Microsoft Patents Join-Leave in Split-Screen Multiplayer Games

[Jirlond]

Article [http://www.pcworld.com/article/168778/microsoft_patents_joinleave_in_splitscreen_multiplayer_games.html]

TLR - Yeah microsoft have successfully patented the join/leave technology in solo/multiplayer games. What does this have for the future of cross platform titles such as RE5 and any other co-op possibility?

Your thoughts and comments?

 

[Cid Silverwing]

This is one of the many penultimate things in stupidity that Microsoft persistently commits.

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

Wha... Why?

 

[Tehpwnsauce]

Microsoft is such a patent troll.

 

[Avaholic03]

Wha... Why?

I sure hope that pseudo question is rhetorical. It's always about money.

 

[Chameliondude]

Wait, how did that happen, games have had this for ages. even haze, one of the worst games i eva got eva had it

 

[raankh]

Good luck to MS holding that up in court. Prior art ffs.

You can patent anything nowadays, especially in Europe, but simply having the patent means jack shit unless a court backs the patent during an infringement lawsuit -- at least in most jurisdictions and to my knowledge.

One example is Toshiba's carte blanche patent on all forms of voice-control (which they don't even have of course, they just patented the idea). Another is Pfizer's patent on human genes. They have reserved the right to charge royalties from every living person. Good luck trying that for real though.

And really, who are they going to sue? The developers? Not a good idea. Sony or Nintendo? Well ... they have a few patents of their own that they haven't pressed Microsoft for.

I think this should be seen as MS loading up on guns for future patent wars.

By the way, the patent actually covers any "squad-based shooter" that "allows players to dynamically join and leave the game, while that game is in progress, without the players having to save and restart the game." Online, offline, co-op, head-to-head, versus .... you name it.

Like I said though, PRIOR ART FFS

 

[Utarefson]

[...]

By the way, the patent actually covers any "squad-based shooter" that "allows players to dynamically join and leave the game, while that game is in progress, without the players having to save and restart the game." Online, offline, co-op, head-to-head, versus .... you name it.

[...]

In short: It's kinda the gears of war 2 coop.

 

[Fraught]

If what raankh said really is true, and a patent doesn't mean jack shit unless a court backs the patent during an infringement lawsuit, then I don't care.

If it really means the end of join/leave in any games that aren't on an Xbox 360, and it only, then I'm going to kill myself.

 

[Jirlond]

I dont think it will mean the end of join/leave technology outwith the xbox library, but developers may need to pay to use it. Which some may do and some may not.

Anyone think of any alternatives i.e. just force restart levels when a player leaves.

 

[PizzaDentist]

Join / Leave technology? That's like Nintendo putting a patent down on "plumber star collection technology", it's a non-entity. It's just a game feature, which microsoft didn't invent and don't own intellectual rights to... doesn't take a genius.

 

[blunted]

MS filed a similar patent for in-game soundtracks a few years back, a feature which has been conspicuously absent in most of my PS3 games to date.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=mx93AAAAEBAJ&dq=gaming+soundtrack

 

[sln333]

Join / Leave technology? That's like Nintendo putting a patent down on "plumber star collection technology", it's a non-entity. It's just a game feature, which microsoft didn't invent and don't own intellectual rights to... doesn't take a genius.

Good point, but it appears there are no geniuses in the patent "business." Whoever approved it had no clue what they were doing.

 

[The Hairminator]

Microsoft just made the world of CO-OP online playing their *****. If someone thinks this is good I would like to punch that person very hard.