Techniques to synchronize changes in physical and virtual environments. An environmental change that will occur during a specified playback event within an interactive game is determined. An amount of time sufficient to permit an environmental device to effect a desired change in the physical environment before the specified playback event occurs is determined. The environmental device is controlled based on the amount of time, to effect the desired change synchronously with the environmental change.
BACKGROUND Field of the Invention (1) The present invention generally relates to entertainment systems, and more specifically to techniques for controlling a plurality of devices to provide an immersive user experience. Description of the Related Art (2) Computer graphics technology has come a long way since video games were first developed. Relatively inexpensive 3D graphics engines now provide nearly photo-realistic interactive game play on hand-held video game, home video game and personal computer hardware platforms costing only a few hundred dollars. These video game systems typically include a hand-held controller, game controller, or, in the case of a hand-held video game platform, an integrated controller. A user interacts with the controller to send commands or other instructions to the video game system to control a video game or other simulation. For example, the controller may include a joystick and buttons operated by the user. (3) While video games allow the user to interact directly with the video game system, such interactions primarily influence the graphical depiction shown on the video game device (or on a connected display), and rarely influence any other objects outside of the virtual world. That is, a user may specify an input to the video game system, indicating that the user's avatar should perform a jump action, and in response the video game system could display the user's avatar jumping. However, such interactions are typically limited to the virtua
1. A system of integrating environmental devices into a play experience to synchronize changes in physical and virtual environments, the system comprising: one or more computer processors; and a memory containing computer program code that, when executed by operation of the one or more computer processors, performs an operation comprising: determining that an initial playback event is occurring within an interactive came; determining an environmental change in the interactive game that will occur during a specified playback event within the interactive game, prior to the specified playback event occurring within the interactive game, wherein the environmental chance is to be depicted in one or more frames displayed during the specified playback event; determining an amount of time before the specified playback event is to occur, wherein the amount of time is sufficient to permit a first one or more environmental devices to at least substantially effect a desired change in the physical environment before the specified playback event occurs; and during the initial playback event within the interactive game, at least substantially effecting the desired change in the physical environment synchronously with the environmental change in the interactive game, by controlling the first one or more environmental devices based on the amount of time. ||
15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed, performs an operation to integrate environmental devices into a play experience to synchronize changes in physical and virtual environments, the operation comprising: determining that an initial playback event is occurring within an interactive game; determining an environmental change in the interactive game that will occur during a specified playback event within the interactive game, prior to the specified playback event occurring within the interactive game, wherein the environmental change is to be depicted in one or more frames displayed during the specified playback event; determining an amount of time before the specified playback event is to occur, wherein the amount of time is sufficient to permit a first one or more environmental devices to at least substantially effect a desired change in the physical environment before the specified playback event occurs; and during the initial playback event within the interactive game, at least substantially effecting the desired change in the physical environment synchronously with the environmental change in the interactive game, by controlling, by operation of one or more computer processors when executing the computer program code, the first one or more environmental devices based on the amount of time. ||
19. A computer-implemented method to integrate environmental devices into a play experience to synchronize changes in physical and virtual environments, the computer-implemented method comprising: determining that an initial playback event is occurring within an interactive game; determining an environmental change in the interactive game that will occur during a specified playback event within the interactive game, prior to the specified playback event occurring within the interactive game, wherein the environmental change is to be depicted in one or more frames displayed during the specified playback event; determining an amount of time before the specified playback event is to occur, wherein the amount of time is sufficient to permit a first one or more environmental devices to at least substantially effect a desired change in the physical environment before the specified playback event occurs; and during the initial playback event within the interactive game, at least substantially effecting the desired change in the physical environment synchronously with the environmental change in the interactive game, by controlling, by operation of one or more computer processors, the first one or more environmental devices based on the amount of time.