JP2016073360A - Game device, game system and method, using new type chip set for old type television game cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game system executable by the same one chip set, when utilizing a plurality of games.SOLUTION: In a game device capable of executing a plurality of kinds of games recorded in a game machine or in a recording medium used for the game machine, including one chip set, and a connection part corresponding to the game machine or the recording medium, a content of a game software is read from the game machine or the recording medium, and emulation is performed for one chip set.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a game apparatus, a system, and a method including a CPU / GPU chip set that enables various old-type games to be used on a new-type game machine.

  So-called old-type games were once popular. Video games in the 80's and 90's are technically inferior to today's game consoles, but for young people, older people who have played older games, or the game is easier. It's also popular with people who like picking up and playing.

  Similar to previous movies such as King Kong (registered trademark), Citizen Kane (registered trademark), Metropolis (registered trademark), used in game consoles such as SuperNES and Sega Mega Drive (both registered trademarks) There are also video games like Super Mario, Street Fighter 2, and Sonic the Hedgehog.

  According to the so-called Moore's law, microchips and microprocessors become more powerful over time. The processors available today are thousands of times more powerful than those released in the 1990s. This is also reflected in the performance of today's video game consoles. Conversely, today's processors can often emulate older processors.

Today, you can play on various new platforms and game consoles. Famous ones include PS3 (registered trademark), XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii (registered trademark), and also Nintendo DS (registered trademark) and SONY PSP (registered trademark).
These game machines not only can emulate older types of games, but can also be used with these units under license or directly.
These old-type games can be played on platforms such as personal computers such as Linux (registered trademark), Mac, and Windows (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark) mobile phones, and I-phone (registered trademark). However, only programs that emulate games are free to use. The so-called “ROM image” is under copyright protection based on sufficient copyright law. That is, the user can easily download the program for playing the game, but the game itself cannot be legally obtained.

  For example, the Android Market (now called the Play Store), which provides applications for Linux®-based ANDROID® mobile phones, has many Super Nintendo (SNES) and NES platforms. However, ROM contents cannot be downloaded. In addition, the Apple app store does not have SNES or NES emulators, possibly due to a rigorous inspection process, so the owner of I-phone (registered trademark) or I-pad (registered trademark) can play classic or retro games. It has become extremely difficult to do.

When playing a game for a game machine, the user can use the original game machine. However, 20 years have passed and these game machines are likely to be broken. The power supply may have been lost or thrown away, and the TV connection method may have changed.

  In addition, there are more games than game machines, the owner of the game machine typically has more than one game, and the ROM card ridge is somewhat more robust than the game machine itself. Games often last longer. As a result, there are markets that still sell used classic game consoles. Currently, these chipsets are probably illegal, word-by-word copies of the original chipset, or have the same functionality as the original chipset, so the problem with the original chipset remains .

  Sometimes, the producers of these “clone” game machines may be compatible with two or more game machines so that the end user can play two or more video games instead of one. This additional functionality has been added by adding a new chipset to the game console. In other words, if the game machine can play three different types of game cassettes, three different chip sets are required. To play four different types of cassettes, four different chip sets are required.

U.S. Reissued Patent No. 28,507 The above document describes an early video game. U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,051 The above document describes an interface of a computer game system. U.S. Patent No. 7,988,559 The above document describes a computerized game system, method, and apparatus. The above-mentioned document describes a portable video game machine. US Pat. No. 5,207,426 The above document describes a controller of a game machine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,222 The above document describes a portable game machine. The above document describes a multidirectional switch used for a joypad. U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,791 The above document describes a cartridge-type programmable video game machine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,027 The above document describes a video game cartridge method. U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,773 The above document describes a video game cartridge with an expandable memory.

The problems inherent in the existing solutions are as follows.
(1) Since various VLSI technologies require various voltages, compatibility problems occur between circuit parts.

(2) Older VLSI consumes more power than modern small transistor technology. This greatly reduces battery time in products that use battery power.

(3) Chips such as RAM that support the original chipset are very difficult to obtain. Modern RAM chips are thousands of times larger in capacity and are completely incompatible with the original RAM chips. For this reason, it is very difficult to obtain older RAM chips, and often a recycled product or "pulled" chip must be used. Compared to the original chip, such extraction makes it very easy to produce defective products.

(4) Classic or retro game machines each require a complete chipset. If 3 game machines are supported, 3 chipsets are required. This causes additional compatibility problems in addition to the increased cost of each added chipset.

(5) Only joypads specific to game machines can be used.

