Don’t you just hate it when you try to join an online game with some friends, and as you’re about to get into the lobby Xbox Live reminds you that you don’t actually have the DLC required to play with said friends. So assuming you have some spare cash, its back to the dashboard for you! Then time to hunt around the marketplace for the specific piece of content and get it downloaded. By the time all this is done will your friends still be playing the same game? Will you still have time to play? Microsoft worry about things like this too, and it seems a solution is on the horizon.

The USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) recently approved a patent application by Microsoft (filed in August 2008, nice to see these things handled quickly) for a system that would enable users to “seamlessly purchase and download game add-ons from the Xbox Live Marketplace when alerted by an in-game prompt that they’re missing said content”. The process would allow you to make purchases and download content without being forced to leave the game you’re playing. A much quicker way to get our money make sure you stay grouped up with your friends. Here is the description from the application:

An automated direct transaction and delivery system for digital content (”ATDDC”) provides for automated detection of missing digital content or resources required for a player or participant to participate in a multimedia application in either a single player or multiplayer environment is described. The ATDDC automatically detects that a player may not have installed particular required content or that a title update is required in order to participate in a media session or video game. Upon detection of missing content or resources the ATDDC provides direct bid to purchase the content or resources, provides for automatic download, installation and configuration of the content while allowing the player to remain in contact with other players within a party.

The patent application uses a racing game as an example:

In a multiplayer environment, one or more players may send an invitation to a player to join the racing game. The inviting players may already have purchased the content for the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit while the invitee may in fact not have this content. Upon being presented with an invitation and attempting to join an ongoing race on the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, the invitee would typically be confronted with some type of error notification that he or she did not have the requisite content and resources. The invitee would then be required to back out of the commenced multiplayer session, manually locate the desired content, purchase the content, install the content, relocate the inviting players, prepare his own request to join their game and then join the game that may already be well underway.

Well, “error notification” and “manually locate the desired content” sounds about right, but installing and relocating inviting players and preparing their own requests? Slightly exaggerating what 360 player have to do with DLC, but hey, if it ends up making things easier for us it can’t be a bad thing. Right?

We’ll keep you updated with any information on this as it becomes available. No mention of when a system like this may actually be implemented yet.

Does going back to the games menu, or in many cases the dashboard, stop you from buying DLC when you are trying to join friends? Would this even bother you? Let us know!

The full patent application can be seen here and a PDF with illustrations here.