JP2012232024A - Operation device, and operation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation device easily held by a user.SOLUTION: A terminal device 7 is an operation device operated by the user. The terminal device 7 includes a generally plate-shaped housing 50, an LCD 51, and a projecting portion (eaves 59). The LCD 51 is provided at the front side of the housing 50. The projecting portion is formed so as to project at least at right and left positions on the back side of the housing 50 above the center of the housing 50. When the user holds the right and left portions of the housing 50 with respect to the LCD 51, the user can easily hold the terminal device 7 by holding it so as to make the projecting portion hang on the fingers.

Description

  The present invention relates to an operating device that can be held and operated by a player.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an operation device that a player uses in his / her hand (for example, see Patent Document 1). For example, a portable game device described in Patent Document 1 is a foldable type, and an operation button is provided on a lower housing. According to this game apparatus, the user can perform a game operation using the operation buttons provided on both sides of the screen while looking at the screen, and can easily perform the game operation while holding the game apparatus.

Japanese Patent No. 3703473

  In recent years, with regard to portable terminal devices (operation devices), screens and the like have become larger and devices themselves have become larger. Here, if the device itself that the user holds and uses becomes large, it becomes unstable when the user grips and uses it, or the hand becomes tired if it is held and used for a long time. Problems arise. For example, when the size of the game device described in Patent Document 1 is increased, it is difficult for the user to stably hold the game device while operating with a finger, and there is a possibility that the hand may become tired if used for a long time.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an operating device that can be easily gripped by a user.

  The present invention employs the following configurations (1) to (18) in order to solve the above problems.

(1)
An example of the present invention is an operation device for a user to perform an operation. The operating device includes a substantially plate-shaped housing, a display unit, and a protrusion. The display unit is provided on the front side of the housing. The protrusions are provided on the back side of the housing so as to protrude above the center of the housing and at least on the left and right sides.

The “operation unit” may be any operation device that can be operated by the user. For example, a stick (analog stick), a key (button), a touch panel, a touch pad, or the like in an embodiment described later. It is.
The above-mentioned “positions on both the left and right sides” means that protrusions are provided on the left and right sides of the center of the housing in the left-right direction. A protrusion may be provided at a position closer to the center than the center.

  According to the configuration of (1) above, since the protrusions are provided on the back side of the housing, the user can easily hold the operating device by holding the protrusions on the fingers when holding the left and right housings of the display unit. can do. Furthermore, since the protrusion is provided on the upper side of the housing, the user can support the housing with the palm of the hand when holding the housing by placing the index finger, middle finger, or ring finger against the lower surface of the protrusion (FIGS. 10 and 11). See), the operating device can be firmly held. Therefore, according to the configuration of (1) above, it is possible to provide an operating device that can be easily gripped by the user.

(2)
The operating device may further include a first operating unit and a second operating unit provided on the left and right sides of the display unit above the center of the housing.

  According to the configuration of (2) above, since the operation units are provided on the left and right sides of the display unit, the user can easily operate the operation unit with, for example, the thumb when holding the left and right housings of the display unit. . Therefore, according to the configuration of (2) above, it is possible to provide an operating device that can be easily gripped and easily operated by the user.

(3)
Another example of the present invention is an operating device including a substantially plate-shaped housing, a display unit, a first operating unit, a second operating unit, and a protruding unit. The display unit is provided on the front side of the housing. The first operation unit and the second operation unit are provided on the left and right sides of the display unit, respectively. The protrusion is a position that can be hooked on any finger other than the thumb on the back side of the housing when the user grips the housing so that the user can operate the first operation unit and the second operation unit with the thumbs of both hands. Is provided.

  According to the configuration of (3) above, since the protrusion is provided on the back side of the housing, the user can hold the left and right housings of the display unit so that the protrusion hangs on the fingers other than the thumb. Can be gripped easily (see FIGS. 10 and 11). In addition, since the operation units are provided on the left and right sides of the display unit, the user can easily operate the operation unit with the thumb when holding the left and right housings of the display unit. Therefore, according to the configuration of (3) above, it is possible to provide an operating device that can be easily grasped and easily operated by the user.

(4)
The protrusion may be provided in a region including a position on the opposite side of the first operation unit and the second operation unit.

  The above "position on the opposite side" is not strictly limited to the state where the position of the operation portion and the projection portion coincide with each other, and when a region where the operation portion is provided on the front side of the housing is projected on the back side, This means that the region where the projection is provided on the back side of the housing and the projected region partially overlap.

  According to the configuration of (4) above, when operating each operation unit, the user can hold the terminal device 7 with the index finger, the middle finger, or the ring finger supporting the buttocks 59 (FIGS. 10 and 11). reference). As a result, the terminal device 7 can be easily held, and the operation units can be operated more easily.

(5)
The operating device may further include a third operating part and a fourth operating part provided on the left and right sides of the housing on the upper surface of the protrusion.

  According to the configuration of (5) above, the user can operate the third and fourth operation units with, for example, the index finger or the middle finger while holding the left and right housings of the display unit. That is, more operations can be performed in the above state, and an operation device with better operability can be provided. In addition, since the user can hold the operating device with the protrusions sandwiched from above and below, the operating device is easier to hold.

(6)
The protrusion may have a bowl-like shape extending in the left-right direction.

  According to the configuration of (6) above, the user can hold the operating device by placing the finger supporting the protruding portion along the lower surface of the protruding portion, and thus the operating device can be more easily held. In addition, since the protruding portion is formed to extend from side to side, when the user holds the operating device so that the protruding portion is in the vertical direction, the user can hold it anywhere on one side of the operating device except for the thumb. Can be placed on the protrusion. Therefore, even when the operating device is gripped so that the protrusions are vertically oriented, the user can firmly grip the operating device.

(7)
A first locking hole in which an additional device different from the operation device can be locked may be provided on the lower surface of the protrusion.

  According to the configuration of (7) above, the operating device and the additional device can be firmly connected using the first locking hole. Further, when combining the configuration of (6) and the configuration of (7), the first locking hole can be provided near the center in the left-right direction of the operating device, so that the left-right balance is kept even. The additional device can be stably connected.

(8)
A second locking hole in which the additional device can be locked may be provided on the lower surface of the housing.

  According to the configuration of (8) above, since the operating device and the additional device are connected using the first locking hole and the second locking hole provided at different positions, the connection can be further strengthened. .

(9)
The operating device may further include a convex portion having a convex cross section on the left and right sides of the rear surface of the housing below the protrusion.

  According to the configuration of (9) above, the user can grip the housing by placing a finger (for example, a ring finger or a little finger) on the convex portion, and thus can more firmly grip the operating device.

(10)
The protrusion and the protrusion may be provided with an interval.

  According to the configuration of (10) above, the user can support the protrusion with the middle finger, the ring finger, or the like without the protrusion being in the way, and can hold the operating device with another finger on the protrusion. Can do. This makes it easier to hold the operating device.

(11)
The operating device may further include grip portions provided on both the left and right sides of the rear surface of the housing.

  According to the configuration of (11) above, the user can hold the housing by placing a finger (for example, a ring finger or a little finger) on the grip portion, and thus can hold the operating device more firmly.

(12)
The operating device may further include a fifth operating unit and a sixth operating unit. The fifth operation portion is disposed below the first operation portion on the front surface of the housing. The sixth operation portion is disposed below the second operation portion on the front side surface of the housing.

  According to the configuration of (12) above, various operations can be performed using the operation device. Further, even when the fifth operation unit and the sixth operation unit are operated, since the user can firmly hold the operation device, an operation device with good operability can be provided.

(13)
Another example of the present invention is an operation device that includes a substantially plate-shaped housing, a display unit, a protrusion, and an operation unit. The display unit is provided on the front side of the housing. The protrusions are provided to protrude at least on the left and right sides on the back side of the housing. The operation unit is provided on the upper surface of the protrusion.

  According to the configuration of (13) above, since the protrusions are provided on the back side of the housing, the user can easily grip the operating device by holding the protrusions on the fingers when gripping the left and right housings of the display unit. (See FIG. 10 and FIG. 11). In addition, since the operation unit is provided on the upper surface of the projection, the operation unit can be easily operated when the operation device is held with the projection on the finger. At this time, since the user can hold the operating device with the protrusion sandwiched from above and below, the operating device is easier to hold. As described above, according to the configuration of (6) above, it is possible to provide an operating device that can be easily gripped and operated by a user.

(14)
Another example of the present invention is an operation device for a user to perform an operation. The operating device includes a substantially plate-shaped housing, a display unit, and a grip unit. The display unit is provided on the front side of the housing. A grip part is provided so that it may extend in the up-down direction at the right and left sides of the housing in the back side of the housing, and a section is convex.

  According to the configuration of (14) above, the user can hold the housing by placing a finger (for example, a ring finger or a little finger) on the grip portion, and thus can firmly hold the operating device. Therefore, according to the configuration of (14), it is possible to provide an operating device that can be easily gripped by the user.

(15)
The operating device may further include a protrusion provided on the rear side of the housing, which is provided above the grip portion and protrudes at least on the left and right sides.

  According to the configuration of (15) above, since the protrusions are provided on the back side of the housing, the user can easily grip the operating device by holding the protrusions on the fingers when gripping the left and right housings of the display unit. It is possible to hold the operating device more firmly.

(16)
The operating device may further include a seventh operating unit and an eighth operating unit provided on both the left and right sides of the upper surface of the housing.

  According to the configuration of (16) above, more various operations can be performed using the operation device. In addition, since the operation unit is disposed on the upper surface of the housing, the user can firmly hold the operation device so as to wrap the housing from the front side, the upper side, and the back side of the housing.

(17)
The operating device may further include a touch panel provided on the screen of the display unit.

  With configuration (17) above, the user can intuitively and easily operate an image displayed on the display unit using the touch panel. In addition, when the operation device is placed with the display unit facing upward, the operation device is placed in a slightly inclined state by the protrusion. Therefore, it becomes easy to operate the touch panel in a state where the operation device is placed.

(18)
The operating device may further include an inertial sensor inside the housing.

  With configuration (18) above, it is possible to perform an operation of shaking or moving the operating device itself, and the user can perform an intuitive and easy operation using the operating device. Also, according to this, since it is assumed that the operating device is moved and used, when the additional device is connected to the operating device, it is important to firmly connect the operating device and the additional device. . Therefore, in the configuration (18), it is particularly effective to firmly connect the operating device and the additional device by adopting the configuration (7) or (8).

(19)
The operating device may further include a communication unit and a display control unit. The communication unit wirelessly transmits operation data representing an operation performed on the own device to the game device, and receives image data transmitted from the game device. The display control unit displays the received image data on the display unit.

  With configuration (19) above, the user can easily perform a game operation using an operation device that can be easily gripped and has good operability. In addition, since the image transmitted from the game device is displayed on the display unit, the user can perform the game operation while viewing the image displayed on the display unit of the operation device.

(20)
The operating device may further include a game processing unit and a display control unit. The game processing unit executes game processing based on an operation on the own device. A display control part produces | generates a game image based on the result of a game process, and displays it on a display part.

  According to the configuration of (20) above, the portable game device can be easily gripped and can have good operability.

(21)
The display unit may have a screen of 5 inches or more.

  With configuration (21) above, it is possible to display a powerful and easy-to-view image using a large screen. When a large screen display unit is used as in the configuration (21), the size of the operating device inevitably increases, so that the user can easily hold it (1 ) To (20) are particularly effective.

  In addition, another example of the present invention may be provided as a tablet-type information processing device including each part (housing, display part, projection part, etc.) in the above (1) to (21).

  According to the present invention, the display unit is provided on the front side of the housing, and the protrusions are provided on the rear side of the housing above the center of the housing and at least on the left and right sides, so that the user can easily grasp the operating device. It becomes possible to do.

External view of game system 1 Block diagram showing the internal configuration of the game apparatus 3 The perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the controller 5 The perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the controller 5 The figure which shows the internal structure of the controller 5 The figure which shows the internal structure of the controller 5 Block diagram showing the configuration of the controller 5 The figure which shows the external appearance structure of the terminal device 7 The figure which shows the external appearance structure of the terminal device 7 The figure which shows a mode that the user hold | gripped the terminal device 7 sideways The figure which shows a mode that the user hold | gripped the terminal device 7 sideways The figure which shows a mode that the user hold | griped the terminal device 7 in portrait orientation The figure which shows a mode that the user hold | griped the terminal device 7 in portrait orientation The block diagram which shows the internal structure of the terminal device 7 The figure which shows an example which attached the additional apparatus (input device 200) to the terminal device 7 The figure which shows an example which attached the additional apparatus (input device 200) to the terminal device 7 The figure which shows another example which connected the additional apparatus (stand 210) to the terminal device 7. Diagram showing various data used in game processing Main flowchart showing a flow of game processing executed in the game apparatus 3 A flowchart showing a detailed flow of the game control process The figure which shows the screen of the television 2 and the terminal device 7 in a 1st game example. The figure which shows the screen of the television 2 and the terminal device 7 in a 2nd game example. The figure which shows an example of the game image for television displayed on the television 2 in the 3rd game example The figure which shows an example of the game image for terminals displayed on the terminal device 7 in the 3rd game example The figure which shows an example of the game image for television displayed on the television 2 in the 4th game example The figure which shows an example of the game image for terminals displayed on the terminal device 7 in the 4th game example The figure which shows the mode of use of the game system 1 in the 5th game example. The figure which shows the connection relation of each apparatus contained in the game system 1 in the case of connecting with an external apparatus via a network. The figure which shows the external appearance structure of the terminal device which concerns on the modification of this embodiment. The figure which shows a mode that the user hold | gripped the terminal device shown in FIG. The figure which shows the external appearance structure of the terminal device which concerns on the other modification of this embodiment. The figure which shows the external appearance structure of the terminal device which concerns on the other modification of this embodiment.

[1. Overall configuration of game system]
Hereinafter, a game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of the game system 1. In FIG. 1, a game system 1 includes a stationary display device (hereinafter referred to as “TV”) 2 typified by a television receiver, a stationary game device 3, an optical disc 4, a controller 5, and a marker device. 6 and the terminal device 7. The game system 1 executes a game process in the game apparatus 3 based on a game operation using the controller 5 and displays a game image obtained by the game process on the television 2 and / or the terminal device 7.

  An optical disk 4 that is an example of an information storage medium that can be used interchangeably with the game apparatus 3 is detachably inserted into the game apparatus 3. The optical disc 4 stores an information processing program (typically a game program) to be executed in the game apparatus 3. An insertion slot for the optical disk 4 is provided on the front surface of the game apparatus 3. The game apparatus 3 executes the game process by reading and executing the information processing program stored in the optical disc 4 inserted into the insertion slot.

  The game apparatus 3 is connected to the television 2 via a connection cord. The television 2 displays a game image obtained by a game process executed in the game device 3. The television 2 has a speaker 2a (FIG. 2), and the speaker 2a outputs game sound obtained as a result of the game processing. In other embodiments, the game apparatus 3 and the stationary display apparatus may be integrated. The communication between the game apparatus 3 and the television 2 may be wireless communication.

  A marker device 6 is installed around the screen of the television 2 (upper side of the screen in FIG. 1). Although details will be described later, the user (player) can perform a game operation to move the controller 5, and the marker device 6 is used for the game device 3 to calculate the movement, position, posture, and the like of the controller 5. The marker device 6 includes two markers 6R and 6L at both ends thereof. The marker 6 </ b> R (same for the marker 6 </ b> L) is specifically one or more infrared LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and outputs infrared light toward the front of the television 2. The marker device 6 is connected to the game device 3, and the game device 3 can control lighting of each infrared LED included in the marker device 6. The marker device 6 is portable, and the user can install the marker device 6 at a free position. Although FIG. 1 shows a mode in which the marker device 6 is installed on the television 2, the position and orientation in which the marker device 6 is installed are arbitrary.

  The controller 5 gives operation data representing the content of the operation performed on the own device to the game apparatus 3. The controller 5 and the game apparatus 3 can communicate with each other by wireless communication. In the present embodiment, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology is used for wireless communication between the controller 5 and the game apparatus 3. In other embodiments, the controller 5 and the game apparatus 3 may be connected by wire. In the present embodiment, the game system 1 includes one controller 5, but the game apparatus 3 can communicate with a plurality of controllers, and a game can be played by a plurality of people by using a predetermined number of controllers simultaneously. Is possible. A detailed configuration of the controller 5 will be described later.

  The terminal device 7 is large enough to be gripped by the user, and can be used by the user holding the terminal device 7 in his / her hand or placing the terminal device 7 in a free position. It is. Although the detailed configuration will be described later, the terminal device 7 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display: liquid crystal display) 51 which is a display means, and input means (a touch panel 52, a gyro sensor 74 and the like which will be described later). The terminal device 7 and the game device 3 can communicate wirelessly (may be wired). The terminal device 7 receives data of an image (for example, a game image) generated by the game device 3 from the game device 3 and displays the image on the LCD 51. In the present embodiment, an LCD is used as the display device. However, the terminal device 7 may have any other display device such as a display device using EL (Electro Luminescence). . In addition, the terminal device 7 transmits operation data representing the content of the operation performed on the own device to the game device 3.

[2. Internal configuration of game device 3]
Next, the internal configuration of the game apparatus 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the game apparatus 3. The game apparatus 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, a system LSI 11, an external main memory 12, a ROM / RTC 13, a disk drive 14, an AV-IC 15, and the like.

  The CPU 10 executes a game process by executing a game program stored on the optical disc 4, and functions as a game processor. The CPU 10 is connected to the system LSI 11. In addition to the CPU 10, an external main memory 12, a ROM / RTC 13, a disk drive 14, and an AV-IC 15 are connected to the system LSI 11. The system LSI 11 performs processing such as control of data transfer between components connected thereto, generation of an image to be displayed, and acquisition of data from an external device. The internal configuration of the system LSI 11 will be described later. The volatile external main memory 12 stores a program such as a game program read from the optical disc 4 or a game program read from the flash memory 17, or stores various data. Used as a work area and buffer area. The ROM / RTC 13 includes a ROM (so-called boot ROM) in which a program for starting the game apparatus 3 is incorporated, and a clock circuit (RTC: Real Time Clock) that counts time. The disk drive 14 reads program data, texture data, and the like from the optical disk 4 and writes the read data to an internal main memory 11e or an external main memory 12 described later.

  The system LSI 11 is provided with an input / output processor (I / O processor) 11a, a GPU (Graphics Processor Unit) 11b, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 11c, a VRAM (Video RAM) 11d, and an internal main memory 11e. Although not shown, these components 11a to 11e are connected to each other by an internal bus.

  The GPU 11b forms part of a drawing unit and generates an image according to a graphics command (drawing command) from the CPU 10. The VRAM 11d stores data (data such as polygon data and texture data) necessary for the GPU 11b to execute the graphics command. When an image is generated, the GPU 11b creates image data using data stored in the VRAM 11d. In the present embodiment, the game apparatus 3 generates both a game image to be displayed on the television 2 and a game image to be displayed on the terminal device 7. Hereinafter, a game image displayed on the television 2 may be referred to as a “television game image”, and a game image displayed on the terminal device 7 may be referred to as a “terminal game image”.

  The DSP 11c functions as an audio processor, and generates sound data using sound data and sound waveform (tone color) data stored in the internal main memory 11e and the external main memory 12. In the present embodiment, both the game sound output from the speaker of the television 2 and the game sound output from the speaker of the terminal device 7 are generated for the game sound as well as the game image. Hereinafter, the game sound output from the television 2 may be referred to as “television game sound”, and the game sound output from the terminal device 7 may be referred to as “terminal game sound”.

  Of the images and sounds generated by the game apparatus 3 as described above, image and sound data output by the television 2 is read by the AV-IC 15. The AV-IC 15 outputs the read image data to the television 2 via the AV connector 16, and outputs the read audio data to the speaker 2 a built in the television 2. Thus, an image is displayed on the television 2 and a sound is output from the speaker 2a.

  Of the images and sounds generated by the game apparatus 3, the image and sound data output from the terminal apparatus 7 is transmitted to the terminal apparatus 7 by the input / output processor 11a and the like. Data transmission to the terminal device 7 by the input / output processor 11a and the like will be described later.

  The input / output processor 11a performs transmission / reception of data to / from components connected to the input / output processor 11a and downloads data from an external device. The input / output processor 11a is connected to the flash memory 17, the network communication module 18, the controller communication module 19, the expansion connector 20, the memory card connector 21, and the codec LSI 27. An antenna 22 is connected to the network communication module 18. An antenna 23 is connected to the controller communication module 19. The codec LSI 27 is connected to a terminal communication module 28, and an antenna 29 is connected to the terminal communication module 28.

  The game device 3 can connect to a network such as the Internet and communicate with an external information processing device (for example, another game device or various servers). That is, the input / output processor 11a is connected to a network such as the Internet via the network communication module 18 and the antenna 22, and can communicate with an external information processing apparatus connected to the network. The input / output processor 11a periodically accesses the flash memory 17 to detect the presence / absence of data that needs to be transmitted to the network. If there is such data, the input / output processor 11a communicates with the network via the network communication module 18 and the antenna 22. Send. Further, the input / output processor 11a receives data transmitted from the external information processing apparatus or data downloaded from the download server via the network, the antenna 22 and the network communication module 18, and receives the received data in the flash memory 17. Remember. By executing the game program, the CPU 10 reads out the data stored in the flash memory 17 and uses it in the game program. In addition to data transmitted and received between the game apparatus 3 and the external information processing apparatus, the flash memory 17 stores game save data (game result data or intermediate data) played using the game apparatus 3. May be. The flash memory 17 may store a game program.

  The game apparatus 3 can receive operation data from the controller 5. That is, the input / output processor 11a receives the operation data transmitted from the controller 5 via the antenna 23 and the controller communication module 19, and stores (temporarily stores) it in the buffer area of the internal main memory 11e or the external main memory 12.

