Nintendo patents Xbox features...

[LynxFX]

Now this is a brain teaser.

Nintendo has been granted a US patent that yields it the ownership of key online multi-player gaming facilities, including player league tables, voice communications and online gaming host services.

*snip*

The two patents detail a "home video game system with hard disk drive and Internet access capability", but the second filing adds provision for "substantially real-time" online multi-player gaming, connection via an online gaming service, support for online "player performance data", using the connection to download information and do so securely through an authentication process, and the communication across the Net of "audio input signals".

*snip*
Patents can be modified to add new elements, and technology companies frequently amend existing intellectual property with new, related ideas - which then apply from the first filing date, in this case April 1999, long before last year's introduction by Microsoft of Xbox Live, its console-oriented online gaming and information service, and which also offers voice chat facilities.

Funny how Nintendo can patent features such as a harddrive and online capabilities, yet they don't have a console that has either. I don't consider 3 phantasy star online games "online console gaming". Of course this could just be for a new peripheral that will give these features to the Gamecube. Still makes you want to do this:

[TheCovenant]

wtf?!?!?

[SPARTAN VI]

Wait wait wait.. so Xbox is now in violation of that patent, right?

So confused.. and angry.

[SoundX]

What the hell is this?

[MajorTom]

I don't think Microsoft is in violation of the patent because they had these things before the patent.

[jschelm]

I read through the patent for a while and from what I can tell they are patenting their specific (Quote from the patent) "video game system modified to include additional communication and storage capability via a modem and hard disk drive"

They aren't patenting the idea of online gaming in general, just the way that they do it. I am sure MS has some of the same patents.

On a side note, check this out from the same patent

A user may receive a TV channel guide downloaded via the Internet, spot a program which the user desires to view and immediately access, via an IR input, the desired channel through the expansion device TV tuner. A user may also watch TV while simultaneously logging onto the Internet. A hard drive permits downloading from the Internet of entire games.

[MajorTom]

I read through the patent for a while and from what I can tell they are patenting their specific (Quote from the patent) "video game system modified to include additional communication and storage capability via a modem and hard disk drive"

They aren't patenting the idea of online gaming in general, just the way that they do it. I am sure MS has some of the same patents.

On a side note, check this out from the same patent

Nintendo with a good idea?

[Sheeyt]

So the next Nintendo is going to be Xbox? LMAO

[jschelm]

Nintendo with a good idea?

I think so...Now if only they got some good adult games to go with these high tech features

I can't imagine my 6 year old nephew caring that he can watch tv on his gamecube

[MajorTom]

I think so...Now if only they got some good adult games to go with these high tech features

I can't imagine my 6 year old nephew caring that he can watch tv on his gamecube

Yeah. A better controller and making it not look like little purple make up kit might be good too.

[Cryogenic Pyro]

What are you talking about? The Fisher Price controllers are the best.

[LTM360]

/me at the responses in this thread.

I think so...Now if only they got some good adult games to go with these high tech features

Go play Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem and get back to me.

Yeah. A better controller and making it not look like little purple make up kit might be good too.

Yeah, and wouldn't it be nice if it had the lousy quality Xbox and Playstation 2 have? You know, their console needs to break for no reason whatsoever, and same with their controllers those things just won't break, and that friggin' wireless controller needs to suck a little bit, that thing is too perfect.


On Topic: Nice to see Nintendo finally sees that Internet gaming is alot more successful than they thought it would be. Can't wait for Mario Kart/Tennis/Golf/Party online!

[MajorTom]

Yeah, and wouldn't it be nice if it had the lousy quality Xbox and Playstation 2 have? You know, their console needs to break for no reason whatsoever, and same with their controllers those things just won't break, and that friggin' wireless controller needs to suck a little bit, that thing is too perfect.

You want to see quality. Get a friend over and both of you stand at opposite ends of a room. One of you throws and Xbox and the other one throws a game cube or a ps2 and then watch what happens when they collide. There's the better quality console for you.

[Casper]

You want to see quality. Get a friend over and both of you stand at opposite ends of a room. One of you throws and Xbox and the other one throws a game cube or a ps2 and then watch what happens when they collide. There's the better quality console for you.

Yes, I always judge which console is the best when it's heavier than the other two.

Either way, this is a slick move by Nintendo, being that they are all but guaranteeing that the next console will not go for online gaming at all. And, being that it was requested before XboxLive - btw, how old is this story Lynx? - MS must have done something about this already.

[l Maximus l]

Yes, I always judge which console is the best when it's heavier than the other two.

It seems to me that MajorTom was using an analogy demonstrating that the XBox is built better than the GameCube. I'd have to agree. And the Nintendo GameCube controllers are really cheap...with a D-Pad smaller than my thumb, and a yellow joystick that is far from being a joy. The oversized buttons and strange shaped buttons...Too bad the cube has horrible hardware that can't live up to the games that the cube is capable of running.

[MajorTom]

That's how I judge my women.

[MajorTom]

By which one is heaviest

[MajorTom]

It seems to me that MajorTom was using an analogy demonstrating that the XBox is built better than the GameCube. I'd have to agree. And the Nintendo GameCube controllers are really cheap...with a D-Pad smaller than my thumb, and a yellow joystick that is far from being a joy. The oversized buttons and strange shaped buttons...Too bad the cube has horrible hardware that can't live up to the games that the cube is capable of running.

See maximus knows what I'm saying.

[Casper]

It seems to me that MajorTom was using an analogy demonstrating that the XBox is built better than the GameCube. I'd have to agree. And the Nintendo GameCube controllers are really cheap...with a D-Pad smaller than my thumb, and a yellow joystick that is far from being a joy. The oversized buttons and strange shaped buttons...Too bad the cube has horrible hardware that can't live up to the games that the cube is capable of running.

You sound like a Cube fanboy

Anyways, my girl's son has one and I've played it - I think that after all the frustrations I've had with my DVD laser on this dam thing, I'm still loving it alot more than I'd ever be able to do with a Cube, and you're totally right on the controller - he's 5, so he has no problem with it, but I can use one hand on the whole thing just about. The games are impressive, but there's such a lack of original titles on there that it's hard to even dream of investing in the system. Do you think there's an overkill of Mario or Zelda games on that system, or is it just me?

And I don't judge my girls that way, I'd rather see their boobs bash each other than have 2 of them go at it

[MajorTom]

You sound like a Cube fanboy

Anyways, my girl's son has one and I've played it - I think that after all the frustrations I've had with my DVD laser on this dam thing, I'm still loving it alot more than I'd ever be able to do with a Cube, and you're totally right on the controller - he's 5, so he has no problem with it, but I can use one hand on the whole thing just about. The games are impressive, but there's such a lack of original titles on there that it's hard to even dream of investing in the system. Do you think there's an overkill of Mario or Zelda games on that system, or is it just me?

And I don't judge my girls that way, I'd rather see their boobs bash each other than have 2 of them go at it

Yeah, they have a few good games but they're kind of like disney the way they take a classic and make something new out of it that ends up sucking.
And that's not bad way to judge women either.