The invention includes methods, systems, computer program products and means for providing an intuitive user interface for interacting with a game console that obviates the need for, or use of, a typical game controller. In one embodiment, the user interface comprises an analog-like mechanism for manipulating a menu and icon system. The menu system allows the user to highlight a menu option or icon using movement along one axis and to activate the menu option or icon via movement on a different axis. In one embodiment, highlighting is associated with a vertical motion and activation is associated with a horizontal motion. The vertical motion can be tied to the vertical movement of a particular appendage, e.g., the up and down movement of the user's right arm, and the horizontal motion can be tied to the horizontal movement of that or another appendage, e.g., movement of the right arm or hand across the body from right to left.

An interactive environment image may be projected onto one or more surfaces, and interaction with the projected environment image may be detected within a three-dimensional space over the one or more surfaces. The interactive environment image may be a three dimensional image, or it may be two dimensional. An image is projected onto a surface to provide a visual representation of a virtual space including one or more of the virtual objects, which may be spatially positioned. User interaction with the projected visualized representation of the virtual space may be detected and, in response to user interaction, the projected visualized representation may be changed.

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for navigating and analyzing portions of a three-dimensional virtual environment using a two-handed interface. Methods for operating a Volumetric Selection Object (VSO) to select elements of the environment are provided, as well as operations for adjusting the user's position, orientation and scale. Efficient and ergonomic methods for quickly acquiring and positioning, orienting, and scaling the VSO are provided. Various uses of the VSO, such as augmenting a primary dataset with data from a secondary dataset are also provided.

Examples are disclosed that relate to computing devices and methods for transforming output of a control stick. In one example, a method comprises: receiving a dead zone inflection point defining a boundary of a dead zone region and a playspace region within a first normalized unit-area movement space of the control stick, mapping the first normalized unit-area movement space to a second normalized unit-area movement space, using a scaling function comprising the dead zone inflection point, scaling each axis of the second normalized unit-area movement space to generate a scaled second normalized unit-area movement space, transforming the scaled second normalized unit-area movement space to a scaled first normalized unit-area movement space, receiving position data representing a current position of the control stick, and transforming the current position to a transformed position in the scaled first normalized unit-area movement space.

A load detecting apparatus includes a load controller. In order to identifying predetermined number of motions performed on the load controller by the player, for example, a condition of a ratio of load values to a body weight value and a condition relating to a position of a center of gravity are defined in advance. The ratio of the detected load values to the body weight value and the position of the center of gravity are calculated, and on the basis of the ratio and the position of the center of gravity, a motion performed on the load controller by the player is determined.

A music based video game provides a user directed sound generation feature. In some embodiments, the user is provided a video game controller simulating a musical instrument, which the user may operate similarly to its real musical instrument counterpart. A free play feature is provided for users to operate the video game controller, where a processor of a video game console receives input signals from the video game controller and outputs audio samples based on the received input signals. During the free play feature, multiple suggestions as to how to operate the video game controller are simultaneously provided to give users some guidance as to what to play using the video game controller.

An image capture device, including: a housing; a first camera defined along a front surface of the housing; a first camera controller configured to control the first camera to capture images of an interactive environment during user interactivity at a first exposure setting, the captured images from the first camera being analyzed to detect a dynamic range of the interactive environment and to track a user; a second camera defined along the front surface of the housing; a second camera controller configured to control the second camera to capture images of the interactive environment during the user interactivity at a second exposure setting based on the detected dynamic range, the second exposure setting being lower than the first exposure setting and configured to enable capture of objects that are the brightest objects in the interactive environment, the captured images from the second camera being analyzed to track an illuminated object.

A gaming machine having a display that displays a determined screen including a character, during execution of a game, a touch panel sensor, disposed above the display, that is capable of detecting the contact position, the position of the character contacted by a player, and a CPU that determines the contact position of the character as well as the contact mode, and that displays an image on the display, that is changed based on the result of this determination.

In a first aspect, a system for playing a video game is provided that includes (1) one or more sensors adapted to monitor one or more biometric parameters of a user and communicate the one or more monitored biometric parameters (MBPs); (2) a computing device adapted to communicate with the one or more sensors and to receive the one or more communicated MBPs; and (3) a video game having an avatar adapted to move an object on an incline, the video game adapted to execute on the computing device. The video game is adapted to control the avatar to perform an action in the video game based in part on the received one or more communicated MBPs. Numerous other aspects are provided.

The disclosed system enables players and a coach to interact in a virtual game session. The system provides a virtual sports field, virtual players, and opposing virtual players, where a virtual player is controlled by a player and the coach, while the multiple opposing virtual players are configured to be controlled by the coach. The system receives an input from the coach indicating a movement of the virtual player. The system provides the input to the player controlling the virtual player. Upon providing the input to the player, the system receives an input moving the virtual player and renders the virtual player based on the input. The system receives an input from the coach indicating a movement of the opposing virtual players and renders the opposing virtual players based on the input from the coach.