Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Sony Corporation

Sony Group Corporation

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Toshiya Ikenaga

Toshiharu Sayano

Hiromasa Ohkubo

Makoto Ishii

Shinkichi Hasama

Shinichi Kawano

Takeshi Itagaki

Masayuki Chatani

Hirotoshi Maegawa

Nobuaki Tanaka

Yasuhiro Watari

Koki Horita

Yukihiko Aoki

Osamu Ota

Takeshi Ozawa

Kazuki Ohara

Daichi Ueura

Methods and apparatus provide for at least one of: (i) displaying a list of images on a display of the user terminal device to the user, where each image within the list of images operates as a respective hyperlink to launch the game from a respective play point in the video of the previously played content of the game program, and (ii) each respective image operates such that the user may activate the respective hyperlink using at least one input device, while the respective image is being displayed to the user, and the activation of the respective hyperlink causes the execution request to include information regarding the respective play point in the video of the previously played content of the game program, and the user clicks on the respective hyperlink while viewing the respective image on the display on which the video showing a play content that has been played by the user himself/herself is being played.

Information processing system, information processing method, information storage medium, and program

A determination device according to the present application includes a communication unit, an acquisition unit, and a determination unit. The communication unit selectively connects to and communicates with a plurality of communication networks. The acquisition unit acquires sensor information detected by a mobile communication device used by a user and communication information indicating a state of communication quality to each communication network. The determination unit determines whether to switch to another communication network among the plurality of communication networks, on the basis of the sensor information and the communication information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Determination device, determination method, and determination program for switching networks based on a plurality of learning models

The communication apparatus includes a wireless communication unit and a determination unit. The wireless communication unit selectively connects to and communicates with a plurality of wireless communication networks in which at least one of a frequency band and a wireless communication method is different from each other. The determination unit determines whether to switch to another wireless communication network among the plurality of wireless communication networks on the basis of a communication status of at least any one of communication of layer 2, layer 3, layer 4, and layer 7 performed via any one of the plurality of wireless communication networks.

Communication apparatus, method and program for switching networks based on communication quality

Methods and apparatus provide for executing an application program to control a game based on gameplay of a game player; receiving instructions from the game player and forwarding the instructions for controlling the game in order to manipulate the execution of the application program and to affect the game; setting respective viewpoints, from among a plurality of viewpoints, serving as bases for generating respective watching screens for viewing the game during gameplay of the game player, which viewpoints are offered to respective watching players, among a plurality of watching players, different from the game player; and deleting the at least one of the plurality of viewpoints to be the one of the respective positions of the one of the one or more objects when the one of the one or more objects disappears from view due to the gameplay of the game player.

Game system, game controlling method, and game controlling program

Methods and apparatus provide for: receiving, at at least one game server, an execution request for execution of a game program from a user terminal over a network and, in response, loading and executing the game program, where the execution request is associated with a play point in a video that shows previously played content of the game program; transmitting the video, by way of at least one of the at least one game server and at least one video server, to the user terminal over the network, where the video is displayed to a user of the user terminal and the execution request is initiated by the user; obtaining, at the at least one game server, certain game situation data that is identified based on the play point associated with the execution request, from a storage unit that stores respective game situation data which indicate respective situations of the game program that are associated with respective play points in the video; starting executing the game program, by the at least one game server, from a situation that is indicated by the certain game situation data obtained; and transmitting game data to the user terminal over the network such that the user may enter into gameplay.

Methods and apparatus for controlling a game include: controlling a game based on gameplay of a game player; receiving instructions from the game player and forwarding the instructions for controlling the game; and setting respective viewpoints, from among a plurality of viewpoints, serving as bases for generating respective watching screens for viewing the game offered to respective watching players, among a plurality of watching players, different from the game player, where at least one of: (i) the setting includes employing watching player conditions regarding each of the plurality of watching players for each of the plurality of viewpoints; and (ii) the setting includes employing one or more predetermined conditions in setting one or more of the respective viewpoints.

