This application relates to an apparatus and method for acquiring an in-game 360 virtual reality (VR) image by using a plurality of virtual cameras. In one aspect, the image acquisition apparatus includes a virtual camera group taking in-game images by using the plurality of virtual cameras. The image acquisition apparatus may also include a renderer generating textures for the taken images, generating a panoramic image by performing an equirectangular projection (ERP) mapping of the generated textures, and encoding the generated panoramic image. The image acquisition apparatus may further include an image generator generating a 360 VR image by combining audio information with the encoded panoramic image.

Described herein is a system and method for creating a shared coordinate space in an augmented reality session between two devices with disjoint relative coordinate spaces. With AR tracking initiated, each device has its own relative coordinate space. A spatial alignment image can be recognized by a device joining an AR session which records its location (e.g., six degrees of position). The joining device can utilize an obtained location of an inviting device at or about the time the spatial alignment image was recognized, and, a spatial origin of the inviting device, to calculate an offset between the joining device and the inviting device, establishing a shared coordinate space between the joining device and the inviting device.

A method and apparatus for categorising images of mobile device software, the method comprising: running mobile device software through a platform installed on a user device; capturing images of the mobile device software during user operation; extracting image descriptors from the captured images; processing the extracted image descriptors to generate input to a model derived from a trained computer neural network; processing output of the model to determine a category for a captured image from which the image descriptors are extracted; extracting one or more features present in the captured image according to the predetermined one or more features to be extracted for the category; and processing the extracted one or more features to determine a score, ranking or level tied to the user against scores, rankings or levels of other users of the same mobile device software in case that the category relates to scoring, ranking or levelling.

A method and apparatus for categorising images of mobile device software, the method comprising: running mobile device software through a platform installed on a user device; capturing images of the mobile device software during user operation; extracting image descriptors from the captured images; processing the extracted image descriptors to generate input to a model derived from a trained computer neural network; processing output of the model to determine a category for a captured image from which the image descriptors are extracted; extracting one or more features present in the captured image according to the predetermined one or more features to be extracted for the category; and processing the extracted one or more features to determine a score, ranking or level tied to the user against scores, rankings or levels of other users of the same mobile device software in case that the category relates to scoring, ranking or levelling.

Methods and systems are provided for selecting viewports into a game. One example method includes identifying a plurality of virtual cameras for providing viewports into the game. The method includes accessing a playbook of a spectator user, and the playbook identifies performance of the spectator user in the game. The method includes accessing event data for the game as the game is played live or recorded. The method includes generating a switchboard interface for the spectator user including a plurality of viewports providing optional views into the game. The plurality of viewports is dynamically selected based on processing the event data and the playbook of the spectator user through a machine learning model. The machine learning model is configured to identify features from the event data and the playbook to identify attributes of the spectator user. The attributes of the spectator user are used to select the plurality of viewports into the game.

Methods and systems are provided for selecting viewports into a game. One example method includes identifying a plurality of virtual cameras for providing viewports into the game. The method includes accessing a playbook of a spectator user, and the playbook identifies performance of the spectator user in the game. The method includes accessing event data for the game as the game is played live or recorded. The method includes generating a switchboard interface for the spectator user including a plurality of viewports providing optional views into the game. The plurality of viewports is dynamically selected based on processing the event data and the playbook of the spectator user through a machine learning model. The machine learning model is configured to identify features from the event data and the playbook to identify attributes of the spectator user. The attributes of the spectator user are used to select the plurality of viewports into the game.

An approach is provided for streaming of media streams (e.g., from a game console). In one implementation, a media stream that includes a secondary view of the game world may be generated at the game console. The secondary view may be of a lower-quality version of a primary view of the game world. The generation of the media stream may include: prefetching, to a cache of the game console, portions of the primary view and/or instructions for encoding the portions; and encoding, based on the prefetching, the portions to produce the secondary view. In another implementation, game play information may be executed to reproduce previous game play of a previous game session during a reproduction of the previous game session. Augmentation content may be added to the reproduced game session during the reproduction of the previous game session, creating an augmented game session having one or more views for streaming.

An approach is provided for streaming of media streams (e.g., from a game console). In one implementation, a media stream that includes a secondary view of the game world may be generated at the game console. The secondary view may be of a lower-quality version of a primary view of the game world. The generation of the media stream may include: prefetching, to a cache of the game console, portions of the primary view and/or instructions for encoding the portions; and encoding, based on the prefetching, the portions to produce the secondary view. In another implementation, game play information may be executed to reproduce previous game play of a previous game session during a reproduction of the previous game session. Augmentation content may be added to the reproduced game session during the reproduction of the previous game session, creating an augmented game session having one or more views for streaming.

A display control apparatus includes a display control section that generates a virtual space image by specifying a viewpoint position and a direction of line of sight and displays the image on a head-mounted display. The display control section can specify a plurality of positions in the virtual space as viewpoint positions and can change the viewpoint position to a position determined from among the plurality of positions in accordance with an attitude of the head-mounted display, and when the viewpoint position is changed, the display control section specifies, as a direction of line of sight, the direction in which a first position in the virtual space is seen from the changed viewpoint position.

A game image generating section 120 generates a first image and a second image of an application. An image providing section 152 provides the first image to an output apparatus 4. A sharing processing section 160 streaming-distributes the second image to the sharing server. A display image generating section 150 may generate a display image including at least the first image and information associated with the second image. In addition, the sharing processing section 160 may instruct the application to generate the second image the basis of a request from a viewing user.