Seven45 Studios ups the ante for music games, intros fully functional six string controller

By Darren Murph

posted March 9th 2010 8:00AM

We've seen "real" guitars made to "work" with existing music-band titles, and we've even seen MIDI guitars play nice with Rock Band, but we've yet to see a company design a game from the ground-up to work with a legitimate six string. Until now. Here at GDC, Seven45 Studios is making a name for itself by introducing Power Gig: Rise of the SixString (for PS3 and Xbox 360) along with a bona fide axe. The newfangled company is a sister firm to First Act -- the same guys who made that guitar sold with your '07 Jetta -- and the instrument debuting here at the show uses proprietary technology "that can distinguish and recognize gamers' input all along the guitar." Better still, the instrument includes all of the innards necessary to make noise through an amp, so you could theoretically use this to rock out in real life as well. If you're skeptical about the game's ability to actually recognize complicated inputs, get a load of this: "Power Gig also introduces the option to switch on chording, or chord play; chording presents the added challenge of playing the game using chords that require specific finger placement on the strings." The tandem is slated to go on sale this fall for an undisclosed amount, and we'll be snagging some hands-on time with the game and guitar here in just a few hours -- stay tuned!

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString guitar

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BEHOLD THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA FOR MUSIC GAMES:
POWER GIG: RISE OF THE SIXSTRING ARRIVES FALL 2010

Music Industry-born Publisher/Developer Seven45 Studios to Evolve Band Game Genre with New Game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 That Uses a Real Six String Guitar as Controller

Boston - March 9, 2010 - The true evolution of the band videogame experience is set to occur this fall when Seven45 Studios unleashes Power Gig: Rise of the SixString for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system. New publisher, developer and hardware manufacturer Seven45 Studios is a sister company to music instrument manufacturing giant First Act, making it uniquely positioned to introduce the first major band game for which the guitar peripheral is a functioning six-string electric guitar. The guitar features Seven45's proprietary technology that can distinguish and recognize gamers' input all along the guitar, making the guitars as easy to pick up and play as any other band game button controllers. They also include all the guts of an electric guitar so players can plug their SixString guitars into any standard amp to jam with their friends.

"Power Gig: Rise of the SixString is meant to be the answer for all of those gamers who have wanted to take their band game experience to the next level; we're confident that players will agree that the transition from the existing games is both seamless and exhilarating," said Seven45 Studios Chairman and CEO, Bernard Chiu. "We believe that there is something unmatchable about the feeling of an authentic guitar in your hands, and Power Gig brings that excitement to all gamers with an instrument that absolutely anyone can pick up and play."

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString will transport players to an entirely new universe, with its own mythology, politics, settings, heroes and villains, where music rules all. On the gameplay front, Power Gig uses new technology that represents the next evolution of music performance games to provide all players - from casual gamers to the hardcore, from those who have never before picked up a guitar to those who play guitar on a regular basis - with a more authentic and fun experience. The game offers two overarching modes of play. In addition to traditional beat-matching that will be familiar to fans of the band game genre, Power Gig also introduces the option to switch on chording, or chord play. Chording presents the added challenge of playing the game using chords that require specific finger placement on the strings. As players progress through the game, becoming more comfortable with a genuine guitar and potentially choosing to play real power chords, they will find that the byproduct of playing the game is coming away from it with an understanding of some real-life guitar fundamentals.

Seven45 Studios' relationship to music instrument manufacturing stalwart First Act means not only that the two share an ownership, but also that Seven45 can leverage deep expertise when it comes to the manufacturing and distribution of quality musical instruments for mass audiences. Seven45 has also put together a veritable dream team of game development talent whose collective experience includes time spent at companies such as Vivendi, LucasArts, Atari, StormFront Studios, Foundation 9, Pandemic, Capcom, Backbone Entertainment, SEGA and many more.

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system fall of 2010. The SixString guitar makes its public debut at the 2010 Game Developers Conference, which begins today at San Francisco's Moscone Center. For more information, please visit http://www.powergig.com.

About Seven45 Studios
Seven45 Studios, headquartered in Boston, MA, is an innovative video Game Developer and Publisher of music games across all platforms. Composed of game and music industry veterans, the Seven45 team blurs the line between music and gaming by focusing on truly immersive experiences and character-driven storytelling to create revolutionary new games.