Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes: receiving circuitry to receive game state information and associated user data for a plurality of previous interactive sessions of an interactive gaming application, the plurality of previous interactive sessions associated with a plurality of users, wherein for each previous interactive session, the user data is indicative of one or more properties for a given user during the previous interactive session and the game state information is indicative of one or more in-game properties during the previous interactive session; analysis circuitry to: generate user emotion data indicative of one or more user emotion categories in dependence upon the user data for the plurality of previous interactive sessions; detect a correspondence between a set of one or more in-game properties and a given user emotion category for at least a threshold number of interactive sessions; and generate a notification element comprising notification data indicative of the set of one or more in-game

Abstract: A user input method includes the steps of inputting real events arising from a user acting as a spectator of content, analysing the real events to estimate user sentiment, and modifying an aspect of computer-controlled character behaviour in response to estimated user sentiment.

Abstract: A system for evaluating content, the system comprising a data obtaining unit configured to obtain data relating to one or more properties of the content, a processing unit configured to determine an expected contribution of one or more of the properties to a cognitive load for a user, an evaluation unit configured to determine an expected cognitive load associated with the content in dependence upon the expected contributions, and an image generation unit operable to generate an image for display in dependence upon the determined expected cognitive load.

Abstract: A system for generating a personalised Head-Related Transfer Function, HRTF, for a user, the system comprising: a sound source at a first position; a user device comprising: a left microphone arranged to be at a left ear of the user, when the user device is worn; a right microphone arranged to be at a right ear of the user, when the user device is worn; and a controller configured to: prompt the user to move to series of different second positions; control the sound source to emit a predetermined sound signal when the user is at each second position; obtain a detected sound signal from each of the left and right microphones when the user is at each second position; generate a personalised HRTF based on the predetermined sound signal and the detected sound signal for each microphone and each second position.

Abstract: A system for use with a head-mountable display device, HMD, operable to present content to a user, the system comprising a temperature sensor unit configured to detect a temperature associated with at least one of the user's eyes and/or an ambient temperature associated with the HMD, a blink sensor unit configured to detect blinking of one or both of the user's eyes, a threshold determination unit configured to determine a threshold value for a blink rate of the user in dependence upon the one or more detected temperatures, and a processing unit configured to determine a blink rate of the user in dependence upon the detected blinks, and to modify the content presented by the HMD in response to the blink rate of the user falling below the threshold value.

Abstract: A game selection system includes an emotion processor configured to obtain a current emotional state of a user; a descriptor processor configured to obtain one or more emotion descriptors associated with one or more games; an evaluation processor configured to predict an emotion outcome for the user for the or each game, based upon the user's current emotional state and the one or more emotion descriptors of the respective games; and a selection processor configured to select one or more games in response to whether their respective emotion outcomes meet at least a first predetermined criterion.

Abstract: A game selection system includes: an emotion processor configured to obtain a current emotional state of a user; a descriptor processor configured to obtain one or more emotion descriptors associated with one or more games; an evaluation processor configured to predict an emotion outcome for the user for the or each game, based upon the user's current emotional state and the one or more emotion descriptors of the respective games; and a selection processor configured to select one or more games in response to whether their respective emotion outcomes meet at least a first predetermined criterion.

Abstract: A processing device includes: a first receiving unit configured to receive one or more inputs for a video game console from a handheld video game controller using a first communication protocol; and a first transmitting unit configured to transmit the one or more inputs to the video game console using a second communication protocol, where communication using the second communication protocol has a longer range than communication using the first communication protocol.

Abstract: An input system comprising: a first input device comprising a display and one or more sensors, wherein the first input device is configured to generate one or more inputs of a first type; a second input device comprising an attachment unit for removably attaching the first input device to the second input device, wherein the second input device is configured to generate one or more inputs of a second type; and a processing device configured to receive the one or more inputs of the first type and the one or more inputs of the second type.

Abstract: A head mountable display, HMD, system to display images to a user via an HMD includes an illumination detector to detect an illumination level of an ambient environment around the HMD; an operation detector to detect one or more operations indicative of one or both of: (i) initiation of the HMD being put on by the user; and (ii) initiation of the HMD being taken off by the user; and a controller to control the illumination level of the display images, the controller being configured to generate and apply a temporary illumination level variation to the display images in response to a detection of the one or more operations by the operation detector.

