Abstract: A method for providing information in an HMD. The method includes defining an active zone in a virtual reality (VR) viewing environment of a user as presented through a 3D display of the HMD. The method includes placing main content in the active zone of the VR viewing environment. The method includes defining one or more peripheral zones outside of the active zone. The method includes placing secondary content in the first peripheral zone of the VR viewing environment. The method includes displaying an attractor within the active zone in conjunction with the entry of new data in the secondary content, wherein the attractor brings attention of the user to the first peripheral zone. The method includes detecting rotation of the HMD from the first orientation directed to the active zone towards a second orientation directed to the first peripheral zone. The method includes pausing the main content.

Abstract: A method for gaming. The method including receiving location based information of game play of a user playing a gaming application as displayed on a first computing device, wherein the location based information is made with reference to a location of a character in the game play of the user in a gaming world associated with the gaming application. The method including aggregating location based information of a plurality of game plays of a plurality of users playing the gaming application. The method including generating contextually relevant information for the location of the character based on the location based information of the plurality of game plays. The method including generating a companion interface including the contextually relevant information. The method including sending the companion interface to a second computing device associated with the user for display concurrent with the game play of the user.

Abstract: Detection of whether a video is a fake video derived from an original video and altered is undertaken using a block chain that either forbids adding to the block chain copies of original videos that have been altered or indicating in the block chain that an altered video has been altered. Image fingerprinting techniques are described for determining whether video sought to be added to block chain has been altered.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for enabling the creation, game play, and third party view of a head-to-head challenge game played synchronously or asynchronously by a first and second player. In one embodiment, a method includes operations for receiving a request to view the challenge game for obtaining a first and second video associated with a predefined segment of a single player game as played by the first and second player. The method further includes operations for executing the challenge game that plays the first video alongside the second video in a spectator interface, for accessing and processing telemetry data of the game play of the predefined segment to generate modified game play metrics, and for replacing game states that were produced when the predefined segment of the game was played with the modified game play metrics. The modified game play metrics are rendered to the spectator interface.

Abstract: A method is provided, including the following operations: receiving a request to initiate gameplay of a video game, the gameplay being configured to occur in a virtual environment resembling a requested real-world location; responsive to the request, obtaining exterior data associated to the requested real-world location, the exterior data describing external structures of physical objects in the requested real-world location; using a trained machine learning model to infer interior data for the physical objects based on the exterior data, the interior data describing inferred internal structures of the physical objects; generating the virtual environment using the exterior data and the interior data; initiating gameplay of the video game in the generated virtual environment.

Abstract: A method for gaming assistance. Information relating to game plays of player for a gaming application is received at a back-end server. A current game context of a first game play of a first player is determined from the information. Historical expert game contexts of expert game plays of experts that have played the gaming application are determined from the information. An assistance query related to the first game play is received. The current game context of the first player is compared to the historical expert game contexts to determine at least one expert having a corresponding historical expert game context that matches the first game context. A first expert is assigned to the first player for obtaining assistance. A communication session is generated between a device of the first expert and a device of the first player to enable the first expert to render assistance to the first player.

Abstract: A method for providing information in an HMD. The method includes defining an active zone in a virtual reality (VR) viewing environment of a user as presented through a 3D display of the HMD. The method includes placing main content in the active zone of the VR viewing environment. The method includes defining one or more peripheral zones outside of the active zone. The method includes placing secondary content in the first peripheral zone of the VR viewing environment. The method includes displaying an attractor within the active zone in conjunction with the entry of new data in the secondary content, wherein the attractor brings attention of the user to the first peripheral zone. The method includes detecting rotation of the HMD from the first orientation directed to the active zone towards a second orientation directed to the first peripheral zone. The method includes pausing the main content.

Abstract: Detection of whether a video is a fake video derived from an original video and altered is undertaken using a block chain that either forbids adding to the block chain copies of original videos that have been altered or indicating in the block chain that an altered video has been altered. Image fingerprinting techniques are described for determining whether video sought to be added to block chain has been altered.

Abstract: A method for gaming assistance. Information relating to game plays of player for a gaming application is received at a back-end server. A current game context of a first game play of a first player is determined from the information. Historical expert game contexts of expert game plays of experts that have played the gaming application are determined from the information. An assistance query related to the first game play is received. The current game context of the first player is compared to the historical expert game contexts to determine at least one expert having a corresponding historical expert game context that matches the first game context. A first expert is assigned to the first player for obtaining assistance. A communication session is generated between a device of the first expert and a device of the first player to enable the first expert to render assistance to the first player.

