An interactive cloud-based toy for children having a communicator located in the housing of the toy is provided. The communicator has electronic circuitry operatively coupled to a cloud database for transmitting and receiving data through a Bluetooth connection with a smart device. The cloud database corroborates and aggregates data across toys, third party cloud services, and provides customized content to the communicator. The cloud database is operatively connected to the electronic circuitry and is capable of receiving commands therefrom and transmitting data thereto. The cloud database includes provision for authorization of the user and a sensor group.

A method of and system for handling latency issues encountered in producing real-time entertainment such as games of skill synchronized with live or taped televised events is described herein. There are multiple situations that are dealt with regarding latencies in receiving a television signal with respect to real-time entertainment based on the unfolding games played along with the telecasts. Systemic delays, arbitrarily imposed delays of a broadcast signal and variances in the precise broadcast times of taped television programs have to be equalized so as to provide fair entertainment.

Games requiring thinking and strategy are provided with concealable cards or game pieces, physical or virtual, which can be played on a game board which may be a square or rectangular grid or other shape. Together the cards or game pieces are a collection of sets and there may be more spaces on the game board than there are cards or game pieces in the collection. The cards may be a subset of a regular deck of cards, such as five sets of four cards of the same value, each of different suits, wherein these 20 cards are to be played on a 5×5 game board so that there are 5 extra spaces that will be empty after all cards are played. Cards may be played one at a time or grouped and some may be concealed before being played, with the order of concealed and revealed varying. A player aims to place the cards or game pieces to form combinations such as four of a kind in value in either rows or columns to score points. Other combinations may be played for such as three of a kind, flushes, full houses etc. and these may be obtained in different directions on the board. Points are tallied at the end when all cards or game pieces have been played, and prizes may be awarded for points scored after one or more games. Games may be played by one or more players, and the rules may incentivize two or more players to collaborate or compete. Wild card and jokers may be included at various stage of play.

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 a service, an interactive interface for display on display of a client device. The interactive interface has a set 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 set 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 computing system includes an input driver and a virtual input controller. The input driver is configured to receive input data from a first controller of a recognized data protocol and to provide the input data to an API of an application to control actions of a first participant in the gaming application. The virtual input controller is, in contrast, configured to receive input data from a second controller of a protocol incompatible with the input driver, translate the input data to the recognized data protocol; request a broadcast application identifier for a currently-broadcasting application from the broadcasting agent, and provide the translated input data to the input driver in association with the broadcast application identifier for controlling actions of a second participant in the application via the API of the gaming application.

An agent creating method of creating an agent in a game environment is provided. The agent creating method includes creating, by an agent creating apparatus, a base agent on the basis of a common action characteristic pattern of players to transfer the base agent to the game server, receiving, by the agent creating apparatus, match result data obtained by performing a match between the base agent and a character of an individual player, and performing, by the agent creating apparatus, machine learning by using the match result data and creating an evolved agent customized for matchmaking of the individual player on the basis of a result of the machine learning.

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 system that wirelessly integrates actual sports equipment with a computer and the internet to allow players remotely located from one another to play a competitive simulated sports game. An individual player may opt to play solo or practice to improve basic techniques. The system includes motion sensors connected to the player and a motion sensing device, all containing circuits and contact or motion sensors coupled with signal processing and radio frequency transmitter circuitry, thereby wirelessly communicate game performance information to a remote receiver-computer. The computer displays player information and visually simulates and controls a game between two players via the internet, having similar equipment and remotely located from each other. Standard sports equipment may be retrofitted with the sensors and associated circuitry to convert such equipment into “smart equipment” for use with the system. The system employs specially developed computer software to process player performance data, control game play, communicate game information between players, generate and control visual simulations and display player performance information.

Methods and systems for assigning a data center in a second geo location for migrating data in anticipation of receiving a request from a user account from the second geo location includes receiving an indication of a change in geo location of a user from a first geo location to the second geo location. Save data for the user is identified at the first geo location. The save data is analyzed to determine usage trend of the user for the plurality of games. A portion of the save data is identified, based on the usage trend, and transmitted to a second data center in the second geo location in anticipation of the user's likely access of the save data at the second geo location. The save data is made available to game logic of one or more games, when executed on a cloud gaming system, so as to provide current state of game play of the respective one or more games for rendering on a client device of the user used to access the game.

Provided is a server device, etc., capable of enhancing flexibility of a reward winning game and maintaining a user's interest in the game. The server device manages rewards to be given to a user, and includes a storage unit for storing a package as a set of data concerning rewards to be given to the user and a modified package as a set of data concerning rewards used to update the package, a communication unit for communicating with a user device of the user, and a package updating unit for updating the package by modifying the data concerning the rewards included in the package by using the data concerning the rewards included in the modified package when a package update request is received from the user device.