Networking & Multiplayer

Tencent received 1 patent in this category, targeting the challenge of cross-region synchronization in large-scale virtual worlds. Traditional setups required every pair of regional servers to continuously mirror state with one another, meaning that adding more servers drove synchronization load up until individual servers hit their processing limits. This application addresses that problem by decoupling the computation cycles of communicating servers and scheduling incoming event signals to be processed only during the receiving server's next cycle, converting what was previously a continuous, bidirectional synchronization burden into a one-directional, cycle-scheduled delivery system.

Sony also received 1 patent, focused on keeping wireless peripherals like controllers and headsets operating reliably within a console-centric network. Rather than waiting for a wireless connection to degrade before taking corrective action, the described system draws on gameplay-side data, including player movement, user input, frame rate, and computation load, alongside status information from neighboring gaming networks, to anticipate interference before it occurs. It then evaluates candidate combinations of hosts and power settings, selecting the arrangement most likely to keep latency, packet loss, and bandwidth within acceptable thresholds, and adjusts transmit power or switches channels accordingly.