26 years. That is how long Microsoft has been around, and in that time they have secured 5000 US patents. Doing
some quick calculations, that averages to a new patent every other day since the company's creation. And what, pray
tell, was Microsoft's milestone patent?In what looks to be another huge feature for Xbox Live, future games for the 360 may come equipped with technology to allow "spectators" in online matches. This technology will allow each spectator "to control one or more virtual cameras to select desired viewpoints, or an automated camera control to frame the action and perform specific cuts to best convey the story and action" (via GamesIndustry.biz). It's a technology we have seen in PC gaming for a long time (remember spectating 1-on-1 matches in Quake III Arena?) and is already available in a few Xbox Live titles (Project Gotham Racing 3, for example).
Here's to watching thousands of matches of Halo 3 players who are in every way better than us. We wonder what these patents mean for Nintendo and Sony. Microsoft's lead with Xbox Live is frequently discussed, but the assumption is often made that Nintendo and Sony will eventually catch up. Patents are a government-granted monopoly on certain features and functionality designed to reward innovators. Will Microsoft's mass of patents hold result in a substantially inferior online experience for Nintendo and Sony, or will they be able to offer substantially the same thing, eventually?
