Methods and systems are described for providing a retail product that allows a consumer to participate in a personalized interactive entertainment experience in one or more venues. The retail product is capable of wirelessly interfacing with interactive devices in the venues that are capable of producing sensory effects based on communication from and/or to the retail product. Furthermore, the retail product preferably has an independent or intrinsic value apart from the use of the product in the venues, and may include, for example, a toy, apparel, and/or jewelry. In certain examples, the methods include tracking the consumer's use of the retail product in the venue(s). Such tracking information may be used to customize the experience of the user during a subsequent visit to the same venue or another venue.

A control information processing method is provided. The method includes: simulating a controller on a first device based on a target drive file of the first device; receiving control information sent by a second device, the control information being used for controlling the first device to perform a corresponding operation; storing the control information as input information of the controller into a storage space of the target drive file; and obtaining the control information from the storage space of the target drive file in response to receiving a data read instruction that instructs to obtain the input information of the controller.

Methods and apparatus provide for: receiving inputs at a service provider server system from a controller over an internet connection; using the inputs in a processing system to produce data based thereon representing desired operations by a user of the controller; and transmitting the data from the service provider server system back over the internet connection.

The invention provides a method of verifying a computer readable file for use in a gaming machine, comprising reading at least one portion of the computer readable file and compressing the at least one file portion to reduce its file size into a compressed file portion. A compressed computer readable file is assembled using the compressed file portion and is then processed through a verification algorithm to verify that the compressed computer readable file is authorised for use in the gaming machine. A system for verifying a computer readable file for use in a gaming machine is also provided.

There is provided a system and method for communicating with a first peripheral device, of a plurality of peripheral devices, using a touch-sensitive system that has a processor and a touch surface. According to an exemplary embodiment, a method includes detecting, using the processor, a plurality of touches on the touch surface of the touch-sensitive system that are made by the first peripheral device. The method further includes identifying, using the processor, the first peripheral device based on the plurality of touches on the touch surface of the touch-sensitive system that are made by the first peripheral device. The method additionally includes communicating data, using the processor, to a receptive circuit of the first peripheral device in response to the identifying of the first peripheral device.

Methods and apparatus provide for: establishing communications between a controller for operation by a user and a center device, wherein the center device is operable to execute at least one application program and to produce an output for display that is manipulated in accordance with inputs received by the center device from the controller device; measuring one or more pieces of biometric information of the user via a biometric sensor circuit of the controller; storing one or more pieces of predetermined user information, including authentication key information about the user in a memory element of the controller; and performing authentication of the user by comparing the measured biometric information with the predetermined authentication key information via a control circuit of the controller, where authentication is satisfied when the comparison indicates a predetermined threshold of concurrence between the measured biometric information and the predetermined authentication key information.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described herein for providing an interactive application, such as a video game, with a hierarchy of tiers and a hierarchy of game items. Higher tiers may correspond to better game items, and lower tiers may correspond to worse game items. Game rewards awarded to a user for using a particular item may be inversely related to the corresponding tier level of the particular item. Game rewards may comprise experience points, credits, levels, or the like. New users of the interactive application may be provided access to a tier above the lowest tier of the hierarchy and thereby able to access better game items than those corresponding to the lowest tier. A prestige tier may be established requiring a quantity of game rewards for access, and users may thereby be able to access the prestige tier faster by using lower, and potentially more difficult, tiers.

A system, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, and a computer-implemented method to provide efficient game access is described. A request to access a first game using a first primary identifier is received. An internal identifier and a game identifier associated with the first primary identifier are accessed. A request to access a second game using a second primary identifier is received. An internal identifier and a game identifier associated with the second primary identifier are accessed. A determination that the first and second primary identifiers are associated with a particular player is made. An association between the internal identifiers is stored.

Systems and methods are provided for controlling the use of electronic systems based upon monitored physical activity. The method can be implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions. The program instructions are operable to: provision rules associated with a user and at least one of health metrics and physical activity of the user; monitor the at least one health metrics and physical activity of the user over a predetermined time; and manage access to any of a plurality of electronic systems based on the monitored at least one health metrics and physical activity being in compliance or non-compliance with the provisioned rules.

A system, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, and a computer-implemented method to provide efficient game access is described. A request to access a first game using a first primary identifier is received. An internal identifier and a game identifier associated with the first primary identifier are accessed. A request to access a second game using a second primary identifier is received. An internal identifier and a game identifier associated with the second primary identifier are accessed. A determination that the first and second primary identifiers are associated with a particular player is made. An association between the internal identifiers is stored.