Home Gaming Nintendo patents Gameboy emulator. Why?

Nintendo patents Gameboy emulator. Why?

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Gameboy emulation has been around for years. You can load up roms in to your emulator of choice and play handheld games like it’s 1989. Nintendo even uses Gameboy emulation in its virtual console. In 2003 the company filed for an emulation patent which was granted in 2012. Earlier this year, they applied anew, with the patent being granted yesterday (via neoGAF). Why? Is Nintendo set to release its own official mobile Gameboy Emulator?

Here’s what the patent’s for:

A software emulator for emulating a handheld video game platform such as GAME BOY.RTM., GAME BOY COLOR.RTM. and/or GAME BOY ADVANCE.RTM. on a low-capability target platform (e.g., a seat-back display for airline or train use, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone) uses a number of features and optimizations to provide high quality graphics and sound that nearly duplicates the game playing experience on the native platform. Some exemplary features include use of bit BLITing, graphics character reformatting, modeling of a native platform liquid crystal display controller using a sequential state machine, and selective skipping of frame display updates if the game play falls behind what would occur on the native platform.

patent1a

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Why would Nintendo patent this? While one would hope that it means we’ll be seeing a properly functional Gameboy emulator on iOS or Android (or, as the diagrams suggest, in the seatbacks of planes), it’s more likely that they’re just doing it to protect themselves legally, and maybe finally do something about all of those fan-mad emulators available on PCs, handhelds and mobile phones.

In an ideal world though, it’d be to finally bring Pokémon Red and Blue to Android and iOS in an official capacity. This is not an ideal, world.

Last Updated: November 28, 2014

25 Comments

  1. ZombieDogma

    November 28, 2014 at 13:03

    How is this patentable? I’m sure that Nintendo owns the rights to the Gameboy, but the emulation itself has prior art, definitely not by Nintendo.

    Reply

    • Quo Vadis?

      November 28, 2014 at 13:09

      according to law, anything can be patented if there is no patent license on it. It is a way to protect your intellectual property (IP), especially if there is something new or beneficial that you have or would like to add to your IP. It is also effective, so that if someone else comes along with something similar, they have to pay royalties or completely redesign their IP to be something entirely different, thereby benchmarking your product or IP.

      Reply

      • ZombieDogma

        November 28, 2014 at 13:15

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prior_art <– Is my point to this.

        All the things they describe, from the idea of software and hardware emulation (of the gameboy even) to bitblitting to frameskip, are available and implemented in open source projects. I don't know that I could guarantee that these things existed before 2006, but I'm fairly sure.

        I don't think Nintendo can claim the emulation as their IP. It's interesting though, because they own the original product.

        Not a law expert, obviously.

        Reply

        • Quo Vadis?

          November 28, 2014 at 13:27

          you see, this is the problem with patents. if, lets say, you have something you would like to patent and you demonstrate it to me, I can oppose you on the patent register. Its very unfair I know, but its law, not justice.

          Reply

      • Johnny LoveFive

        November 29, 2014 at 08:07

        IP’s get copyrighted not patented- watch end credits or title screens, they’ll give the year of copyright usually.

        Reply

    • Johnny LoveFive

      November 29, 2014 at 08:02

      Their IP’s are copyrighted, not patented for starters. Second, the patent is the type of device used to run the IP.

      Reply

  2. ToshZA

    November 28, 2014 at 13:09

    An official emulated series of Pokemon games for PC? Yes. Make it happen Ninty. Be the good guy.

    Reply

  3. Admiral Chief Wang

    November 28, 2014 at 13:21

    SOUND BLASTER!!!

    LOL man you know you are old if you had to load the driver in DOS before kicking up a game of Dune

    Reply

    • Skyblue

      November 28, 2014 at 14:31

      Box ticked.

      Reply

    • Kensei Seraph No DA:I spoilers

      November 28, 2014 at 14:32

      I remember doing that once or twice.

      Reply

  4. Raptor Rants A Lot

    November 28, 2014 at 13:22

    BRING POKEMON TO IOS OR ANDROID!!!!

    Reply

    • Aries

      November 28, 2014 at 13:25

      Feel sorry for peoples batteries and their work

      Reply

      • Raptor Rants A Lot

        November 28, 2014 at 13:28

        Work? BAH! Who needs it!

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Wang

          November 28, 2014 at 13:36

          Ummmm, your car, food, house, electricity, water, interwebs, etc etc

          Reply

          • Raptor Rants A Lot

            November 28, 2014 at 13:38

            shush you!

          • Admiral Chief Wang

            November 28, 2014 at 13:42

            Fine, see you in a week then

          • Raptor Rants A Lot

            November 28, 2014 at 13:45

            lol

  5. oVg elfroot addict

    November 28, 2014 at 13:25

    Makes sense. Just think of all those airplane seats that have the iPad inside the seat in front of you. Trapped target market.

    I got strange looks from everybody on the plane, probably wondering why I was playing games on a second screen (Vita also plugged into the USB port) while all the entertainment in the world is on their touch screen airplane seat screens. Or I just look angry all of the time… probably my ginger hair.

    How many airplane seats are there and how many people fly? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    Reply

  6. Mark Vincer

    November 28, 2014 at 13:28

    So here seems as good a place as any to ask the following: where could I get a good deal on a WiiU? I’d like to rejoin the playing hordes and, honestly, WiiU is what I want. Any good deals around on bundle packs? Zelda would be cool. Or Mario Kart 8.

    Reply

    • Mark Vincer

      November 28, 2014 at 13:33

      I see loot.co.za and takealot both have bundles for about R4K. I don’t see an option to buy a second controller though.

      Reply

    • oVg elfroot addict

      November 28, 2014 at 13:33

      Watchdogs? Its $60, a year late, has most content cut, a day one 600mb mandatory activation patch…
      GO FOR IT 😛

      Reply

    • elNielio

      November 28, 2014 at 17:13

      Kalahari has the cheapest bundle going for just over 4K but it comes with New Super Mario Bros.U. Other ones are a bit more expensive but come with cooler games like Mario Kart 8. Other websites to consider is awx.co.za and also raru.co.za they have quite a lot of Wii U merchandise which is actually pretty hard to come by in SA.

      Reply

  7. Dylan Walker

    November 28, 2014 at 14:54

    Would like to see an official app on IOS, Android and Windows Phones.. Would be kinda cool.

    Reply

  8. jeff

    December 3, 2014 at 14:59

    Pretty sure their Dev kit emulator would play every game ever made perfectly, considering they actually MADE the gameboys, and they already have the source, sooooo… (Unless it’s built for an unpopular architecture like ibm powerPC and its impossible to port for some reason) this is just to stop as many emulators as they can.
    But what do I know? I’m probably babbling on about stuff I don’t understand so just ignore this comment

    Reply

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