Boswell

Michael J Narayan

Mathew L Coill

Various application-centric user interface techniques are described. A user can easily launch, add, or update applications. An application-centric activity center can be presented as part of a user interface for an operating system shell. A file defining metadata for an application can be defined. The techniques can be applied to game-related software.

Application-centric user interface techniques

Embodiments of the present invention enable rich control input data to control video games that are remotely executed. Rich control input includes three-dimensional image data, color video, audio, device orientation data, and touch input. A remotely-executed video game is one executed on a server or other computing device that is networked to a client device receiving the rich control input. Rich control input includes more data than can be uploaded to a game server without degrading game performance. Embodiments of the present invention preprocess the rich control data on the client and into data that may be uploaded to the game server. The rich input stream may be processed in a general way or in a game-specific way.

Client side processing of game controller input

Aspects of the present invention allow a touch screen device to operate as a gamepad for a video game running on a separate gaming device. Aspects of the present invention provide a virtual control interface through the touch screen that includes virtual game controls that perform the same function as a directional pad, buttons, triggers, and sticks found on a gamepad or other game controller. In one aspect, the virtual control interface provides an output that is substantially similar to an output generated by a gamepad able to interact with the gaming device. Substantially similar outputs allow a gaming device to respond to a functional control from a gamepad and an equivalent functional control from the virtual control interface the same way and without translation. Aspects of the present invention can provide different virtual control interfaces for different video game titles, different genres, and based on user customization.

Touch screen game controller

Embodiments of the present invention split game processing and rendering between a client and a game server. A rendered video game image is received from a game server and combined with a rendered image generated by the game client to form a single video game image that is presented to a user. Game play may be controlled using a rich sensory input, such as three-dimensional image data and audio data. The three-dimensional image data describes the shape, size and orientation of objects present in a play space. The rich sensory input is communicated to a game server, potentially with some preprocessing, and is also consumed locally on the client, at least in part. In one embodiment, latency sensitive features are the only features processed on the client and rendered on the client.

Client rendering of latency sensitive game features

Parental controls for entertainment digital media are provided that allow a parent to restrict multiple user's access to entertainment content. One or more updatable rating definition files with dynamic data are used to define rating levels and content descriptors for a regional rating system. Entertainment content definition files define the rating level and content descriptors for entertainment content. User permission settings define a particular user's access rating level and content descriptors. The rating definition file can be used to compare the entertainment content definition file and user permission settings in determining if a user is allowed access to particular entertainment content.

Parental controls for entertainment content

A common game controller is compatible with multiple platforms including game devices and general purpose processors. The common controller can be utilized by both developers and users. Game software can easily be implemented on multiple platforms. Common source code can be developed and compiled to run on multiple systems, for example XBOX 360&#xae;, WINDOWS XP&#xae;, and WINDOWS&#xae; VISTA. Users only have to learn and get familiar with a single game controller. The common controller includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) compatible interface allowing the controller to be coupled to multiple types of platforms. The common controller can also include a wireless interface.

Common controller

A compliance interface is disclosed that takes in queries from applications which may want to know if they are compliant with associated polices stored on a computing system. The interface can then interpret these queries and provide notifications and instructions to the applications. Notifications may give notice of how a policy may impact an application, and instructions may tell an application how to behave in order to stay compliant with the policies. In one aspect, the interface exposes policies set forth by parents. Via a management control panel, parents can set or alter various policies, stored in a settings store, to protect children from contact with undesirable content. The interface interprets these policies to ensure that applications, such as those provided by third party vendors, are compliant with the wishes set forth in the parents' policies.

Compliance interface for compliant applications

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Sammamish, WA, United States of America

Roderick Michael Toll