  Further, the game apparatus 3 can transmit and receive data such as images and sounds to and from the terminal device 7. When transmitting a game image (terminal game image) to the terminal device 7, the input / output processor 11 a outputs the game image data generated by the GPU 11 b to the codec LSI 27. The codec LSI 27 performs predetermined compression processing on the image data from the input / output processor 11a. The terminal communication module 28 performs wireless communication with the terminal device 7. Therefore, the image data compressed by the codec LSI 27 is transmitted to the terminal device 7 via the antenna 29 by the terminal communication module 28. In the present embodiment, the image data transmitted from the game apparatus 3 to the terminal apparatus 7 is used for the game, and if the displayed image is delayed in the game, the operability of the game is adversely affected. For this reason, it is preferable that the transmission of image data from the game apparatus 3 to the terminal device 7 is as little as possible. Therefore, in this embodiment, the codec LSI 27 is, for example, H.264. The image data is compressed using a highly efficient compression technique such as H.264 standard. Other compression techniques may be used, and when the communication speed is sufficient, the image data may be transmitted without compression. The terminal communication module 28 is a communication module that has received, for example, Wi-Fi authentication. For example, the terminal communication module 28 uses a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technique adopted in the IEEE802.11n standard. Wireless communication may be performed at high speed, or another communication method may be used.

  In addition to the image data, the game apparatus 3 transmits audio data to the terminal device 7. That is, the input / output processor 11 a outputs the audio data generated by the DSP 11 c to the terminal communication module 28 via the codec LSI 27. The codec LSI 27 performs compression processing on the audio data in the same manner as the image data. The compression method for the audio data may be any method, but a method with a high compression rate and less deterioration of the sound is preferable. In other embodiments, audio data may be transmitted without being compressed. The terminal communication module 28 transmits the compressed image data and audio data to the terminal device 7 via the antenna 29.

  Further, the game apparatus 3 transmits various control data to the terminal apparatus 7 as necessary in addition to the image data and the sound data. The control data is data representing a control instruction for a component included in the terminal device 7, and for example, an instruction for controlling lighting of the marker unit (marker unit 55 shown in FIG. 10) or a camera (camera 56 shown in FIG. 10). Indicates an instruction to control imaging. The input / output processor 11 a transmits control data to the terminal device 7 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 10. With respect to this control data, the codec LSI 27 does not perform data compression processing in the present embodiment, but may perform compression processing in other embodiments. Note that the above-described data transmitted from the game device 3 to the terminal device 7 may or may not be encrypted as necessary.

  The game apparatus 3 can receive various data from the terminal device 7. Although details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the terminal device 7 transmits operation data, image data, and audio data. Each data transmitted from the terminal device 7 is received by the terminal communication module 28 via the antenna 29. Here, the image data and audio data from the terminal device 7 are subjected to the same compression processing as the image data and audio data from the game device 3 to the terminal device 7. Therefore, these image data and audio data are sent from the terminal communication module 28 to the codec LSI 27, subjected to expansion processing by the codec LSI 27, and output to the input / output processor 11a. On the other hand, the operation data from the terminal device 7 has a smaller amount of data than images and sounds, and therefore may not be subjected to compression processing. Further, encryption may or may not be performed as necessary. Accordingly, the operation data is received by the terminal communication module 28 and then output to the input / output processor 11 a via the codec LSI 27. The input / output processor 11a stores (temporarily stores) the data received from the terminal device 7 in the buffer area of the internal main memory 11e or the external main memory 12.

  Further, the game apparatus 3 can be connected to another device or an external storage medium. That is, the expansion connector 20 and the memory card connector 21 are connected to the input / output processor 11a. The expansion connector 20 is a connector for an interface such as USB or SCSI. A network such as an external storage medium is connected to the expansion connector 20, a peripheral device such as another controller is connected, or a wired communication connector is connected to replace the network communication module 18 with a network. You can communicate with. The memory card connector 21 is a connector for connecting an external storage medium such as a memory card. For example, the input / output processor 11a can access an external storage medium via the expansion connector 20 or the memory card connector 21 to store data in the external storage medium or read data from the external storage medium.

  The game apparatus 3 is provided with a power button 24, a reset button 25, and an eject button 26. The power button 24 and the reset button 25 are connected to the system LSI 11. When the power button 24 is turned on, power is supplied to each component of the game apparatus 3 from an external power source by an AC adapter (not shown). When the reset button 25 is pressed, the system LSI 11 restarts the boot program for the game apparatus 3. The eject button 26 is connected to the disk drive 14. When the eject button 26 is pressed, the optical disk 4 is ejected from the disk drive 14.

  In other embodiments, some of the components included in the game apparatus 3 may be configured as expansion devices that are separate from the game apparatus 3. At this time, the expansion device may be connected to the game apparatus 3 via the expansion connector 20, for example. Specifically, the extension device includes, for example, each component of the codec LSI 27, the terminal communication module 28, and the antenna 29, and may be detachable from the extension connector 20. According to this, the said game device can be set as the structure which can communicate with the terminal device 7 by connecting the said expansion apparatus with respect to the game device which is not provided with said each component.

[3. Configuration of controller 5]
Next, the controller 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the controller 5. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the controller 5. 3 is a perspective view of the controller 5 as seen from the upper rear side, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the controller 5 as seen from the lower front side.

  3 and 4, the controller 5 includes a housing 31 formed by plastic molding, for example. The housing 31 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction (the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 3), and is a size that can be gripped with one hand of an adult or a child as a whole. The user can perform a game operation by pressing a button provided on the controller 5 and moving the controller 5 itself to change its position and posture (tilt).

  The housing 31 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons. As shown in FIG. 3, a cross button 32a, a first button 32b, a second button 32c, an A button 32d, a minus button 32e, a home button 32f, a plus button 32g, and a power button 32h are provided on the upper surface of the housing 31. It is done. In the present specification, the upper surface of the housing 31 on which these buttons 32a to 32h are provided may be referred to as a “button surface”. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a recess is formed on the lower surface of the housing 31, and a B button 32i is provided on the rear inclined surface of the recess. A function corresponding to the information processing program executed by the game apparatus 3 is appropriately assigned to each of the operation buttons 32a to 32i. The power button 32h is for remotely turning on / off the main body of the game apparatus 3. The home button 32 f and the power button 32 h are embedded in the upper surface of the housing 31. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the user from pressing the home button 32f or the power button 32h by mistake.

  A connector 33 is provided on the rear surface of the housing 31. The connector 33 is used to connect another device (for example, another sensor unit or controller) to the controller 5. Further, locking holes 33a are provided on both sides of the connector 33 on the rear surface of the housing 31 in order to prevent the other devices from being easily detached.

  A plurality (four in FIG. 3) of LEDs 34 a to 34 d are provided behind the upper surface of the housing 31. Here, the controller type (number) is assigned to the controller 5 to distinguish it from other controllers. The LEDs 34a to 34d are used for the purpose of notifying the user of the controller type currently set in the controller 5 and notifying the user of the remaining battery level of the controller 5. Specifically, when a game operation is performed using the controller 5, any one of the plurality of LEDs 34a to 34d is turned on according to the controller type.

  The controller 5 has an imaging information calculation unit 35 (FIG. 6). As shown in FIG. 4, a light incident surface 35a of the imaging information calculation unit 35 is provided on the front surface of the housing 31. The light incident surface 35a is made of a material that transmits at least infrared light from the markers 6R and 6L.

  A sound release hole 31a is formed between the first button 32b and the home button 32f on the upper surface of the housing 31 for emitting sound from the speaker 47 (FIG. 5) built in the controller 5 to the outside.

  Next, the internal structure of the controller 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing the internal structure of the controller 5. FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper housing (a part of the housing 31) of the controller 5 is removed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lower casing (a part of the housing 31) of the controller 5 is removed. The perspective view shown in FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the substrate 30 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 5, a substrate 30 is fixed inside the housing 31, and operation buttons 32 a to 32 h, LEDs 34 a to 34 d, an acceleration sensor 37, an antenna 45, and a speaker 47 are provided on the upper main surface of the substrate 30. Etc. are provided. These are connected to a microcomputer (microcomputer) 42 (see FIG. 6) by wiring (not shown) formed on the substrate 30 and the like. In the present embodiment, the acceleration sensor 37 is disposed at a position shifted from the center of the controller 5 with respect to the X-axis direction. This makes it easier to calculate the movement of the controller 5 when the controller 5 is rotated about the Z axis. The acceleration sensor 37 is disposed in front of the center of the controller 5 in the longitudinal direction (Z-axis direction). Further, the controller 5 functions as a wireless controller by the wireless module 44 (FIG. 6) and the antenna 45.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 6, an imaging information calculation unit 35 is provided at the front edge on the lower main surface of the substrate 30. The imaging information calculation unit 35 includes an infrared filter 38, a lens 39, an imaging element 40, and an image processing circuit 41 in order from the front of the controller 5. These members 38 to 41 are respectively attached to the lower main surface of the substrate 30.

  Further, the microcomputer 42 and the vibrator 46 are provided on the lower main surface of the substrate 30. The vibrator 46 is, for example, a vibration motor or a solenoid, and is connected to the microcomputer 42 by wiring formed on the substrate 30 or the like. When the vibrator 46 is actuated by an instruction from the microcomputer 42, vibration is generated in the controller 5. As a result, a so-called vibration-compatible game in which the vibration is transmitted to the user's hand holding the controller 5 can be realized. In the present embodiment, the vibrator 46 is disposed slightly forward of the housing 31. That is, by arranging the vibrator 46 on the end side of the center of the controller 5, the entire controller 5 can be vibrated greatly by the vibration of the vibrator 46. The connector 33 is attached to the rear edge on the lower main surface of the substrate 30. 5 and 6, the controller 5 includes a crystal resonator that generates a basic clock of the microcomputer 42, an amplifier that outputs an audio signal to the speaker 47, and the like.

  The shape of the controller 5, the shape of each operation button, the number of acceleration sensors and vibrators, and the installation positions shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 are merely examples, and other shapes, numbers, and installation positions may be used. May be. In the present embodiment, the imaging direction by the imaging unit is the positive Z-axis direction, but the imaging direction may be any direction. That is, the position of the imaging information calculation unit 35 in the controller 5 (the light incident surface 35a of the imaging information calculation unit 35) does not have to be the front surface of the housing 31, and other surfaces can be used as long as light can be taken in from the outside of the housing 31. May be provided.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller 5. The controller 5 includes an operation unit 32 (operation buttons 32a to 32i), an imaging information calculation unit 35, a communication unit 36, an acceleration sensor 37, and a gyro sensor 48. The controller 5 transmits data representing the content of the operation performed on the own device to the game apparatus 3 as operation data. Hereinafter, the operation data transmitted from the controller 5 may be referred to as “controller operation data”, and the operation data transmitted from the terminal device 7 may be referred to as “terminal operation data”.

  The operation unit 32 includes the operation buttons 32a to 32i described above, and the operation button data indicating the input state (whether or not each operation button 32a to 32i is pressed) to each operation button 32a to 32i is transmitted to the microcomputer of the communication unit 36. Output to 42.

  The imaging information calculation unit 35 is a system for analyzing the image data captured by the imaging unit, discriminating a region having a high luminance in the image data, and calculating a center of gravity position, a size, and the like of the region. Since the imaging information calculation unit 35 has a sampling period of, for example, about 200 frames / second at the maximum, it can track and analyze even a relatively fast movement of the controller 5.

  The imaging information calculation unit 35 includes an infrared filter 38, a lens 39, an imaging element 40, and an image processing circuit 41. The infrared filter 38 passes only infrared rays from the light incident from the front of the controller 5. The lens 39 collects the infrared light transmitted through the infrared filter 38 and makes it incident on the image sensor 40. The image sensor 40 is a solid-state image sensor such as a CMOS sensor or a CCD sensor, for example, and receives the infrared light collected by the lens 39 and outputs an image signal. Here, the marker unit 55 and the marker device 6 of the terminal device 7 to be imaged are configured by a marker that outputs infrared light. Therefore, by providing the infrared filter 38, the image sensor 40 receives only the infrared light that has passed through the infrared filter 38 and generates image data. Therefore, the image of the imaging target (the marker unit 55 and / or the marker device 6) is captured. More accurate imaging can be performed. Hereinafter, an image captured by the image sensor 40 is referred to as a captured image. Image data generated by the image sensor 40 is processed by the image processing circuit 41. The image processing circuit 41 calculates the position of the imaging target in the captured image. The image processing circuit 41 outputs coordinates indicating the calculated position to the microcomputer 42 of the communication unit 36. The coordinate data is transmitted to the game apparatus 3 as operation data by the microcomputer 42. Hereinafter, the coordinates are referred to as “marker coordinates”. Since the marker coordinates change corresponding to the direction (tilt angle) and position of the controller 5 itself, the game apparatus 3 can calculate the direction and position of the controller 5 using the marker coordinates.

  In other embodiments, the controller 5 may not include the image processing circuit 41, and the captured image itself may be transmitted from the controller 5 to the game apparatus 3. At this time, the game apparatus 3 may have a circuit or a program having the same function as the image processing circuit 41, and may calculate the marker coordinates.

  The acceleration sensor 37 detects the acceleration (including gravity acceleration) of the controller 5, that is, detects the force (including gravity) applied to the controller 5. The acceleration sensor 37 detects the value of the acceleration (linear acceleration) in the linear direction along the sensing axis direction among the accelerations applied to the detection unit of the acceleration sensor 37. For example, in the case of a multi-axis acceleration sensor having two or more axes, the component acceleration along each axis is detected as the acceleration applied to the detection unit of the acceleration sensor. The acceleration sensor 37 is, for example, a capacitive MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) type acceleration sensor, but other types of acceleration sensors may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the acceleration sensor 37 has a vertical direction (Y-axis direction shown in FIG. 3), a horizontal direction (X-axis direction shown in FIG. 3), and a front-back direction (Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 3) with reference to the controller 5. ) Linear acceleration is detected in each of the three axis directions. Since the acceleration sensor 37 detects acceleration in the linear direction along each axis, the output from the acceleration sensor 37 represents the linear acceleration value of each of the three axes. That is, the detected acceleration is represented as a three-dimensional vector in an XYZ coordinate system (controller coordinate system) set with the controller 5 as a reference.

  Data representing the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 37 (acceleration data) is output to the communication unit 36. The acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 37 changes in accordance with the direction (tilt angle) and movement of the controller 5 itself, so the game apparatus 3 calculates the direction and movement of the controller 5 using the acquired acceleration data. can do. In the present embodiment, the game apparatus 3 calculates the attitude, tilt angle, and the like of the controller 5 based on the acquired acceleration data.

  A computer such as a processor of the game apparatus 3 (for example, the CPU 10) or a processor of the controller 5 (for example, the microcomputer 42) is processed based on an acceleration signal output from the acceleration sensor 37 (the same applies to an acceleration sensor 73 described later). It can be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the present specification that by performing the above, it is possible to estimate or calculate (determine) further information regarding the controller 5. For example, when processing on the computer side is executed on the assumption that the controller 5 on which the acceleration sensor 37 is mounted is stationary (that is, the processing is executed assuming that the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor is only gravitational acceleration). When the controller 5 is actually stationary, it can be determined whether or not the attitude of the controller 5 is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity based on the detected acceleration. Specifically, whether or not the controller 5 is inclined with respect to the reference depending on whether or not 1G (gravity acceleration) is applied, based on the state in which the detection axis of the acceleration sensor 37 is directed vertically downward. It is possible to know how much it is inclined with respect to the reference according to its size. Further, in the case of the multi-axis acceleration sensor 37, it is possible to know in detail how much the controller 5 is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity by further processing the acceleration signal of each axis. . In this case, the processor may calculate the tilt angle of the controller 5 based on the output from the acceleration sensor 37, or may calculate the tilt direction of the controller 5 without calculating the tilt angle. Good. Thus, by using the acceleration sensor 37 in combination with the processor, the tilt angle or posture of the controller 5 can be determined.

  On the other hand, when it is assumed that the controller 5 is in a dynamic state (a state in which the controller 5 is moved), the acceleration sensor 37 detects an acceleration corresponding to the movement of the controller 5 in addition to the gravitational acceleration. Therefore, the movement direction of the controller 5 can be known by removing the gravitational acceleration component from the detected acceleration by a predetermined process. Even if it is assumed that the controller 5 is in a dynamic state, the direction of gravity is obtained by removing the acceleration component corresponding to the movement of the acceleration sensor from the detected acceleration by a predetermined process. It is possible to know the inclination of the controller 5 with respect to. In another embodiment, the acceleration sensor 37 is a built-in process for performing a predetermined process on the acceleration signal before outputting the acceleration signal detected by the built-in acceleration detection means to the microcomputer 42. An apparatus or other type of dedicated processing apparatus may be provided. A built-in or dedicated processing device converts the acceleration signal into a tilt angle (or other preferred parameter) if, for example, the acceleration sensor 37 is used to detect static acceleration (eg, gravitational acceleration). It may be a thing.

  The gyro sensor 48 detects angular velocities about three axes (XYZ axes in the present embodiment). In this specification, with the imaging direction (Z-axis positive direction) of the controller 5 as a reference, the rotation direction around the X axis is the pitch direction, the rotation direction around the Y axis is the yaw direction, and the rotation direction around the Z axis is the roll direction. Call. The gyro sensor 48 only needs to be able to detect angular velocities about three axes, and any number and combination of gyro sensors may be used. For example, the gyro sensor 48 may be a three-axis gyro sensor or a combination of a two-axis gyro sensor and a one-axis gyro sensor to detect an angular velocity around three axes. Data representing the angular velocity detected by the gyro sensor 48 is output to the communication unit 36. Further, the gyro sensor 48 may detect an angular velocity around one axis or two axes.

  The communication unit 36 includes a microcomputer 42, a memory 43, a wireless module 44, and an antenna 45. The microcomputer 42 controls the wireless module 44 that wirelessly transmits data acquired by the microcomputer 42 to the game apparatus 3 while using the memory 43 as a storage area when performing processing.

  Data output from the operation unit 32, the imaging information calculation unit 35, the acceleration sensor 37, and the gyro sensor 48 to the microcomputer 42 is temporarily stored in the memory 43. These data are transmitted to the game apparatus 3 as operation data (controller operation data). That is, the microcomputer 42 outputs the operation data stored in the memory 43 to the wireless module 44 when the transmission timing to the controller communication module 19 of the game apparatus 3 arrives. The wireless module 44 modulates a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency with operation data using, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) technology, and radiates a weak radio signal from the antenna 45. That is, the operation data is modulated by the wireless module 44 into a weak radio signal and transmitted from the controller 5. The weak radio signal is received by the controller communication module 19 on the game apparatus 3 side. By demodulating and decoding the received weak radio signal, the game apparatus 3 can acquire operation data. Then, the CPU 10 of the game apparatus 3 performs a game process using the operation data acquired from the controller 5. Note that wireless transmission from the communication unit 36 to the controller communication module 19 is sequentially performed at predetermined intervals, but game processing is generally performed in units of 1/60 seconds (one frame time). Therefore, it is preferable to perform transmission at a period equal to or shorter than this time. The communication unit 36 of the controller 5 outputs the operation data to the controller communication module 19 of the game apparatus 3 at a rate of once every 1/200 seconds, for example.

  As described above, the controller 5 can transmit the marker coordinate data, the acceleration data, the angular velocity data, and the operation button data as the operation data representing the operation on the own device. Further, the game apparatus 3 executes a game process using the operation data as a game input. Therefore, by using the controller 5, the user can perform a game operation for moving the controller 5 itself in addition to the conventional general game operation for pressing each operation button. For example, an operation of tilting the controller 5 to an arbitrary posture, an operation of instructing an arbitrary position on the screen by the controller 5, an operation of moving the controller 5 itself, and the like can be performed.

  In the present embodiment, the controller 5 does not have a display unit that displays a game image, but may include a display unit that displays, for example, an image representing the remaining battery level.

[4. Configuration of Terminal Device 7]
Next, the configuration of the terminal device 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an external configuration of the terminal device 7. 8A is a front view of the terminal device 7, FIG. 8B is a top view, FIG. 8C is a right side view, and FIG. 8D is a bottom view. FIG. 9 is a rear view of the terminal device 7. FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are diagrams showing a state where the user holds the terminal device 7 sideways. 12 and 13 are diagrams illustrating a state where the user holds the terminal device 7 in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the terminal device 7 includes a housing 50 that is generally a horizontally-long rectangular plate shape. That is, it can be said that the terminal device 7 is a tablet-type information processing device. The housing 50 may have a curved surface as long as it has a plate shape as a whole, or may have a protrusion or the like in part. The housing 50 is large enough to be gripped by the user. Therefore, the user can move the terminal apparatus 7 or change the arrangement position of the terminal apparatus 7. The length of the terminal device 7 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction) is preferably 100 to 150 [mm]. In the present embodiment, the length is 133.5 [mm]. The lateral (x-axis direction) length of the terminal device 7 is preferably 200 to 250 [mm], and in this embodiment is 228.26 [mm]. The thickness (length in the y-axis direction) of the terminal device 7 is preferably about 15 to 30 [mm] at the plate-like portion, and about 30 to 50 [mm] including the thickest portion. In this embodiment, 23.6 (the thickest part is 40.26) [mm]. The weight of the terminal device 7 is about 400 to 600 [g], and is 530 [g] in the present embodiment. Although details will be described later, even if the terminal device 7 is a relatively large terminal device (operation device) as described above, the user device is easy to hold and operate.

