Handheld location based games are provided in which a user's physical location correlates to the virtual location of a virtual character on a virtual playfield. Augmented Reality (AR) systems are provided in which video game indicia are overlaid onto a user's physical environment. A landscape detector is provided that may obtain information about the user's landscape, in addition to the user's location, in order to provide overlaying information to an AR head-mounted display and control information to non-user controlled video game characters.

The present invention provides a computer-implemented method performed in an electronic device, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises the steps of: determining if an operating system of the electronic device enables a gaming mode; and if it is determined that the operating system of the electronic device enables the gaming mode, controlling a wireless communication module of the electronic device to not perform at least one operation that will decrease throughput of the wireless communication module; and if it is determined that the operating system of the electronic device does not enable the gaming mode, at least one operation that will decrease throughput of the wireless communication module is allowed to be executed by the wireless communication module.

An interactive gaming toy is provided for playing a game having both physical and virtual gameplay elements. The gaming toy comprises a physical toy, such as a toy wand, doll or action figure, having an RFID tag pre-programmed with a unique identifier that identifies the toy within an associated computer-animated game. The RFID tag stores information describing certain attributes or abilities of a corresponding virtual character or object in the computer-animated game. Additional information may be stored on the RFID tag as the corresponding virtual character evolves or changes over time based on player performance and/or gameplay progression. The interactive gaming toy thus allows developed character attributes and the like to be stored and easily transported to other games and compatible gaming platforms. One or more optional auxiliary components may be attached to the gaming toy to selectively create a modified gaming toy having additional desired functionality and/or aesthetics.

A game system is provided in which a first game apparatus operated by a first player and a second game apparatus operated by a second player are configured to communicate with each other. The first game apparatus decides a content of a fighting event according to an operation of the first player, and transmits event information related to the content of the fighting event. The second game apparatus receives the event information, and generates the fighting event based on the event information. The event information includes: object information related to one or more objects that are selected from objects of the first player and that fight against an object of the second player in the fighting event; and mission information that is related to a mission assigned for the second player during the fighting event.

Systems, apparatus and methods for enabling a mobile station to control a virtual world being executed on a console system are described. The method can include establishing a communication link between the mobile station and a console system, identifying user interface characteristics of the mobile station, and providing a controller application to the mobile station, the controller application being based on the identified user interface characteristics and configured to transform user interface inputs into controller commands. The method can further include receiving signals containing data representing the controller commands from the mobile station over the communication link and determining a sequence of events of the virtual world based on the received controller commands. In one aspect, the controller application can execute in the context of an application on the mobile station.

Device linking is described. In one or more implementations, data is maintained at a network service that describes characteristics of a plurality of devices that are associated with a user account of the network service. A communication is formed to be received by one of the plurality of devices that includes a portion of the data that pertains to another one of the plurality of devices and that is suitable by the receiving device to discover the other one of the plurality of devices to initiate a local network connection between the devices.

Examples are disclosed that relate to tracking a pose of a handheld object used with a head-mounted display device. In one example, a method comprises: receiving image data from an image sensing system; detecting a plurality of feature points of the handheld object in a frame of the image data; receiving inertial measurement unit (IMU) data from an IMU of the handheld object; based on detecting the plurality of feature points and receiving the IMU data, determining a first pose of the handheld object; determining that at least a portion of the plurality of feature points is not detected in another frame of the image data; using the IMU data, updating the first pose of the handheld object to a second pose; and body-locking the second pose of the handheld object to a body location on a user wearing the head-mounted display device.

Electronic test devices and methods include data transfer capabilities. In one implementation, an assay device includes wireless communication capabilities to send assay result decisions and/or values to a separate processing and display device such as a smartphone. In another implementation, light sources are modulated both for performing an assay and encoding and transmitting a result of an assay.

In one embodiment, a system and method for controlling mobile gaming on a vessel may have a plurality of mobile gaming devices, a location server operable to track a device position of each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices and track a vessel position of the vessel, and a mobile gaming management server configured to communicate with the location server and a gaming server, the mobile gaming management server operable to individually control whether each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is permitted to play a game of chance based on the device position and the vessel position.

An example game apparatus selects an operational character that is to be used by a player in a multiplayer game with competition. The game apparatus selects an additional character that is to be added to the operational character from a plurality of candidates for an additional character to be selected. The additional character is associated with an image of the additional character, information of an effect to be given to performance in the game with competition of the operational character to which the additional character is added, and information about a type. The game apparatus generates a selection image including at least an image of the operational character selected by the player and each other user, an image of the additional character selected by the player, and an image of the type of the additional character, for display, during selection of the operational character and the additional character.