Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Yasuhiro Watari

Akira Suzuki

Takayuki Ishida

Toshiya Ikenaga

Toshiharu Sayano

Tomokazu Kake

Hiromasa Ohkubo

Shinkichi Hasama

Akio Ohba

Masao Shimizu

Hidehiko Ogasawara

Yuichiro Nakamura

Nobuaki Tanaka

Toshihiro Kusunoki

Akihiko Sugawara

Manabu Ishioka

Methods and apparatus provide for: generating virtual space images by specifying from among a plurality of viewpoint positions and a plurality of directions of line of sight in the virtual space; and displaying the virtual space images on a head-mounted display, where the generating includes changing from a currently selected viewpoint position among the plurality of viewpoint positions to a newly selected viewpoint position among the plurality of viewpoint positions, which is selected in accordance with operation by a user, when generating the virtual space images in response to changing to the newly selected viewpoint position, the display control section specifies a new direction of line of sight among the plurality of directions of line of sight, and at least some of the plurality of viewpoint positions are separated from each other.

Display control apparatus and display control method

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: generating virtual space images by specifying from among a plurality of viewpoint positions and a plurality of directions of line of sight in the virtual space; and displaying the virtual space images on a head-mounted display, where the generating includes changing from a currently selected viewpoint position among the plurality of viewpoint positions to a newly selected viewpoint position among the plurality of viewpoint positions, which is selected in accordance with operation by a user, when generating the virtual space images in response to changing to the newly selected viewpoint position, the generating includes specifying, as a new direction of line of sight among the plurality of directions of line of sight, a direction in which a first position in the virtual space is seen from the newly selected viewpoint position, and at least some of the plurality of viewpoint positions are separated from each other.

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.

A display control apparatus includes a display control section that generates a virtual space image by specifying a viewpoint position and a direction of line of sight and displays the image on a head-mounted display. The display control section can specify a plurality of positions in the virtual space as viewpoint positions and can change the viewpoint position to a position determined from among the plurality of positions in accordance with an attitude of the head-mounted display, and when the viewpoint position is changed, the display control section specifies, as a direction of line of sight, the direction in which a first position in the virtual space is seen from the changed viewpoint position.

In an information processing device, a photographed image acquiring unit acquires an image which has been photographed by a camera attached to a head mount display. A region determining unit predicts a region which a user gazes at in a display image. An image analyzing unit has a first fineness processing unit and a second fineness processing unit, with the former analyzing a region corresponding to the gaze region in the photographed image with a higher fineness than the latter. An information processing unit performs information processing by using the result of analysis. An image generating unit has a first fineness processing unit and a second fineness processing unit, with the former generating a display image on the gaze region with a higher fineness than the latter. An output unit sends data of the display image to the head mount display.

Information processing device, information processing system, and information processing method

A distance-measuring device includes first and second stereoscopic cameras each to be used to measure the distance to an object included in an imaging range. The first stereoscopic camera includes two imaging elements arranged side by side in a first direction, and the second stereoscopic camera includes two imaging elements arranged side by side in a second direction. The second direction is defined as a direction which intersects a plane containing the first direction and an imaging direction of the first stereoscopic camera.

Distance-measuring device

An image captured by a camera or the like mounted to a housing to be worn on the head of a user is receded, a first image portion corresponding to a first site of the body of the user is detected from the image, and a predetermined feature amount in the detected first image portion is acquired. In addition, an area which contains the first image portion within the image and in which the predetermined feature amount is continuously changed is specified, and a second image portion corresponding to a second site of the body of the user different from the first site is detected from an image portion within the specified area.

Head-mounted apparatus

Provided is a head-mounted device that includes a housing, first imaging means, and second imaging means. The housing is to be mounted on the head of a user. The first and second imaging means are mounted on the housing to capture images from different angles of view. The head-mounted device receives an image captured by the first imaging means, detects an image portion corresponding to a body portion of the user from the received image, and estimates, based on information indicative of the detected image portion, a possible existence range of a predetermined part of the body of the user within an image captured by the second imaging means.

Head-mounted device

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.

A gaming apparatus includes a position control section and a display control section. The position control section controls a position of an object arranged in a virtual 3D space based on a relative position between an input apparatus used by a user wearing a head-mounted display and the head-mounted display. The display control section generates an image in the virtual 3D space including the object and displays the image on the head-mounted display. When a distance between the input apparatus and the head-mounted display is equal to a first distance or more, the position control section linearly changes the object position in response to a change in position of the input apparatus. When the distance between the input apparatus and the head-mounted display is less than the first distance, the position control section determines the object position in accordance with a criterion different from that used when the distance between the input apparatus and the head-mounted display is equal to the first distance or more.

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

When a user executes an operation of requesting a client terminal for starting processing, a server starts information processing of specified contents, transmitting initial output data such as an initial screen and a sound to the client terminal. The client terminal outputs the initial data and, every time the user executes an indication input such as a command input, transmits the input information concerned to the server. The server executes information processing corresponding to the input information and generates output data common to destination client terminals as basic output data and output data for each client terminal as individual output data. The client terminal decodes an image and sound data that are basic output data and synthesizes figures and sounds based on individual output data, thereby outputting the synthesized figures and sounds.

Output data providing server, information processing apparatus, information processing system, output data providing method, information processing method, and data structure of content data

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Yasuhiro Watari