Abstract: A method of communication for a plurality of portable communication devices and a videogame console includes installing an app on a first portable communication device, the app adapted to cause the first portable communication device to carry out the steps of identifying a videogame console associated with a user of the first portable communication device, communicating with the videogame console using a first communication protocol supported by the videogame console to receive information from the videogame console, and communicating with one or more of the other of the plurality of portable communication devices using an second, different communication protocol common to the first portable communication device and the one or more other portable communication devices, to relay information from the videogame console.

Abstract: A system includes a head-mountable display (HMD) configured to receive one or more signals via a wired connection with an external device, processing circuitry to generate an output indicative of at least one of a predicted disconnect event and a detected disconnect event for the wired connection, and control circuitry to instruct one or more operations to be performed by the HMD in response to the generated output.

Abstract: A method of rendering image frames for a videogame includes the steps of, for one or more predetermined features of a virtual environment of a videogame, setting a respective per-frame movement distance threshold; calculating a respective minimum frame rate at which movement of the or each predetermined features of the virtual environment of the videogame between successive image frames remains within the respective movement distance threshold; detecting whether the current frame rate is below one or more of the respective minimum frame rates; and if so, reducing a rendering resolution used during rendering of one or more subsequent image frames to increase the frame rate above one or more of the minimum frame rates.

Abstract: A system includes one or more sensors to detect one or more properties for a current user wearing a head-mountable display (HMD), control circuitry to select a user profile from a plurality of stored user profiles in dependence upon one or more of the detected properties, where each stored user profile is associated with a respective user and includes data indicative of one or more reference properties for the respective user, where the selected user profile includes data indicative of at least one reference property that is substantially the same as at least one of the one or more of the detected properties, and processing circuitry to generate at least one of audio and video content for output by the HMD in dependence upon the selected user profile and in response to the selection of the user profile.

Abstract: A head mountable display, HMD, system to display images to a user via an HMD comprises an illumination detector to detect an illumination level of an ambient environment around the HMD; an operation detector to detect one or more operations indicative of one or both of: (i) initiation of the HMD being put on by the user; and (ii) initiation of the HMD being taken off by the user; and a controller to control the illumination level of the display images, the controller being configured to generate and apply a temporary illumination level variation to the display images in response to a detection of the one or more operations by the operation detector.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes executing an initial version of computer game software, the executing step including rendering computer game video images for display; displaying the video images using a head mountable display (HMD); detecting user operation of one or more user controls to perform colour grading adjustments; applying the colour grading adjustments to the video images rendered by the rendering step; and generating colour grading data to be associated with a revised version of the computer game software; in which the executing step and the applying step are performed by different respective data processing apparatus.

Abstract: An image processing method includes: inputting data representative of an image into a machine learning system, the machine learning system having been previously trained to predict a gaze position of viewers of images; obtaining a predicted gaze position from the machine learning system in response to the input data; performing predicted gaze position dependent image processing, the image processing producing at least a first region of the image corresponding to where a viewer is predicted to gaze, and a second region, with a first image quality of the first region being higher than a second image quality of the second region; and outputting the processed image.

Abstract: A system for generating images for display, the system comprising a content identification unit operable to identify content to be displayed, an overlay identification unit operable to identify an overlay to be applied to at least a portion of the content to be displayed, a rasterization rate determining unit operable to determine, in dependence upon the identified overlay, a rasterization rate to be applied to each of two or more areas of at least a frame of the content to be displayed, a rendering unit operable to render the content to be displayed in accordance with the determined rasterization rates, and an overlay applying unit operable to generate an image by applying the overlay to the rendered image.

Abstract: A user input method includes the steps of inputting real events arising from a user acting as a spectator of content, analysing the real events to estimate user sentiment, and modifying an aspect of computer-controlled character behaviour in response to estimated user sentiment.

Abstract: A gaze tracking system comprising a pupil detection unit operable to detect the location of a pupil in one or more images captured of one or both a user's eyes, a confidence value determination unit operable to determine a confidence value in dependence upon the identified pupil position, the confidence value indicating an expected reliability of the detection of the pupil location, and a processing unit operable to generate, in dependence upon the determined confidence value, one or more outputs to cause the user to modify their pupil location to a location with a higher determined confidence value.