Microsoft Entertainment System Patent Revealed

Microsoft's dream of interconnection and interoperability would work on a multitude of technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LAN, UWB, USB or Firewire. What it is going to be in real life? No one can tell! It's still just a Patent application filed by MS! Interesting though

Here's an excerpt of Microsoft's application document.

Microsoft filed a Patent application that describes the future of the gaming console and the networking interoperability between different kinds of portable devices. According to Microsoft's document, any device with a CPU, memory, proper connection interface and software, will be able to connect to the system. This would mean the Xbox 360, Zune, any Window Mobile, PCs and probably pocket PCs as well.

Console gaming device can be processing a game application provided by a handheld gaming device

Handheld gaming device can use the console gaming device's spare memory to store results of previous games

Handheld device can comprise at least one flash memory compatible port and the console gaming device 44 can comprise at least one Universal Serial Bus (USB) compatible port.When combined, the flash memory compatible port(s) are available to the console gaming device 44 via its USB compatible port(s) thus increasing game console memory capacity

One of the input/output ports of the console gaming device 42 can be coupled to a large screen display and another of the console gaming device's 42 input/output ports can be coupled to a home theater audio system. Accordingly, the video and audio of a game being played on the handheld gaming device 40 can be rendered on the large screen display and the home theater system, respectively, via the console gaming device 42

Handheld gaming device 40 can comprise sound effects for displayed objects, but not-include Doppler for objects in motion. Another handheld gaming device 38 can comprise a library of Doppler sound effects for object in motion. When combined, one handheld gaming device 40 can download other handheld gaming device's 38 Doppler sound effect library to enhance it's sound effects.

If console gaming device does not have enough power to process 3 pictures for Picture in Picture functionality, it can offload the processing for two pictures to the handheld gaming devices, therein utilizing the them as adjunct processors gaming components can provide updates and/or modifications to other gaming components in combination.

Non-gaming applications on a gaming component can be controlled by another gaming component in combination. For example, the handheld gaming device can be used to control music playback on the console gaming device.

Source

Comments

[Bryce]

Just a wild and random idea but, what if Microsoft were to do this:

Purchase a few square meters of property near every large city in the United States and set up towers which could give service to all devices and connect them to each other. Thing problem with the Wifi on the Zune is that no one uses it because no one with a Zune is around. If Microsoft were to set up service similar to what Sprint of Cingular do, people would find that they would have literally thousands of people to share with. While this is very impractical and the logistics are, in my opinion, nearly impossible, something which connects people will lead to a rise in use.

Isn't what Microsoft is trying to patent is called distributed processing? It's a good idea, but I don't think it is a very groundbreaking one.