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Nintendo files patent for Game Boy emulation on mobile phones, PDA's, PC and more
To be fair, this is a continuation of a patent from 2000.
Of course gameboy emulators have been around from even earlier, but it is not like it was filled yesterday.
e: found the earlier patent, from 2000. Seems the first amateur gb emulator was from 97, so it is not that crazy.
e2: also, the original one references no$gb which is funny
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=6672963&OS=6672963&RS=6672963
before people yell that this references documents from after the filling, remember that patents can be completed afterwards. I think this one was being updated up until 2004.
davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
they're just going to destroy anyone who makes an emulator now. so much for being the only legal part of the process
...Before the 3ds?
Interesting.
This, what the fuck is wrong with this company? (Waits for GBA emulation homebrew via Ninjhax)
googleplex
Member
Nintendo not having an official way to play Game boy, Game Boy color, GBA and DS on IOS and Andriod decives is just leaving money on the table.
Dear god I hope not, that article was pure troll. Either this is a preventive measure or they truly are gearing up for emulation on various devices.
TheBaronOfNA
Banned
Sure, that was just the first commercial release I could think of. First handheld commercial release would've been the eReader NES games in 2001.
Internal documentation could go back father though. As an example, I remember a story about Yuji Naka developing an NES emulator on MegaDrive that played SMB1 fullspeed as a test pre-Sonic, which would far predate any fan emu I'm aware of.
shinra-bansho
Member
They could do that via copyright I'd imagine.
Novelty is a requisite for a patent... so I'm not sure what the twist is to meet that test.
God I hope so
Virgin Atlantic had SNES' in their planes for a long time. First time I played video games was in one of those.
Dreamwriter
Member
The America Invents Act of 2011 changed it so in the US it's whomever patents it first, not whomever invented it first.
BAW
Banned
What?
Then I will just go ahead and patent drinking water. You fuckers better make me rich or you gonna die.
And neither will they -_-
Yep, legitimising existing emulator sure does make terrible business sense when your in-house solutions have been shithouse for years... seriously Nintendo start outsourcing the VC to these people...
trialbygame
Neo Member
Just a quick point here for people wondering how you can patent something that's already existed: The claims of this patent are a method of optimizing emulation. This may serve a few of Nintendo's purposes: Both blocking some development avenues for future emulators and also giving them the exclusive right to create certain emulators. (While Nintendo doesn't sell emulators which allow a player to play any game, they certainly use emulators internally to implement ports of some old games -- this patent allows them to do so with their new innovations to emulators.)
See "The present invention solves these and other problems by providing a unique software emulator capable of providing acceptable speed performance and good image and sound quality on even a low-capability target platform such as a seat back display for example."
If you're curious about exactly what types of innovations and implementations they're describing, take a look at the full document.
See "The present invention solves these and other problems by providing a unique software emulator capable of providing acceptable speed performance and good image and sound quality on even a low-capability target platform such as a seat back display for example."
If you're curious about exactly what types of innovations and implementations they're describing, take a look at the full document.
Most patent discussion on GAF fails to get through to people, unfortunately. A lot of people don't understand how patents work and don't want to, they'd rather just scream "OMG YOU CAN'T PATENT THAT, THIS IS SO FUCKED" without really knowing what's being patented.
Patents have a 20 year term, so they can sit on it for 20 years.
Patents are not like trademarks. Trademarks require you to police your trademark or risk losing it. Patents give a complete 20 year right for the patent holder to exclude others from using, manufacturing, or selling their patented invention.
But this just means that for 20 years you won't be able to implement an emulator as described in their patent. There are, however, many ways to do something.
One caveat: I'm not clear how this type of patent is affected by the recent software patent case decided by the Supremes. Based on the USPTO taking their sweet time in coming up with a formal rule on how they're interpreting that decision, it seems pretty up in the air. Any patent attorneys with an interest in software patents want to chime in? The few I know haven't been able to give me a consistent answer on how this will all end up.
This is obviously a precursor to a single, account based virtual console service where you buy a game on it once and then can play it on your Wii U, 3DS, phone, tablet, PC, whatever the next generation Nintendo system is, whatever. Coming next year with cloud saves, filter options and online compatibility so you can play all the classics, coop or competitive, with friends to provide something that isn't standard on most emulators.
lol
shaowebb
Member
This is how I see it. More to prevent other apps than a bid into a new market.
Nope.
Why would it mean that?
Because if Nintendo has a patent on that can't they simply remove them due to patent infringement ?
killatopak
Member
Oh man...
I had fun speed running pokemon red on an emulator.
I had fun speed running pokemon red on an emulator.
