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Soulo karaoke mic for iPad coming to a thin partition wall near you
We've just seen First Act's wireless karaoke kit for the iPad passing through the FCC, suggesting it may be on track for a fall launch. The hardware will count for nothing if the accompanying app from sister company Seven45 Studios hits a dud note, but we guess it looks functional enough. The receiver makes up for its dock-hogging ways by providing a video output so you can check your lyrics on a bigger screen. It should also register your wails, screeches and caterwauls at a distance of up to 20 feet from the AA-powered mic. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but you can warble your interest at the second source link below.
Power Gig dev Seven45 confirms layoffs, part of 'natural cycle'
Power Gig: Rise of the SixString developer Seven45 confirmed to Joystiq that it had recently incurred staff layoffs. "With Power Gig already on store shelves, last week Seven45 Studios restructured the company both as a part of the natural cycle of game development and to focus on the development needs of its upcoming games projects," the company said in a statement. One unidentified Twitter account reporting on the so-called "major" layoffs, claimed Seven45 had been "decimated." A source informs us that approximately 20 to 30 people were let go, which included most of the QA team and a bunch of full-time staff. Power Gig didn't strike a chord with us or critics at large, averaging a Metacritic score in the mid-30s. Seven45 has yet to reveal specific details about its future projects. If you were affected by the layoffs or have more information to share on the matter, please feel free to contact us. Seven45's full statement can be found after the break.
Power Gig throws fake guitars into volcano, dooms mankind
Hey, Seven45 Studios? We need to have some words about your recent viral advertisement for Power Gig: Rise of the SixString, which is posted just after the jump. Provided the footage therein is real -- and in this day and age of fancy-schmancy video editing software, who really knows -- then we're terrified for the future of Iceland. After all, we think we can all agree that what the April eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull were missing were ballistic, Skittle-colored shards of molten plastic. Check out the edgy (and quite possibly felonious) ad just past the jump.
Power Gig: the story behind the music
This fall's two big music-performance games each offer an experience new to the genre. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock adds a more involved storyline, while Rock Band 3 offers real instruments. Power Gig: Rise of the SixString actually combines these two aspects. We've seen its (real, functional) guitar and (less realistic) drum controllers, and now we can learn about that story. In the video after the break, design director Jack Davis introduces the world of Ohm, where music has a "real physical power" to affect the world and its people. The player must unite clans of "rockers" to defeat the oppressive "headliner" who has silenced them. And, of course, that is accomplished through the performance of licensed music. It's reminiscent of Brutal Legend, as is the in-game footage shown in the video.
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.
Get into a silly pose for this Power Gig: Rise of the Sixstring trailer
Sure, you saw our impressions from GDC of Power Gig: Rise of the Sixstring -- the first music/rhythm game to feature an actual, working electric guitar -- but have you seen the unbelievably silly first trailer for the game, apparently filmed during last week's developer convention? Now you can, as we've dropped it just a few inches up for your enjoyment. If you were hoping for a better look at the game itself, you're just gonna have to wait for the next trailer, because this one exclusively features people playing the game's peripheral while either jumping or rocking or ... well, you get the idea -- no gameplay. That said, the guitar solo that takes place about halfway through reminds us that this is absolutely a real guitar, so that's something, right? Right? Where are you going?! We brought punch!
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%
