Microsoft Patents Hint System for Xbox 360

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Microsoft Patents Hint System for Xbox 360

Microsoft's patent allows a community driven in-game help system.

Recently, Microsoft has filed a patent for an in-game help system driven by other Xbox Live members.

Players and developers will be able to upload pictures, videos, and other items in order to help players where they are having trouble in any game. Players will be able to rank the guides, thus giving better guides a higher priority.

The system seems to resemble what players found in Atlus' Demon's Souls. Nintendo also patented their own guide system, and put it to use in the recently released New Super Mario Bros Wii.

Comments

Our Take

Lukasz Balicki Staff Alumnus

11/25/2009 at 08:23 AM

Yet again Nintendo is leading the industry while Microsoft and Sony seems to follow Nintendo's footsteps.

Our Take

Nick DiMola Director

11/25/2009 at 09:20 AM

I'm not sure I fully agree. I think this is a different beast. I mean conceptually, yes, this is another help system, but implementation-wise it's a totally different thing.

This takes something like GameFAQs and merges it with the actual game, even ranking the good ones versus the bad ones. I love it.

Our Take

Lukasz Balicki Staff Alumnus

11/25/2009 at 11:57 AM

I agree that it's conceptually the same but the implementation is different. But in a way the same can be said about the Xbox 360 Avatars (since you can buy fake clothes and accessories for them with real money) and a bunch of other stuff that you can't necessarily do with Miis.

But it makes you wonder, would Microsoft pursue this if Nintendo didn't release their Super Guide in New Super Mario Bros Wii?

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