Methods and apparatus operate to: execute one application; store group information, the group information being associated with a plurality of pieces of execution status information each of which represents one of a plurality of execution statuses of the execution, a plurality of pieces of content information each of which represents one of the contents of the plurality of pieces of execution status information, and group identification information identifying groups to which the plurality of pieces of execution status information and the plurality of pieces of content information belong; and generate, based on the group information, menu information which displays the content information included in at least one of the groups. The at least one application is executed using the execution status information associated with at least one piece of the content information included in the menu information.

Information processing system, information processing method, information processing program, computer-readable recording medium storing the same program, data structure, information processing server, and information processing terminal

Methods and apparatus provide for: receiving a selected video, over a network from at least one network server, of previously executed content of an application program previously executed by the at least one network server; executing the selected video for display to a user of the information processing terminal, and receiving an execution request initiated by the user while the selected video is being executed and during a period of time when the application program is not being executed by the at least one network server; and sending the execution request for executing the application program to the at least one network server over the network, where the execution request is associated with a specified point in the selected video that shows the previously executed content of the application program.

In a game system, a game managing server includes: a game controlling unit that controls a game; a game player instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction from a game player and forwards the instruction to the game controlling unit; and a watching point setting unit that sets a viewpoint position for generating a watching screen for viewing the game, the watching screen being offered to a plurality of watching players different from the game player.

There is provided a game video distribution device that permits distribution of game videos with higher value for users through the use of game-specific information. The game distribution device includes video generating means that generates a game video selected by a user, related information acquiring means that acquires related information in which scene identification information identifying individual scenes included in the game video is related to time information representing a time period during which each of the scenes is reproduced, related display information generating means which, in accordance with the related information, generates related display information identifiably displaying a temporal location of each of the scenes relative to an entire time span of the game video, and composing means that generates a composite of the generated video and the related display information.

Game video distribution device, game video distribution method, and game video distribution program

A game delivery device and so on are implemented which enable an operable object to be operated with increased ease, in the case where game images designed to be executed in a dedicated game device are delivered to a terminal. The game delivery device includes execution means for executing a plurality of game programs designed to be executed in a dedicated game device in accordance with operation information; game program selection means for selecting one of the game programs on the basis of a selection instruction from a terminal; delivery means for delivering, to the terminal, image information based on execution of the selected game program; play mode acquisition means for acquiring a play mode selection instruction indicating whether the selected game program is to be played in a normal mode or an auxiliary mode; and auxiliary means for, when the auxiliary mode is selected, providing an auxiliary function that makes an operation of an operable object of the selected game program easier than the operation of the operable object designed to be performed in the dedicated game device.

Game delivery device, game delivery method, and game delivery program

Disclosed herein is a content providing method for a content providing server to provide contents to client terminals via a network. The method includes: obtaining play data indicating progress conditions of a computer game progressing according to user operation on the client terminals; evaluating game plays by each predetermined evaluation item on a basis of the play data; obtaining data of a moving image of a game play extracted according to an evaluation result; and distributing the data of the moving image to the client terminals via the network.

Content providing method, content providing server, and content providing system

Methods and apparatus provide for: executing a game program in response to each of a plurality of operation signals that input to each of the plurality of ports of a controller port from a plurality of operation devices, wherein the controller port comprises the plurality of ports to which the plurality of operation signals are input from the plurality of operation devices via a network; assigning the plurality of the operation devices to the plurality of ports; obtaining connection information indicating a connection status between the plurality of ports and the plurality of operation devices; and changing the assignment of the plurality of operation devices to the plurality of ports depending on the obtained connection status.

Information processing system, information processing method, information processing program, and computer-readable storage medium storing the information processing program

The moving images of a program being executed on one terminal can be effectively viewed on another terminal even if the state of communication between the program-executing terminal and the server or the other terminal is not good. There is provided an information processing system including: a first information processing device including first operation information acquisition section which sequentially acquires operation information input by a user, first execution section which executes an application using the operation information acquired sequentially by the first operation information acquisition section, and operation information transmission section which sequentially transmits the operation information via a network; and a second information processing device including second operation information acquisition section which sequentially acquires the operation information transmitted from the first operation information transmission section, and second execution section which executes the application using the operation information acquired sequentially by the second operation information acquisition section.

Information processing system, information processing method, information processing program, computer-readable recording medium on which information processing program is recorded, and information processing device

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Toshiya Ikenaga