  The terminal device 7 has an LCD 51 on the surface (front side) of the housing 50. The screen size of the LCD 51 is preferably 5 inches or more, and here is 6.2 inches. The operation device 7 of the present embodiment is easy to hold and operate, and is easy to operate even if a large LCD is provided. In another embodiment, a smaller LCD 51 may be provided so that the size of the operation device 7 is relatively small. The LCD 51 is provided near the center of the surface of the housing 50. Therefore, the user can move the terminal device 7 while looking at the screen of the LCD 51 by holding the housings 50 on both sides of the LCD 51 as shown in FIGS. FIGS. 10 and 11 show an example in which the user holds the terminal device 7 sideways (in a long horizontal direction) by holding the housings 50 on the left and right sides of the LCD 51. However, FIGS. As shown in FIG. 13, it is also possible to hold the terminal device 7 vertically (with a long vertical orientation).

  As illustrated in FIG. 8A, the terminal device 7 includes a touch panel 52 on the screen of the LCD 51 as an operation unit. In the present embodiment, the touch panel 52 is a resistive film type touch panel. However, the touch panel is not limited to the resistive film type, and any type of touch panel such as a capacitance type can be used. The touch panel 52 may be a single touch method or a multi-touch method. In the present embodiment, the touch panel 52 having the same resolution (detection accuracy) as the resolution of the LCD 51 is used. However, the resolution of the touch panel 52 and the resolution of the LCD 51 are not necessarily matched. The input to the touch panel 52 is normally performed using the touch pen 60, but the input to the touch panel 52 is not limited to the touch pen 60 and can be performed by a user's finger. The housing 50 is provided with a storage hole 60a for storing the touch pen 60 used for operating the touch panel 52 (see FIG. 8B). Here, the storage hole 60a is provided on the upper surface of the housing 50 so that the touch pen 60 does not fall, but may be provided on the side surface or the lower surface. Thus, since the terminal device 7 includes the touch panel 52, the user can operate the touch panel 52 while moving the terminal device 7. That is, the user can directly input (by the touch panel 52) to the screen while moving the screen of the LCD 51.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the terminal device 7 includes two analog sticks 53A and 53B and a plurality of buttons (keys) 54A to 54M as operation means (operation unit). Each analog stick 53A and 53B is a device capable of indicating a direction. In each of the analog sticks 53A and 53B, a movable member (stick part) operated by a user's finger can slide in any direction (any angle in the up / down / left / right and diagonal directions) with respect to the surface of the housing 50. It is configured. That is, it is a directional input device sometimes called a slide pad. The movable members of the analog sticks 53A and 53B may be of a type that tilts in an arbitrary direction with respect to the surface of the housing 50. In the present embodiment, an analog stick of a type in which the movable member slides is used. Therefore, the user can operate each of the analog sticks 53A and 53B without moving the thumb greatly, and the housing 50 is held firmly. The operation can be performed. When the analog sticks 53A and 53B are of a type in which the movable member tilts, the degree of input (degree of tilt) is easy for the user to understand, and detailed operations can be performed more easily.

  The left analog stick 53A is provided on the left side of the screen of the LCD 51, and the right analog stick 53B is provided on the right side of the screen of the LCD 51. Therefore, the user can make an input for instructing the direction with the left and right hands using the analog stick. Also, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, each analog stick 53A and 53B is provided at a position where the user can operate with the left and right portions of the terminal device 7 (the left and right side portions of the LCD 51) being gripped. The user can easily operate each of the analog sticks 53A and 53B even when holding and moving the terminal device 7.

  Each button 54A to 54L is an operation means (operation unit) for performing a predetermined input, and is a key that can be pressed. As shown below, each button 54A-54L is provided in the position which a user can operate in the state which hold | gripped the right-and-left part of the terminal device 7 (refer FIG. 10 and FIG. 11). Therefore, the user can easily operate these operation means even when the user moves the terminal device 7.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, a cross button (direction input button) 54A and buttons 54B to 54H and 54M among the operation buttons 54A to 54L are provided on the surface of the housing 50. That is, these buttons 54 </ b> A to 54 </ b> H and 54 </ b> M are arranged at positions that can be operated with the user's thumb (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

  The cross button 54A is provided on the left side of the LCD 51 and below the left analog stick 53A. That is, the cross button 54A is arranged at a position where it can be operated with the left hand of the user. The cross button 54A has a cross shape, and is a button capable of instructing at least the vertical and horizontal directions.

  The buttons 54B to 54D are provided below the LCD 51. These three buttons 54B to 54D are arranged at positions that can be operated by both the left and right hands. The terminal device 7 has a power button 54M for turning on / off the power of the terminal device 7. It is also possible to remotely turn on / off the game apparatus 3 by operating the power button 54M. The power button 54M is provided on the lower side of the LCD 51 like the buttons 54B to 54D. The power button 54M is provided on the right side of the buttons 54B to 54D. Therefore, the power button 54M is disposed at a position where it can be operated (easy to operate) with the right hand. The four buttons 54E to 54H are provided on the right side of the LCD 51 and below the right analog stick 53B. That is, the four buttons 54E to 54H are arranged at positions that can be operated with the right hand of the user. Further, the four buttons 54E to 54H are arranged so as to have a vertical / left / right positional relationship (relative to the center position of the four buttons 54E to 54H). Therefore, the terminal device 7 can also function the four buttons 54 </ b> E to 54 </ b> H as buttons for instructing the user in the up / down / left / right directions.

  In the present embodiment, the analog sticks 53A and 53B are arranged above the cross button 54A and the buttons 54E to 54H. Here, each of the analog sticks 53A and 53B protrudes in the thickness direction (y-axis direction) from the cross button 54A and the buttons 54E to 54H. Therefore, if the arrangement of the analog stick 53A and the cross button 54A is reversed, when the user operates the cross button 54A with the thumb, the thumb may hit the analog stick 53A and the operation may be mistaken. is there. The same problem occurs when the arrangement of the analog stick 53B and the buttons 54E to 54H is reversed. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the analog sticks 53A and 53B are arranged above the cross button 54A and the buttons 54E to 54H, so that when the user operates the analog sticks 53A and 53B, The possibility that the finger hits each of the buttons 54E to 54H is lower than that in the above case. Thus, in this embodiment, the possibility of erroneous operation can be reduced, and the operability of the terminal device 7 can be improved. However, in another embodiment, the analog stick 53A may be disposed opposite to the cross button 54A, or the analog stick 53B may be disposed opposite to the buttons 54E to 54H as necessary.

  Here, in this embodiment, some operation units (respective analog sticks 53A and 53B, cross button 54A, and three buttons 54E to 54G) are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the housing 50 on both the left and right sides of the display unit (LCD 51). It is provided above the center of the direction (y-axis direction). When operating these operation units, the user mainly holds the upper side of the terminal device 7 from the vertical center. Here, when the user grips the lower side of the housing 50, the gripped terminal device 7 becomes unstable (especially when the terminal device 7 has a relatively large size as in the present embodiment). , It becomes difficult for the user to hold the terminal device 7. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when operating the operation unit, the user mainly holds the upper side of the terminal device 7 from the center in the vertical direction, and the housing 50 is laterally held by the palm. Can support. Therefore, the user can hold the housing 50 in a stable state, and the terminal device 7 can be easily held, so that the operation unit can be easily operated. In other embodiments, at least one operation unit may be provided on each of the left and right sides of the display unit above the center of the housing 50. For example, only the analog sticks 53 </ b> A and 53 </ b> B may be provided above the center of the housing 50. Further, for example, when the cross button 54A is provided above the left analog stick 53A and the four buttons 54E to 54H are provided above the right analog stick 53B, the cross button 54A and the four buttons 54E to 54H are provided. It may be provided above the center of the housing 50.

  In the present embodiment, a protrusion (a flange 59) is provided on the back side of the housing 50 (on the opposite side of the surface on which the LCD 51 is provided) (see FIG. 8C and FIG. 9). As shown in FIG. 8C, the flange portion 59 is a mountain-shaped member provided so as to protrude from the back surface of the substantially plate-shaped housing 50. The protrusion has a height (thickness) that can be hooked on a user's finger that holds the back surface of the housing 50. The height of the protrusion is preferably 10 to 25 [mm], and in this embodiment is 16.66 [mm]. Moreover, it is preferable that the lower surface of the protruding portion has an inclination of 45 ° or more (more preferably 60 ° or more) with respect to the back surface of the housing 50 so that the protruding portion can be easily caught on the user's finger. As shown in FIG. 8C, the lower surface of the protrusion may be formed to have a larger inclination angle than the upper surface. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, even when the terminal device 7 has a relatively large size, the user holds the finger by placing the finger on the buttocks 59 (with the buttocks 59 on the finger). The terminal device 7 can be held in a stable state without getting tired. That is, it can be said that the collar part 59 is a support member for supporting the housing 50 with a finger, and can also be called a finger hook part.

  Further, the flange portion 59 is provided above the center in the vertical direction of the housing 50. The flange portion 59 is provided at a position approximately opposite to the operation portion (each analog stick 53A and 53B) provided on the surface of the housing 50. That is, the protrusion is provided in a region including a position on the opposite side of the operation unit provided on the left and right of the display unit. Therefore, when operating the said operation part, the user can hold | grip the terminal device 7 so that the collar part 59 may be supported with a middle finger or a ring finger (refer FIG. 10 and FIG. 11). As a result, the terminal device 7 becomes easier to hold, and the operation unit becomes easier to operate. Further, in the present embodiment, the protrusion has a hook-like shape extending from side to side (the protruding portion), so that the user holds the terminal device 7 with the middle finger or the ring finger along the lower surface of the protrusion. And the terminal device 7 becomes easier to hold. In addition, the collar part 59 should just be formed so that the (protruded part) may be extended in the left-right direction, and is not restricted to the shape extended in a horizontal direction as shown in FIG. In other embodiments, the flange portion 59 may extend in a direction slightly inclined from the horizontal direction. For example, the collar portion 59 may be provided so as to be inclined upward (or downward) from the left and right ends toward the center.

  In the present embodiment, the hook 59 having a hook-like shape is adopted as the protrusion formed on the back surface of the housing because a locking hole described later is provided in the hook 59. The part may have any shape. For example, in another embodiment, on the back side of the housing 50, two protrusions may be provided on both the left and right sides (no protrusion is provided in the center in the left-right direction) (see FIG. 29). . In another embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion (the shape in the cross section perpendicular to the x-axis direction) is such that the terminal device 7 can be more firmly supported by the user's finger (the protrusion is It may be saddle-shaped (a shape in which the lower surface is recessed).

  In addition, the width | variety regarding the up-down direction of a projection part (hook part 59) may be what. For example, the protrusion may be formed up to the upper side of the housing 50. That is, the upper surface of the protrusion may be formed at the same position as the upper side surface of the housing 50. At this time, the housing 50 has a two-stage configuration in which the lower side is thin and the upper side is thick. As described above, it is preferable that the housing 50 is formed with surfaces (lower surfaces of the protrusions) facing downward on the left and right sides of the back surface. Accordingly, the user can easily grip the operating device by placing a finger on the surface. The “surface facing downward” may be formed at any position on the back surface of the housing 50, but is preferably positioned above the center of the housing 50.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C, the first L button 54I and the first R button 54J are provided on both the left and right sides of the upper surface of the housing 50, respectively. . In the present embodiment, the first L button 54 </ b> I and the first R button 54 </ b> J are provided in an obliquely upper portion (upper left portion and upper right portion) of the housing 50. Specifically, the first L button 54I is provided at the left end of the upper side surface of the plate-shaped housing 50 and is exposed from the upper left side surface (in other words, exposed from both the upper and left side surfaces). ) The first R button 54J is provided at the right end of the upper side surface of the housing 50, and is exposed from the upper right side surface (in other words, exposed from both the upper and right side surfaces). In this way, the first L button 54I is disposed at a position operable with the user's left index finger, and the first R button 54J is disposed at a position operable with the user's right hand index finger (see FIG. 10). In other embodiments, the operation units provided on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the housing 50 do not need to be provided at the left and right ends, and may be provided at positions other than the ends. In addition, operation portions may be provided on the left and right side surfaces of the housing 50, respectively.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8 (c) and FIG. 9, the second L button 54K and the second R button 54L are arranged on the protruding portion (the collar portion 59). The second L button 54K is provided in the vicinity of the left end of the collar 59. The second R button 54L is provided in the vicinity of the right end of the collar portion 59. That is, the second L button 54K is provided slightly above the left side (left side when viewed from the front side) of the housing 50, and the second R button 54L is right side (when viewed from the front side) of the housing 50. On the right side). In other words, the second L button 54K is provided at a position (substantially) opposite to the left analog stick 53A provided on the surface, and the second R button 54L is provided (substantially) opposite to the right analog stick 53B provided on the surface. It is provided in the position. As described above, the second L button 54K is disposed at a position operable with the user's left middle finger or index finger, and the second R button 54L is disposed at a position operable with the user's right middle finger or index finger (see FIGS. 10 and 10). FIG. 11). Moreover, the 2nd L button 54K and the 2nd R button 54L are provided in the upper surface of the said collar part 59, as shown to the (c) figure of FIG. Therefore, the second L button 54K and the second R button 54L have button surfaces that face upward (obliquely upward). When the user holds the terminal device 7, the middle finger or index finger is considered to move up and down, so that the user can easily press the second L button 54 </ b> K and the second R button 54 </ b> L by turning the button surface upward.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation units (analog sticks 53A and 53B) are provided on the left and right sides of the display unit (LCD 51) above the center of the housing 50, and the operation is performed on the back side of the housing 50. Separate operation units (second L button 54K and second R button 54L) are provided at positions opposite to the unit. According to this, since the said operation part and another operation part are arrange | positioned in the position where the front side and back side of the housing 50 mutually oppose, when operating these operation parts, the user sets the housing 50 to the front side. It can be gripped so as to be pinched from the back side. Further, when operating these operation units, the user grips the upper side of the housing 50 with respect to the vertical center, so that the terminal device 7 can be gripped on the upper side and the terminal device 7 can be supported by the palm ( FIG. 10 and FIG. 11). As described above, the user can stably hold the housing 50 in a state in which the user can operate at least four operation units, can be easily held by the user, and has high operability. (Terminal device 7) can be provided.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the user can easily hold the terminal device 7 by holding the terminal device 7 with the finger placed on the lower surface of the protrusion (the collar portion 59). In addition, since the second L button 54K and the second R button 54L are provided on the upper surface of the protrusion, the user can easily operate these buttons in the above state. For example, the user can easily hold the terminal device 7 in the following manner.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the user can hold the terminal device 7 by placing the ring finger on the lower surface of the heel part 59 (the dashed line shown in FIG. 10) (supporting the heel part 59 with the ring finger). It is. At this time, the user can operate the four buttons (first L button 54I, first R button 54J, second L button 54K, and second R button 54L) with the index finger and the middle finger. For example, when a required game operation has many buttons to be used and is relatively complicated, many buttons can be easily operated by gripping as shown in FIG. Since each analog stick 53A and 53B is provided above the cross button 54A and the buttons 54E to 54H, the user can operate the analog sticks 53A and 53B with the thumb when a relatively complicated operation is required. Convenient. In FIG. 10, the user places a thumb on the surface of the housing 50, an index finger on the upper surface of the housing 50, a middle finger on the upper surface of the collar portion 59 on the rear surface of the housing 50, and a ring finger on the lower surface of the collar portion 59. The terminal device 7 is held by placing a little finger on the back surface of 50. Thus, the user can firmly hold the terminal device 7 so as to wrap the housing 50 from all sides.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the user can hold the terminal device 7 by placing the middle finger on the lower surface of the heel portion 59 (the chain line shown in FIG. 11). At this time, the user can easily operate the two buttons (the second L button 54K and the second R button 54L) with the index finger. For example, if the requested game operation is relatively simple with few buttons to be used, the game operation may be held as shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, the user can grip the lower side of the housing 50 with two fingers (ring finger and little finger), and thus can firmly hold the terminal device 7.

  In the present embodiment, the lower surface of the collar portion 59 is positioned between the analog sticks 53A and 53B and the cross button 54A and the four buttons 54E to 54H (more than the analog sticks 53A and 53B). And provided above the cross button 54A and the four buttons 54E to 54H). Therefore, when holding the terminal device 7 by placing the ring finger against the buttocks 59 (FIG. 10), the analog sticks 53A and 53B can be easily operated with the thumb, and the terminal device 7 is placed by placing the middle finger against the buttocks 59. When gripping (FIG. 11), it is easy to operate the cross button 54A and the four buttons 54E to 54H with the thumb. That is, in any of the above two cases, the user can perform a direction input operation while firmly holding the terminal device 7.

  Further, as described above, the user can also hold the terminal device 7 while holding it vertically. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the user can hold the terminal device 7 in the vertical direction by holding the upper side of the terminal device 7 with the left hand. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the user can hold the terminal device 7 in the vertical direction by holding the lower side of the terminal device 7 with the left hand. 12 and 13 show the case where the terminal device 7 is held with the left hand, it is also possible to hold it with the right hand. As described above, since the user can hold the terminal device 7 with one hand, for example, the user can perform an operation of holding the terminal device 7 with one hand and performing an input to the touch panel 52 with the other hand. Is possible.

  When the terminal device 7 is held in the manner shown in FIG. 12, the user applies a finger other than the thumb (the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger in FIG. 12) to the lower surface of the heel portion 59 (dashed line shown in FIG. 12). Thus, the terminal device 7 can be firmly held. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the collar portion 59 is formed to extend from side to side (up and down in FIG. 12), the user can hold a finger other than the thumb regardless of the position on the upper side of the terminal device 7. Can be applied to the flange 59, and the terminal device 7 can be firmly held. That is, when the terminal device 7 is used in a vertical orientation, the collar portion 59 can be used as a handle. On the other hand, when the user holds the terminal device 7 in the manner shown in FIG. 13, the user can operate the buttons 54B to 54D with the left hand. Therefore, for example, it is possible to perform operations on the buttons 54B to 54D with a hand holding the terminal device 7 while performing an input on the touch panel 52 with one hand, and more operations can be performed.

  In addition, regarding the terminal device 7 in the present embodiment, since the protrusion (the flange portion 59) is provided on the back surface, the terminal device 7 is placed with the screen of the LCD 51 (the surface of the housing 50) facing upward. The screen is slightly tilted. This makes it easier to see the screen when the terminal device 7 is placed. Further, it becomes easy to perform an input operation on the touch panel 52 in a state where the terminal device 7 is placed. In another embodiment, an additional protrusion having the same height as the flange 59 may be formed on the back surface of the housing 50. According to this, in a state where the screen of the LCD 51 is facing upward, the terminal device 7 can be placed so that the screen is horizontal as each projection comes into contact with the floor surface. Further, the additional protrusions may be removable (or foldable). According to this, the terminal device can be placed both in a state where the screen is slightly inclined and in a state where the screen is horizontal. That is, when the terminal device 7 is placed and used, the heel portion 59 can be used as a leg portion.

  Functions corresponding to the game program are appropriately assigned to the buttons 54A to 54L. For example, the cross button 54A and the buttons 54E to 54H may be used for a direction instruction operation or a selection operation, and the buttons 54B to 54E may be used for a determination operation or a cancel operation. Further, the terminal device 7 may have a button for turning on / off the screen display of the LCD 51 and a button for performing connection setting (pairing) with the game device 3.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8A, the terminal device 7 includes a marker portion 55 including a marker 55 </ b> A and a marker 55 </ b> B on the surface of the housing 50. The marker unit 55 is provided on the upper side of the LCD 51. Each of the markers 55A and 55B is composed of one or more infrared LEDs, like the markers 6R and 6L of the marker device 6. Infrared LEDs constituting the markers 55A and 55B are disposed inside a window portion that transmits infrared light. The marker unit 55 is used for the game device 3 to calculate the movement of the controller 5 and the like, like the marker device 6 described above. Further, the game apparatus 3 can control lighting of each infrared LED included in the marker unit 55.

  The terminal device 7 includes a camera 56 that is an imaging unit. The camera 56 includes an imaging element (for example, a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor) having a predetermined resolution, and a lens. As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the camera 56 is provided on the surface of the housing 50. Therefore, the camera 56 can take an image of the face of the user who has the terminal device 7, and can, for example, take an image of the user who is playing the game while looking at the LCD 51. In the present embodiment, the camera 56 is disposed between the two markers 55A and 55B.

  The terminal device 7 includes a microphone 69 that is a voice input unit. A microphone hole 50 c is provided on the surface of the housing 50. The microphone 69 is provided inside the housing 50 behind the microphone hole 50c. The microphone 69 detects sounds around the terminal device 7 such as a user's voice.

  The terminal device 7 includes a speaker 77 which is an audio output unit. As shown in FIG. 8D, a speaker hole 57 is provided below the surface of the housing 50. The output sound of the speaker 77 is output from the speaker hole 57. In the present embodiment, the terminal device 7 includes two speakers, and speaker holes 57 are provided at positions of the left speaker and the right speaker. The terminal device 7 includes a knob 64 for adjusting the volume of the speaker 77. The terminal device 7 includes an audio output terminal 62 for connecting an audio output unit such as an earphone. Here, considering that an additional device is connected to the lower side surface of the housing, the audio output terminal 62 and the knob 64 are provided on the upper side surface of the housing 50. It may be provided on the side surface.

  The housing 50 is provided with a window 63 for emitting an infrared signal from the infrared communication module 82 to the outside of the terminal device 7. Here, the window 63 is provided on the upper side surface of the housing 50 so that an infrared signal is emitted forward of the user when both sides of the LCD 51 are gripped. However, in other embodiments, the window 63 may be provided at any position such as the back surface of the housing 50.

  Further, the terminal device 7 includes an expansion connector 58 for connecting other devices to the terminal device 7. The extension connector 58 is a communication terminal for transmitting / receiving data (information) to / from other devices connected to the terminal device 7. In the present embodiment, the extension connector 58 is provided on the lower side surface of the housing 50 as shown in FIG. Note that any other additional device connected to the expansion connector 58 may be used, for example, a controller (such as a gun-type controller) used for a specific game or an input device such as a keyboard. . If it is not necessary to connect an additional device, the expansion connector 58 may not be provided. The expansion connector 58 may include a terminal for supplying power to the additional device and a terminal for charging.

