System and method for executing a game process

Abstract

Apparatus and process for controlling a computer process with gestures and a handheld pointing device. The computer system employing the pointing device to determine what component a user wants to control and what control action is desired.

1 . A game apparatus for executing a game process using acceleration data, the acceleration data outputted by an acceleration sensor of an input device, the game apparatus comprising:
 a processing system configured to cause:
 receiving the acceleration data; 
 calculating smoothed data based at least in part on the acceleration data and previously calculated smoothed data, the smoothed data representing a value obtained by smoothing an acceleration represented by the acceleration data; and 
 executing the game process based at least in part on the acceleration data and the smoothed data. 
   
     
     
         2 . The game apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the game process includes:
 determining, using the smoothed data, a state of a player object in a game space for determining a first action to be performed by the player object, and   determining, using the acceleration data, a state of the player object for determining a second action to be performed by the player object.   
     
     
         3 . The game apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the state of a player object in the game space for determining the first action includes an attitude of the player object in the game space, and   the state of the player object for determining the second action includes a position of the player object in the game space.   
     
     
         4 . The game apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the position of the player object in the game space is based at least in part on a movement distance that is based at least in part on the acceleration data and a moving direction in accordance with the attitude of the player object. 
     
     
         5 . The game apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the game process includes:
 calculating a difference between a value of the acceleration represented by the acceleration data and the value represented by the smoothed data, and   wherein executing the game process is further based on the difference.   
     
     
         6 . The game apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the game process includes:
 determining, using the smoothed data, a state of a player object in a game space for determining a first action to be performed by the player object, and   determining, using the difference, a state of the player object for determining a second action to be performed by the player object.   
     
     
         7 . The game apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the state of the player object for determining the first action includes an attitude of the player object in the game space, and   the state of the player object for determining the second action includes a position of the player object in the game space.   
     
     
         8 . The game apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the position of the player object in the game space is based at least in part on a movement distance that is based at least in part on the difference and a moving direction in accordance with the attitude of the player object. 
     
     
         9 . The game apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the game process includes:
 controlling, using the smoothed data, a state of a first player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the first player object, and   controlling, using the difference, a state of a second player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the second player object.   
     
     
         10 . The game apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the game process includes:
 controlling, using the smoothed data, a state of a first player object appearing in a game space for determining an action to be performed by the first player object, and   controlling, using the acceleration data, a state of a second player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the second player object.   
     
     
         11 . The game apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein calculating the smoothed data is done each time the acceleration data is received, and wherein the value represented by the smoothed data having been most recently calculated approaches, at a predetermined rate, a value represented by the acceleration data. 
     
     
         12 . The game apparatus according to claim wherein the game process includes:
 calculating, using the smoothed data, first data corresponding to a tilt of the input device,   calculating, using the acceleration data, second data corresponding to a movement of the input device, and   wherein executing the game process is further based on the first data and the second data.   
     
     
         13 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program executed by a computer of a game apparatus for executing a game process using acceleration data which is sequentially outputted by an acceleration sensor of an input device, the game program causing the computer to execute:
 sequentially acquiring the acceleration data;   sequentially calculating smoothed data based on a value which is obtained by smoothing an acceleration represented by the acceleration data, the smoothed data additionally being calculated based on a previously acquired value of smoothed data; and   executing the game process using the acceleration data and the smoothed data.   
     
     
         14 . The storage medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the game process includes:
 determining, using the smoothed data, a state of a player object in a game space for determining a first action to be performed by the player object, and   determining, using the acceleration data, a state of the player object for determining a second action to be performed by the player object.   
     
     
         15 . The storage medium according to  claim 14 , wherein
 a state of a player object in a game space for determining the first action includes an attitude of the player object in the game space, and   a state of the player object for determining the second action includes a position of the player object in the game space.   
     
     
         16 . The storage medium according to  claim 15 , the position of the player object in the game space is based at least in part on the acceleration data and a moving direction in accordance with the attitude of the player object. 
     