Abstract: A method for gaming, including receiving from a client device of a user selection of a video recording of game play of a player for a gaming application, and streaming the video recording to the client device. The video recording is associated with a snapshot captured at a first point in the recorded game play. Selection of a jump point in the recorded game play is received from the client device. An instance of the gaming application is initiated based on the snapshot to initiate a jump game play. Input commands used to direct the game play and associated with the snapshot are accessed. Image frames are generated based on the input commands for rendering at the client device, the image frames replaying the game play to the jump point. Input commands from the client device are handled beginning from the jump point for the jump game play.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing community driven content includes at least one sensor for recording sensor data, a network interface, a memory, and a processor connected to the sensor, the network interface, and the memory. The processor is configured to record usage history for engagement with the apparatus by a first user over a period of time and receive the sensor data from the at least one sensor for actions by the first user over the period of time. The processor determines user preferences for the first user based on the usage history and the sensor data, and determines whether a second user is available for interaction with the first user. The processor then outputs the suggested action, at a predetermined time, to at least one connected display device or audio device.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating post-engagement metadata includes at least one sensor for recording sensor data at a first location, a network interface, a memory, and a processor. The processor is connected to the sensor, the network interface, and the memory and is configured to monitor for termination of engagement with the apparatus by a first user. The processor records a last engagement activity before the termination of engagement, and determines post-engagement user actions by the first user based on sensor data from the at least one sensor, after the termination of engagement. The processor determines a termination cause, based on the post-engagement user actions, and generates post-engagement metadata for the first user including the termination cause.

Abstract: A method for dramatizing video gaming is disclosed. The method includes receiving over a network from a client device contextual data corresponding to game play of a player playing a gaming application. The method includes identifying an event of dramatic significance is occurring or likely will occur in the game play based on the contextual data and historical data of a plurality of game plays relating to the gaming application. The method includes generating information dramatizing the event of dramatic significance. The method includes surfacing the information in connection with the game play.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for generating an event reel based on spectator reaction data, the event reel is temporally synchronized to a music track. A method includes receiving a video file for video content and receiving spectator reaction data related to reactions generated by spectators while viewing the video content. The method includes processing the spectator reaction data to identify video time slices from the video content that correspond to segments of interest of the video content. The method includes processing a music track to identify markers for the music track that correspond to beats of the music track and generating an event reel having a video component defined by a sequence of the video time slices that is temporally synchronized to the markers of the music track.

Abstract: A method for gaming including receiving game states of game plays of players playing a gaming application. The method includes tracking game play progression for each of the game plays based on game states, wherein game play progression is defined by a corresponding set of relationship characteristics. A first game play of a first player is associated with a first set of relationship characteristics. The method includes identifying for the first player players having corresponding game plays that include one or more relationship characteristics from the first set of relationship characteristics. The method includes surfacing the identified players for display to the first player. Each surfaced players have a corresponding game play progression that is related to the first game play progression. Each surfaced players is associated with a corresponding communication warning indicator that provides relative game play progression between game plays the corresponding surfaced player and the first player.

Abstract: A method for navigating through a gaming world, including capturing a plurality of snapshots generated from instances of a video game; generating for display a timeline of a first user playing the video game, wherein the timeline includes snapshot images of at least one user progressing through the video game displayed in relation to a currently rendered image displayed in association with the first user; generating for display in the timeline thumbnails including first snapshot images associated with the first user, wherein the first snapshots shows past progress of the first user in comparison to the currently rendered image; and generating for display in the timeline second thumbnails including second snapshot images associated with a second user, wherein the second snapshot images shows progress of the second user at a point in the video game after the currently rendered image.

Abstract: Methods enable creation of a game slice from a game. Plurality of games is provided for presentation on a display device. Each game is identified by an image. Selection activity is detected at the image of one of the games. In response to the selection, game code of the selected game is executed to enable game play of an unlocked game. The selected game is streamed to the display device. User interaction related to the game play is received. A recording of the game play is examined to identify portions of the game for generating a game slice, which are returned in a suggested list for selection. Game slice is generated for a selected portion from the list. A recording of the game play for the game slice is associated as a primary video segment. The game slice and the primary video segment are provided for sharing over a network.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing community driven content includes at least one sensor for recording sensor data, a network interface, a memory, and a processor connected to the sensor, the network interface, and the memory. The processor is configured to record usage history for engagement with the apparatus by a first user over a period of time and receive the sensor data from the at least one sensor for actions by the first user over the period of time. The processor determines user preferences for the first user based on the usage history and the sensor data, and determines whether a second user is available for interaction with the first user. The processor then outputs the suggested action, at a predetermined time, to at least one connected display device or audio device.

Abstract: Methods for tagging content in a video game title during game play executed on a game cloud system, and social sharing methods. One method includes receiving a pause indication during the game play and suspending the game play to hold the video game title in a current frame image, storing the game state, and receiving the tag data that is associated to a location in the current frame image and to a user identifier for the current frame image. The method further includes generating a video recording of the game play having the tag data and generating a mini-game from a portion of the video game title. The mini-game includes a playable portion to enable view of a portion of the video recording for the mini-game and an executable portion to enable the play of game code for the mini-game that is a portion of the video game title.

Abstract: A method for gaming, including receiving from a client device of a user selection of a video recording of game play of a player for a gaming application, and streaming the video recording to the client device. The video recording is associated with a snapshot captured at a first point in the recorded game play. Selection of a jump point in the recorded game play is received from the client device. An instance of the gaming application is initiated based on the snapshot to initiate a jump game play. Input commands used to direct the game play and associated with the snapshot are accessed. Image frames are generated based on the input commands for rendering at the client device, the image frames replaying the game play to the jump point. Input commands from the client device are handled beginning from the jump point for the jump game play.