PowerGig
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Power Gig's full-size, handmade guitar / controller now on sale for $250
Ah, ha! There it is! Way back in March, we had a sit-down with folks from Seven45 Studios about their plans for Power Gig: Rise of the SixString (for PS3 and Xbox 360), focusing mainly on how they intended to rival the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises from a peripheral standpoint. The six string guitar accessory that ships with the game bundle today is already leaps and bounds better than what RB3 is packin' (pending Stratocaster launch plans), but an instrument we were keenly interested in at GDC was also one we couldn't photograph at the time. The company made clear that it was looking at releasing a real-deal, bona fide guitar in the future -- a full-size First Act axe that could be used with the game or with a legitimate amplifier. Now, that limited edition piece is on sale for both of the aforesaid consoles, boasting a single cutaway basswood body, humbucking pickup, and a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. Each one is available for $249.99, but there's no telling how many will be produced. We'd also prefer to see these in larger music shops in order to give consumers an idea of the fit, finish, feel and sound, but those into taking chances can get one headed their way as we speak.%Gallery-105816%
Seven45 Studios may have a six-string guitar, but your bud'll be playing air drums (video)
You think you'll hit these colored pads? Think again, because while Seven45 Studios' Power Gig rhythm game has you shredding on the sweetest axe we've seen, it doesn't actually come with drums -- you'll be waving sticks in the air instead, while four colored sensors pick up your motions. That makes your drum kit nice and portable, sure, but removes all physical feedback -- and given the history of video game peripherals (look up Sega Activator, please) we kind of wonder what the company's designers were thinking. Or we did, at least, until we saw the video after the break. Seems they're just as confused as we are.
Seven45 Studios talks Power Gig details, we go hands-on with its six string guitar peripheral
We'll just come right out and say it: Guitar Hero and Rock Band should watch their back, 'cause there's a better-than-decent chance that Power Gig will be all the rage this holiday season. Seven45 Studios is a heretofore unheard of upstart with roots in First Act, and unlike the vast majority of game developers, these guys actually have a direct hand in the production of the software and hardware associated with this package. They'll be designing the Power Gig video game series (Rise of the SixString is only the first installment) as well as the guitars, drums and microphones in-house, and given the First Act roots, you know you'll be getting instruments of higher quality than what's on the market today. Oh, and yes, we didn't misspeak when we pluralized "guitars" and mentioned those other two devices. We had a sit down with the team today at GDC, and besides coming away impressed with the alpha build of the game and the prototype axes we saw, we also learned quite a bit more about their plans than what was revealed in this morning's press release. Just to be exceptionally clear, Seven45 Studios will not only sell their upcoming title as a standalone product, but it will sell a "band bundle" that includes the game, a guitar (plus a strap, picks and an extra set of strings), a drum set and a microphone, the latter two of which are still very early in production and weren't available for us to test. The beat matching setup that gamers have grown used to in Rock Band and Guitar Hero is still there, but most everything else is new; a "chording" addition will allow users to strum actual power chords that match the chords used in the song, giving newbies the ability to actually learn songs as they play the game if they want to. In other words, if users strum the same chords required to succeed in the game but through an amp, they'll be playing the actual song; if you'd rather not learn, you need not have any clue how to play a guitar to enjoy the game. Speaking of which, the bundled guitar (along with extra guitars that are still being sorted in terms of size, material and color) doubles as a legitimate six string by simply depressing the dampening pad beneath the neck, and while it won't match the crisp tone emitted from your Les Paul Custom, the prototype we heard here in San Francisco sounded just fine for a beginner's instrument. We also learned that existing Rock Band and Guitar Hero guitars will work with the Power Gig titles, and Seven45's guitars will work with existing music band games -- not bad! More after the break... %Gallery-87795%
Seven45 Studios ups the ante for music games, intros fully functional six string controller
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! %Gallery-87744%