  Further, the terminal device 7 includes a charging terminal 66 for acquiring power from the additional device, separately from the expansion connector 58. When a charging terminal 66 is connected to a stand 210 described later, power is supplied from the stand 210 to the terminal device 7. In the present embodiment, the charging terminal 66 is provided on the lower side surface of the housing 50. Therefore, when the terminal device 7 and the additional device (for example, the input device 200 shown in FIG. 15) are connected, in addition to transmitting / receiving information via the expansion connector 58, power is supplied from one to the other. It is also possible to do this. Thus, by providing the charging terminal 66 around the expansion connector 58 (on the left and right sides), when the terminal device 7 and the additional device are connected, it is possible to supply power as well as transmit and receive information. . Further, the terminal device 7 has a charging connector, and the housing 50 has a cover portion 61 for protecting the charging connector. The charging connector can be connected to a charger 86 to be described later. When the charging connector is connected to the charger, power is supplied from the charger 86 to the terminal device 7. In this embodiment, considering that the additional device is connected to the lower side surface of the housing, the charging connector (cover portion 61) is provided on the upper side surface of the housing 50. It may be provided on the side surface.

  Further, the terminal device 7 has a battery lid 67 that can be attached to and detached from the housing 50. A battery (battery 85 shown in FIG. 14) is disposed inside the battery lid 67. In the present embodiment, the battery lid 67 is provided on the back side of the housing 50 and is provided on the lower side of the protrusion (the flange 59).

  Further, the housing 50 of the terminal device 7 is provided with holes 65a and 65b for tying strap strings. As shown in FIG. 8D, in the present embodiment, the holes 65 a and 65 b are provided on the lower surface of the housing 50. In the present embodiment, two holes 65 a and 65 b are provided on each of the left and right sides of the housing 50. That is, the hole 65 a is provided on the left side from the center of the lower surface of the housing 50, and the hole 65 b is provided on the right side of the center of the lower surface of the housing 50. The user may tie a strap to either of the holes 65a and 65b and tie the strap to his / her wrist. Thereby, even if the user drops the terminal device 7 or the terminal device 7 is removed from the hand, it is possible to prevent the terminal device 7 from falling or colliding with another object. In the present embodiment, since the holes are provided on both the left and right sides, the user can tie the strap to either hand, which is convenient.

  In addition, regarding the terminal device 7 illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 13, the shapes of the operation buttons and the housing 50, the number of components, the installation positions, and the like are merely examples, and other shapes, numbers, and installation positions are provided. It may be.

  Next, the internal configuration of the terminal device 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the terminal device 7. As shown in FIG. 14, the terminal device 7 includes a touch panel controller 71, a magnetic sensor 72, an acceleration sensor 73, a gyro sensor 74, a user interface controller (UI controller) 75, a codec LSI 76, a speaker in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 77, a sound IC 78, a microphone 79, a wireless module 80, an antenna 81, an infrared communication module 82, a flash memory 83, a power supply IC 84, and a battery 85. These electronic components are mounted on an electronic circuit board and stored in the housing 50.

  The UI controller 75 is a circuit for controlling input / output of data to / from various input / output units. The UI controller 75 is connected to the touch panel controller 71, the analog stick 53 (analog sticks 53 </ b> A and 53 </ b> B), the operation buttons 54 (operation buttons 54 </ b> A to 54 </ b> L), the marker unit 55, the magnetic sensor 72, the acceleration sensor 73, and the gyro sensor 74. Is done. The UI controller 75 is connected to the codec LSI 76 and the extension connector 58. A power supply IC 84 is connected to the UI controller 75, and power is supplied to each unit via the UI controller 75. A built-in battery 85 is connected to the power supply IC 84 to supply power. In addition, a charger 86 or a cable that can acquire power from an external power source can be connected to the power supply IC 84 via a charging connector. The terminal device 7 can be connected to the external power source using the charger 86 or the cable. Power supply and charging from can be performed. The terminal device 7 can also be charged by mounting the terminal device 7 on a cradle having a charging function (not shown). That is, although not shown, a cradle (stand 210 shown in FIG. 17) capable of acquiring power from an external power source can be connected to the power supply IC 84 via the charging terminal 66, and the terminal device 7 can connect the cradle. It can be used to supply power and charge from an external power source.

  The touch panel controller 71 is a circuit that is connected to the touch panel 52 and controls the touch panel 52. The touch panel controller 71 generates touch position data in a predetermined format based on a signal from the touch panel 52 and outputs it to the UI controller 75. The touch position data represents the coordinates of the position where the input has been performed on the input surface of the touch panel 52. The touch panel controller 71 reads a signal from the touch panel 52 and generates touch position data at a rate of once per predetermined time. Various control instructions for the touch panel 52 are output from the UI controller 75 to the touch panel controller 71.

  The analog stick 53 outputs to the UI controller 75 stick data representing the direction and amount in which the stick unit operated by the user's finger has slid (or tilted). In addition, the operation button 54 outputs operation button data representing the input status (whether or not it has been pressed) to each of the operation buttons 54 </ b> A to 54 </ b> L to the UI controller 75.

  The magnetic sensor 72 detects the direction by detecting the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field. The azimuth data indicating the detected azimuth is output to the UI controller 75. In addition, a control instruction for the magnetic sensor 72 is output from the UI controller 75 to the magnetic sensor 72. For the magnetic sensor 72, an MI (magnetic impedance) element, a fluxgate sensor, a Hall element, a GMR (giant magnetoresistance) element, a TMR (tunnel magnetoresistance) element, an AMR (anisotropic magnetoresistance) element, or the like was used. Although there is a sensor, any sensor may be used as long as it can detect the direction. Strictly speaking, in a place where a magnetic field is generated in addition to the geomagnetism, the obtained azimuth data does not indicate the azimuth, but even in such a case, the terminal device 7 moves. Since the orientation data changes, the change in the attitude of the terminal device 7 can be calculated.

  The acceleration sensor 73 is provided inside the housing 50 and detects the magnitude of linear acceleration along the direction of three axes (xyz axes shown in FIG. 8A). Specifically, the acceleration sensor 73 has a linear acceleration of each axis with the long side direction of the housing 50 as the x axis, the direction perpendicular to the surface of the housing 50 as the y axis, and the short side direction of the housing 50 as the z axis. Detect the size of. Acceleration data representing the detected acceleration is output to the UI controller 75. A control instruction for the acceleration sensor 73 is output from the UI controller 75 to the acceleration sensor 73. The acceleration sensor 73 is, for example, a capacitive MEMS acceleration sensor in the present embodiment, but other types of acceleration sensors may be used in other embodiments. Further, the acceleration sensor 73 may be an acceleration sensor that detects a uniaxial or biaxial direction.

  The gyro sensor 74 is provided inside the housing 50 and detects angular velocities around the three axes of the x axis, the y axis, and the z axis. Angular velocity data representing the detected angular velocity is output to the UI controller 75. Further, a control instruction for the gyro sensor 74 is output from the UI controller 75 to the gyro sensor 74. Any number and combination of gyro sensors may be used to detect the three-axis angular velocity, and the gyro sensor 74 is similar to the gyro sensor 48 in that a two-axis gyro sensor, a one-axis gyro sensor, It may be constituted by. Further, the gyro sensor 74 may be a gyro sensor that detects a uniaxial or biaxial direction.

  The UI controller 75 outputs operation data including touch position data, stick data, operation button data, azimuth data, acceleration data, and angular velocity data received from the above components to the codec LSI 76. When another device is connected to the terminal device 7 via the extension connector 58, the operation data may further include data representing an operation on the other device.

  The codec LSI 76 is a circuit that performs compression processing on data transmitted to the game apparatus 3 and expansion processing on data transmitted from the game apparatus 3. The codec LSI 76 is connected to the LCD 51, the camera 56, the sound IC 78, the wireless module 80, the flash memory 83, and the infrared communication module 82. The codec LSI 76 includes a CPU 87 and an internal memory 88. Although the terminal device 7 is configured not to perform the game process itself, it is necessary to execute a minimum program for management and communication of the terminal device 7. When the power is turned on, the program stored in the flash memory 83 is read into the internal memory 88 and executed by the CPU 87, whereby the terminal device 7 is activated. A part of the internal memory 88 is used as a VRAM for the LCD 51.

  The camera 56 captures an image in accordance with an instruction from the game apparatus 3 and outputs the captured image data to the codec LSI 76. Control instructions for the camera 56 such as an image capturing instruction are output from the codec LSI 76 to the camera 56. Note that the camera 56 can also capture moving images. That is, the camera 56 can repeatedly capture images and repeatedly output image data to the codec LSI 76.

  The sound IC 78 is a circuit that is connected to the speaker 77 and the microphone 79 and controls input / output of audio data to and from the speaker 77 and the microphone 79. That is, when audio data is received from the codec LSI 76, the sound IC 78 outputs an audio signal obtained by performing D / A conversion on the audio data to the speaker 77, and outputs sound from the speaker 77. The microphone 79 detects a sound (such as a user's voice) transmitted to the terminal device 7 and outputs a sound signal indicating the sound to the sound IC 78. The sound IC 78 performs A / D conversion on the audio signal from the microphone 79 and outputs audio data in a predetermined format to the codec LSI 76.

  The codec LSI 76 transmits the image data from the camera 56, the audio data from the microphone 79, and the operation data from the UI controller 75 to the game apparatus 3 via the wireless module 80 as terminal operation data. In the present embodiment, the codec LSI 76 performs the same compression processing as the codec LSI 27 on the image data and the audio data. The terminal operation data and the compressed image data and audio data are output to the wireless module 80 as transmission data. An antenna 81 is connected to the wireless module 80, and the wireless module 80 transmits the transmission data to the game apparatus 3 via the antenna 81. The wireless module 80 has the same function as the terminal communication module 28 of the game apparatus 3. That is, the wireless module 80 has a function of connecting to a wireless LAN by a method compliant with, for example, the IEEE 802.11n standard. The data to be transmitted may or may not be encrypted as necessary.

  As described above, the transmission data transmitted from the terminal device 7 to the game apparatus 3 includes operation data (terminal operation data), image data, and audio data. When another device is connected to the terminal device 7 via the extension connector 58, the data received from the other device may be further included in the transmission data. The infrared communication module 82 performs infrared communication with other devices in accordance with, for example, the IRDA standard. The codec LSI 76 may include the data received by infrared communication in the transmission data as necessary and transmit the data to the game apparatus 3.

  Further, as described above, compressed image data and audio data are transmitted from the game apparatus 3 to the terminal apparatus 7. These data are received by the codec LSI 76 via the antenna 81 and the wireless module 80. The codec LSI 76 decompresses the received image data and audio data. The expanded image data is output to the LCD 51, and the image is displayed on the LCD 51. That is, the codec LSI 76 (CPU 87) displays the received image data on the display unit. The expanded audio data is output to the sound IC 78, and the sound IC 78 outputs sound from the speaker 77.

  When the control data is included in the data received from the game apparatus 3, the codec LSI 76 and the UI controller 75 issue a control instruction to each unit according to the control data. As described above, the control data is a control instruction for each component (in this embodiment, the camera 56, the touch panel controller 71, the marker unit 55, the sensors 62 to 64, and the infrared communication module 82) included in the terminal device 7. It is data to represent. In the present embodiment, as the control instruction represented by the control data, an instruction to operate each of the above components or to stop (stop) the operation can be considered. That is, components that are not used in the game may be paused in order to reduce power consumption. In that case, the transmission data transmitted from the terminal device 7 to the game device 3 includes data from the paused components. Do not let it. In addition, since the marker part 55 is infrared LED, control may just be ON / OFF of supply of electric power.

  As described above, the terminal device 7 includes operation means such as the touch panel 52, the analog stick 53, and the operation button 54. However, in other embodiments, instead of these operation means or together with these operation means. The configuration may include other operation means.

  In addition, the terminal device 7 includes a magnetic sensor 72, an acceleration sensor 73, and a gyro sensor 74 as sensors for calculating the movement of the terminal device 7 (including changes in position and posture, or position and posture). In other embodiments, the configuration may include only one or two of these sensors. Moreover, in other embodiment, it may replace with these sensors or the structure provided with another sensor with these sensors may be sufficient.

  The terminal device 7 includes the camera 56 and the microphone 79. However, in other embodiments, the terminal device 7 may not include the camera 56 and the microphone 79, or may include only one of them. Good.

  Further, the terminal device 7 is configured to include the marker unit 55 as a configuration for calculating the positional relationship between the terminal device 7 and the controller 5 (the position and / or orientation of the terminal device 7 viewed from the controller 5). In other embodiments, the marker unit 55 may not be provided. In another embodiment, the terminal device 7 may include other means as a configuration for calculating the positional relationship. For example, in another embodiment, the controller 5 may include a marker unit, and the terminal device 7 may include an image sensor. Furthermore, in this case, the marker device 6 may be configured to include an imaging element instead of the infrared LED.

(Configuration of additional equipment)
Next, an example of an additional device that can be attached (connected) to the terminal device 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17. The additional device may have any function. For example, the additional device may be an additional operation device attached to the terminal device 7 in order to perform a predetermined operation. It may be a charger that supplies power, or a stand for standing the terminal device 7 in a predetermined posture.

  As shown in FIGS. 8D and 9, locking holes 59 a and 59 b that can lock the claw portions of the additional device are provided on the lower surface of the protruding portion (the flange portion 59). The locking holes 59 a and 59 b are used when connecting another additional device to the terminal device 7. That is, the additional device has a claw portion that can be locked in the locking holes 59a and 59b. When the additional device is connected to the terminal device 7, the claw portion is locked in the locking holes 59a and 59b. The terminal device 7 and the additional device are fixed. Further, screw holes may be further provided inside the locking holes 59a and 59b, and the additional device may be firmly fixed with screws. Here, the protrusion provided on the back surface of the terminal device 7 is a flange 59 having a hook shape. That is, the collar part 59 is provided extending in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 9, the locking holes 59 a and 59 b are provided near the center (with respect to the left-right direction) of the lower surface of the flange portion 59. Note that the number of the locking holes 59a and 59b provided on the lower surface of the flange portion 59 may be any number, but when it is one, it is preferably provided in the center of the flange portion 59, and there are a plurality Are preferably arranged symmetrically. According to this, it is possible to stably connect the additional device while keeping the left and right balance equal. Further, when the locking hole is provided near the center, the size of the additional device can be reduced as compared with the case where the locking hole is provided at both the left and right ends. That is, the collar part 59 can be used as a locking member for the additional device.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8D, locking holes 50 a and 50 b are provided on the lower surface of the housing 50. Therefore, when connecting the additional device to the terminal device 7, the terminal device 7 and the additional device are fixed by the four claw portions being respectively locked in the four locking holes. As a result, the additional device can be firmly connected to the terminal device 7. It should be noted that screw holes may be provided inside the locking holes 50a and 50b, and the additional device may be screwed. In other embodiments, the locking holes provided in the housing may be arranged in any manner.

  15 and 16 are diagrams illustrating an example in which the additional device is mounted on the terminal device 7. 15 is a diagram of the terminal device 7 and the input device 200 as viewed from the front surface side of the terminal device 7, and FIG. In FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, an input device 200 which is an example of an additional device is attached to the terminal device 7.

  The input device 200 includes a first grip part 200a and a second grip part 200b. Each of the grip portions 200a and 200b has a rod-like (columnar) shape and can be gripped by a user with one hand. The user can use either the input device 200 (and the terminal device 7) by holding only one of the grip portions 200a and 200b, or can use the input device 200 by holding both. Note that the input device 200 may be configured to include only one grip portion. The input device 200 includes a support unit 205. In the present embodiment, the support unit 205 supports the back surface (back surface) of the terminal device 7. Specifically, the support part 205 has four claw parts, and the four claw parts can be respectively locked in the locking holes 50a, 50b, 59a, and 59b.

  As shown in FIG. 15, when the input device 200 is connected to the terminal device 7, the four claw portions engage with the four locking holes 50 a, 50 b, 59 a and 59 b, respectively. The additional device is fixed. Thereby, the input device 200 can be firmly fixed to the terminal device 7. In other embodiments, in addition to (or in place of) the locking of the claw portion and the locking hole, the input device 200 and the terminal device 7 may be screwed to the terminal device 7. The input device 200 may be more firmly fixed. Note that the position of screwing may be anywhere, but, for example, the support part 205 of the input device 200 that contacts the back surface of the housing 50 and the flange part 59 may be screwed.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the additional device can be firmly fixed to the terminal device 7 by the locking holes 59a and 59b. Since the terminal device 7 has sensors (magnetic sensor 72, acceleration sensor 73, and gyro sensor 74) for detecting the movement and tilt of the terminal device 7, it is used by moving the terminal device 7 itself. It is also possible. For example, when the input device 200 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is connected to the terminal device 7, the user holds the grip portion 200a and / or 200b of the input device 200 and moves the input device 200 like a gun. It is also possible to perform the operation. When it is assumed that the terminal device 7 itself is moved and used as in this embodiment, it is particularly effective to firmly fix the additional device by the locking holes 59a and 59b.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the support unit 205 can be detachably attached to the terminal device 7 so that the screen of the LCD 51 is substantially vertical when the first grip unit 200a (or the second grip unit 200b) is oriented in the vertical direction. To support. Each grip part 200a and 200b is formed so as to be substantially parallel to the display part (surface of the housing 50) of the terminal device 7 connected to the input device 200. In other words, each grip part 200a and 200b is formed so as to face the up-down direction of the display part of the terminal device 7 connected to the input device 200. In this manner, the input device 200 is connected to the terminal device 7 in a posture in which the display unit of the terminal device 7 faces the user (when the user holds the input device 200). Since the user can turn the screen of the display unit toward himself / herself by gripping each grip unit 200a and / or 200b (at least one of them) substantially vertically, the input device 200 can be viewed while viewing the screen of the display unit. The operation can be performed using. In the present embodiment, the second grip portion 200b faces in a direction substantially parallel to the first grip portion 200a. However, in other embodiments, at least one grip portion has a direction substantially parallel to the screen of the LCD 51. May be formed. Thus, the user can easily hold the input device 200 (and the terminal device 7) by holding the grip portion so that the LCD 51 faces the user.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the support part 205 is provided in the connection member 206 which connects the 1st grip part 200a and the 2nd grip part 200b. That is, since the support part 205 is provided between the two grip parts 200a and 200b, the terminal device 7 connected to the input device 200 is disposed between the two grip parts 200a and 200b. At this time, since the center of gravity of the operation device (operation system) including the terminal device 7 and the input device 200 is between the two grip portions 200a and 200b, the user grasps and holds the two grip portions 200a and 200b. By this, the operating device can be gripped easily. In the above embodiment, one grip portion (first grip portion 200a) is provided at a position on the front side of the screen of the terminal device 7 attached to the input device 200, and the other grip portion (second grip portion). 200b) is provided at a position on the rear side of the screen. Therefore, the user can easily hold the operating device by holding the two grips in the manner of holding a gun with one hand at the front of the screen and the other hand at the back of the screen. it can. Therefore, for example, the operation device is particularly suitable in a shooting game in which the operation device is regarded as a gun and a game operation is performed.

  The input device 200 includes a first button 201, a second button 202, a third button 203, and a stick 204 as operation units. The buttons 201 to 203 are buttons (keys) that can be pressed by the user. The stick 204 is a device that can indicate a direction. The operation unit is preferably provided at a position where the user can operate with a finger of a gripped hand when the user grips the grip unit. In this embodiment, the 1st button 201, the 2nd button 202, and the stick 204 are provided in the position which can be operated with the thumb of the hand holding the 1st grip part 200a. The third button 203 is provided at a position where it can be operated with the thumb of the hand holding the second grip portion 200b.

  Note that the input device 200 may include an imaging device (imaging unit). For example, the input device 200 may have a configuration similar to that of the imaging information calculation unit 35 provided in the controller 5. At this time, the imaging element of the imaging information calculation unit may be provided in a direction for imaging the front of the input device 200 (the rear of the screen of the terminal device 7). For example, the infrared filter may be disposed at the position of the third button 203 instead of the third button 203, and the image sensor may be disposed inside the infrared filter. According to this, when the user uses the front of the input device 200 toward the television 2 (marker device 6), the game device 3 can calculate the orientation and position of the input device 200. Therefore, the user can perform an operation of directing the input device 200 in a desired direction, and can perform an intuitive and easy operation using the input device 200. The input device 200 may be configured to include a camera similar to the camera 56 instead of the imaging information calculation unit. At this time, the camera may be provided in a direction in which the front of the input device 200 is imaged, similarly to the image sensor. According to this, when the user uses the front of the input device 200 toward the television 2 (marker device 6), an image can be taken in an imaging direction opposite to the camera 56 of the terminal device 7.

  Further, the input device 200 includes a connector (not shown), and the connector is connected to the expansion connector 58 of the terminal device 7 when the terminal device 7 is attached to the input device 200. As a result, data can be transmitted and received between the input device 200 and the terminal device 7. For example, data representing an operation on the input device 200 and data representing an imaging result by the imaging device may be transmitted to the terminal device 7. At this time, the terminal device 7 may wirelessly transmit operation data representing an operation performed on the terminal device 7 and data transmitted from the input device to the game device 3. The input device 200 may include a charging terminal that is connected to the charging terminal 66 of the terminal device 7 when the terminal device 7 is attached to the input device 200. According to this, when the terminal device 7 is attached to the input device 200, power can be supplied from one device to the other device. For example, the input device 200 may be connected to a charger, and the terminal device 7 may be charged by acquiring power from the charger via the input device 200.

