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[ziran]

*UPDATED

Revolution Report has an article outlining a patent that maybe describing Revolution's Virtual Console interface. It's a nice find and seems legit.

Patent

The Figures mentioned in the quote can be found at the Revolution Report link.

* The patent refers to a series of emulator programs, meaning that should this patent refer to Virtual Console, the "first game machine" (which we assume refers to Revolution) has no dedicated hardware for Virtual Console titles. (Figure 4)

* According to the images and descriptions provided within the patent, when deciding to play and/or download a title, the player will select the game first by platform, then by franchise and then which game within that franchise. Also, for games existing without a definite franchise, the patent indicates an "other" tab to select from that may accommodate those particular titles. (Figure 9)

* When choosing a game, the player will apparently click once to bring up a screen displaying an outline of the game which uses animations, still pictures, a sentence description and/or sounds, and then click again to confirm the selection. (Figure 18)

* Particular downloaded games will prompt the player to choose a number of displayed characters before engaging in gameplay, perhaps even characters that might not be normally attributed to that particular game. This notion coincides with what Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said back in June, stating that Nintendo is "doing several experiments, including working with the original Super Mario Bros.," and that "the game itself and the gameplay shall be identical, but the look will be different; it's possible that with Revolution, we may be able to see the old games with new looks." (Figure 22)

* According to the patent, this technology will allow for older game programs to be supplied to the player at a low cost without the added burden of program-implanting costs for the game program maker. However, the patent in question does not further specify the exact meaning of "low cost."

* For the NES and SNES consoles, those "extremely low in capability," the Revolution's CPU has the capacity to handle the processing of the downloaded game without the involvement of the GPU.

* No unnecessary re-coding is required to get downloadable games to work with this technology, according to the patent.

*Virtual Console Tidbits in New Patent Application
http://www.revolutionreport.com/articles/read/256
Patent - http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph...s1=nintendo.AS.&OS=AN/nintendo&RS=AN/nintendo

*The application refers to storing a game program for a legacy console alongside a game program for the "newer-type" console all on one storage medium. This could be in reference to Nintendo planning to deliver its classic titles with Revolution titles.

*It is stated that the "home video game system" is capable of emulating a "legacy home video game system or a hand-held portable game system". This suggests Nintendo has at least given some thought to providing their Game Boy and DS software through the Virtual Console service.

*A mysterious claim in the application says that the game machine can "use a high-speed computer instead of a special purpose-game machine to execute game programs." This can be interpreted several ways, but it seems to hint at some possible Revolution-PC connectivity.

* In the previous patent, replacing characters in legacy games using a graphics replacement technique was discussed. This application expands on this idea, saying it can also be used to "suitably change the map or other characters." This once again falls in line Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's comments in June 2005, stating that "with Revolution, we may be able to see the old games with new looks."

* Last but not least, the patent application also claims that this technology is not limited to game machines created by Nintendo, but is applicable to the older and newer game machines of "other manufacturers." This is most likely stated to prevent other companies from stealing this technique of backwards compatibility, but it could also likely mean that other legacy console manufacturers such as Sega or SNK could provide classic content in a similar manner via Nintendo's Virtual Console.

This thread also has info about the virtual console:
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=80099

 

[D3VI0US]

Only with the Revolution could a standard interface for playing ROMs be regarded as news.

 

[Rocket Punch]

Super Link Bros.

The Legend Of Peach: Mario's Awakening

Starfox DK: Battle for Coconut System

Earthbound starring Kirby

 

[Merlin]

I hope the 2D Mario games don't have the stupid voices from the GBA games.

 

[ziran]

Only with the Revolution could a standard interface for playing ROMs be regarded as news.

if you didn't think it was newsworthy why did you click on the topic?

 

[Yoshi]

I hope, there will be Super Mario Bros with Yoshi D.

 

[Azure Dream]

Earthbound starring Kirby

HAL did some work on Kirby, he appears as the icon for the in-game debug menu.

Okay, so it's not starring, but it's closer than you probably intended.