(6) Display output is limited to old standards, and modern digital television standards such as HDMI (registered trademark) are not supported unless they are quite complicated, and are common standards with the lowest image quality. In other words, of course, it will be the image output of the original game machine.

(7) Game machine producers often cannot play games in a different region with a game machine in one region in order to prevent parallel import of games.

(8) Software can emulate various things such as market economy and traffic. Electronic circuits and hardware can also be emulated. Computer programs can emulate actual hardware and computer chips. If the processor is fast enough, something close to full speed emulation can be achieved.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present application is a game device capable of executing a plurality of types of games recorded on a game machine or a recording medium used in the game machine, wherein the game device includes a chipset, the game A game machine or a recording medium, and a game machine characterized in that the emulation is performed by reading the contents of the game software from the game machine or the recording medium, and the emulation is performed by the same single chipset. Device.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the game device includes a plurality of the connection portions, and determines a game that can be executed by scanning the plurality of connection portions, and corresponds to an input signal to the game device from the outside. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one game can be selected.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the game device includes a voltage conversion unit that converts a voltage at the plurality of connection units, or the plurality of connection units can process signals of different voltages. The game device according to claim 2.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the game device includes an FPGA circuit having a RAM, and can be emulated in the FPGA circuit. The game device according to any one of the first to third aspects It is.

The invention according to claim 5 is the game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the game apparatus can input a cheat code.
The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the game device includes a display information output unit including HDMI (registered trademark), and the display information output unit processes the display data by anti-aliasing or upscaling. Item 6. The game device according to any one of Items 1 to 5.

The invention according to claim 7 is the game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the game device includes the sound output unit, and the sound output unit processes sound data by interpolation or sampling. It is a game device.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the game device includes a power supply unit to the connection unit, and the power supply unit turns off the power of the connection unit after the content of the game software is read. An external recording medium capable of recording information about the stopped game when the game is temporarily stopped, and the stopped game can be resumed by sending the information from the external recording medium to the game device. Item 8. The game device according to any one of Items 1 to 7.

The invention according to claim 9 is the game according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the game device is driven with the same or lower voltage as the plurality of types of game machines. Device.
The invention according to claim 10 is the game device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the game device is a portable device including a battery.

The invention according to claim 11 is a system capable of executing a plurality of types of games recorded on a game machine or a recording medium used in the game machine, wherein the system includes a chipset, the game machine, or a recording medium. A game system characterized in that the emulation is performed by reading the contents of the game software from a game machine or a recording medium, and the emulation is performed by the same single chipset. .
The invention according to claim 12 is a method for enabling execution of a game recorded on a plurality of types of game machines or recording media used in the game machines, wherein the content of the game software is read from the game machine or the recording medium. This method is characterized in that it is read and emulated by the same single chipset.

Advantages in some embodiments of the invention include the following.
(1) Modern VLSI and transistor technologies are more energy saving and lower voltage than before. For this reason, when used in a portable game game that has a small transistor and performs processing at high speed, the battery has a long life.

(2) Since the game is read from the cartridge into the RAM and the power of the cartridge container is turned off, the power is further saved.

(3) There is no restriction on supply, because production has not been discontinued and, of course, recycled or older ones are not more reliable.

(4) In the present invention, graphics are emulated instead of using the original GPU. A higher resolution mode than what was possible with the original game console is achieved by upscaling, enabling anti-aliasing.

(5) By using a better interpolation / sampling technique, the sound can be improved over the original game machine.

(6) By taking advantage of the newer graphics capabilities of modern GPUs, cartridge and game console incompatibilities are reduced or eliminated entirely. For example, incompatibility between PAL and NTSC can be reduced.

(7) Only one chipset is required, so to support a new game machine, it is only necessary to load an appropriate connector and another emulator, and the cost can be reduced.

(8) As processors, graphics and audio become more modern, classic games can be played on modern game consoles that require more memory and processing speed.

(9) Modern processors are capable of playing high-definition video and even high-resolution content. This is not something that can be easily done with an old generation machine, but means that the present invention can be used as a game machine or a media player.

(10) Since the contents of the ROM can be loaded into the RAM, the cheat apparatus can be executed as software without incurring new manufacturing costs, thereby adding value to the product.

(11) If the RAM is copied to the mass storage device (MSD), the game can be paused at any time during play. If reloaded, the game can continue from the exact time it was saved. These features are rarely available on the original game console.

(12) Some game machines include an additional chip such as an additional RAM or a custom 3D chip, for example, in order to give some advantage to the game machine. If pure emulation is used and the original cartridge is not used, these chips will not be available, requiring additional programming and processing power. According to the present invention, it is possible to use these chips while reducing the load on the CPU so that realistic emulation is possible for the originally intended purpose.