     
         17 . The storage medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the game process includes:
 calculating a difference between a value of the acceleration represented by the acceleration data and the value represented by the smoothed data, and   executing the game process further using the difference.   
     
     
         18 . The storage medium according to  claim 17 , wherein the game process includes:
 determining, using the smoothed data, a state of a player object in a game space for determining a first action to be performed by the player object, and   determining, using the difference, a state of the player object for determining a second action to be performed by the player object.   
     
     
         19 . The storage medium according to  claim 18 , wherein
 a state of a player object in a game space for determining the first action includes an attitude of the player object in the game space, and   a state of a player object in a game space for determining the second action includes a position of the player object in the game space.   
     
     
         20 . The storage medium according to  claim 19 , wherein the position of the player object in the game space is based at least in part on a movement distance based on the difference and a moving direction in accordance with the attitude of the player object. 
     
     
         21 . The storage medium according to  claim 17 , wherein the game process includes:
 controlling, using the smoothed data, a state of a first player object appearing in a game space for determining an action to be performed by the first player object, and   controlling, using the difference, a state of a second player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the second player object.   
     
     
         22 . The storage medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the game process includes:
 controlling, using the smoothed data, a state of a first player object appearing in a game space for determining an action to be performed by the first player object, and   controlling, using the acceleration data, a state of a second player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the second player object.   
     
     
         23 . The storage medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the game process includes:
 sequentially calculating smoothed data each time the acceleration data is acquired, and   calculating the smoothed data further includes performing a calculation by which the value represented by the smoothed data having been most recently calculated approaches, at a predetermined rate, a value represented by the acceleration data.   
     
     
         24 . The storage medium according to  claim 13 , wherein the game process includes:
 calculating, using the smoothed data first data corresponding to a tilt of the input device including the acceleration sensor,   calculating, using the acceleration data, second data corresponding to a movement of the input device, and   executing the game process further using the first data and the second data.   
     
     
         25 . A game computing device for executing a game process using accelerometer values, the accelerometer values output by an accelerometer of a pointing device, the game computing device comprising:
 a computer system configured for:
 receiving the accelerometer values; 
 computing normalized accelerometer values based at least in part on the accelerometer values and previously computed normalized accelerometer values; and 
 executing the game process based at least in part on the accelerometer values and the normalized accelerometer values. 
   
     
     
         26 . The game computing device according to  claim 25 , wherein the game processor provides for:
 determining, using the normalized accelerometer values, a characteristic of an object in a game space for determining a first action to be performed by the object, and   determining, using the accelerometer values, a characteristic of the object for determining a second action to be performed by the object.   
     
     
         27 . The game computing device according to  claim 26 , wherein
 the characteristic of the object in the game space for determining the first action includes an angle of the object in the game space, and   the characteristic of the object in the game space for determining the second action includes a position of the object in the game space.   
     
     
         28 . The game computing device according to  claim 27 , wherein the position of the object in the game space is based at least in part on a movement distance that is based at least in part on the accelerometer values and a moving direction in accordance with the angle of the object. 
     
     
         29 . The game computing device according to  claim 25 , wherein the game processor provides for:
 calculating a difference between a value of the acceleration represented by the accelerometer values and the value represented by the normalized accelerometer values, and   wherein executing the game process is further based on the difference.   
     
     
         30 . The game computing device according to  claim 29 , wherein the game processor provides for:
 determining, using the normalized accelerometer values, a characteristic of an object in a game space for determining a first action to be performed by the object, and   determining, using the difference, a characteristic of the object for determining a second action to be performed by the object.   
     
     
         31 . The game computing device according to  claim 30 , wherein
 the characteristic of the object in the game space for determining the first action includes an angle of the object in the game space, and   the characteristic of the object in the game space for determining the second action includes a position of the object in the game space.   
     
     
         32 . The game computing device according to  claim 31 , wherein the position of the object in the game space is based at least in part on a movement distance that is based at least in part on the difference and a moving direction in accordance with the angle of the object. 
     