Maintenance
Member
Oh shit, megaton. Maybe I'll be able to play Metroid Zero Mission in my phone before they even put it on the Wii U.
charlequin
Banned
Okay, just to try to get people on the same page about patents: patents are one of three legally-protected forms of intellectual property recognized in law. A patent is a time-limited right of exclusive monopoly over an invention, in exchange for publicly revealing the workings of that invention. An invention here is either a process or a physical object that solves a specific problem, has not been invented before, and is not superficially obvious.
Patents have a fixed duration (20 years, in the US) and during that time, give the patent-holder the ability to restrict others from making, selling, or otherwise using the patented item or process. In a perfect world they are supposed to be thoroughly vetted by the patent office before being issued, but in practice it often falls to those who are accused of infringment to prove that the patent in question is invalid.
Basically, conclusions you should not draw from this news story:
While this is true, reading through the list of optimizations makes it clear that these too are largely well-understood methods with significant bodies of prior art. I haven't written an emulator myself, but on a couple quick skims I didn't see anything in the list that hasn't already been used out in the wild.
Patents have a fixed duration (20 years, in the US) and during that time, give the patent-holder the ability to restrict others from making, selling, or otherwise using the patented item or process. In a perfect world they are supposed to be thoroughly vetted by the patent office before being issued, but in practice it often falls to those who are accused of infringment to prove that the patent in question is invalid.
Basically, conclusions you should not draw from this news story:
- Nintendo is about to release VC for phones and computers
- Nintendo owns the concept of emulation now
- Nintendo will use this to crush third-party emulators of Nintendo systems
- Nintendo will even necessarily succeed in having this patent granted
While this is true, reading through the list of optimizations makes it clear that these too are largely well-understood methods with significant bodies of prior art. I haven't written an emulator myself, but on a couple quick skims I didn't see anything in the list that hasn't already been used out in the wild.
BodiesWithoutOrgans
Member
Yup nothing else to see
nkarafo
Member
Now i wonder whats that all about.
DXB-KNIGHT
Member
Buy Mobile emulators, Nintendo is coming to get you, remove you and then do nothing.
more like hundreds of prior works exist to prove that this patent won't hold up.
TangorFopper
Member
Rösti;140650261 said:
So there's a guy called Patrick J. Link and he works for Nintendo...
that1dude24
Member
CrAzY FiNgErS
Member
Bump....
I know Nintendo said they would not just port their legacy games over to mobile, but this might be evidence to prove otherwise. Since official games for mobile devices are being created by Nintendo perhaps they will want all third party Nintendo emulators off of the Play Store and demand that Google removes them.
I guess the thinking from Nintendo's perspective might be that said emulators would interfere with the selling and marketing of their new games on the Play Store. On Apple devices they won't have to worry so much, at least not on Apples official store front.
Another possibility might be a perk for current Nintendo console or handheld owners where Nintendo allows owners of their systems to download an app that allows you to play all your Virtual Console software on phones or tablets. They perhaps could make the Wii U Pro controller compatible with their app. Who knows if that would be a possibility, but I do think it is a Bluetooth device.
Of course I don't agree with Nintendo on patenting an emulator, but it will be interesting to see how this all pans out.
I know Nintendo said they would not just port their legacy games over to mobile, but this might be evidence to prove otherwise. Since official games for mobile devices are being created by Nintendo perhaps they will want all third party Nintendo emulators off of the Play Store and demand that Google removes them.
I guess the thinking from Nintendo's perspective might be that said emulators would interfere with the selling and marketing of their new games on the Play Store. On Apple devices they won't have to worry so much, at least not on Apples official store front.
Another possibility might be a perk for current Nintendo console or handheld owners where Nintendo allows owners of their systems to download an app that allows you to play all your Virtual Console software on phones or tablets. They perhaps could make the Wii U Pro controller compatible with their app. Who knows if that would be a possibility, but I do think it is a Bluetooth device.
Of course I don't agree with Nintendo on patenting an emulator, but it will be interesting to see how this all pans out.
Even Nintendo ones... I was wondering the same...
Same... The claims about frame skipping, emulating DOT screen, etc., have all been seen before.
Didn't know that... Actually, I thought US patents went saner, not more stupid, recently. That can't possibly work. But even if that's the case, I'd think that it's for two people creating something at least partly new, not an existing product. I'll look into it...
Those millions of GB-GBA ROMs that are out there aren't going to disappear and they're not going to be able to keep a lid on the emulator APKs that area already out there in the wild waiting to be side-loaded either.. it may mean they can keep certain emulators off the legit stores though, if they prosecute this patent
A lot of them were yanked off the Play Store anyway at one point weren't they? I know they're back up now, but something happened for a while there and they came back. I'm not imagining this am I?
A lot of them were yanked off the Play Store anyway at one point weren't they? I know they're back up now, but something happened for a while there and they came back. I'm not imagining this am I?