(13) A modern SoC (system on chip) generally has a voice function superior to that of an old game machine. Thus, if voice or music output is generated, the sound is reproduced with a quality superior to that of the original.

The external appearance of a 1st Example is shown. An example of the flowchart of a 1st Example is shown. The functional block diagram of a 1st Example is shown. The exploded view seen from the rear part of the 2nd example is shown. The exploded view seen from the front part of the 2nd example is shown.

Some embodiments of the present invention can accommodate modern equipment by incorporating modern processors.
A feature of some embodiments of the present invention is the provision of a connector that allows access to the original gaming machine. All conventional devices use potentially illegal software that replicates games or (original) unique hardware chipsets that may also be illegal. The present invention combines both hardware and software solutions.

  Some embodiments of the present invention utilize emulation to create an abstracted hierarchy from the original video game. Instead of using the data recorded on the game cartridge directly, the data is interpreted or translated to some extent. This in most cases requires more instructions than in the original game console, however, compared to the need for more processing power with SoC (system on chip) Make up.

The native code 65816, exemplified below, is an instruction executed by the Nintendo SNES to read which direction or button is pressed on the joypad.

LDA $ 4218 in Hex this is $ AD, $ 18, $ 42

In the original processor, this operation code is indicated by the current PC or program counter. $ AD is loaded into the processor's instruction decoder and loads what is in accumulator or register location $ 4218. This is a storage location that contains the value of the controller of player 1 in SNES. In the emulated system, for example, the source code written in C language is as follows.

switch (* pc)
{
case 0xAD:
Accumulator = read_from_memory (unsigned short) (* (pc + 1) + * (pc + 2) <<8);
pc + = 3;
opcode_execution_time = 4;
break;
case etc.
}

  These lines in C language are compiled into SoC native operation code by a C language compiler.

  Some embodiments of the present invention emulate an older type video game machine with a modern high speed chipset including a CPU so that the original game recorded in the original format can be used.

Several embodiments of the invention are described below.
First, terms used in this specification will be described.
A software emulator is a computer program that runs on a CPU, and generally simulates another CPU or hardware chip. Usually, it is described in a high-dimensional language such as C language, and is compiled into a binary executable file.

The cheat system modifies the data from the original intended value and performs functions other than those intended. Often used to create items such as infinite "life" or "invulnerability".
A cheat code is data that directly or indirectly represents a modification that changes the intended function.

HDMI (registered trademark) is a digital video transfer protocol designed for transfer of various resolutions, and generally transfers data from a recording medium such as a Blu-ray player to a display device such as a television.
A ROM image is recorded on a computer in a digital or binary file taken from ROM, and as used herein refers to the binary content of a game cartridge that has been transferred to the file in some form.

Classic / retro games refer to previous generations of games.
Joypad refers to a type of handheld human interface that uses a finger to input.
VLSI refers to a technology that produces a very large scale stack or a stacked circuit incorporating thousands of transistors on a single chip.

GPU refers to a graphics processing unit and is a dedicated processor designed for graphics display and manipulation.
SoC refers to system-on-chip, which is a chip that combines many elements of a computer into a single chip.
A chipset refers to a group of IC chipsets that are used together to perform a specific task. A chipset often includes a GPU and a CPU, and a group of chips used in a video game machine is a chipset. Sometimes called.

SNES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System and is a popular video game system.
The MSD is a mass storage device that stores a large amount of data even when there is no power source.

The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
(1) The member (302/128) that couples CPU / GPU / voice and other IO connectors such as SoC is the main part. For example, Texas Instruments AM3359, Allwinner A10, Nvidia Tegra 3, Rockchip RK3066 is suitable.

(2) A RAM (304, 122) such as DDRAM-3 is connected.

(3) The activation program is loaded from the MSD (124, 132) to the RAM including the GUI.

(4) The cartridge ports (306, 308, 310, 108, 110, 112, 114) are scanned in case there is one or more game cartridges.

(5) The RAM embedded FPGA (programmable gate array) performs scanning by accessing each cartridge port if there is a cartridge. Since a programmable RAM is used in this way, the same chip is set to correspond to each game slot, which helps to reduce costs.

(6) Older specification chips tend to use higher voltages than newer specification chips. For this reason, voltage converters (314, 316, 138) can be used to adjust the voltage between different specifications. Alternatively, a microcomputer or FPGA with multiple I / O voltage capabilities, such as a product made by Nuvoton (registered trademark), can be used.