 

[littlewig]

According to the patent, this technology will allow for older game programs to be supplied to the player at a low cost without the added burden of program-implanting costs for the game program maker.

Does this mean Nintendo is willing to take a hit on downloads to offer us free backwards compatiblity?

I hope so.

Edit - Also, I hope in Super Mario RPG, which will be the first game I play on Revolution, they add more cameos from Square and Nintendo characters.

 

[clearacell]

this sounds awesome, I'm hoping to get 5 or 6 games the day of launch

 

[Dr_Cogent]

If Revolution allows me to download Tetrisphere - Nintendo has an extra sale.

 

[Oblivion]

I hope the 2D Mario games don't have the stupid voices from the GBA games.

Oh, good god yes. I really wish they didn't add that shit.

 

[cvxfreak]

The more I hear about the Virtual Console, the more excited I get.

Star Fox 64 FTW.

 

[Gahiggidy]

Nintendo invents the emulator!

 

[AndoCalrissian]

Does this mean Nintendo is willing to take a hit on downloads to offer us free backwards compatiblity?

I hope so.

Edit - Also, I hope in Super Mario RPG, which will be the first game I play on Revolution, they add more cameos from Square and Nintendo characters.

It would hardly be a hit to let us download an NES game which is only a few kilobytes. However, I expect a $1-5 price for them, $10 for SNES, and $15 for N64.

 

[Polari]

Is it me or does this patent indicate that the service will run off a DVD, like with the Gameboy Player?

If so, that's fucking stupid. I want it there when I turn the system on with nothing in the drive.

 

[Link Floyd]

Is it me or does this patent indicate that the service will run off a DVD, like with the Gameboy Player?

If so, that's fucking stupid. I want it there when I turn the system on with nothing in the drive.

Sounds like it. The abstract for the patent might as well have been describing the Gameboy Player.

 

[donny2112]

A further game information storage medium includes at least two emulator programs which emulate the second game machine in at least two kinds of first game machines having architectures different from each other.

Confirmation of different hardwares for the Revolution (e.g. Xbox360 HDD/non-HDD) or maybe playing the downloaded games on the next GameBoy?

I've been hoping that the next GameBoy would use the Revolution service to download GB/GBC games as continuing hardware backwards compatibility to GB/GBC may be too troublesome (e.g. NDS and GBM don't play GB/GBC games). Of course with the orginal patent being filed in 2001, it could very well be something completely different.

 

[koam]

Can people actually read?

A coded image on a recording medium (a card) which records desired information as an optically readable coded image (a dot code) contains predetermined record location information indicating a record location at which the image is recorded on the card, as, for example, an element of a physical format of the image. A coded image reading apparatus for reading the coded image from the card has image inputting means (a pickup). The apparatus includes a CPU, which includes and can execute record location determining means (a program) for obtaining record location information from an input image and determining a record location of the image. The card is guided so that the proper read operation can be performed in accordance with this function of determination.

It's the freaking E-card reader.

 

[donny2112]

Can people actually read?



It's the freaking E-card reader.

:lol

I never even looked at the Patent Office link ziran posted. It is for the e-Reader, yes.

The correct one for the virtual console is here. I looked it up at the uspto.gov site with the patent number from the article.

 

[koam]

Thanks, yeah that's definetely the Virtual Console. One thing that strikes me as odd, you can choose your series, then your game then "your character"? I don't quite get that last part.

 

[Particle Physicist]

Only with the Revolution could a standard interface for playing ROMs be regarded as news.

this is news::

"* No unnecessary re-coding is required to get downloadable games to work with this technology, according to the patent. "



good news especially for obscure games whose source code might be lost.

 

[Juice]

I come into these patent threads every time, just to remind all of you junior n00bs that never, ever, ever will a patent filing that's already made it online reveal some huge secret of importance. There's nearly a 4-6 year lag on ALL of these filed patents, and in nearly every case it isn't until both (A) the patent office has approved the patent and (B) the company has marked it for public perusal that it will show up.

If you look at the filing date on any of these, and I'm sure this is no exception, it's at least several years ago.