  In another embodiment, an operation device in which the terminal device 7 and the input device 200 are integrated may be provided. In this case, a mechanism for detachably connecting the terminal device 7 and the input device 200 such as the respective locking holes 50a, 50b, 59a and 59b in the terminal device 7 and a claw portion in the input device 200 is unnecessary.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating another example in which an additional device is connected to the terminal device 7. In FIG. 17, the terminal device 7 is connected (attached) to a stand 210 which is an example of an additional device. The stand 210 is a support device for placing (supporting) the terminal device 7 at a predetermined angle. The stand 210 includes a support member 211, a charging terminal 212, and guide members 213a and 213b.

  In the present embodiment, the stand 210 also has a function as a charger and has a charging terminal 212. The charging terminal 212 is a terminal that can be connected to the charging terminal 66 of the terminal device 7. In the present embodiment, each of the charging terminals 66 and 212 is a metal terminal, but may be a connector having a shape in which one can be connected to the other. When the terminal device 7 is connected to the stand 210, the charging terminal 212 of the stand 210 and the charging terminal 66 of the terminal device 7 are in contact with each other, and power is supplied from the stand 210 to the terminal device 7 to perform charging. it can.

  The support member 211 is for supporting the back surface of the terminal device 7 at a predetermined angle. The support member 211 supports a predetermined surface (here, the back surface) of the housing 50 when the terminal (charging terminal 66) of the terminal device 7 and the terminal (charging terminal 212) of the stand 210 are connected. As shown in FIG. 17, the support member 211 has a wall part 211a and a groove part 211b. The support member 211 supports the housing 50 by the wall portion 211a so that the back surface of the housing 50 is placed along a predetermined support surface (here, the surface formed by the wall portion 211a). The groove 211b is a part into which a part (lower part) of the housing 50 is inserted when the terminal device 7 and the stand 210 are connected. For this reason, the groove 211b is formed so as to substantially conform to the shape of the part of the housing 50. The groove 211b extends in a direction parallel to the support surface.

  The guide members 213 a and 213 b can be inserted into the second locking holes 50 a and 50 b of the terminal device 7 and are for determining the position where the terminal device 7 is connected to the stand 210. The guide members 213a and 213b are provided at positions corresponding to the locking holes 50a and 50b of the terminal device 7. That is, the guide members 213a and 213b are provided at positions where they are inserted into the locking holes 50a and 50b when the terminal device 7 and the stand 210 are correctly connected. The case where the terminal device 7 and the stand 210 are correctly connected is a case where the charging terminal 212 of the stand 210 and the charging terminal 66 of the terminal device 7 are connected. The guide members 213a and 213b are provided so that a part thereof protrudes from the bottom surface of the groove 211b. That is, the guide members 213 a and 213 b are provided so that a part thereof protrudes upward from the surface of the support member 211. When the terminal device 7 is connected to the stand 210, the guide members 213a and 213b are partially inserted into the locking holes 50a and 50b, respectively.

  In the present embodiment, each guide member 213a and 213b is a rotatable wheel member (roller part). Each guide member 213a and 213b is rotatable in a predetermined direction. Here, the predetermined direction is a direction (horizontal direction) parallel to the support surface, in other words, the left-right direction of the terminal device 7 when the terminal device 7 is connected to the stand 210. The guide member may be a rotating member that can rotate at least in a predetermined direction. For example, in another embodiment, the guide member may be a sphere that is rotatably supported by a spherical recess. In this embodiment, the number of guide members is two. However, the number of guide members corresponding to the number of locking holes provided on the lower surface of the terminal device 7 may be provided, and the stand 210 may be a guide. Only one member may be provided, or three or more members may be provided.

  When the terminal device 7 is connected to the stand 210, the back surface of the terminal device 7 comes into contact with the support member 211, so that the terminal device 7 is placed on the stand 210 at a predetermined angle. That is, a part of the lower side of the housing 50 is inserted into the groove portion 211b, and the wall portion 211a supports the back surface of the housing 50, whereby the terminal device 7 is placed on the stand 210 at a predetermined angle. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the position of the terminal device 7 is determined to be the correct position by the support member 211 in the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction.

  Here, when the terminal device 7 is connected to the stand 210, if the terminal device 7 and the stand 210 are not in the correct positional relationship, the position of the terminal device 7 is corrected and connected by the guide members 213a and 213b. The That is, when the locking holes 50a and 50b are displaced from the guide members 213a and 213b with respect to the predetermined direction, the guide members 213a and 213b come into contact with the housing 50 around the locking holes 50a and 50b. In response, the guide members 213a and 213b rotate to slide the terminal device 7 in a predetermined direction. In this embodiment, since the two guide members 213a and 213b are provided side by side in a predetermined direction, the lower surface of the terminal device 7 can be brought into contact only with the guide members 213a and 213b, and the terminal device 7 can be made more smoothly. Can be moved. Moreover, if the inclination (recessed inclination) is provided around the locking holes 50a and 50b, the terminal device 7 can be moved more smoothly. As a result of the sliding movement of the terminal device 7 as described above, a part of each of the guide members 213a and 213b is inserted into the locking holes 50a and 50b. As a result, the charging terminal 212 of the stand 210 and the charging terminal 66 of the terminal device 7 come into contact with each other, and charging is performed reliably.

  As described above, the user can easily connect the terminal device 7 to the stand 210 without placing the terminal device 7 at an accurate position. According to the present embodiment, the positioning of the terminal device 7 with respect to the stand 210 can be performed with a simple configuration of the locking hole of the terminal device 7 and the guide member of the stand 210. Therefore, the stand 210 has a small and simple configuration. can do. In the present embodiment, the terminal device 7 is a relatively large portable device, but even with such a large portable device, the stand 210 itself has a small configuration as shown in FIG. Can do. In addition, since the stand 210 can connect terminal devices having various shapes or sizes, a highly versatile support device can be provided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the locking holes 50a and 50b are used as holes for locking the claw portion of the additional device and also used as a target for inserting the guide member. Therefore, the number of holes provided in the housing 50 of the terminal device 7 can be reduced, and the shape of the housing 50 can be simplified.

  In the above embodiment, the hole into which the guide member of the stand 210 is inserted is a hole (locking holes 50a and 50b) provided on the lower side surface of the housing 50. Can be anywhere. For example, a hole may be provided on the other side surface of the housing 50, or a hole may be provided on the front surface or the back surface of the housing 50. In addition, since it is necessary to provide a guide part in the position according to the position of a hole, when a hole is provided in the surface or the back surface of the housing 50, the guide part of the stand 210 is provided in the position of the wall part 211a, for example. May be. In addition, you may make it provide a hole in the several surface of the housing 50, At this time, the terminal device 7 can be mounted on the stand 210 in various directions.

[5. Game processing]
Next, details of the game process executed in this game system will be described. First, various data used in the game process will be described. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing various data used in the game process. In FIG. 18, it is a figure which shows the main data memorize | stored in the main memory (the external main memory 12 or the internal main memory 11e) of the game device 3. As shown in FIG. 18, a game program 90, reception data 91, and processing data 106 are stored in the main memory of the game apparatus 3. The main memory stores data necessary for the game such as image data of various objects appearing in the game and sound data used for the game, in addition to the data shown in FIG.

  A part or all of the game program 90 is read from the optical disk 4 and stored in the main memory at an appropriate timing after the game apparatus 3 is turned on. The game program 90 may be obtained from the flash memory 17 or an external device of the game device 3 (for example, via the Internet) instead of the optical disc 4. Further, a part of the game program 90 (for example, a program for calculating the attitude of the controller 5 and / or the terminal device 7) may be stored in advance in the game apparatus 3.

  The reception data 91 is various data received from the controller 5 and the terminal device 7. The reception data 91 includes controller operation data 92, terminal operation data 97, camera image data 104, and microphone sound data 105. When a plurality of controllers 5 are connected, the controller operation data 92 is also a plurality. When a plurality of terminal devices 7 are connected, the terminal operation data 97, the camera image data 104, and the microphone sound data 105 are also a plurality.

  The controller operation data 92 is data representing a user (player) operation on the controller 5. The controller operation data 92 is transmitted from the controller 5, acquired by the game apparatus 3, and stored in the main memory. The controller operation data 92 includes first operation button data 93, first acceleration data 94, first angular velocity data 95, and marker coordinate data 96. The main memory may store a predetermined number of controller operation data in order from the latest (last acquired).

  The first operation button data 93 is data representing an input state for each of the operation buttons 32 a to 32 i provided on the controller 5. Specifically, the first operation button data 93 indicates whether or not each of the operation buttons 32a to 32i is pressed.

  The first acceleration data 94 is data representing the acceleration (acceleration vector) detected by the acceleration sensor 37 of the controller 5. Here, the first acceleration data 94 represents three-dimensional acceleration having each component of acceleration in the directions of the three axes of XYZ shown in FIG. 3. It only has to represent acceleration in the direction.

  The first angular velocity data 95 is data representing the angular velocity detected by the gyro sensor 48 in the controller 5. Here, the first angular velocity data 95 represents the angular velocities around the three axes of XYZ shown in FIG. 3, but in other embodiments, represents the angular velocities around any one axis or more. I just need it.

  Marker coordinate data 96, coordinates calculated by the image processing circuit 41 of the imaging information calculation unit 35, that is, data representing the marker coordinates. The marker coordinates are expressed in a two-dimensional coordinate system for representing a position on a plane corresponding to the captured image, and the marker coordinate data 96 represents coordinate values in the two-dimensional coordinate system.

  The controller operation data 92 only needs to represent the operation of the user who operates the controller 5, and may include only a part of the data 93 to 96. Further, when the controller 5 has other input means (for example, a touch panel, an analog stick, etc.), the controller operation data 92 may include data representing an operation on the other input means. Note that when the movement of the controller 5 itself is used as a game operation as in the present embodiment, the controller operation data 92 is a controller such as the first acceleration data 94, the first angular velocity data 95, or the marker coordinate data 96. 5 includes data whose value changes in accordance with the movement of itself.

  The terminal operation data 97 is data representing a user operation on the terminal device 7. The terminal operation data 97 is transmitted from the terminal device 7, acquired by the game device 3, and stored in the main memory. The terminal operation data 97 includes second operation button data 98, stick data 99, touch position data 100, second acceleration data 101, second angular velocity data 102, and direction data. The main memory may store a predetermined number of terminal operation data in order from the latest (last acquired).

  The second operation button data 98 is data representing an input state for each of the operation buttons 54 </ b> A to 54 </ b> L provided on the terminal device 7. Specifically, the second operation button data 98 indicates whether or not each of the operation buttons 54A to 54L is pressed.

  The stick data 99 is data representing the direction and amount in which the stick portion of the analog stick 53 (analog sticks 53A and 53B) has slid (or tilted). The direction and amount may be expressed as, for example, a two-dimensional coordinate or a two-dimensional vector.

  The touch position data 100 is data representing a position (touch position) where an input is performed on the input surface of the touch panel 52. In the present embodiment, the touch position data 100 represents coordinate values of a two-dimensional coordinate system for indicating the position on the input surface. When the touch panel 52 is a multi-touch method, the touch position data 100 may represent a plurality of touch positions.

  The second acceleration data 101 is data representing the acceleration (acceleration vector) detected by the acceleration sensor 73. In the present embodiment, the second acceleration data 101 represents a three-dimensional acceleration whose components are accelerations in the directions of the three axes of xyz shown in FIG. Anything can be used as long as it represents acceleration in the above directions.

  The second angular velocity data 102 is data representing the angular velocity detected by the gyro sensor 74. In the present embodiment, the second angular velocity data 102 represents the angular velocities around the three axes xyz shown in FIG. 8, but in other embodiments, represents the angular velocities around any one or more axes. Anything is acceptable.

  The azimuth data 103 is data representing the azimuth detected by the magnetic sensor 72. In the present embodiment, the azimuth data 103 represents the direction of a predetermined azimuth (for example, north) with reference to the terminal device 7. However, in a place where a magnetic field other than geomagnetism is generated, the azimuth data 103 does not strictly indicate an absolute azimuth (north, etc.), but the relative position of the terminal device 7 with respect to the direction of the magnetic field at that place. Therefore, it is possible to calculate the attitude change of the terminal device 7 even in such a case.

  Note that the terminal operation data 97 only needs to represent the operation of the user who operates the terminal device 7, and may include only one of the data 98 to 103. Further, when the terminal device 7 has other input means (for example, a touch pad or an imaging means of the controller 5), the terminal operation data 97 includes data representing an operation on the other input means. Also good. When the movement of the terminal device 7 itself is used as a game operation as in this embodiment, the terminal operation data 97 is the terminal acceleration data 101, the second angular velocity data 102, or the azimuth data 103, as in the terminal operation data 97. Data whose value changes according to the movement of the device 7 itself is included.

  The camera image data 104 is data representing an image (camera image) captured by the camera 56 of the terminal device 7. The camera image data 104 is image data obtained by decompressing the compressed image data from the terminal device 7 by the codec LSI 27, and is stored in the main memory by the input / output processor 11a. The main memory may store a predetermined number of pieces of camera image data in order from the latest (last acquired).

  The microphone sound data 105 is data representing sound (microphone sound) detected by the microphone 79 of the terminal device 7. The microphone sound data 105 is audio data obtained by decompressing compressed audio data transmitted from the terminal device 7 by the codec LSI 27, and is stored in the main memory by the input / output processor 11a.

  The processing data 106 is data used in a game process (FIG. 19) described later. The processing data 106 includes control data 107, controller attitude data 108, terminal attitude data 109, image recognition data 110, and voice recognition data 111. In addition to the data shown in FIG. 18, the processing data 106 includes various data used in the game process, such as data representing various parameters set for various objects appearing in the game.

  The control data 107 is data representing a control instruction for the components included in the terminal device 7. The control data 107 represents, for example, an instruction for controlling lighting of the marker unit 55, an instruction for controlling imaging of the camera 56, and the like. The control data 107 is transmitted to the terminal device 7 at an appropriate timing.

  The controller attitude data 108 is data representing the attitude of the controller 5. In the present embodiment, the controller attitude data 108 is calculated based on the first acceleration data 94, the first angular velocity data 95, and the marker coordinate data 96 included in the controller operation data 92. A method for calculating the controller attitude data 108 will be described later in step S23.

  The terminal attitude data 109 is data representing the attitude of the terminal device 7. In the present embodiment, the terminal attitude data 109 is calculated based on the second acceleration data 101, the second angular velocity data 102, and the azimuth data 103 included in the terminal operation data 97. A method of calculating the terminal attitude data 109 will be described later in step S24.

  The image recognition data 110 is data representing the result of a predetermined image recognition process for the camera image. This image recognition process may be any process as long as it detects some feature from the camera image and outputs the result. And the like, and the information about the extracted target may be calculated.

  The voice recognition data 111 is data representing the result of a predetermined voice recognition process for the microphone voice. This voice recognition process may be any process that detects some feature from the microphone voice and outputs the result, for example, a process that detects the user's words, It may be a process of simply outputting the volume.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 19, the details of the game process performed in the game apparatus 3 will be described. FIG. 19 is a main flowchart showing the flow of game processing executed in the game apparatus 3. When the power of the game apparatus 3 is turned on, the CPU 10 of the game apparatus 3 executes a startup program stored in a boot ROM (not shown), whereby each unit such as the main memory is initialized. Then, the game program stored in the optical disc 4 is read into the main memory, and the CPU 10 starts executing the game program. The game apparatus 3 may be configured such that the game program stored on the optical disc 4 is immediately executed after the power is turned on, or a built-in program that displays a predetermined menu screen is first executed after the power is turned on. Thereafter, the game program stored on the optical disc 4 may be executed when the user instructs the start of the game. The flowchart shown in FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a process performed after the above process is completed.

  Note that the processing of each step in the flowchart shown in FIG. 19 is merely an example, and the processing order of each step may be changed as long as a similar result is obtained. Moreover, the value of the variable and the threshold value used in the determination step are merely examples, and other values may be adopted as necessary. In the present embodiment, the processing of each step of the flowchart is described as being executed by the CPU 10, but a processor or a dedicated circuit other than the CPU 10 may execute processing of a part of the steps. Good.

  First, in step S1, the CPU 10 executes an initial process. The initial process is, for example, a process of constructing a virtual game space, placing each object appearing in the game space at an initial position, and setting initial values of various parameters used in the game process.

  In the present embodiment, in the initial process, the CPU 10 controls the lighting of the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 based on the type of game program. Here, the game system 1 has two of the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 of the terminal device 7 as imaging targets of the imaging means (imaging information calculation unit 35) of the controller 5. Depending on the content of the game (type of game program), either the marker device 6 or the marker unit 55 may be used, or both may be used. The game program 90 includes data indicating whether or not each of the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 is lit. The CPU 10 determines whether or not the data is read and lit. Then, when the marker device 6 and / or the marker unit 55 is turned on, the following processing is executed.

  That is, when lighting the marker device 6, the CPU 10 transmits a control signal to the marker device 6 to light each infrared LED included in the marker device 6. The transmission of the control signal may simply be to supply power. In response to this, each infrared LED of the marker device 6 is turned on. On the other hand, when the marker unit 55 is turned on, the CPU 10 generates control data representing an instruction to turn on the marker unit 55 and stores it in the main memory. The generated control data is transmitted to the terminal device 7 in step S10 described later. Control data received by the wireless module 80 of the terminal device 7 is sent to the UI controller 75 via the codec LSI 76, and the UI controller 75 instructs the marker unit 55 to turn on. As a result, the infrared LED of the marker unit 55 is turned on. Although the case where the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 are turned on has been described above, the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 can be turned off by the same processing as when the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 are turned on.

  Following step S1, the process of step S2 is executed. Thereafter, a processing loop composed of a series of steps S2 to S11 is repeatedly executed at a rate of once per predetermined time (one frame time).

  In step S <b> 2, the CPU 10 acquires controller operation data transmitted from the controller 5. Since the controller 5 repeatedly transmits the controller operation data to the game apparatus 3, in the game apparatus 3, the controller communication module 19 sequentially receives the controller operation data, and the received controller operation data is stored in the main memory by the input / output processor 11a. Are sequentially stored. The transmission / reception interval is preferably shorter than the game processing time, for example, 1/200 second. In step S2, the CPU 10 reads the latest controller operation data 92 from the main memory. Following step S2, the process of step S3 is executed.

  In step S <b> 3, the CPU 10 acquires various data transmitted from the terminal device 7. Since the terminal device 7 repeatedly transmits terminal operation data, camera image data, and microphone sound data to the game device 3, the game device 3 sequentially receives these data. In the game apparatus 3, the terminal communication module 28 sequentially receives these data, and the camera image data and the microphone sound data are sequentially decompressed by the codec LSI 27. Then, the input / output processor 11a sequentially stores terminal operation data, camera image data, and microphone sound data in the main memory. In step S3, the CPU 10 reads the latest terminal operation data 97 from the main memory. Following step S3, the process of step S4 is executed.

  In step S4, the CPU 10 executes a game control process. The game control process is a process of executing a process of moving an object in the game space in accordance with a game operation by the user and advancing the game. In the present embodiment, the user can play various games using the controller 5 and / or the terminal device 7. Hereinafter, the game control process will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of the game control process. Note that the series of processes shown in FIG. 20 are various processes that can be executed when the controller 5 and the terminal device 7 are used as operating devices, but not all of the processes need to be executed. Depending on the content, only a part of the processing may be executed.

  In the game control process, first, in step S21, the CPU 10 determines whether or not to change the marker to be used. As described above, in the present embodiment, processing for controlling lighting of the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 is executed at the start of the game processing (step S1). Here, depending on the game, there may be a case where the target to be used (lighted) in the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 is changed during the game. Moreover, although it is possible to use both the marker apparatus 6 and the marker part 55 depending on a game, when both are lighted, there exists a possibility that one marker may be misdetected with the other marker. Therefore, it may be preferable to switch the lighting so that only one of them is lit during the game. The processing in step S21 is processing for determining whether or not to change the lighting target in the middle of the game in consideration of such a case.

  The determination in step S21 can be performed, for example, by the following method. That is, the CPU 10 can make the above determination based on whether or not the game situation (game stage, operation target, etc.) has changed. When the game situation changes, the operation method is changed between an operation method in which the controller 5 is operated with the marker device 6 directed and an operation method in which the controller 5 is operated with the marker unit 55 directed. Because it is possible. Further, the CPU 10 can make the above determination based on the attitude of the controller 5. That is, the above determination can be made depending on whether the controller 5 is facing the marker device 6 or the marker unit 55. Note that the attitude of the controller 5 can be calculated based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 37 and the gyro sensor 48, for example (see step S23 described later). The CPU 10 can also make the above determination based on whether or not there is a change instruction from the user.

  If the determination result of step S21 is affirmative, the process of step S22 is executed. On the other hand, when the determination result of step S21 is negative, the process of step S22 is skipped and the process of step S23 is executed.

  In step S <b> 22, the CPU 10 controls lighting of the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55. That is, the lighting state of the marker device 6 and / or the marker unit 55 is changed. In addition, the specific process which lights or extinguishes the marker apparatus 6 and / or the marker part 55 can be performed similarly to the case of said step S1. Following step S22, the process of step S23 is executed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the light emission (lighting) of the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 can be controlled according to the type of the game program by the process of step S1, and the steps S21 and S22. With this process, the light emission (lighting) of the marker device 6 and the marker unit 55 can be controlled in accordance with the game situation.

  In step S <b> 23, the CPU 10 calculates the attitude of the controller 5. In the present embodiment, the attitude of the controller 5 is calculated based on the first acceleration data 94, the first angular velocity data 95, and the marker coordinate data 96. Hereinafter, a method for calculating the attitude of the controller 5 will be described.

  First, the CPU 10 calculates the attitude of the controller 5 based on the first angular velocity data 95 stored in the main memory. Any method may be used to calculate the attitude of the controller 5 from the angular velocity. The attitude is determined based on the previous attitude (the attitude calculated last time) and the current angular speed (step S2 in the current processing loop). (Angular velocity acquired in step 1). Specifically, the CPU 10 calculates the posture by rotating the previous posture by a unit time at the current angular velocity. The previous posture is represented by the controller posture data 108 stored in the main memory, and the current angular velocity is represented by the first angular velocity data 95 stored in the main memory. Therefore, the CPU 10 reads the controller attitude data 108 and the first angular velocity data 95 from the main memory, and calculates the attitude of the controller 5. Data representing the “posture based on the angular velocity” calculated as described above is stored in the main memory.

