The present invention relates to systems and methods for improving target aiming accuracy and/or target acquisition speed of participants during interactive video games.
Interactive action video gaming systems have evolved and improved rapidly over the past twenty years. Many interactive video games on the Gen4 gaming systems, such as the Sony PlayStation4, are capable of providing players with an almost real-time interactivity. Many of these video games are action-based games involving the acquisition and shooting of target(s) while each player's avatar is on the move, and most of these video games present an aiming point proximate to a physical center of the gaming system's display screen.
In many of these video games, the aiming point disappears or changes shape when an avatar is on the move, and then reappears or reverts shape when the avatar is stationary. The absence or mutation of the aiming point during the avatar's movements substantially increases target acquisition and/or reacquisition time, and potentially also reduces the accuracy of the avatar. Further, crosshairs provided by the video games are often dim and hard to visualize.
Prior feeble attempts at providing a more permanent aiming point on the display device include attaching a sticker or attaching an LED using a suction cup at the center of the screen. Both of these methods are deficient. A sticker does not work well in “darker” scenes, such as inside dimly lighted rooms. Disadvantages of attaching an LED with a suction cup include obscuring the area covered by the cup and also the area covered by the power supply leads for the LED. The physical size of the LED is another disadvantage.
It is therefore apparent that an urgent need exists for improved aiming capability for players of video games. This improved aiming capability will enable video gamers to quickly and accurately accomplish target acquisition while on the move.