Just stop it. Stop it.

 

[donny2112]

One thing that strikes me as odd, you can choose your series, then your game then "your character"? I don't quite get that last part.

I haven't finished reading it, so it may be explained better later.

and further including graphics image data for one or more different game characters that may be graphically displayed during gameplay;

a game character graphics image display/selection program which displays the respective graphics image data of game characters prior to the execution of a selected game program so as to prompt a player to select a desired character out of the displayed characters; and

a data replacement program which replaces the particular one or more game character graphics image data read-out by the emulator program with game character graphics image data of a particular game character that has been selected by the player,

wherein said one or more different game characters include characters that are not available for selection in the game program itself.

Maybe the graphics are separate files on the ROMs and using the selection mechanism you can choose to replace graphic 1 from game A with graphic 1 from game B (e.g. Kid Icarus jumping around Super Mario Bros.).

If you look at the filing date on any of these, and I'm sure this is no exception, it's at least several years ago.

Filed: February 1, 2001

It also has October 18, 2005 in there, so that may be when it was granted. There is definitely some old stuff in there as I think it assumes the storage medium would be DVDs, whereas it will be SD cards, but I still find it somewhat interesting to read.

 

[jgkspsx]

Maybe the graphics are separate files on the ROMs and using the selection mechanism you can choose to replace graphic 1 from game A with graphic 1 from game B (e.g. Kid Icarus jumping around Super Mario Bros.).

That does appear to be what it says. Nothing that hasn't been done before (OMG an official SoMario release!!!), but sorta cool.

 

[Vieo]

They need to get a patent for their controller.

 

[monkeyrun]

cool sounds like the iTunes interface

 

[slidewinder]

if you didn't think it was newsworthy why did you click on the topic?

How was he to know that this patented interface would turn out to be so uninteresting?

the company has marked it for public perusal that it will show up.

Every patent, once granted, is available for public perusal, and the company it was granted to has no say in the matter.

 

[genjiZERO]

Nintendo invents the emulator!

it's kind of ironic that the most emulated console manufacturer ever... is now emulating itself!
Listen up Nintendo: If you want to be succesful this had better be cheap. If not... then people will just go back to to emulating "the old-fashioned way".

 

[koam]

Can't wait until the virtual console emulator is made

 

[donny2112]

Here's a (hopefully) better explanation of the character-swapping.

Furthermore, in the step S41, the characters that can be selected by the player are displayed. In the step S42, the player selects a desired character. In the step S43, the game program in which the hero or heroine character of the previously-selected game program is replaced with the selected character is generated.

Also, it appears that Nintendo is leaving the door open for having other systems' games available from the download service.

Furthermore, the above embodiment was explained for the case, as an applicable example of the invention, that the game program for the older-generation game machine manufactured/marketed by the applicant is to be used on the next-generation game machine 20. However, it is pointed out that the invention is applicable not limited to between the older-generation and next-generation game machines of this company but to between the game machines of other manufacturers.

 

[John Harker]

can i play super mairo bros as sonic

 

[Morbo]

No unnecessary re-coding is required to get downloadable games to work with this technology, according to the patent.

Why would anything unnecessary be required?

 

[Penguin]

Thanks, yeah that's definetely the Virtual Console. One thing that strikes me as odd, you can choose your series, then your game then "your character"? I don't quite get that last part.

I personally think it refers to stuff like in this image

Which looks like you can select between Mario/Wario, Luigi/Waluigi and Koopa/Yoshi.. in what I believe to be Super Mario World.. Well either that or Mario/Luigi/Yoshi or Wario/Waluigi/Koopa...

 

[ziran]

Virtual Console Tidbits in New Patent Application
http://www.revolutionreport.com/articles/read/256
Patent - http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph...s1=nintendo.AS.&OS=AN/nintendo&RS=AN/nintendo

*The application refers to storing a game program for a legacy console alongside a game program for the "newer-type" console all on one storage medium. This could be in reference to Nintendo planning to deliver its classic titles with Revolution titles.

