A handheld controller having at least one input device, a left capacitive sensor electrode mounted in a left portion of the handheld device; a right capacitive sensor electrode mounted in a right portion of the handheld device; and a microcontroller. The input device is configured to receive user inputs provided via a finger of the hand holding the handheld controller. The handheld controller is symmetric from left to right. The microcontroller is configured to determine whether the hand is a left hand or a right hand based on measurements made via the left capacitive sensor electrode and the right capacitive sensor electrode and dynamically configures the handheld controller has left-handed or right-handed based on the measurements.

Various methods and apparatus are described herein for enabling one or more users to interface with virtual or augmented reality environments. An example system includes a computing network having computer servers interconnected through high bandwidth interfaces to gateways for processing data and/or for enabling communication of data between the servers and one or more local user interface devices. The servers include memory, processing circuitry, and software for designing and/or controlling virtual worlds, as well as for storing and processing user data and data provided by other components of the system. One or more virtual worlds may be presented to a user through a user device for the user to experience and interact. A large number of users may each use a device to simultaneously interface with one or more digital worlds by using the device to observe and interact with each other and with objects produced within the digital worlds.

A hand held controller for a games console comprising an outer case and at least one control located on the controller. The controller is shaped to be held in at least one hand of a user such that the at least one control is operable by the user. The at least one control extends through an aperture provided in the outer case, and wherein the controller comprises a removable buffer mounted within the aperture.

A game system comprising a data processing system and an identification toy element that includes information associated with the identification toy element; wherein the identification toy element is a toy construction element comprising one or more connectors configured for mechanically connecting one or more other toy construction elements to the identification toy element so as to allow a user to construct a toy construction model; and wherein the data processing system is configured to: detect a presence of the identification toy element in a detection area; create an association between a virtual object in a virtual environment and the detected identification toy element; access, when the identification toy element is again placed within a detection area, the information associated with the identification toy element; obtain, based on the accessed information, information about the virtual object associated with the identification toy element; present a representation of the associated virtual object; and to perform a play pattern procedure including controlling the representation of the virtual object.

An application programming interface is provided that allows applications to request and receive distance measurements from multiple proximity sensors arranged on a computing device such as a smart phone or tablet. Users can input ranges of values to the applications by moving objects such as hands and fingers towards and away one or more of the multiple proximity sensors. Applications can use the ranges of values provided by the proximity sensors to allow for more nuanced and precise user interfaces than what is typically available using the binary output associated with a capacitive display. The values provided by the proximity sensors can be combined with values from one or more other sensors such as accelerometers to provide additional user interface options.

A controller for interfacing with a computing device is provided, including the following: a main body; a first extension extending from a first end of the main body; a second extension extending from a second end of the main body; wherein the first extension and the second extension are configured as handles; a button positioned on a surface of the main body, the button being configured to activate a sharing interface for sharing gameplay.

The invention relates to an interactive display system (1) configured to produce an immersion of a user (3) in a virtual visual environment comprising several devices (2) for broadcasting at least one graphic representation that are capable or partially or entirely covering a visual field of the user (3), each broadcasting device (2) being provided with an element (4) for displaying said at least one graphic representation and an interactive interface (5) comprising a zone (6) for receiving at least one impact which is defined over all or part of an outer face (7a) of the display element (4), said interactive interface (5) comprising a device (8) for emitting infrared radiation and a device (9) for capturing at least one image of an outer face (7a) of said display element (4).

A method for sharing gameplay is provided, including the following operations: executing a video game at a server for streaming to a client; while executing the video game, buffering a portion of gameplay of the video game, wherein the buffered portion of gameplay includes an amount of gameplay prior to a currently executing gameplay; receiving an input from a controller device used for playing the video game; responsive to receiving the input, enabling sharing of at least part of the portion of gameplay to a website.

A hand held controller for a games console comprising an outer case and at least one control located on the controller. The controller is shaped to be held in at least one hand of a user such that the at least one control is operable by the user. The at least one control extends through an aperture provided in the outer case, and wherein the controller comprises a removable buffer mounted within the aperture.

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.