Remember Ridge Racer's amazing Galaga mini-game on PS1? Bandai Namco patented the concept of mini-games in loading screens, but video game lawyer David Hoppe noticed Bandai Namco's patent is about to expire. The patent was filed November 27, 1995, which means developers can build their own on November 27, 2015.

The company that sued Nintendo three years ago has just had their then-disputed patents snatched up by the House of Mario.

It's the kind of run Nintendo's been on lately, that even the company's one piece of good news - the growing success of the 3DS - has to get a little gloomier.

After listening to this week's episode of This American Life on software patents, I was curious to investigate patents within the gaming sphere. Although we routinely hear about console manufacturers' patents, patents from publishers are a less frequent source for headlines.

A Texas intellectual property firm has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Wizards of the Coast-but, intriguingly, not parent company Hasbro-alleging that Magic: The Gathering's online version violates patents it holds on a video game you've probably never heard of.

OK. My mind is blown. Sony published a patent this week for a video game controller that heats up or cools down as you're playing a game. It sounds kind of dangerous. And it sounds kind of awesome.

The British rock band Rocksmith aren't the only ones suing Ubisoft over the French publisher's guitar game Rocksmith. Now, the folks who make the instructional guitar game Guitar Apprentice have filed claimed patent infringement against Ubisoft over tech similarities to their own game.

Patent applications let people dream big. Someone out there's got a killer idea for the Litter Box of the Future or fart-proof underwear. There may be hundreds of hurdles to cross before any such thing gets made, but a patent lets them plant a flag in the land of unclaimed ideaspace.

Xbox 3, Xbox 720, NextBox… whatever you call it, lots of rumors are being floated about Microsoft's next home console. Some say it'll output Avatar-level visuals while others say it'll lean heavily on cloud architecture. But the latest hint as to Microsoft's gaming future point to their ever-increasing ambition to…

Back in 2010, Nintendo filed a patent application for something called a "massively single-playing online game," something whose interactions don't take place in real time and what sounds a little Animal Crossing-ish (above).

Last year, a patent was uncovered for a Wii football. It had been designed by Nintendo, and yet, it was stupid. Well, looks like somebody else has beat the Big N to the market.

Sony has patented a new form of trial or demo for video games that, rather than presenting us with a small piece of a title, gives us the whole thing, then takes bits away as time goes on.

Google applied for a patent earlier this year called "Web-Based System for Generation of Interactive Games Based on Digital Videos". Translation: bringing games to YouTube. Interesting.

A newly published patent from Sony Computer Entertainment, which looks a lot like the company's PlayStation 3 motion controller, showcases a plethora of possibilities for the forthcoming device, more attachments than you could shake a Wii Remote at.

Your PlayStation 3 may become a reasonably priced, earthbound Satellite of Love, if Sony Computer Entertainment America's patent application for a Mystery Science Theater 3000-like interactive television becomes a real-life product.

Last week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office assigned the maker of the Xbox 360 and publisher of Gears of War the feature to offer seamless switching from solo to co-op gaming in squad-based shooters.

The last time we unearthed a big new Nintendo patent, we found hints of a video game paradigm shift. This time, Nintendo may have locked up a multiplayer mode from a 2004 GameCube game.

My single biggest problem with the PS3? The loss of backwards compatibility. It's a gaping hole in the system's feature set. Then again, it may also be one that's on the way back.