*It is stated that the "home video game system" is capable of emulating a "legacy home video game system or a hand-held portable game system". This suggests Nintendo has at least given some thought to providing their Game Boy and DS software through the Virtual Console service.

*A mysterious claim in the application says that the game machine can "use a high-speed computer instead of a special purpose-game machine to execute game programs." This can be interpreted several ways, but it seems to hint at some possible Revolution-PC connectivity.

* In the previous patent, replacing characters in legacy games using a graphics replacement technique was discussed. This application expands on this idea, saying it can also be used to "suitably change the map or other characters." This once again falls in line Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's comments in June 2005, stating that "with Revolution, we may be able to see the old games with new looks."

* Last but not least, the patent application also claims that this technology is not limited to game machines created by Nintendo, but is applicable to the older and newer game machines of "other manufacturers." This is most likely stated to prevent other companies from stealing this technique of backwards compatibility, but it could also likely mean that other legacy console manufacturers such as Sega or SNK could provide classic content in a similar manner via Nintendo's Virtual Console.

possibly gb/gba support? would've thought that download system would be implemented on the next gameboy.

 

[Sweedishrodeo]

Last but not least, the patent application also claims that this technology is not limited to game machines created by Nintendo, but is applicable to the older and newer game machines of "other manufacturers." This is most likely stated to prevent other companies from stealing this technique of backwards compatibility, but it could also likely mean that other legacy console manufacturers such as Sega or SNK could provide classic content in a similar manner via Nintendo's Virtual Console.

dreamcast roms anyone? powerstone 1 and 2 FTW

 

[Azure Dream]

Awesome, so all that chatter of Sega being "interested" might actually have some merit. There's times before when Sega's been "interested" in something quite vocally, yet nothing ever came of it.

And interesting in that their big "look different" line may have just referred to standard emulator graphic patches. SMW with Waluigi riding Bowser? That's an odd mental image. But with talks of changed maps and such, I was just thinking how much of a hit Super Demo World would be on the service, they could repackage it as "The Lost Levels" or "For Super Players" or whatever. The game's too hard for my taste, but I watched a speed-run, and it does some amazing things not normally seen in that I bet others would just eat up. The non-Nintendo assets would need to be cleaned out or gotten approval, but there isn't all that much.

 

[Particle Physicist]

.

 

[Oblivion]

Awesome, so all that chatter of Sega being "interested" might actually have some merit. There's times before when Sega's been "interested" in something quite vocally, yet nothing ever came of it.

And interesting in that their big "look different" line may have just referred to standard emulator graphic patches. SMW with Waluigi riding Bowser? That's an odd mental image. But with talks of changed maps and such, I was just thinking how much of a hit Super Demo World would be on the service, they could repackage it as "The Lost Levels" or "For Super Players" or whatever. The game's too hard for my taste, but I watched a speed-run, and it does some amazing things not normally seen in that I bet others would just eat up. The non-Nintendo assets would need to be cleaned out or gotten approval, but there isn't all that much.

Well said. Having Sega aboad with their own games (and probably even third party genesis/saturn games) would be any old school video game-philes wet dream come true. I don't know about seeing DC roms, since they're pretty huge. Actually, I don't see Saturn games as well.

Also, I like the idea of a Super Mario World: The Lost Levels. I would shell out whatever they want for it!

 

[snatches]

I was just thinking. In terms of NES and SNES titles, would it be possible to purchase the use of these games but not actually store them on a local memory solution? You would download it and play it when you wanted but when you turned it off it wouldn't take up space on your 512mb memory or a memory card, except for maybe a save file?

How big are the biggest SNES ROMS?

 

[Oblivion]

I was just thinking. In terms of NES and SNES titles, would it be possible to purchase the use of these games but not actually store them on a local memory solution? You would download it and play it when you wanted but when you turned it off it wouldn't take up space on your 512mb memory or a memory card, except for maybe a save file?

How big are the biggest SNES ROMS?

Not sure about your first question, actually. However the biggest SNES rom that I know of is Star Ocean at like 4 Megs.