(7) The user can select various options using one of the human interface devices (HID) 318. As the HID, original input devices for game machines such as the joypad shown in 102, 104, 106, 116, 118, 120, and newer input devices such as a mouse, keyboard, and Bluetooth (registered trademark) joypad. There is.

(8) The GUI menu as shown at 338 / 136,330 provides visual feedback to the user. Options entered via this menu include:
a. Clock up where the game is played faster (or slower) than intended on the original game console.
b. Anti-aliasing to clean jagged lines
c. Upscaling that allows the game to be displayed at a higher resolution than intended on the original game console.
d. Insert cheat code

(9) The contents of the cartridge shown at 306, 308 or 310/112 can be loaded into the available RAM 304/122. This allows the following:
a. Access speed much faster than the original game console
b. Low power consumption. The original cartridge required higher voltage and current, but because it uses less power, it can be battery powered as in Example 2.

(10) The FPGA 312/126 used for reading from the cartridge port is released after the reading is completed, and the processing capability of the FPGA can be used separately.

(11) An appropriate software emulator is loaded from the MSD 124/132 into the RAM 304/122.

(12) The software emulator program is executed by the main processor of the SoC 302/128, and the game is played in an emulated state rather than in a native format, so that the instructions of the processor and / or graphics are easier to interpret and the original It is no longer executed directly like on a game console.

The game instruction is input via an HID 318 such as a controller inserted into the compatible connectors 320, 322, 324, 326. In FIG. 1, they are shown as 102, 104, 106 for player 1, 116, 118, 120, and 130 for player 2.

(13) If the user desires, “save” can be selected as an option. This is started by a button or a sequence of pressing a button. Record the contents of the RAM in the MSD. The recorded content can later be loaded back into memory so that the game can be resumed from the very time the user originally saved the game.

(14) Another feature is that the software can include one or more various cheat systems to create additional value without extra production costs.

(15) After the game is read from the cartridge into the RAM 122 by the power supply unit 303 to the cartridge, the power to the cartridge container is turned off, so that power is saved.

A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(1) In step 202 shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, functional power is supplied by a normal toggle switch 142. When power is supplied to the circuit, the main CPU of the SoC (system on chip) starts the startup process.

(2) As shown in step 204, for example, the SoC main processor loads and starts data from the MSD as part of the normal process. In this embodiment, the SD flash memory 124 is used as a recording unit for recording an OS (operating system).

(3) In step 206, it is assumed that there are game cartridge slots A to D. In this embodiment, the apparatus has four slots, but the number of slots may be any number of one or more.

(4) In step 208, each slot is checked to see if it is a valid game cartridge using a programmable gate array (FPGA) using RAM, such as Xilinx Spartan XC3S50, so that reading can be performed sequentially from each slot. The FPGA can efficiently increase the I / O ports from the SoC. If the SoC has a sufficient number of available I / O ports, the FPGA can be omitted to reduce costs.

(5) The game cartridge can easily determine the absence of the cartridge by a digital method. In step 210, in cooperation with the SoC CPU, the FPGA preferably checks for the presence of a game cartridge.

(6) A program loop 212 is installed to check all slots for the presence of a cartridge.

(7) If at least one cartridge is found, at step 214 the contents of the cartridge ROM are read into the RAM. If more than one cartridge is inserted, one cartridge is selected by the user. Thereafter, the contents can be accessed at a higher speed than a relatively low-speed ROM used in a general, especially old game machine.

(8) In step 216, the custom GUI is loaded from the recording medium into the RAM, and the output is typically an output device such as a television or a monitor using an HDMI (registered trademark) output such as 136 in FIG. And is controlled using an input device such as a joypad. The interface is designed to help make various choices about the game before it starts.

(9) In step 218, a “software emulator” that translates the original code and data into code and data that fits the new chipset is also loaded into a separate memory location in RAM.

(10) In step 220, the start address is sent to the program counter and the configuration options entered by the user in the GUI are sent to this section of code.

(11) In step 222, the external joypad is continuously read during play and the value is sent to the emulator. The output from the emulator is displayed on the screen. If the user presses the button on the game machine or the joypad button, the user is given the option of saving the contents of the RAM to the MSD such as an SD card. After the game machine is turned off, You can load the game.

  A second embodiment used in a portable or handheld device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a front view of the second embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a rear view of the second embodiment.

In this second embodiment, the system is designed as a portable system.
This device uses plastic upper cases 402 and 502, lower cases 420 and 520, sockets 404 and 504 that can be used by the original game machine controller, binary images as emulation graphics and previous graphics of cartridges, and temporary use. RAMs 410 and 510 for recording video game contents and the like, and audio output speakers 412 and 512 are provided.

