A portable, handheld game console includes a main body incorporating a touch-sensitive display screen and a variety of input devices. The input devices can include shoulder buttons located on a peripheral side surface of the main body, as well as input devices located on the main body adjacent the touch-sensitive display screen.

A method of estimating a time to complete a task for a user of a computer comprises: identifying a target task for which a time is to be estimated for completing the task, determining as a start point the completion of the last task completed by the user on the computer, obtaining, from data relating to a corpus of users, data for at least a subset of those users who completed the last task completed by the user before also completing the target task wherein the obtained data comprises timing data, calculating a representative time from the start point to the completion of the target task, based upon the obtained data, and implementing a predetermined action responsive to the calculated representative time.

A system and method for providing an objective to a user comprises a user registration unit, a build unit, a user interface unit, and an objective determination unit. The user registration unit is configured to receive a user request to operate the system. The build unit is configured to select a plurality of variable components for the system. The user interface unit is configured to receive user requests to interact with the variable components and to provide information to the user in response to the user requests. The objective determination unit is configured to determine whether the user has achieved the objective based at least in part on the user interactions.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for altering display of selectable objects having multiple matchable ends in a computer game, comprising displaying a plurality of selectable objects of a computer game displayed by a client device, each of the plurality of selectable objects initially has a plurality of separable ends, each of the plurality of separable ends of each of the plurality of selectable objects is marked with one of a plurality of patterns, receiving user input comprising a match indication of one or more matches between separable ends of at least two of the selectable objects marked with a common pattern, and altering the display of one or more of the at least two selectable objects by breaking away and removing the matched separable end in case the match(s) indicated by the match indication is correct.

A system and method for executing an instance of an online game to facilitate participation of the user in the online game. The system and method include executing actions in the instance of the online game that are delayed from reception of corresponding action requests by wait times associated with the actions. The system and method include effectuating presentation of speed-up quest offers to the user for wait times that are open. The system and method include detecting successful performance of speed-up quests by the user in the online game and implementing speed-ups associated with the speed-up quest offers on open wait times in the online game in response to successful performance of offered speed-up quests by the user in the online game. The system and method include in response to detection of successful performance of the first quest in the online game during the first open wait time implementing a first speed-up by reducing the first open wait time.

A system configured to provide one or more virtual spaces that are accessible to users. The system may implement a markup language to communicate information between various components. The markup language may enable the communication of information between components of the system via markup elements. A markup element may include a discrete unit of information that includes both content and attributes associated with the content. The implementation of the markup language may enable the instantiation of virtual spaces, and the conveyance to users of views of an instantiated virtual space via a distributed architecture in which the components (e.g., a server capable of instantiating virtual spaces, and a client capable of providing an interface between a user and a virtual space) are capable of providing virtual spaces with a broader range of characteristics than components in conventional systems capable of providing virtual spaces that are accessible to users. This may enable users to access virtual spaces from a broader range of platforms, provide access to a broader range of virtual spaces without requiring the installation of proprietary or specialized client applications, facilitate the creation and/or customization of virtual spaces, and/or provide other enhancements.

An arbitration system is configured to receive, as a set of results data, separate instances of results data from corresponding client computing devices being used to participate in a multiplayer game session. In some examples, an instance of results data comprises input representing an indication or a selection of an identity associated with an outcome of the multiplayer game session. For instance, the input can indicate a participant identity that won the multiplayer game session. In some examples, an instance of results data comprises game data describing the overall activity in a multiplayer game session from a perspective of a player's client computing device, the game data indicating a particular participant identity as a winner of the multiplayer game session. The arbitration system is configured to use the set of results data to determine an arbitrated outcome for the multiplayer game session.

A system which employs a method of creating transferable map schemas, storing the map schemas to storage devices, receiving target device settings, re-sampling the map schemas to fit the target devices using the target device settings, delivering the re-sampled map schemas to the target devices is described. Thereby providing the innovation that map schemas may be accessed by more than one type of device, the method by which maps are scaled from a created map dimension with given details to either a larger map having the ability to be utilized on a more capable playing device or to a map or a smaller map having the ability to be utilized on a less capable device without losing the important game-specific required data is also described.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for altering display of selectable objects having multiple matchable ends in a computer game, comprising displaying a plurality of selectable objects of a computer game displayed by a client device, each of the plurality of selectable objects initially has a plurality of separable ends, each of the plurality of separable ends of each of the plurality of selectable objects is marked with one of a plurality of patterns, receiving user input comprising a match indication of one or more matches between separable ends of at least two of the selectable objects marked with a common pattern, and altering the display of one or more of the at least two selectable objects by breaking away and removing the matched separable end in case the match(s) indicated by the match indication is correct.

A computer game interface is disclosed, having controller inputs configured to receive an input signal from a user interface controller and to enable the user to control a user controllable element of a game on a computer. The computer game interface also has a controller output that sends an output signal to the computer, the output signal having information to control the user controllable element of the game. Another element of the computer game interface is a switching module in communication with the controller inputs and the controller output. The switching module selects an input signal from the input signals received by the controller inputs and communicates the input signal to the controller output. An additional element of the computer game interface is a timer controlling the switching module to switch the input signal communicated to the controller output based on a time period.