     
         33 . The game computing device according to  claim 30 , wherein the game processor provides for:
 controlling, using the normalized accelerometer values, a characteristic of a first player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the first player object, and   controlling, using the difference, a characteristic of a second player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the second player object.   
     
     
         34 . The game computing device according to  claim 25 , wherein the game processor provides for:
 controlling, using the normalized accelerometer values, a characteristic of a first player object appearing in a game space for determining an action to be performed by the first player object, and   controlling, using the accelerometer values, a characteristic of a second player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the second player object.   
     
     
         35 . The game computing device according to  claim 25 , wherein computing the normalized accelerometer values is done each time the accelerometer values are received, and wherein the value represented by the normalized accelerometer values having been most recently calculated approaches, at a predetermined rate, a value represented by the accelerometer values. 
     
     
         36 . The game computing device according to  claim 25 , wherein the game processor provides for:
 calculating, using the normalized accelerometer values, first data corresponding to a tilt of the pointing device,   calculating, using the accelerometer values, second data corresponding to a movement of the pointing device, and   executing the game process using the first data and the second data.   
     
     
         37 . A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program executed by a computer of a game computing device for executing a game process using accelerometer values which are sequentially output by an accelerometer of a pointing device, the game program causing the computer to execute:
 sequentially acquiring the accelerometer values;   sequentially computing normalized accelerometer values, the normalized accelerometer values additionally being computed based on a previously normalized accelerometer value; and   executing the game process using the accelerometer values and hie normalized accelerometer values.   
     
     
         38 . The storage medium according to  claim 37 , wherein the game process includes:
 determining, using the normalized accelerometer values, a characteristic of an object in a game space for determining a first action to be performed by the object, and   determining, using the accelerometer values, a characteristic of the object for determining a second action to be performed by the object.   
     
     
         39 . The storage medium according to  claim 38 , wherein
 the characteristic of the object in the game space for determining the first action includes an angle of the object in the game space, and   the characteristic of the object in the game space for determining the second action includes a position of the object in the game space.   
     
     
         40 . The storage medium according to  claim 39 , wherein the position of the object in the game space is based at least in part on the accelerometer values and a moving direction in accordance with the angle of the object. 
     
     
         41 . The storage medium according to  claim 37 , wherein the game process includes:
 calculating a difference between a value of the acceleration represented by the accelerometer values and the value represented by the normalized accelerometer values, and   executing the game process further using the difference.   
     
     
         42 . The storage medium according to  claim 41 , wherein the game process includes:
 determining, using the normalized accelerometer values, a characteristic of an object in a game space for determining a first action to be performed by the object, and   determining, using the difference, a characteristic of the object for determining a second action to be performed by the object.   
     
     
         43 . The storage medium according to  claim 42 , wherein
 the characteristic of the object in the game space for determining the first action includes an angle of the object in the game space, and   the characteristic of the object in the game space for determining the first action includes a position of the object in the game space.   
     
     
         44 . The storage medium according to  claim 43 , wherein the position of the object in the game space is based at least in part on a movement distance based on the difference and a moving direction in accordance with the angle of the object. 
     
     
         45 . The storage medium according to  claim 41 , wherein the game process includes:
 controlling, using the normalized accelerometer values, a characteristic of a first player object appearing in a game space for determining an action to be performed by the first player object, and   controlling, using the difference, a characteristic of a second player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the second player object.   
     
     
         46 . The storage medium according to  claim 37 , wherein the game process includes:
 controlling, using the normalized accelerometer values, a characteristic of a first player object appearing in a game space for determining an action to be performed by the first player object, and   controlling, using the accelerometer values, a characteristic of a second player object appearing in the game space for determining an action to be performed by the second player object.   
     
     
         47 . The storage medium according to  claim 37 , wherein the game process includes:
 sequentially computing normalized accelerometer values each time the accelerometer values are acquired, and   calculating the normalized accelerometer values further includes performing a calculation by which the value represented by the normalized accelerometer values having been most recently calculated approaches, at a predetermined rate, a value represented by the accelerometer values.   
     
