Apparatus and method for wireless video gaming

A set-top box comprising:

• an interface that connects to a game card that provides a game platform to run a software video game, the game card including a processor, a memory and a graphics engine, the game card being operable to output high twitch-action video game data through the interface;
• a unit to process the high twitch-action video game data for output to a display device;
• a wireless transceiver to receive the software video game via a wireless network;
• a compression unit for compressing the high twitch-action video game data with a latency of less than approximately 80 ms, but greater than about 5 ms;
• and
• wherein the wireless transceiver is further operable to wirelessly transmit the compressed high twitch-action video game data to at least one remote user, and to receive commands from the at least one remote user, via the wireless network, the remote user being located beyond a transmission range of the wireless transceiver.

A set-top box comprising:

• an interface that connects to a game card providing a game platform to run a software video game;
• a unit to process the video game video for output to a display device;
• a wireless transceiver to receive the software video game via a wireless local area network (WLAN) and to wirelessly transmit game information to a remote player having access to the WLAN during interactive play of the software video game;
• a compression unit for compressing the video game video with a latency of less than approximately 80 ms, but greater than about 5 ms;
• and
• wherein the wireless transceiver is further operable to wirelessly transmit the compressed video game video to at least one remote user, and to receive commands from the at least one remote user, via the WLAN, the at least one remote user being located beyond a transmission range of the wireless transceiver.

An apparatus comprising:

• a unit operable to execute at least one high twitch-action video game for one or more players, video game video being produced therefrom;
• a compression unit for compressing the video game video with a latency of less than approximately 80 ms, but greater than about 5 ms;
• and
• a transceiver operable to transmit the compressed video game video to, and to receive commands from, the one or more players, over a network, the one or more players being located a remote distance beyond a premises where the apparatus is located such that transmissions between the transceiver and the one or more players pass through at least one additional transceiver of the network.

An apparatus comprising:

• a unit that includes a processor operable to execute at least one high twitch-action video game, video game video being produced therefrom;
• a compression unit for compressing the video game video with a latency of less than approximately 80 ms, but greater than about 5 ms;
• and
• a wireless transceiver operable to transmit the compressed video game video, and receive commands from at least one remote player, over a network, the at least one remote player being located a distance beyond a first transmission range of the wireless transceiver, the network comprising a plurality of additional wireless transceivers geographically distributed in a region extending in a transmission chain from a point within the first transmission range of the wireless transceiver to the at least one remote player.

An apparatus video game server comprising:

• a processing unit for executing a high twitch-action video game for one or more players, video game video being produced therefrom;
• a compression unit operable to compress the video game video with a latency of less than approximately 80 ms, but greater than about 5 ms;
• and
• a transceiver to transmit the compressed video game video to the one or more players of the high twitch-action video game over a network, the one or more players being located a remote distance from the apparatus such that transmissions between the transceiver and the one or more players pass through at least one additional transceiver of the network, the transceiver also being operable to receive commands from the one or more players over the network.