U.S. Patent No. 10,668,382: Augmenting virtual reality video games with friend avatars
Issued June 2, 2020 to Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC
Priority Date: September 29, 2017
Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,668,382 (the ’382 Patent) relates to augmenting virtual reality video games by using the avatars of a user’s friends either in addition to, or to replace generic spectator avatars. The ’382 Patent details a system that identifies a virtual location associated with a generic spectator, or where an additional spectator may be added, and either replaces the generic spectator with a friend’s avatar, or adds the avatar in without replacing a generic spectator. The friend’s avatar moves with a prerecorded animation. In one embodiment, a user’s friend may be able to spectate the user from the position of their spectating avatar, and the movement of the friend’s avatar may mimic the movement of the friend in real life if the friend is also using a head mounted display. In another embodiment, time in the video game may slow when the friend’s avatar is visible to the user before speeding back up once the friend’s avatar is out of view.
Abstract:
Methods and systems are provided for augmenting a video game with an avatar of a real world person. A method provides for executing a video game being played by a user via a head mounted display (HMD). The method includes operations for identifying a generic spectator within the video game and determining virtual coordinates associated with the generic spectator. The method also provides receiving data associated with an avatar of a real world person that is usable to display the avatar within the video game in three-dimensional (3D) form. The method provides removing the generic spectator from view within the video game and inserting the avatar into the video game at the virtual coordinates associated with the generic spectator. The method further provides rendering a virtual reality (VR) presentation of the video game for the user having a view of the avatar and sending the VR presentation to an HMD of the user for display.
Illustrative Claim:
1. A method for augmenting a video game with an avatar of a real world person, the method comprising: executing the video game at a server, the video game being played by a user via an HMD; identifying a generic spectator within the video game; determining virtual coordinates associated with the generic spectator; receiving, at the server, data associated with the avatar of the real world person, the data usable to display the avatar within the video game; removing the generic spectator from view in the video game; inserting the avatar into the video game at the virtual coordinates associated with the generic spectator using the data associated with the avatar, the inserting the avatar causes the avatar to be viewable within the video game, the avatar is presented in a three-dimensional (3D) form; rendering a virtual reality (VR) presentation of the video game for the user, the VR presentation includes a view of the avatar; and sending the VR presentation to the HMD of the user for display; wherein the identifying the generic spectator includes selecting the generic spectator from a plurality of generic spectators based on a level of visibility or prominence the generic spectator has with respect to a point of view of the user.