  When calculating the attitude from the angular velocity, it is preferable to determine the initial attitude. That is, when calculating the attitude of the controller 5 from the angular velocity, the CPU 10 first calculates the initial attitude of the controller 5. The initial posture of the controller 5 may be calculated based on the acceleration data, or specified when the predetermined operation is performed by causing the player to perform a predetermined operation with the controller 5 in a specific posture. May be used as the initial posture. In addition, when calculating the attitude of the controller 5 as an absolute attitude based on a predetermined direction in space, it is preferable to calculate the initial attitude. When calculating the attitude of the controller 5 as a general attitude, the initial attitude may not be calculated.

  Next, the CPU 10 corrects the attitude of the controller 5 calculated based on the angular velocity using the first acceleration data 94. Specifically, the CPU 10 first reads the first acceleration data 94 from the main memory, and calculates the attitude of the controller 5 based on the first acceleration data 94. Here, when the controller 5 is almost stationary, the acceleration applied to the controller 5 means gravitational acceleration. Therefore, in this state, the direction of gravitational acceleration (gravity direction) can be calculated using the first acceleration data 94 output from the acceleration sensor 37, so that the direction (posture) of the controller 5 with respect to the gravitational direction can be calculated. It can be calculated based on one acceleration data 94. Data representing the “posture based on acceleration” calculated as described above is stored in the main memory.

  After calculating the posture based on the acceleration, the CPU 10 next corrects the posture based on the angular velocity using the posture based on the acceleration. Specifically, the CPU 10 reads out data representing the posture based on the angular velocity and data representing the posture based on the acceleration from the main memory, and corrects the posture based on the angular velocity data to approach the posture based on the acceleration data at a predetermined ratio. Do. This predetermined ratio may be a predetermined fixed value, or may be set according to the acceleration or the like indicated by the first acceleration data 94. In addition, regarding the posture based on acceleration, since the posture cannot be calculated for the rotation direction with the gravity direction as an axis, the CPU 10 may not correct the rotation direction. In the present embodiment, data representing the corrected posture obtained as described above is stored in the main memory.

  After correcting the posture based on the angular velocity as described above, the CPU 10 further corrects the corrected posture using the marker coordinate data 96. First, the CPU 10 calculates the attitude of the controller 5 (attitude based on marker coordinates) based on the marker coordinate data 96. Since the marker coordinate data 96 indicates the positions of the markers 6R and 6L in the captured image, the attitude of the controller 5 with respect to the roll direction (the rotation direction around the Z axis) can be calculated from these positions. That is, the posture of the controller 5 with respect to the roll direction can be calculated from the inclination of a straight line connecting the position of the marker 6R and the position of the marker 6L in the captured image. When the position of the controller 5 with respect to the marker device 6 can be specified (for example, when it can be assumed that the controller 5 is located in front of the marker device 6), the pitch direction and yaw are determined from the position of the marker device 6 in the captured image. The attitude of the controller 5 with respect to the direction can be calculated. For example, when the positions of the markers 6R and 6L move to the left in the captured image, the controller 5 can determine that the orientation (posture) has changed to the right. Thus, the attitude of the controller 5 with respect to the pitch direction and the yaw direction can be calculated from the positions of the marker 6R and the marker 6L. As described above, the attitude of the controller 5 can be calculated based on the marker coordinate data 96.

  After calculating the posture based on the marker coordinates, the CPU 10 next corrects the corrected posture (the posture corrected by the posture based on acceleration) with the posture based on the marker coordinates. That is, the CPU 10 performs correction to bring the corrected posture closer to the posture based on the marker coordinates at a predetermined rate. This predetermined ratio may be a predetermined fixed value. Further, the correction based on the posture based on the marker coordinates may be performed only in any one or two directions of the roll direction, the pitch direction, and the yaw direction. For example, when the marker coordinate data 96 is used, the posture can be accurately calculated with respect to the roll direction. Therefore, the CPU 10 may perform correction using the posture based on the marker coordinate data 96 only for the roll direction. Further, when the marker device 6 or the marker unit 55 is not imaged by the imaging device 40 of the controller 5, the posture based on the marker coordinate data 96 cannot be calculated. In this case, correction using the marker coordinate data 96 is performed. The process may not be executed.

  Based on the above, the CPU 10 corrected the first attitude of the controller 5 calculated based on the first angular velocity data 95 using the first acceleration data 94 and the marker coordinate data 96. Here, among the methods for calculating the attitude of the controller 5, the method using the angular velocity can calculate the attitude even when the controller 5 is moving. On the other hand, in the method using the angular velocity, the posture is calculated by accumulating the angular velocities detected sequentially, so that the accuracy deteriorates due to accumulation of errors, etc., or the accuracy of the gyro sensor due to the so-called temperature drift problem. May get worse. In addition, the method using acceleration does not accumulate errors, but cannot accurately calculate the posture (because the direction of gravity cannot be detected accurately) when the controller 5 is moved violently. Further, the method using the marker coordinates can calculate the attitude with high accuracy (particularly regarding the roll direction), but cannot calculate the attitude when the marker unit 55 cannot be imaged. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, since the three types of methods having different features are used as described above, the attitude of the controller 5 can be calculated more accurately. In other embodiments, the posture may be calculated using any one or two of the above three methods. When performing marker lighting control in the processing of step S1 or S22, the CPU 10 preferably calculates the attitude of the controller 5 using at least marker coordinates.

  Following step S23, the process of step S24 is executed. In step S <b> 24, the CPU 10 calculates the attitude of the terminal device 7. That is, since the terminal operation data 97 acquired from the terminal device 7 includes the second acceleration data 101, the second angular velocity data 102, and the azimuth data 103, the CPU 10 uses the data of the terminal device 7 based on these data. Calculate the posture. Here, the CPU 10 can know the amount of rotation (the amount of change in posture) per unit time of the terminal device 7 from the second angular velocity data 102. In addition, when the terminal device 7 is almost stationary, the acceleration applied to the terminal device 7 means gravitational acceleration. Therefore, the gravity direction applied to the terminal device 7 by the second acceleration data 101 (that is, the gravity direction). Can be known). Further, it is possible to know a predetermined direction with reference to the terminal device 7 (that is, the attitude of the terminal device 7 with reference to the predetermined direction) from the direction data 103. Even when a magnetic field other than geomagnetism is generated, the amount of rotation of the terminal device 7 can be known. Therefore, the CPU 10 can calculate the attitude of the terminal device 7 based on the second acceleration data 101, the second angular velocity data 102, and the azimuth data 103. In the present embodiment, the attitude of the terminal device 7 is calculated based on the three data. In other embodiments, the attitude is calculated based on one or two of the three data. You may do it.

  Note that any specific method for calculating the attitude of the terminal device 7 may be used. For example, the attitude calculated based on the angular velocity represented by the second angular velocity data 102 may be the second acceleration data 101 and A method of correcting using the azimuth data 103 is conceivable. Specifically, the CPU 10 first calculates the attitude of the terminal device 7 based on the second angular velocity data 102. The method for calculating the attitude based on the angular velocity may be the same as the method in step S23. Next, the CPU 10 changes the posture calculated based on the angular velocity to the posture calculated based on the second acceleration data 101 at an appropriate timing (for example, when the terminal device 7 is close to a stationary state), and / or Or it correct | amends with the attitude | position calculated based on the azimuth | direction data 103. FIG. Note that the method for correcting the posture based on the angular velocity with the posture based on the acceleration may be the same method as that for calculating the posture of the controller 5 described above. When correcting the posture based on the angular velocity with the posture based on the azimuth data, the CPU 10 may cause the posture based on the angular velocity to approach the posture based on the azimuth data at a predetermined rate. Based on the above, the CPU 10 can accurately calculate the attitude of the terminal device 7.

  Since the controller 5 includes the imaging information calculation unit 35 that is an infrared detection means, the game apparatus 3 can acquire the marker coordinate data 96. Therefore, with respect to the controller 5, the game apparatus 3 can know from the marker coordinate data 96 the absolute posture in the real space (what posture the controller 5 is in the coordinate system set in the real space). . On the other hand, the terminal device 7 does not include an infrared detection unit such as the imaging information calculation unit 35. Therefore, the game apparatus 3 cannot know the absolute posture in the real space with respect to the rotation direction about the gravity direction only from the second acceleration data 101 and the second angular velocity data 102. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the terminal device 7 is configured to include the magnetic sensor 72, and the game apparatus 3 acquires the orientation data 103. According to this, the game apparatus 3 can calculate the absolute attitude in the real space with respect to the rotation direction with the gravity direction as the axis from the orientation data 103, and can calculate the attitude of the terminal device 7 more accurately. it can.

  As a specific process of step S24, the CPU 10 reads the second acceleration data 101, the second angular velocity data 102, and the azimuth data 103 from the main memory, and calculates the attitude of the terminal device 7 based on these data. . Then, data representing the calculated attitude of the terminal device 7 is stored in the main memory as terminal attitude data 109. Following step S24, the process of step S25 is executed.

  In step S25, the CPU 10 executes camera image recognition processing. That is, the CPU 10 performs a predetermined recognition process on the camera image data 104. This recognition process may be anything as long as it detects some feature from the camera image and outputs the result. For example, when a camera image includes a player's face, a process for recognizing the face may be used. Specifically, it may be a process for detecting a part of the face (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) or a process for detecting facial expressions. Data representing the result of recognition processing is stored in the main memory as image recognition data 110. Following step S25, the process of step S26 is executed.

  In step S26, the CPU 10 executes microphone sound recognition processing. That is, the CPU 10 performs a predetermined recognition process on the microphone sound data 105. This recognition process may be anything as long as it detects some feature from the microphone sound and outputs the result. For example, it may be a process of detecting a player instruction from a microphone sound, or a process of simply detecting the volume of the microphone sound. Data representing the result of recognition processing is stored in the main memory as voice recognition data 111. Following step S26, the process of step S27 is executed.

  In step S27, the CPU 10 executes a game process according to the game input. Here, the game input may be any data as long as it is data transmitted from the controller 5 or the terminal device 7 or data obtained from the data. Specifically, the game input is not only the data included in the controller operation data 92 and the terminal operation data 97, but also data obtained from the data (controller attitude data 108, terminal attitude data 109, image recognition data 110, and Voice recognition data 111) may be used. Further, the content of the game process in step S27 may be anything, for example, a process for operating an object (character) appearing in the game, a process for controlling a virtual camera, or a cursor displayed on the screen. It may be a process of moving. Moreover, the process which uses a camera image (or its part) as a game image, the process which uses a microphone sound as a game sound, etc. may be sufficient. An example of the game process will be described later. In step S27, the results of the game control process, such as data of various parameters set for a character (object) appearing in the game, data of parameters related to a virtual camera arranged in the game space, score data, etc. Representing data is stored in the main memory. After step S27, the CPU 10 ends the game control process of step S4.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 19, in step S5, a television game image to be displayed on the television 2 is generated by the CPU 10 and the GPU 11b. That is, the CPU 10 and the GPU 11b read data representing the result of the game control process in step S4 from the main memory, and read data necessary for generating a game image from the VRAM 11d to generate a game image. The game image only needs to represent the result of the game control process in step S4, and may be generated by any method. For example, the game image generation method may be a method of generating a three-dimensional CG image by arranging a virtual camera in a virtual game space and calculating a game space viewed from the virtual camera. A method of generating a two-dimensional image (without using a virtual camera) may be used. The generated television game image is stored in the VRAM 11d. Following step S5, the process of step S6 is executed.

  In step S6, a terminal game image to be displayed on the terminal device 7 is generated by the CPU 10 and the GPU 11b. The terminal game image may be generated by any method as long as it represents the result of the game control process in step S4, similarly to the television game image. Further, the terminal game image may be generated by the same method as the television game image or may be generated by a different method. The generated terminal game image is stored in the VRAM 11d. Depending on the content of the game, the television game image and the terminal game image may be the same, and in this case, the game image generation process may not be executed in step S6. Following step S6, the process of step S7 is executed.

  In step S7, a television game sound to be output to the speaker 2a of the television 2 is generated. That is, the CPU 10 causes the DSP 11c to generate game sound corresponding to the result of the game control process in step S4. The generated game sound may be, for example, a game sound effect, a voice of a character appearing in the game, BGM, or the like. Following step S7, the process of step S8 is executed.

  In step S8, a terminal game sound to be output to the speaker 77 of the terminal device 7 is generated. That is, the CPU 10 causes the DSP 11c to generate game sound corresponding to the result of the game control process in step S4. The terminal game sound may be the same as or different from the television game sound. Further, for example, the sound effects are different, but the BGM is the same, and only a part may be different. Note that when the television game sound and the terminal game sound are the same, the game sound generation process does not have to be executed in step S8. Following step S8, the process of step S9 is executed.

  In step S <b> 9, the CPU 10 outputs a game image and game sound to the television 2. Specifically, the CPU 10 sends the TV game image data stored in the VRAM 11d and the TV game sound data generated by the DSP 11c in step S7 to the AV-IC 15. In response to this, the AV-IC 15 outputs image and audio data to the television 2 via the AV connector 16. Thus, the television game image is displayed on the television 2 and the television game sound is output from the speaker 2a. Following step S9, the process of step S10 is executed.

  In step S <b> 10, the CPU 10 transmits a game image and game sound to the terminal device 7. Specifically, the image data of the terminal game image stored in the VRAM 11d and the audio data generated by the DSP 11c in step S8 are sent to the codec LSI 27 by the CPU 10, and predetermined compression processing is performed by the codec LSI 27. . Further, the compressed image and audio data is transmitted to the terminal device 7 via the antenna 29 by the terminal communication module 28. The terminal device 7 receives the image and sound data transmitted from the game device 3 by the wireless module 80, and a predetermined decompression process is performed by the codec LSI 76. The decompressed image data is output to the LCD 51, and the decompressed audio data is output to the sound IC 78. As a result, the terminal game image is displayed on the LCD 51 and the terminal game sound is output from the speaker 77. Following step S10, the process of step S11 is executed.

  In step S11, the CPU 10 determines whether or not to end the game. The determination in step S11 is made based on, for example, whether or not the game is over or whether or not the user has given an instruction to stop the game. If the determination result of step S11 is negative, the process of step S2 is executed again. On the other hand, if the determination result of step S11 is affirmative, the CPU 10 ends the game process shown in FIG. Thereafter, a series of processes in steps S2 to S11 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step S11 that the game is to be ended.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the terminal device 7 includes the touch panel 52 and the inertia sensor such as the acceleration sensor 73 or the gyro sensor 74, and outputs from the touch panel 52 and the inertia sensor are input to the game apparatus 3 as operation data. It is transmitted and used as game input (steps S3 and S4). Further, the terminal device 7 includes a display device (LCD 51), and a game image obtained by the game process is displayed on the LCD 51 (steps S6 and S10). Therefore, the user can directly touch the game image using the touch panel 52, and the LCD 51 itself on which the game image is displayed (because the movement of the terminal device 7 is detected by the inertial sensor). Can be operated. Since the user can play the game with an operation feeling that directly operates the game image by these operations, for example, a game with a new operation feeling such as first and second game examples described later is performed. Can be provided.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the terminal device 7 includes an analog stick 53 and an operation button 54 that can be operated while holding the terminal device 7, and the game apparatus 3 performs an operation on the analog stick 53 and the operation button 54. It can be used as a game input (steps S3 and S4). Accordingly, even when the game image is directly operated as described above, the user can perform a more detailed game operation by a button operation or a stick operation.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the terminal device 7 includes a camera 56 and a microphone 79, and camera image data captured by the camera 56 and microphone sound data detected by the microphone 79 are transmitted to the game apparatus 3. (Step S3). Therefore, since the game apparatus 3 can use the camera image and / or the microphone sound as a game input, the user can perform a game by an operation of capturing an image with the camera 56 or an operation of inputting a sound into the microphone 79. It is also possible to perform operations. Since these operations can be performed with the terminal device 7 being held, the user can perform more various operations by directly performing the operations on the game image as described above. Game operations can be performed.

  In the present embodiment, since the game image is displayed on the LCD 51 of the portable terminal device 7 (steps S6 and S10), the user can freely arrange the terminal device 7. Accordingly, when the controller 5 is operated toward the marker, the user can play the game by directing the controller 5 in any direction by arranging the terminal device 7 at any position. The degree of freedom of operation with respect to can be improved. Further, since the terminal device 7 can be arranged at an arbitrary position, it is more realistic by arranging the terminal device 7 at a position suitable for the game content, for example, as in a fifth game example described later. A game can be offered.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the game apparatus 3 acquires operation data and the like from the controller 5 and the terminal apparatus 7 (steps S2 and S3), so that the user operates the two apparatuses, the controller 5 and the terminal apparatus 7. It can be used as a means. Therefore, in the game system 1, a plurality of users can use each device to play a game with a plurality of users, and one user can also play a game using two devices. .

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the game apparatus 3 can generate two types of game images (steps S5 and S6), and display the game images on the television 2 and the terminal device 7 (steps S9 and S10). . Thus, by displaying two types of game images on different devices, it is possible to provide a game image that is easier for the user to see and improve the operability of the game. For example, when two people play a game, a game image with a viewpoint that is easy to see for one user is displayed on the television 2 and a game with a viewpoint that is easy for the other user to see, as in a third or fourth game example described later. By displaying the image on the terminal device 7, it is possible to play the game from the viewpoint that each player can easily see. For example, even when one person plays a game, the player can display a game by displaying two types of game images from two different viewpoints as in first, second, and fifth game examples described later. The state of the space can be grasped more easily, and the operability of the game can be improved.

[6. Game example]
Next, a specific example of a game performed in the game system 1 will be described. In the game example described below, some of the configurations of the devices in the game system 1 may not be used, and some of the series of processes shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 are executed. Sometimes not. That is, the game system 1 may not have all the above-described configurations, and the game apparatus 3 may not execute a part of a series of processes illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20.

(First game example)
The first game example is a game in which an object (shuriken) is skipped in the game space by operating the terminal device 7. The player can instruct the direction of firing the shuriken by an operation of changing the attitude of the terminal device 7 and an operation of drawing a line on the touch panel 52.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the screen of the television 2 and the terminal device 7 in the first game example. In FIG. 21, a game image representing a game space is displayed on the television 2 and the LCD 51 of the terminal device 7. On the television 2, a shuriken 121, a control surface 122, and a target 123 are displayed. The LCD 51 displays a control surface 122 (and a shuriken 121). In the first game example, the player plays by hitting the shuriken 121 and hitting the target 123 by an operation using the terminal device 7.

  When throwing the shuriken 121, the player first operates the attitude of the terminal device 7 to change the attitude of the control surface 122 arranged in the virtual game space to a desired attitude. That is, the CPU 10 calculates the attitude of the terminal device 7 based on the outputs of the inertial sensor (acceleration sensor 73 and gyro sensor 74) and the magnetic sensor 72 (step S24), and the attitude of the control surface 122 based on the calculated attitude. Is changed (step S27). In the first game example, the posture of the control surface 122 is controlled to be a posture corresponding to the posture of the terminal device 7 in the real space. That is, the player can change the posture of the control surface 122 in the game space by changing the posture of the terminal device 7 (the control surface 122 displayed on the terminal device 7). In the first game example, the position of the control surface 122 is fixed at a predetermined position in the game space.

  Next, the player performs an operation of drawing a line on the touch panel 52 using the touch pen 124 or the like (see the arrow shown in FIG. 21). Here, in the first game example, the control surface 122 is displayed on the LCD 51 of the terminal device 7 so that the input surface of the touch panel 52 and the control surface 122 correspond to each other. Therefore, the direction on the control surface 122 (the direction represented by the line) can be calculated from the line drawn on the touch panel 52. The shuriken 121 is fired in the direction determined in this way. As described above, the CPU 10 calculates a direction on the control surface 122 from the touch position data 100 of the touch panel 52, and performs a process of moving the shuriken 121 in the calculated direction (step S27). Note that the CPU 10 may control the speed of the shuriken 121 according to, for example, the length of the line or the speed of drawing the line.

  As described above, according to the first game example, the game apparatus 3 moves the control surface 122 according to the movement (posture) of the terminal device 7 by using the output of the inertial sensor as a game input, and the touch panel. By using the output of 52 as the game input, the direction on the control surface 122 can be specified. According to this, the player can move the game image (image of the control surface 122) displayed on the terminal device 7 or perform a touch operation on the game image. It is possible to play a game with a new operation feeling as if direct operation is being performed.

  Further, in the first game example, the direction in the three-dimensional space can be easily indicated by using the inertial sensor and the sensor output of the touch panel 52 as the game input. That is, the player actually adjusts the posture of the terminal device 7 with one hand, and inputs the direction with a line to the touch panel 52 with the other hand, so that the player actually inputs the direction in the space. The direction can be easily specified by an intuitive operation. Furthermore, since the player can simultaneously perform the posture operation of the terminal device 7 and the input operation on the touch panel 52 in parallel, the player can quickly perform the operation of instructing the direction in the three-dimensional space.

  Further, according to the first game example, the control surface 122 is displayed on the entire screen of the terminal device 7 in order to facilitate the touch input operation on the control surface 122. On the other hand, the television 2 displays an image of the entire control surface 122 and the game space including the target 123 so that the posture of the control surface 122 can be easily grasped and the target 123 can be easily aimed (FIG. 21). reference). That is, in step S27, the first virtual camera for generating the television game image is set so that the entire control surface 122 and the target 123 are included in the visual field range, and the terminal game image is generated. The second virtual camera to be set is set so that the screen of the LCD 51 (the input surface of the touch panel 52) and the control surface 122 coincide on the screen. Therefore, in the first game example, the game operation is made easier by displaying images of the game space viewed from different viewpoints on the television 2 and the terminal device 7.

