Nintendo Patents Watch

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Knowledge-based discourse

Session Management of Playtest Program

A new NSO Playtest Program patent (US20260084049) is out, focusing on game session management. There are two types of session, either as an operator or viewer:

An operator is a player character (image 1 below) who can place objects, set regions, and perform other actions. An viewer can choose to watch a region (img 2) or another user (img 3). Note that a frame appears in the UI to indicate the viewer mode. When a viewer is watching another viewer, two nested frames appear (img 4).

Drawing from patent US20260084049: FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a game image showing that a player character PC1 has entered a section A
Drawing from patent US20260084049: FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a game image showing that a first user is spectating, as a viewer, a region setting object A1 in a section B
Drawing from patent US 20260084049: FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a game image showing that a first user is spectating, as a viewer, a player character PC3 in a section C
Drawing from patent US 20260084049: FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a game image that is displayed when a user corresponding to an object to be spectated is a viewer of another object to be spectated

An operator may temporarily leave their session to become a viewer in another session for a predetermined time limit. During that time, a “stay piece” (OBJp1 in img 1 below) holds the place for the absent user so that they can return later as an operator.

Drawing from patent US 20260084049: FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a game image showing that a stay piece OBJp1 is disposed in a section A
Drawing from patent US20260084049: FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a non-limiting example of a capacity condition of each section

The server has a set stay capacity for region holders and operators, and a dynamic spectating capacity for viewers (based on the number of operators; img 2 above). When the stay capacity is full, no new operators or region holders can join. When the spectating capacity is full, only new operators and new viewers who are also region holders can join; as a result either the oldest or newest (TBD) viewers will be evicted.

Other Playtest Program patents: region hiding, multi-selection, foundational

[Originally posted on 2026-03-26 Pacific Time]