A gaming system has a game server executing software managing a game based on a virtual environment, the game server interacting with a plurality of gaming platforms used by players, receiving update commands from players, updating the virtual environment and serving updated display data to the platforms, and a plurality of game-play behavioral profiles stored in a data repository accessible to the game server, the behavioral profiles specific to individual ones of the players and gaming platforms used by the players, and storing predictive responses associated with circumstances of update commands received. Upon receiving an update command from a player concerning an object controlled by that player, the game server, through the software, poses a query conditioned by the circumstances to the behavioral profile of the player, and if a predictive response is returned, conditions updated predictive display data sent to all players according to the predictive response.

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.

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.

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.

An information processing apparatus acquires operation information of a user, and executes an application based on the operation information. While the application is being executed, the information processing apparatus repeatedly searches for other unspecified information processing apparatuses by using a wireless communication function, and establishes a connection with the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses having been searched for. The information processing apparatus executes a communication application to communicate with the connected one or more of the other information processing apparatuses, based on the operation information and on operation information relating to the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses.

An information processing apparatus displays an image on a display, directly communicates wirelessly with another information processing apparatus, and also receives a plurality of operation input data from a plurality of operation devices. Then, the information processing apparatus performs game processing for a communication game based on the plurality of operation input data and received information, and based on the game processing, generates, by screen splitting, game images including images on which operations on the plurality of respective operation devices are reflected, and causes the game images to be displayed on the display.

A CPU executes a communication partner search process for searching for a communication partner (another game machine). The CPU confirms received data content. If identification information included in the received data matches, application identification information saved in a wireless communication module is compared with application identification information included in the received data. When the pieces of application identification information match, a notice that another game machine having exchange data corresponding to the matched application identification information is found is given to a main body. Then, giving/receiving of exchange data is executed to/from another game machine.

A system serves a multi-player virtual-reality (VR) game to two appliances used by players. The server receives data from the first computerized appliance indicating new activity of a controllable object controlled by the first player, determines instant state of the controlled object, accesses predictive display data, selects, according to the instant state of the controlled object, specific predictive display data associated with the first player, and sends the specific predictive display data to the second computerized appliance, where it is utilized to display a predicted movement over time of the first controlled object in the second display.

A communication game system includes a plurality of game apparatuses which are able to wirelessly communicate with each other. Each of the game apparatus registers identifying information of an opponent obtained by a short-distance wireless communication or by user's manual input in a friend list. Thereafter, the game apparatus connects to the Internet, and inquires whether it is possible to communicate with an opponent in the friend list over the network. If it is possible to communicate, the game apparatus obtains an address of the opponent to make a network communication. Even if a user makes a short distance wireless communication with a friend to exchange and register the identifying information or registers the friend by hand and then is parted from the friend, the user can safely communicate with the friend across the network without being exposed to unknown players. In a case that an additional opponent is to be added to the multiplayer game session, one of the participants transmits identifying information to introduce the communicating opponents to each other. The game apparatuses introduced to each other make a communication over a network, and add the identifying information of the opponents to the friend list, if necessary.

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.