(Second game example)
Note that the game using the sensor output of the inertial sensor and the touch panel 52 as a game input is not limited to the first game example, and various game examples are conceivable. Similar to the first game example, the second game example is a game in which an object (cannon bullet) is blown in the game space by operating the terminal device 7. The player can instruct the direction in which the bullet is to be fired by an operation for changing the attitude of the terminal device 7 and an operation for designating a position on the touch panel 52.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating the screen of the television 2 and the terminal device 7 in the second game example. In FIG. 22, a cannon 131, a bullet 132, and a target 133 are displayed on the television 2. On the terminal device 7, bullets 132 and targets 133 are displayed. The terminal game image displayed on the terminal device 7 is an image of the game space viewed from the position of the cannon 131.

  In the second game example, the player can change the display range displayed on the terminal device 7 as a terminal game image by operating the attitude of the terminal device 7. That is, the CPU 10 calculates the attitude of the terminal device 7 based on the outputs of the inertial sensor (the acceleration sensor 73 and the gyro sensor 74) and the magnetic sensor 72 (step S24), and based on the calculated attitude, the terminal game image To control the position and orientation of the second virtual camera for generating (step S27). Specifically, the second virtual camera is installed at the position of the cannon 131 and the direction (attitude) is controlled according to the attitude of the terminal device 7. Thus, the player can change the range of the game space displayed on the terminal device 7 by changing the attitude of the terminal device 7.

  In the second game example, the player designates the firing direction of the bullet 132 by an operation of inputting a point (touching operation) on the touch panel 52. Specifically, as the process of step S27, the CPU 10 calculates a position (control position) in the game space corresponding to the touch position, and changes from a predetermined position (for example, the position of the cannon 131) in the game space to the control position. Is calculated as the launch direction. Then, a process of moving the bullet 132 in the firing direction is performed. As described above, in the first game example, the player performs an operation of drawing a line on the touch panel 52, but in the second game example, an operation of designating a point on the touch panel 52 is performed. The control position can be calculated by setting a control surface similar to that in the first game example (however, the control surface is not displayed in the second game example). That is, the control surface is arranged according to the attitude of the second virtual camera so as to correspond to the display range in the terminal device 7 (specifically, the control surface is centered on the position of the cannon 131 and The position on the control surface corresponding to the touch position can be calculated as the control position.

  According to the second game example, the game apparatus 3 changes the display range of the terminal game image according to the movement (posture) of the terminal device 7 by using the output of the inertial sensor as a game input. By using a touch input for designating a position within the display range as a game input, the direction in the game space (the firing direction of the bullet 132) can be specified. Accordingly, in the second game example, as in the first game example, the player can move the game image displayed on the terminal device 7 or perform a touch operation on the game image. It is possible to play a game with a novel operation feeling as if the game image was directly operated.

  Also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the player actually adjusts the attitude of the terminal device 7 with one hand and performs touch input on the touch panel 52 with the other hand. Thus, the direction can be easily instructed by an intuitive operation such as actually inputting the direction in the space. Furthermore, since the player can simultaneously perform the posture operation of the terminal device 7 and the input operation on the touch panel 52 in parallel, the player can quickly perform the operation of instructing the direction in the three-dimensional space.

  In the second game example, the image displayed on the television 2 may be an image from the same viewpoint as the terminal device 7, but in FIG. 22, the game apparatus 3 displays an image from another viewpoint. I have to. That is, the second virtual camera for generating the terminal game image is set at the position of the cannon 131, while the first virtual camera for generating the TV game image is at the position behind the cannon 131. Is set. Here, for example, by causing the television 2 to display a range that cannot be seen on the screen of the terminal device 7, the player may aim at the target 133 that cannot be seen on the screen of the terminal device 7 by looking at the screen of the television 2. How to play can be realized. Thus, by making the display range of the television 2 and the terminal device 7 different, it is possible not only to make it easier to grasp the state in the game space but also to improve the fun of the game. .

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the terminal device 7 including the touch panel 52 and the inertial sensor can be used as the operation device, the game image as in the first and second game examples is used. It is possible to realize a game with a feeling of operation such as direct operation.

(Third game example)
Hereinafter, the third game example will be described with reference to FIG. 23 and FIG. The third game example is a baseball game of a form in which two players battle each other. That is, the first player operates the batter using the controller 5, and the second player operates the pitcher using the terminal device 7. The television 2 and the terminal device 7 display a game image that allows each player to easily perform a game operation.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a television game image displayed on the television 2 in the third game example. The television game image shown in FIG. 23 is an image mainly for the first player. That is, the television game image represents a game space in which the pitcher (pitcher object) 142 that is the operation target of the second player is viewed from the batter (batter object) 141 that is the operation target of the first player. The first virtual camera for generating the television game image is disposed at a position behind the batter 141 so as to face the pitcher 142 from the batter 141.

  On the other hand, FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a terminal game image displayed on the terminal device 7 in the third game example. The terminal game image shown in FIG. 24 is an image mainly for the second player. That is, the terminal game image represents a game space in which the batter 141 that is the operation target of the first player is viewed from the pitcher 142 that is the operation target of the second player. Specifically, in step S <b> 27, the CPU 10 controls the second virtual camera used for generating the terminal game image based on the attitude of the terminal device 7. The attitude of the second virtual camera is calculated so as to correspond to the attitude of the terminal device 7 as in the second game example described above. Further, the position of the second virtual camera is fixed at a predetermined position. The terminal game image includes a cursor 143 for indicating the direction in which the pitcher 142 throws the ball.

  Note that any method may be used for the operation method of the batter 141 by the first player and the operation method of the pitcher 142 by the second player. For example, the CPU 10 may detect a swing operation on the controller 5 based on output data of an inertial sensor of the controller 5 and cause the batter 141 to swing the bat in accordance with the swing operation. Further, for example, the CPU 10 moves the cursor 143 in accordance with the operation on the analog stick 53 and, when a predetermined button of the operation buttons 54 is pressed, performs an operation of throwing a ball toward the position indicated by the cursor 143 to the pitcher 142. You may let them. Further, the cursor 143 may be moved according to the attitude of the terminal device 7 instead of the operation on the analog stick 53.

  As described above, in the third game example, by generating game images from different viewpoints on the television 2 and the terminal device 7, game images that are easy to see and operate for each player are provided.

  In the third game example, two virtual cameras are set in a single game space, and two types of game images obtained by viewing the game space from each virtual camera are displayed (FIGS. 23 and 24). . Therefore, for the two types of game images generated in the third game example, most of the game processing (control of objects in the game space, etc.) for the game space is common, and drawing processing is performed for the common game space. Since each game image can be generated only by performing it twice, there is an advantage that the processing efficiency is higher than in the case where the game processing is performed.

  In the third game example, since the cursor 143 representing the pitching direction is displayed only on the terminal device 7 side, the first player cannot see the position indicated by the cursor 143. Therefore, there is no inconvenience on the game that the first player knows the pitching direction and the second player is disadvantaged. As described above, in this embodiment, if one player sees the game image and the other player has a problem on the game, the game image may be displayed on the terminal device 7. This can prevent inconveniences such as a decrease in the strategy of the game. In other embodiments, depending on the content of the game (for example, when the above-described inconvenience does not occur even when the terminal game image is viewed by the first player), the game apparatus 3 may be the terminal game. The image may be displayed on the television 2 together with the television game image.

(Fourth game example)
The fourth game example will be described below with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. The fourth game example is a shooting game in which two players cooperate. That is, the first player performs an operation of moving the airplane using the controller 5, and the second player performs an operation of controlling the firing direction of the airplane cannon using the terminal device 7. Also in the fourth game example, similar to the third game example, the television 2 and the terminal device 7 display a game image that allows each player to easily perform the game operation.

  FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a television game image displayed on the television 2 in the fourth game example. FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a terminal game image displayed on the terminal device 7 in the fourth game example. As shown in FIG. 25, in the fourth game example, an airplane (plane object) 151 and a target (balloon object) 153 appear in a virtual game space. The airplane 151 has a cannon (cannon object) 152.

  As shown in FIG. 25, an image of the game space including the airplane 151 is displayed as the television game image. The first virtual camera for generating the television game image is set so as to generate an image of the game space when the airplane 151 is viewed from behind. That is, the first virtual camera is arranged at a position behind the airplane 151 in a posture in which the airplane 151 is included in the shooting range (viewing range). Further, the first virtual camera is controlled to move as the airplane 151 moves. That is, in the process of step S27, the CPU 10 controls the movement of the airplane 151 based on the controller operation data, and controls the position and orientation of the first virtual camera. Thus, the position and posture of the first virtual camera are controlled in accordance with the operation of the first player.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 26, as the terminal game image, an image of the game space viewed from the airplane 151 (more specifically, the cannon 152) is displayed. Therefore, the second virtual camera for generating the terminal game image is arranged at the position of the airplane 151 (more specifically, the position of the cannon 152). In the process of step S27, the CPU 10 controls the movement of the airplane 151 and the position of the second virtual camera based on the controller operation data. The second virtual camera may be arranged at a position around the airplane 151 or the cannon 152 (for example, a position slightly behind the cannon 152). As described above, the position of the second virtual camera is controlled by the operation of the first player (operating the movement of the airplane 151). Therefore, in the fourth game example, the first virtual camera and the second virtual camera move in conjunction with each other.

  Further, as the terminal game image, an image of the game space viewed in the direction of the firing direction of the cannon 152 is displayed. Here, the firing direction of the cannon 152 is controlled so as to correspond to the attitude of the terminal device 7. That is, in the present embodiment, the attitude of the second virtual camera is controlled so that the line-of-sight direction of the second virtual camera matches the firing direction of the cannon 152. In the process of step S27, the CPU 10 controls the orientation of the cannon 152 and the attitude of the second virtual camera according to the attitude of the terminal device 7 calculated in step S24. Thus, the attitude of the second virtual camera is controlled by the operation of the second player. Further, the second player can change the firing direction of the cannon 152 by changing the attitude of the terminal device 7.

  When a bullet is fired from the cannon 152, the second player presses a predetermined button on the terminal device 7. When a predetermined button is pressed, a bullet is fired in the direction of the cannon 152. In the terminal game image, an aim 154 is displayed at the center of the LCD 51 and a bullet is fired in the direction indicated by the aim 154.

  As described above, in the fourth game example, the first player mainly looks at the television game image (FIG. 25) representing the game space viewed in the traveling direction of the airplane 151 (for example, a desired game). The airplane 151 is operated (moving in the direction of the target 153). On the other hand, the second player operates the cannon 152 while mainly viewing the terminal game image (FIG. 26) representing the game space as seen in the firing direction of the cannon 152. As described above, in the fourth game example, in a game in which two players cooperate, game images that are easy to see and operate for each player can be displayed on the television 2 and the terminal device 7, respectively. .

  In the fourth game example, the positions of the first virtual camera and the second virtual camera are controlled by the operation of the first player, and the attitude of the second virtual camera is controlled by the operation of the second player. In other words, in the present embodiment, the display range of the game space displayed on each display device changes as a result of the position or posture of the virtual camera changing according to the respective game operations of each player. Since the display range of the game space displayed on the display device changes according to the operation of each player, each player can realize that his game operation is sufficiently reflected in the game progress. Can fully enjoy.

  In the fourth game example, a game image viewed from behind the airplane 151 is displayed on the television 2, and a game image viewed from the position of the cannon of the airplane 151 is displayed on the terminal device 7. Here, in another game example, the game apparatus 3 displays a game image viewed from behind the airplane 151 on the terminal device 7 and displays a game image viewed from the position of the cannon 152 of the airplane 151 on the television 2. You may do it. At this time, the role of each player is switched to the fourth game example, and the first player operates the cannon 152 using the controller 5, and the second player operates the airplane 151 using the terminal device 7. It is good to.

(Fifth game example)
Hereinafter, a fifth game example will be described with reference to FIG. The fifth game example is a game in which a player performs an operation using the controller 5, and the terminal device 7 is used as a display device instead of an operation device. Specifically, the fifth game example is a golf game, and in response to an operation (swing operation) in which the player swings the controller 5 like a golf club, the game apparatus 3 plays golf on the player character in the virtual game space. Make the swing action.

  FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating how the game system 1 is used in the fifth game example. In FIG. 27, an image of a game space including a player character (its object) 161 and a golf club (its object) 162 is displayed on the screen of the television 2. In FIG. 27, the ball (object) 163 arranged in the game space is also displayed on the television 2 although it is not displayed because it is hidden by the golf club 162. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 27, the terminal device 7 is arranged on the floor surface in front of the television 2 so that the screen of the LCD 51 is vertically upward. The terminal device 7 displays an image representing the ball 163, an image representing a part of the golf club 162 (specifically, the golf club head 162a), and an image representing the ground of the game space. The terminal game image is an image of the periphery of the ball viewed from above.

  When playing the game, the player 160 stands in the vicinity of the terminal device 7 and performs a swing operation of swinging the controller 5 like a golf club. At this time, in step S27, the CPU 10 controls the position and posture of the golf club 162 in the game space according to the posture of the controller 5 calculated in the processing of step S23. Specifically, when the front end direction of the controller 5 (the Z-axis positive direction shown in FIG. 3) faces the image of the ball 163 displayed on the LCD 51, the golf club 162 in the game space has the ball 163. It is controlled to hit.

  When the front end direction of the controller 5 is directed toward the LCD 51, an image (head image) 164 representing a part of the golf club 162 is displayed on the LCD 51 (see FIG. 27). In addition, regarding the game image for the terminal, the image of the ball 163 may be displayed in actual size in order to increase the sense of reality, and the direction of the head image 164 rotates according to the rotation of the controller 5 around the Z axis. May be displayed. The terminal game image may be generated using a virtual camera installed in the game space, or may be generated using image data prepared in advance. In the case of generating using image data prepared in advance, a detailed and realistic image can be generated with a small processing load without constructing a detailed golf course terrain model.

  As a result of the golf club 162 being swung by the player 160 performing the swing operation, when the golf club 162 hits the ball 163, the ball 163 moves (flys). That is, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the golf club 162 and the ball 163 are in contact in step S27, and moves the ball 163 if they are in contact. Here, the television game image is generated so as to include the ball 163 after movement. That is, the CPU 10 controls the position and posture of the first virtual camera for generating the television game image so that the moving ball is included in the shooting range. On the other hand, in the terminal device 7, when the golf club 162 hits the ball 163, the image of the ball 163 is moved and immediately disappears from the screen. Therefore, in the fifth game example, the movement of the ball is mainly displayed on the television 2, and the player 160 can confirm the whereabouts of the ball that flew by the swing operation on the television game image.

  As described above, in the fifth game example, the player 160 can swing the golf club 162 by swinging the controller 5 (the player character 161 can swing the golf club 162). Here, in the fifth game example, when the tip direction of the controller 5 faces the image of the ball 163 displayed on the LCD 51, the golf club 162 in the game space is controlled so as to hit the ball 163. Therefore, the player can obtain a feeling as if he / she is hitting an actual golf club by the swing operation, and the swing operation can be made more realistic.

  In the fifth game example, a head image 164 is further displayed on the LCD 51 when the tip direction of the controller 5 faces the terminal device 7. Therefore, the player can obtain a sense that the posture of the golf club 162 in the virtual space corresponds to the posture of the controller 5 in the real space by turning the tip direction of the controller 5 toward the terminal device 7. The operation can be made more realistic.

  As described above, in the fifth game example, when the terminal device 7 is used as a display device, the operation using the controller 5 is more realistic by placing the terminal device 7 in an appropriate position. Can be a thing.

  Further, in the fifth game example, the terminal device 7 is arranged on the floor surface, and an image representing the game space only around the ball 163 is displayed on the terminal device 7. Therefore, the terminal device 7 cannot display the position / posture of the entire golf club 162 in the game space, and the terminal device 7 cannot display the movement of the ball 163 after the swing operation. Therefore, in the fifth game example, the entire golf club 162 is displayed on the television 2 before the movement of the ball 163, and the manner in which the ball 163 moves is displayed on the television 2 after the movement of the ball 163. Thus, according to the fifth game example, a realistic operation can be provided to the player, and an easy-to-view game image can be displayed to the player by using the two screens of the television 2 and the terminal device 7. Can be presented.

  In the fifth game example, the marker unit 55 of the terminal device 7 is used to calculate the attitude of the controller 5. That is, the CPU 10 turns on the marker unit 55 (the marker device 6 is not turned on) in the initial process of step S1, and the CPU 10 calculates the attitude of the controller 5 based on the marker coordinate data 96 in step S23. According to this, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the tip direction of the controller 5 is in the posture facing the marker portion 55. In the fifth game example, steps S21 and S22 do not have to be executed, but in other game examples, the process of steps S21 and S22 is executed to indicate the marker to be lit. You may make it change in the middle of. For example, in step S21, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the tip direction of the controller 5 is directed in the direction of gravity based on the first acceleration data 94. In step S22, the marker unit 55 is turned on when the direction is in the direction of gravity. The marker device 6 may be controlled to be lit when it does not face the direction of gravity. According to this, when the tip direction of the controller 5 is directed in the direction of gravity, the posture of the controller 5 can be calculated with high accuracy by acquiring the marker coordinate data of the marker unit 55 and the tip of the controller 5 is obtained. When the direction is toward the television 2, the orientation of the controller 5 can be calculated with high accuracy by acquiring the marker coordinate data of the marker device 6.

  As described in the fifth game example, the game system 1 can be used as a display device by installing the terminal device 7 at a free position. According to this, when the marker coordinate data is used as a game input, the controller 5 is directed toward the television 2 and the controller 5 is directed in a free direction by setting the terminal device 7 to a desired position. Can be used. That is, according to this embodiment, since the direction in which the controller 5 can be used is not limited, the degree of freedom of operation of the controller 5 can be improved.

[7. Other operation examples of game system]
The game system 1 can perform operations for playing various games as described above. While the terminal device 7 can be used as a portable display or a second display, the terminal device 7 can also be used as a controller that performs touch input or input by movement. The game can be executed. Also, the following operations can be performed including applications other than games.

(Operation example in which a player plays a game using only the terminal device 7)
In the present embodiment, the terminal device 7 functions as a display device and also functions as an operation device. Therefore, by using the terminal device 7 as a display unit and an operation unit without using the television 2 and the controller 5, the terminal device 7 can be used like a portable game device.

  Specifically, the CPU 10 acquires the terminal operation data 97 from the terminal device 7 in step S3, and uses only the terminal operation data 97 as a game input in step S4 (step S3). Game processing is executed (without using controller operation data). And a game image is produced | generated in step S6, and a game image is transmitted to the terminal device 7 in step S10. At this time, steps S2, S5, and S9 may not be executed. According to the above, a game process is performed in response to an operation on the terminal device 7, and a game image representing the game process result is displayed on the terminal device 7. In this way, the terminal device 7 can be used as a portable game device (although game processing is actually executed by the game device). Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even if the game image cannot be displayed on the television 2 because the television 2 is in use (for example, another person is viewing the television broadcast), the user can use the terminal device. 7 can be used to play the game.

  Note that the CPU 10 may transmit not only the game image but also the above-described menu screen displayed after power-on to the terminal device 7 for display. This is convenient because the player can play the game without using the television 2 from the beginning.

  Furthermore, in the above, the display device for displaying the game image can be changed from the terminal device 7 to the television 2 during the game. Specifically, the CPU 10 may further execute the above step S <b> 9 and output the game image to the television 2. Note that the image output to the television 2 in step S9 is the same as the game image transmitted to the terminal device 7 in step S10. According to this, since the same game image as the terminal device 7 is displayed on the television 2 by switching the input of the television 2 so as to display the input from the game device 3, the game image is displayed. The display device can be changed to the television 2. Note that after the game image is displayed on the television 2, the screen display of the terminal device 7 may be turned off.

  In the game system 1, an infrared remote control signal for the television 2 may be output from the infrared output means (the marker device 6, the marker unit 55, or the infrared communication module 82). According to this, the game apparatus 3 can perform an operation on the television 2 by outputting the infrared remote control signal from the infrared output means in response to an operation on the terminal device 7. In this case, since the user can operate the television 2 using the terminal device 7 without operating the remote controller of the television 2, it is convenient when switching the input of the television 2 as described above.

(Operation example for communicating with other devices via network)
As described above, since the game apparatus 3 has a function of connecting to a network, the game system 1 can also be used when communicating with an external apparatus via the network. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a connection relationship between devices included in the game system 1 when connected to an external device via a network. As shown in FIG. 28, the game apparatus 3 can communicate with the external apparatus 191 via the network 190.

  When the external device 191 and the game device 3 can communicate with each other as described above, the game system 1 can communicate with the external device 191 using the terminal device 7 as an interface. For example, the game system 1 can be used as a videophone by transmitting and receiving images and sound between the external device 191 and the terminal device 7. Specifically, the game apparatus 3 receives the image and sound (image and sound of the telephone partner) from the external device 191 via the network 190 and transmits the received image and sound to the terminal device 7. Accordingly, the terminal device 7 displays the image from the external device 191 on the LCD 51 and outputs the sound from the external device 191 from the speaker 77. In addition, the game apparatus 3 receives the camera image captured by the camera 56 and the microphone sound detected by the microphone 79 from the terminal device 7, and transmits the camera image and the microphone sound to the external apparatus 191 via the network 190. To do. The game apparatus 3 can use the game system 1 as a videophone by repeating the above-described transmission and reception of images and sounds with the external apparatus 191.