     
         48 . The storage medium according to  claim 37 , wherein the game process includes:
 calculating, using the normalized accelerometer values, first data corresponding to a tilt of the pointing device including the acceleration sensor,   calculating, using the accelerometer values, second data corresponding to a movement of the pointing device, and   executing the game process further using the first data and the second data.   
     
     
         49 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program executed by a computer of a game apparatus for executing a game process using acceleration data which is sequentially outputted by an acceleration sensor of an input device, the game program causing the computer to execute:
 sequentially acquiring the acceleration data;   sequentially calculating smoothed data based on a value which is obtained by smoothing an acceleration represented by the acceleration data, the smoothed data additionally based on at least two previously acquired acceleration data; and   executing the game process using the acceleration data and the smoothed data.   
     
     
         50 . A game apparatus for executing a game process using acceleration data, the acceleration data outputted by an acceleration sensor of an input device, the game apparatus comprising:
 a processing system configured to cause:
 receiving the acceleration data; 
 calculating smoothed data based on at least two previous received acceleration data, the smoothed data representing a value obtained by smoothing an acceleration represented by the acceleration data; and 
 executing the game process based at least in part on the acceleration data and the smoothed data. 
   
     
     
         51 . A game apparatus for executing a game process using acceleration data, the acceleration data outputted by an acceleration sensor of an input device, the game apparatus comprising:
 a processing system configured to:
 receive unsmoothed acceleration data output by the acceleration sensor; 
 calculate smoothed data representing a value which is obtained by smoothing an acceleration represented by the unsmoothed acceleration data; 
 calculate tilt data from the smoothed data; 
 calculate movement data from the unsmoothed acceleration data; and 
 execute the game process using the smoothed data and the unsmoothed acceleration data, the game process using the tilt data and the movement data to perform first and second game actions of the game process, respectively, the first game action being different from the second game action. 
   
     
     
         52 . The game apparatus according to  claim 50 , wherein the processing system is further configured to calculate the smoothed data based on previously calculated smoothed data and the received acceleration data. 
     
     
         53 . The game apparatus according to  claim 50 , wherein the processing system is further configured to calculate the smoothed data based on at least two previous received acceleration data. 
     
     
         54 . A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program executed by a computer of a game computing device for executing a game process using acceleration values which are sequentially output by an accelerometer of a pointing device, the game program causing the computer to execute:
 sequentially acquiring the acceleration values;   sequentially computing normalized accelerometer values, the normalized accelerometer values additionally based on at least two previously acquired accelerometer values; and   executing the game process using the accelerometer values and the normalized accelerometer values.   
     
     
         55 . A game computing device for executing a game process using accelerometer values, the accelerometer values output by an accelerometer of a pointing device, the game computing device comprising:
 a computer system configured for:
 receiving the accelerometer values; 
 computing normalized accelerometer values based on at least two previously received accelerometer values; and 
 executing the game process based at least in part on the acceleration data and the normalized accelerometer values. 
   
     
     
         56 . A game computing device for executing a game process using accelerometer values, the accelerometer values output by an accelerometer of a pointing device, the game computing device comprising:
 a computer system configured to:
 receive accelerometer values output by the accelerometer; 
 compute normalized accelerometer values; 
 calculate tilt data from the normalized accelerometer values; 
 calculate movement data from the accelerometer values; and 
 execute the game process using the normalized accelerometer values and the accelerometer values, the game process using the tilt data and the movement data to perform first and second game actions of the game process, the first game action being different from the second game action. 
   
     
     
         57 . The game computing device according to  claim 55 , wherein the computer system is further configured to compute the normalized accelerometer values data based on previously computed normalized accelerometer values and the accelerometer values. 
     
     
         58 . The game computing device according to  claim 55 , wherein the computer system is further configured to compute the normalized accelerometer values based on at least two previous received accelerometer values.