Interactive entertainment devices including a toy magic wand with integrated electronics for, among other things, detecting wand motion and responding accordingly, such as illuminating one or more LEDs, displaying images on one or more LCD displays, playing sound effects or character speech, emitting infrared (IR) signals via one or more IR emitters, or some combination thereof. An exemplary device may include a fairy house or wizard tower playset with integrated electronics for receiving one or more received IR signals and responding or reacting accordingly. For example, depending on the nature of the received IR signals, the electronics may illuminate one or more LEDs, display images on one or more LCD displays, play sound effects or character speech, emit IR signals via one or more IR emitters, or some combination thereof.

A crane game is provided for amusement, training, and team building purposes. The body of the crane is suspended beneath manually held handles which are attached to the crane body by cords. Two lifting hooks are suspended beneath the crane body and operated by lifting lines which engage the crane body and extend outwardly from the crane body. Multiple persons each control a handle or lifting line and operate the crane through coordinated movement of the handles and lifting lines.

A three-dimensional maze structure contains: at least one body and at least one ball. Each body includes a central shaft, multiple partitions, and multiple paths. Each path is defined between any two adjacent partitions, among each path and any two adjacent partitions is formed a trapezoidal oblique surface, and each partitions is distributed by multiple semi-trapezoidal stop pieces, the stop piece has two peripheral ribs horizontally extending outward from two sides of each path to prevent the ball rolling out respectively, and between two facing peripheral ribs of any two adjacent stop pieces is defined a window. Each path has multiple fences and plural passages arranged in an irregular manner. Each ball rolls in each path of each body and a point with the trapezoidal oblique surface, hence each ball rolls and is stopped by the stop piece and then moves through horizontal path of any two adjacent partitions.

A mechanism allowing the control of multiple orbiting bodies comprising: a bearing surface (306) which may or may not be integral to a handle (300); a rotatable section (308) free to move through 360 degrees upon the bearing; and, attached to the rotatable section, an array of two or more pendulums (314, 316) which are first whirled in coplanar orbits and subsequently, via changes made to the attitude of the axis of the rotatable section, in precessing, non-coplanar, non-chaotic orbits equaling the pendulums in number. The pendulums may be identical or have differing properties of length, weight, or aerodynamics affecting their relative tendencies to precess and may be decorated and incorporate elements which emit light and/or sound. In certain applications some or all of these characteristics of length, weight, and aerodynamics, as well as the visual and auditory components are customizable.

A gesture-recognition (GR) device is disclosed that includes a capacitive touch sensor panel and a controller. The capacitive touch sensor panel comprises a plurality of sensing pads arranged in a cylindrical pattern inside a handle of the GR device and detects a multi-factor touch assertion at a set of sensing pads of the plurality of sensing pads. The controller transmits a driving signal to each of the plurality of sensing pads for the detection of the multi-factor touch assertion, generates an assertion signal, determines a signal sequence based on the assertion signal, and converts a current inactive state of the GR device to an active state based on a validation of the determined signal sequence corresponding to the multi-factor touch assertion and an inferred user intent.

A computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions for conducting a game on a gaming system having a wireless input device for playing an interactive motion-sensitive game using a wireless-compatible game console in which a virtual play environment is represented through one or more computer-animated visual, aural or tactile effects is provided wherein game play is conducted by moving, shaking, twisting, waving or pointing the input device in a particular manner. The input device can include motion-sensitive circuitry and/or command circuitry for generating control signals and/or an effects generator and associated control circuitry to enable the input device to selectively generate at least one visual, aural or tactile effect comprising sound, lighting or vibration. The input device can include a wireless transceiver for providing two-way wireless communication with the wireless-compatible game console. An optional display screen displays short text messages received through wireless communications with the wireless-compatible game console.

A wireless input device for playing an interactive motion-sensitive game using a wireless-compatible game console in which a virtual play environment is represented through one or more computer-animated visual, aural or tactile effects is provided wherein game play is conducted by moving, shaking, twisting, waving or pointing the input device in a particular manner. The input device can include motion-sensitive circuitry and/or command circuitry for generating control signals and/or an effects generator and associated control circuitry to enable the input device to selectively generate at least one visual, aural or tactile effect comprising sound, lighting or vibration. The input device can include a wireless transceiver for providing two-way wireless communication with the wireless-compatible game console. An optional display screen displays short text messages received through wireless communications with the wireless-compatible game console.

A computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions for conducting a game on a gaming system having a wireless input device for playing an interactive motion-sensitive game using a wireless-compatible game console in which a virtual play environment is represented through one or more computer-animated visual, aural or tactile effects is provided wherein game play is conducted by moving, shaking, twisting, waving or pointing the input device in a particular manner. The input device can include motion-sensitive circuitry and/or command circuitry for generating control signals and/or an effects generator and associated control circuitry to enable the input device to selectively generate at least one visual, aural or tactile effect comprising sound, lighting or vibration. The input device can include a wireless transceiver for providing two-way wireless communication with the wireless-compatible game console. An optional display screen displays short text messages received through wireless communications with the wireless-compatible game console.

A wireless input device for playing an interactive motion-sensitive game using a wireless-compatible game console in which a virtual play environment is represented through one or more computer-animated visual, aural or tactile effects is provided wherein game play is conducted by moving, shaking, twisting, waving or pointing the input device in a particular manner. The input device can include motion-sensitive circuitry and/or command circuitry for generating control signals and/or an effects generator and associated control circuitry to enable the input device to selectively generate at least one visual, aural or tactile effect comprising sound, lighting or vibration. The input device can include a wireless transceiver for providing two-way wireless communication with the wireless-compatible game console. An optional display screen displays short text messages received through wireless communications with the wireless-compatible game console.

A gesture-recognition (GR) device is disclosed that includes a capacitive touch sensor panel and a controller. The capacitive touch sensor panel comprises a plurality of sensing pads arranged in a cylindrical pattern inside a handle of the GR device and detects a multi-factor touch assertion at a set of sensing pads of the plurality of sensing pads. The controller transmits a driving signal to each of the plurality of sensing pads for the detection of the multi-factor touch assertion, generates an assertion signal, determines a signal sequence based on the assertion signal, and converts a current inactive state of the GR device to an active state based on a validation of the determined signal sequence corresponding to the multi-factor touch assertion and an inferred user intent.