  In this embodiment, since the terminal device 7 is portable, the user can use the terminal device 7 at a free position or point the camera 56 in a free direction. In the present embodiment, since the terminal device 7 includes the touch panel 52, the game apparatus 3 can also transmit input information (touch position data 100) to the touch panel 52 to the external device 191. For example, when an image and sound from the external device 191 are output by the terminal device 7 and a character written on the touch panel 52 by the user is transmitted to the external device 191, the game system 1 is used as a so-called e-learning system. It is also possible to do.

(Example of operation linked with TV broadcasting)
The game system 1 can also operate in conjunction with the television broadcast when the television broadcast is being viewed on the television 2. That is, the game system 1 causes the terminal device 7 to output information on the television program when the television program is viewed on the television 2. Hereinafter, an operation example when the game system 1 operates in conjunction with television broadcasting will be described.

  In the above operation example, the game apparatus 3 can communicate with a server via a network (in other words, the external apparatus 191 shown in FIG. 28 is a server). The server stores various information (television information) related to television broadcasting for each channel of television broadcasting. This television information may be information relating to a program such as subtitles or performer information, EPG (electronic program guide) information, or information broadcast as a data broadcast. The television information may be information on images, sounds, characters, or a combination thereof. Further, the number of servers does not have to be one, and a server may be installed for each television broadcast channel or each program, and the game apparatus 3 may be able to communicate with each server.

  When television broadcast video / audio is output on the television 2, the game apparatus 3 causes the user to input the television broadcast channel being viewed using the terminal device 7. And it requests | requires of a server via a network to transmit the television information corresponding to the input channel. In response to this, the server transmits television information data corresponding to the channel. When the data transmitted from the server is received, the game apparatus 3 outputs the received data to the terminal device 7. The terminal device 7 displays image and character data among the above data on the LCD 51, and outputs audio data from the speaker. As described above, the user can enjoy information on the TV program currently being viewed using the terminal device 7.

  As described above, the game system 1 can provide the user with information linked to the television broadcast by the terminal device 7 by communicating with the external device (server) via the network. In particular, in this embodiment, since the terminal device 7 is portable, the user can use the terminal device 7 at a free position, which is highly convenient.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the user can use the terminal device 7 for various purposes and forms in addition to being used for the game.

[8. Modified example]
The above-described embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention. In other embodiments, the present invention can be implemented with, for example, the configuration described below.

(Modification example having a plurality of terminal devices)
In the above embodiment, the game system 1 has only one terminal device, but the game system 1 may have a plurality of terminal devices. That is, the game apparatus 3 can wirelessly communicate with a plurality of terminal apparatuses, transmits game image data, game sound data, and control data to each terminal apparatus, and operates data, camera image data, and microphone sound data. May be received from each terminal device. The game device 3 performs wireless communication with each of the plurality of terminal devices. At this time, the game device 3 may perform wireless communication with each terminal device in a time-sharing manner, or divide the frequency band. You may go.

  When having a plurality of terminal devices as described above, more types of games can be played using the game system. For example, when the game system 1 has two terminal devices, the game system 1 has three display devices. Therefore, a game image for each of three players is generated, and each display device has Can be displayed. Further, when the game system 1 has two terminal devices, two players can play a game simultaneously in a game using the controller and the terminal device as a set (for example, the fifth game example). . Further, when the game process of step S27 is performed based on the marker coordinate data output from the two controllers, two game operations are performed to point the controller toward the marker (marker device 6 or marker unit 55). Each player can do it. That is, one player can perform a game operation with the controller directed toward the marker device 6, and the other player can perform a game operation with the controller directed toward the marker unit 55.

(Modifications related to terminal device functions)
In the above embodiment, the terminal device 7 functions as a so-called thin client terminal that does not execute game processing. Here, in other embodiments, some of the series of game processes executed by the game apparatus 3 in the above embodiment may be executed by another apparatus such as the terminal apparatus 7. For example, the terminal device 7 may execute a part of processing (for example, processing for generating a game image for a terminal). That is, the terminal device may function as a portable game device that performs a game process based on an operation on the operation unit, generates a game image based on the game process, and displays the game image on the display unit. Further, for example, in a game system having a plurality of information processing devices (game devices) that can communicate with each other, the plurality of information processing devices may share and execute game processing.

(Modifications related to terminal device configuration)
The terminal device in the above embodiment is an example, and the shape of each operation button and housing 50 of the terminal device, the number of components, the installation position, and the like are merely examples, and other shapes, numbers, and installation positions are available. There may be. For example, the terminal device may have the following configuration. Hereinafter, a modification of the terminal device will be described with reference to FIGS. 29 to 32.

  FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a terminal device according to a modification of the embodiment. 29 (a) is a front view of the terminal device, FIG. 29 (b) is a top view, FIG. 29 (c) is a right side view, and FIG. 29 (d) is a bottom view. FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating a state where the user holds the terminal device illustrated in FIG. 29. In FIG. 29 and FIG. 30, constituent elements corresponding to the constituent elements of the terminal device 7 in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 8, but need not be configured in the same manner.

  As shown in FIG. 29, the terminal device 8 includes a housing 50 that is generally a horizontally-long rectangular plate shape. The housing 50 is large enough to be gripped by the user. Therefore, the user can move the terminal device 8 and change the arrangement position of the terminal device 8.

  The terminal device 8 has an LCD 51 on the surface of the housing 50. The LCD 51 is provided near the center of the surface of the housing 50. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the user can move the terminal device while holding the housing 50 on both sides of the LCD 51 while viewing the screen of the LCD 51. Although FIG. 9 shows an example in which the user has the terminal device 8 horizontally (with a long horizontal orientation) by holding the housings 50 on the left and right sides of the LCD 51, the terminal device 8 is held vertically. It can also be held (with a long vertical orientation).

  As illustrated in FIG. 29A, the terminal device 8 includes a touch panel 52 on the screen of the LCD 51 as an operation unit (operation unit). In this modification, the touch panel 52 is a resistive film type touch panel. However, the touch panel is not limited to the resistive film type, and any type of touch panel such as a capacitance type can be used. The touch panel 52 may be a single touch method or a multi-touch method. In the present modification, a touch panel 52 having the same resolution (detection accuracy) as the resolution of the LCD 51 is used. However, the resolution of the touch panel 52 and the resolution of the LCD 51 are not necessarily matched. Input to the touch panel 52 is normally performed using a touch pen, but it is also possible to input to the touch panel 52 with a user's finger without being limited to the touch pen. The housing 50 may be provided with a storage hole for storing a touch pen used to perform an operation on the touch panel 52. Thus, since the terminal device 8 includes the touch panel 52, the user can operate the touch panel 52 while moving the terminal device 8. That is, the user can directly input (by the touch panel 52) to the screen while moving the screen of the LCD 51.

  As shown in FIG. 29, the terminal device 8 includes two analog sticks 53A and 53B and a plurality of buttons 54A to 54L as operation means (operation unit). Each analog stick 53A and 53B is a device that indicates a direction. Each of the analog sticks 53A and 53B is configured such that the stick portion operated by the user's finger can slide or tilt in any direction (any angle in the up / down / left / right and diagonal directions) with respect to the surface of the housing 50. Has been. The left analog stick 53A is provided on the left side of the screen of the LCD 51, and the right analog stick 53B is provided on the right side of the screen of the LCD 51. Therefore, the user can make an input for instructing the direction with the left and right hands using the analog stick. Further, as shown in FIG. 30, the analog sticks 53 </ b> A and 53 </ b> B are provided at positions where the user can operate while holding the left and right portions of the terminal device 8. Also, the analog sticks 53A and 53B can be easily operated.

  Each button 54A-54L is an operation means for performing a predetermined input. As shown below, each button 54A-54L is provided in the position which a user can operate in the state which hold | gripped the left-right part of the terminal device 8 (refer FIG. 30). Therefore, the user can easily operate these operation means even when the user moves the terminal device 8.

  As shown in FIG. 29A, a cross button (direction input button) 54A and buttons 54B to 54H among the operation buttons 54A to 54L are provided on the surface of the housing 50. That is, these buttons 54 </ b> A to 54 </ b> G are arranged at positions that can be operated with the user's thumb (see FIG. 30).

  The cross button 54A is provided on the left side of the LCD 51 and below the left analog stick 53A. That is, the cross button 54A is arranged at a position where it can be operated with the left hand of the user. The cross button 54 </ b> A has a cross shape and is a button capable of instructing the vertical and horizontal directions. The buttons 54B to 54D are provided below the LCD 51. These three buttons 54B to 54D are arranged at positions that can be operated by both the left and right hands. The four buttons 54E to 54H are provided on the right side of the LCD 51 and below the right analog stick 53B. That is, the four buttons 54E to 54H are arranged at positions that can be operated with the right hand of the user. Further, the four buttons 54E to 54H are arranged so as to have a vertical / left / right positional relationship (relative to the center position of the four buttons 54E to 54H). Therefore, the terminal device 8 can also function the four buttons 54 </ b> E to 54 </ b> H as buttons for instructing the user in the up / down / left / right directions.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 29 (a), (b), and (c), the first L button 54I and the first R button 54J are provided on an oblique upper portion (upper left portion and upper right portion) of the housing 50. Provided. Specifically, the first L button 54I is provided at the left end of the upper side surface of the plate-like housing 50, and is exposed from the upper and left side surfaces. The first R button 54J is provided at the right end of the upper side surface of the housing 50, and is exposed from the upper and right side surfaces. In this way, the first L button 54I is disposed at a position operable with the user's left index finger, and the first R button 54J is disposed at a position operable with the user's right hand index finger (see FIG. 9).

  As shown in FIGS. 29B and 29C, the second L button 54K and the second R button 54L are provided on the back surface of the plate-like housing 50 (that is, the surface opposite to the surface on which the LCD 51 is provided). It is arrange | positioned at the leg parts 59A and 59B which protrude and are provided. Similar to the heel portion 59 of the above-described embodiment, the foot portions 59A and 59B are provided in a region including positions opposite to the operation portions (respective analog sticks 53A and 53B) provided on the left and right sides of the display portion. The second L button 54K is provided slightly above the left side (left side when viewed from the front side) of the housing 50, and the second R button 54L is right side (when viewed from the front side) of the housing 50. On the right side). In other words, the second L button 54K is provided at a position approximately opposite to the left analog stick 53A provided on the surface, and the second R button 54L is provided at a position approximately opposite to the right analog stick 53B provided on the surface. It is done. As described above, the second L button 54K is disposed at a position operable by the user's left middle finger, and the second R button 54L is disposed at a position operable by the user's right middle finger (see FIG. 9). Further, as shown in FIG. 29 (c), the second L button 54K and the second R button 54L are provided on the surfaces of the feet 59A and 59B facing diagonally upward, and have button surfaces facing diagonally upward. When the user grips the terminal device 8, it is considered that the middle finger moves in the vertical direction. Therefore, the user can easily press the second L button 54K and the second R button 54L by turning the button surface upward. In addition, the foot is provided on the back surface of the housing 50, so that the user can easily hold the housing 50, and the buttons are provided on the foot, so that the user can easily operate while holding the housing 50.

  29, since the second L button 54K and the second R button 54L are provided on the back surface, the terminal device 8 is placed with the screen of the LCD 51 (the surface of the housing 50) facing upward. The screen may not be completely horizontal. Therefore, in other embodiments, three or more legs may be formed on the back surface of the housing 50. According to this, in a state where the screen of the LCD 51 is facing upward, the foot can be placed on the floor by touching the floor, so that the terminal device 8 can be placed so that the screen is horizontal. Further, the terminal device 8 may be placed horizontally by adding a detachable foot.

  Functions corresponding to the game program are appropriately assigned to the buttons 54A to 54L. For example, the cross button 54A and the buttons 54E to 54H may be used for a direction instruction operation or a selection operation, and the buttons 54B to 54E may be used for a determination operation or a cancel operation.

  Although not shown, the terminal device 8 has a power button for turning on / off the terminal device 8. The terminal device 8 also has a button for turning on / off the screen display of the LCD 51, a button for setting connection (pairing) with the game apparatus 3, and a volume of a speaker (speaker 77 shown in FIG. 10). You may have a button for adjusting.

  As illustrated in FIG. 29A, the terminal device 8 includes a marker portion (a marker portion 55 illustrated in FIG. 10) including a marker 55 </ b> A and a marker 55 </ b> B on the surface of the housing 50. The marker unit 55 is provided on the upper side of the LCD 51. Each of the markers 55A and 55B is composed of one or more infrared LEDs, like the markers 6R and 6L of the marker device 6. The marker unit 55 is used for the game device 3 to calculate the movement of the controller 5 and the like, like the marker device 6 described above. Further, the game apparatus 3 can control lighting of each infrared LED included in the marker unit 55.

  The terminal device 8 includes a camera 56 that is an imaging unit. The camera 56 includes an imaging element (for example, a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor) having a predetermined resolution, and a lens. As shown in FIG. 29, in this modification, the camera 56 is provided on the surface of the housing 50. Therefore, the camera 56 can take an image of the face of the user who has the terminal device 8, and can take an image of the user who is playing the game while looking at the LCD 51, for example.

  The terminal device 8 includes a microphone (a microphone 79 shown in FIG. 10) that is a voice input unit. A microphone hole 50 c is provided on the surface of the housing 50. The microphone 79 is provided inside the housing 50 behind the microphone hole 50c. The microphone detects sounds around the terminal device 8 such as a user's voice.

  The terminal device 8 includes a speaker (speaker 77 shown in FIG. 10) that is an audio output means. As shown in FIG. 29D, a speaker hole 57 is provided on the lower side surface of the housing 50. The output sound of the speaker 77 is output from the speaker hole 57. In this modification, the terminal device 8 includes two speakers, and speaker holes 57 are provided at positions of the left speaker and the right speaker.

  Further, the terminal device 8 includes an expansion connector 58 for connecting other devices to the terminal device 8. In the present modification, the extension connector 58 is provided on the lower side surface of the housing 50 as shown in FIG. Note that any other device connected to the expansion connector 58 may be used. For example, a controller (such as a gun-type controller) used for a specific game or an input device such as a keyboard may be used. If it is not necessary to connect another device, the expansion connector 58 may not be provided.

  In addition, regarding the terminal device 8 shown in FIG. 29, the shape of each operation button and the housing 50, the number of components, the installation position, and the like are merely examples, and other shapes, numbers, and installation positions. Also good.

  As described above, in the modified example, the two foot portions 59A and 59B provided at the left and right positions on the back surface of the housing 50 are provided as the protrusions. Also in this case, the user can easily hold the terminal device 8 by gripping the terminal device 8 with the bottom surface of the projection portion hung on the ring finger or the middle finger as in the above embodiment (see FIG. 30). Further, as in the above embodiment, since the second L button 54K and the second R button 54L are provided on the upper surface of the protrusion, the user can easily operate these buttons in the above state.

  As in the above-described embodiment and modification, it is preferable that the protrusion is provided on the back side of the housing so as to protrude above the center of the housing and at least on the left and right sides. According to this, when the user grips both the left and right sides of the housing, the terminal device can be easily gripped by causing the protrusion to be hooked on the finger. Further, since the protrusion is provided on the upper side, the user can support the housing with the palm of the hand (see FIG. 10 and the like), and thus the terminal device can be firmly held.

  Note that the protrusion may not be provided above the center of the housing. For example, when the operation units are provided on the left and right sides of the display unit, the protrusions are in any state other than the thumb while holding the housing so that the user can operate each operation unit with the thumbs of both hands. You may provide in the position which can be hooked on a finger | toe. Also by this, the user can easily hold the terminal device by causing the protrusion to be caught on the finger.

  FIG. 31 and FIG. 32 are diagrams showing an external configuration of a terminal device according to another modification of the embodiment. FIG. 31 is a right side view of the terminal device, and FIG. 32 is a bottom view. The terminal device 9 shown in FIGS. 31 and 32 is the same as the terminal device 7 in the above-described embodiment except that the terminal device 9 includes convex portions 230a and 230b. Hereinafter, the configuration of the terminal device 9 in the present modification will be described focusing on differences from the above embodiment.

  The convex portions 230 a and 230 b have a convex cross section, and are provided on both the left and right sides on the back side of the housing 50. Here, a convex portion 230a is provided on the left side (left side when viewed from the front surface side) of the housing 50, and a convex portion 230b is provided on the right side (right side when viewed from the front surface side) of the housing 50. As shown in FIG. 32, the convex portions 230 a and 230 b are provided on both the left and right sides (both ends) of the housing 50. In addition, each of the convex portions 230a and 230b is provided below the protruding portion (the flange portion 59). Each convex part 230a and 230b is provided at intervals between the protrusions. That is, in the housing 50, the part between each convex part 230a and 230b and a projection part is comprised thinner than these each part. Each of the protrusions 230a and 230b has a protruding portion extending in the vertical direction and a cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction having a convex shape.

  In this modification, the user can grip the terminal device 9 more firmly by gripping the convex portions 230a and 230b with the little finger (and ring finger). That is, the convex portions 230a and 230b have a grip portion function. In addition, although a convex part (grip part) may be what kind of shape, when it is formed so that it may extend in the up-down direction, the terminal device 9 becomes easy to have, and it is preferable. Moreover, although the height of each convex part 230a and 230b may be what, it may be formed lower than a projection part. According to this, since the lower side of the screen is lower than the upper side when the terminal device 9 is placed so that the screen of the LCD 51 faces upward, the terminal device 9 can be placed in an easily viewable state. Moreover, since each convex part 230a and 230b is provided at intervals between the protrusions, the user can hold the terminal device 9 by placing his / her finger on the lower surface of the protrusions, and the convex part is It will not get in the way. As described above, according to the above-described modification, the protrusion can be provided below the protrusion, so that the user can hold the terminal device more securely. In another embodiment, the protrusion may not be provided on the rear surface of the housing 50. Even in this case, the user can firmly hold the housing 50 by the convex portion (grip portion). Moreover, you may make it use the material which is hard to slip on the convex part (grip part) surface in order to improve a grip function further. Even when there is no convex part, you may use the material which is hard to slip on the back of a housing.

(Modifications related to devices to which this configuration is applied)
In the above embodiment, the terminal device used together with the stationary game device has been described as an example. However, the configuration of the operation device described in this specification can be applied to any device that is held and used by the user. Is possible. For example, the operation device may be realized as an information terminal such as a portable game machine, a mobile phone, a smartphone, and an electronic book terminal.

  As described above, the present invention can be used as an operation device (terminal device) in a game system, for example, for the purpose of enabling a user to easily hold the device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game system 2 Television 3 Game apparatus 4 Optical disk 5 Controller 6 Marker apparatus 7-9 Terminal apparatus 10 CPU
11e Internal main memory 12 External main memory 51 LCD
52 touch panel 53 analog stick 54 operation button 55 marker part 56 camera 59 collar part 62 magnetic sensor 63 acceleration sensor 64 gyro sensor 200 input device 210 stand 211 support member 212 charge terminal 213 guide member 230 convex part

Claims (22)

An operation device for a user to perform an operation,
A substantially plate-shaped housing;
A display portion provided on the front side of the housing;
An operating device, comprising: a protrusion provided on a rear side of the housing, which is provided above and protrudes at positions on both the left and right sides above the center of the housing.   The operating device according to claim 1, further comprising a first operating unit and a second operating unit that are respectively provided on the left and right of the display unit above the center of the housing. A substantially plate-shaped housing;
A display portion provided on the front side of the housing;
A first operation unit and a second operation unit respectively provided on the left and right of the display unit;
When the user grips the housing so that the first operation unit and the second operation unit can be operated with the thumbs of both hands, the user can be hooked on any finger other than the thumb on the back side of the housing. An operating device comprising a protrusion provided.   The operating device according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is provided in a region including a position on the opposite side of the first operating unit and the second operating unit.   5. The operating device according to claim 1, further comprising a third operating portion and a fourth operating portion that are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the housing on the upper surface of the protruding portion.   The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion has a hook-like shape extending in the left-right direction.   The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a first locking hole capable of locking an additional device different from the operating device is provided on a lower surface of the protruding portion.   The operating device according to claim 7, wherein a second locking hole capable of locking the additional device is provided on a lower surface of the housing.   The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising convex portions having a convex cross section on both the left and right sides of the rear surface of the housing below the projecting portion.   The operating device according to claim 9, wherein the protrusion and the protrusion are provided with a space therebetween.   The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising grip portions provided on both left and right sides of the rear surface of the housing. A fifth operation portion disposed below the first operation portion on the front surface of the housing;
The operating device according to any one of claims 2 to 11, further comprising: a sixth operating unit arranged below the second operating unit on a front side surface of the housing. A substantially plate-shaped housing;
A display portion provided on the front side of the housing;
A protrusion provided to protrude at least on the left and right sides on the back side of the housing;
An operating device comprising: an operating portion provided on an upper surface of the protruding portion. An operation device for a user to perform an operation,
A substantially plate-shaped housing;
A display portion provided on the front side of the housing;
An operating device, comprising: a grip portion that is provided so as to extend vertically on both the left and right sides of the housing on the back side of the housing and has a convex cross section.   The operating device according to claim 14, further comprising: a protrusion provided on the rear side of the housing that protrudes at a position on at least the left and right sides above the grip portion.   The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising a seventh operating portion and an eighth operating portion respectively provided on both left and right sides of the upper surface of the housing.   The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising a touch panel provided on a screen of the display unit.   The operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising an inertial sensor inside the housing. A communication unit that wirelessly transmits operation data representing an operation performed on the own device to the game device, and receives image data transmitted from the game device; and
The operating device according to claim 1, further comprising: a display control unit configured to display received image data on the display unit. A game processing unit for executing game processing based on an operation on the own machine;
The operating device according to claim 1, further comprising: a display control unit that generates a game image based on the game process and displays the game image on the display unit.   21. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit has a screen of 5 inches or more. A tablet-type information processing device,
A substantially plate-shaped housing;
A display portion provided on the front side of the housing;
An information processing apparatus, comprising: a protrusion provided on the back side of the housing above the center of the housing and protruding at least on the left and right sides.

Images