The various implementations described herein include methods, devices, and systems for interactive cloud gaming. In one aspect, an interface device with processors and memory storing an application program is used for cloud gaming. The interface device includes a communication module for receiving and/or transmitting messages and media streams between the interface device, a game controller, and a remote gaming server. The interface device further includes an output module configured to provide output of the application to an input of a display device coupled to or integrated with the interface device. The application is configured to implement a first mode in which the interface device processes and displays outputs associated with substantially all messages transmitted by the game controller, and a second mode in which the interface device processes and displays a predefined subset of messages from the game controller and displays gaming media streams from the gaming server.

A computer-implemented method is provided. The method includes executing a game application on one or more servers of a data center. The game application is for a game and the game is played by a first user of a first client device remote to the data center. The one or more servers interfaced with one or more encoders for compressing interactive video from the game application responsive to input from the first client device and streaming of the interactive video in a compressed format to the first client device for decompression and rendering to a display of the first client device. The method includes storing, at the data center, a recording of at least part of the game played by the first user using the first client device. The method includes storing, at the data center, state data for at least part of the game played by the first user using the first client device. The method includes generating a replay of the recording responsive to input from a second user device. The replay is generated with a different camera view from a camera view in the recording. The replay is executed using as input the state data.

A system and method are described for storing program code and data within an application hosting center. For example, one embodiment of a computer-implemented method comprises: subdividing program code and/or data used to execute an online application into a first type and a second type; storing program code and data of the first type in a first type of memory, the first type of memory providing relatively low latency memory access; storing program code and data of the second type in a second type of memory, the second type of memory providing relatively higher latency memory access compared to the first type of memory; retrieving program code and data from the first memory and the second memory in response to a client request to execute an online application; and transmitting a streaming interactive video stream representing images generated by the application to the client.

A cross-platform game battle method and apparatus, a terminal, and a system are provided. The method includes sending a first request to a game server in response to a first operation, with respect to a game, on a first web page. A first response is received in response to the first request, and a game address is obtained according to the first response. The game address is sent to a second terminal, the game address being usable by the second terminal to obtain a second web page to start the game. The second terminal is on a platform that is different from a platform of the first web page.

A system and method are described for storing program code and data within an application hosting center. For example, one embodiment of a computer-implemented method comprises: subdividing program code and/or data used to execute an online application into a first type and a second type; storing program code and data of the first type in a first type of memory, the first type of memory providing relatively low latency memory access; storing program code and data of the second type in a second type of memory, the second type of memory providing relatively higher latency memory access compared to the first type of memory; retrieving program code and data from the first memory and the second memory in response to a client request to execute an online application; and transmitting a streaming interactive video stream representing images generated by the application to the client.

A method includes sending, by a server to each of a plurality of client devices, initializing information at a start of a task in a client application running on each of the plurality of client devices. The method further includes receiving, by the server, an input message from one of the plurality of client devices, wherein the input message is generated from an interaction with the task in the client application. The method further includes generating, by a computer processing device of the server, updated information for the task in the client application based on the received input message. The method further includes sending, by the server, the updated information to each of the plurality of client devices while the task in the client application is running to maintain synchronism between the server and the plurality of client devices for the task.

A computer-implemented method is provided. The method includes running a game application on one or more servers of a hosting service center. The game application is for a game and wherein the game application is played by a first user of a first client device remote to the hosting service center via compressed streaming interactive video transmitted over the Internet. The method includes storing a recording of the game played by the first user. The method includes storing application state information for the recording of the game played by the first user. The method includes using the application state information, by a second user, to generate one or more additional views of the recording of the game played by the first user. The one or more additional views include generation of video using the application state information, and the generated video is different than video of the recording.

Systems and methods for creating and delivering an interactive display of thumbnail windows of visual content of different video game sessions are presented. In one embodiment, a method provides for sending, by a server of hosting service, an interactive interface for display on display of a client device. The interactive interface has an array of thumbnail windows and each thumbnail window depicts visual content of different video game sessions being played. Responsive to a selection of a thumbnail window by a user of the client device, the method provides for sending a video stream associated with the selected thumbnail window from the array of thumbnail windows. The video stream enables the user of the client device to view interactive game play of a video game associated with the video stream.

A handheld terminal 200 performs wireless communication with a game apparatus 103 and determines whether the wireless communication with the game apparatus 103 is possible. The game apparatus 103 performs wireless communication with the handheld terminal 200 and determines whether the wireless communication with the handheld terminal 200 is possible. The game apparatus 103 performs a return home determination process, based on the determination about whether the wireless communication is possible, when the wireless communication with the handheld terminal 200 has become, after having become disabled, enabled again.

A system and method are described below for encoding interactive video used in video games streamed from a server to a client. For example, one embodiment of a computer-implemented method for performing video compression, and detecting a maximum data rate of a communication channel between a server and a client. The method includes transmitting a video stream comprising a series of compressed frames from the server to the client. The method includes detecting that the maximum data rate will be exceeded if a particular frame or frames of the sequence of frames are transmitted from the server to the client over the communication channel. The method includes reducing the frame rate of the video stream by adjusting compression of the video frames being sent from the server to the client to avoid exceeding the maximum data rate.