  In addition to the elements similar to those used in the first embodiment, batteries 406 and 506 and displays 414 and 514 such as an LCD are added to this device. Reference numerals 408 and 508 denote battery covers. Sockets 404 and 504 allow insertion of a joypad compatible with the original game. The buttons 418 and 518 are arranged in the same shape as that of the game machine being emulated.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the device has a flap 522 for inserting a classic cartridge, a cartridge receiver 524 for reading a classic cartridge, and an HDMI (registered) that can be connected to a modern TV. A micro connector 526, a power socket 528 for charging and / or supplying power, and a slide switch 530 for turning on and off are provided.

The advantages of the second embodiment include:
(1) The battery lasts very long. As already explained, the old type chip consumes a lot of power and the battery life is very short.

(2) As in the first embodiment, a cheat program or the like in which the original game mode is modified and infinite “life” or level skip can be used can be used.

(3) A modern connector such as HDMI (registered trademark) can be used and is compatible with a modern television system, and a game can be played on the television by this unit. Older game consoles are particularly useful because they usually cannot be connected to a television.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated as an example of the 1st, 2 Example, the structure of this invention is not limited to these. In the first and second embodiments, the number of SoCs is one. However, as long as emulation is performed by a single SoC, the SoC may be added for other purposes. Further, although an FPGA is used, a configuration may be adopted in which reading from a cartridge is performed without providing an FPGA. A voltage converter is provided separately. However, in the case where voltage conversion is possible in the FPGA or a plurality of voltages can be handled in the SoC, the voltage converter may not be provided. The MSD may be wholly or partly stored inside the game device or removable from the game device.

  The number of cartridge ports is plural or one. However, any configuration may be used as long as the content of the game software is read from a plurality of types of game machines or recording media. A configuration in which a cartridge is directly attached and another member is attached to the cartridge port and the cartridge is attached to the separate member is also included.

402, 502 Plastic upper case 404, 504 Socket 406, 506 available for original game console controller Rechargeable battery 408, 508 Battery cover 410, 510 Emulation code, binary image as pre-stage graphics for cartridge, temporary RAM for recording video game content and other information
412 and 512 Audio output speakers 414 and 514 LCD display 416 and 516 for viewing game play output when there is movement Non-native SoC including microprocessor, graphics processor, audio, etc.
418, 518 Button sensors 420, 520 arranged to mimic classic game console placement flap 524 for inserting classic cartridges 524 Cartridge receiver 526 for reading classic cartridges HDMI (registered trademark) microconnector 528 that can be connected to a TV Power supply socket 530 that charges and / or supplies power Slide switch that turns on / off

Claims (12)

In a game apparatus capable of executing a plurality of types of games recorded on a game machine or a recording medium used in the game machine, the game apparatus includes:
Chipset,
A connection unit corresponding to the game machine or the recording medium,
With
The content of the game software is read from the game machine or recording medium and emulated.
The emulation is performed by the same one chipset,
Game device.   The game device includes a plurality of the connection units, can determine a game that can be executed by scanning the plurality of connection units, and can select one game in response to an input signal to the game device from the outside. The game device according to claim 1, wherein:   The game device includes a voltage conversion unit that converts a voltage at the plurality of connection units, or the plurality of connection units can process signals of different voltages. Game device.   The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game apparatus includes an FPGA circuit having a RAM and can be emulated in the FPGA circuit.   The game device according to claim 1, wherein the game device is capable of inputting a cheat code.   The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game apparatus includes a display information output unit, and the display information output unit processes display data by anti-aliasing or upscaling.   The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game apparatus includes an audio output unit, and the audio output unit processes audio data by interpolation or sampling. The game device includes:
The power supply unit includes a power supply unit to the connection unit, and the power supply unit turns off the power of the connection unit after the content of the game software is read.
Provided with an external recording medium that can record information about the stopped game once the game is stopped,
8. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopped game can be resumed by sending the information from an external recording medium to the game apparatus.   The game device according to claim 1, wherein the game device is driven with the same or lower voltage as the plurality of types of game machines.   The game device according to claim 1, wherein the game device is a portable device including a battery. In a game system capable of executing a plurality of types of games recorded on a game machine or a recording medium used in the game machine, the game system includes:
Chipset,
A connection unit corresponding to the game machine or the recording medium,
With
The content of the game software is read from the game machine or recording medium and emulated.
The emulation is performed by the same one chipset,
Game system. A method of enabling execution of a plurality of types of games recorded on a game machine or a recording medium used in the game machine, the method comprising:
The content of game software is read from a game machine or recording medium, and emulation is performed using the same single chipset.
Method.