Passive and active video game controllers with magnetic position sensing

A video game controller method comprising:

• generating first magnetic sensor data by sensing a magnetic field using a first controller including a first magnetic sensor having a first plurality of sensor coils;
• transmitting the first magnetic sensor data via a wired connection from the first controller to a second controller;
• phase correcting in a processing unit of the second controller the first magnetic sensor data;
• calculating in the second controller a position and orientation of the first controller using the phase corrected first magnetic sensor data;
• wirelessly transmitting from the second controller to a video game system the calculated position and orientation of the first controller;
• generating second magnetic sensor data by sensing the magnetic field using the second controller including a second magnetic sensor having a second plurality of sensor coils;
• phase correcting in the processing unit of the second controller the second magnetic sensor data;
• calculating in the second controller a position and orientation of the second device using the phase corrected second magnetic sensor data;
• and
• wirelessly transmitting from the second controller to the video game system the calculated position and orientation of the second controller.

A video game controller system comprising:

• a passive controller including a first magnetic sensor having a first plurality of sensor coils for sensing a magnetic field to generate first magnetic sensor data;
• and
• an active controller in a physically separate housing from the passive controller, the active controller including:
• a second magnetic sensor having a second plurality of sensor coils for sensing the magnetic field to generate second magnetic sensor data;
• a wired receiver operative to receive the first magnetic sensor data from the passive controller;
• a processing unit operative to phase correct the first magnetic sensor data and create a first signal matrix using the phase corrected first magnetic sensor data;
• the processing unit further operative to phase correct the second magnetic sensor data and create a second signal matrix using the phase corrected second magnetic sensor data;
• and
• a wireless transmitter operative to transmit to a video game system the first signal matrix and the second signal matrix.