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Singstar Frozen revealed by European ratings board
Just when you managed to push "Let It Go" out of your brain, the Pan European Game Information group reveals that Sony's Singstar series of karaoke games will soon spawn a new edition dedicated to the music of Disney's mega-hit animated feature Frozen. As usual, beyond the initial reveal, the PEGI listing is largely devoid of useful information. PEGI claims the game is titled "Singstar Frozen," that it's being published by Sony for the PlayStation 3, and that singing along to Frozen's hit tunes is suitable for anyone above the age of three. Following the PEGI reveal, we contacted Sony for more information. The publisher was willing to confirm Singstar Frozen (as well as a previously unrevealed PlayStation 4 version of the game), but offers no further gameplay information. "We are very excited to be bringing the phenomenally popular songs from Disney's Frozen to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 with the launch of Singstar Frozen," Sony stated, before noting that licensing issues may prevent the game from appearing in certain regions at launch. Sony also claims that more information on the game, including a release date and track listing, will arrive soon. [Image: Disney]
SingStar revamp brings high-tech karaoke to PS4 next month
Come October 28, PlayStation 4 owners will have the opportunity to download a new version of SingStar, specially crafted for Sony's latest console. According to the PlayStation.blog, this version of the rhythm game hit will feature all of the content available on the PlayStation 3 incarnation of SingStar, including access to the DLC music repository known as the SingStore. Like the PS3 game, individual songs are priced at $1.49 while five-song packs can be purchased for $6. Happily, any music you've downloaded from the SingStore or PSN for the PlayStation 3 version of SingStar will automatically transfer to the PlayStation 4 game. But what if you don't have a microphone to sing into? How will your PlayStation 4 judge your off-key warbling? Don't worry, Sony's got you covered. A free SingStar companion app called "SingStar Mic" will reach iOS and Android alongside the PlayStation 4 launch of SingStar. Not only will the app allow users to create custom playlists on the fly, it will also transform your tablet or smartphone into a viable wireless microphone for the game. [Image: Sony]
SingStar hits PS4 with free smartphone mic app this year
Sony's SingStar karaoke series will make its PlayStation 4 debut later this year, and this time around, players won't need to buy a proprietary microphone peripheral to belt out their favorites. The PlayStation 4 version of SingStar allows players to sing using a free iOS and Android app that turns compatible smartphones and tablets into karaoke-ready microphones. SingStar's PlayStation 3 version will also be updated to support smartphones and tablets following the launch of the PS4 edition. The next version of SingStar also boasts an improved scoring system and expanded social features, allowing players to challenge friends and share performances via Twitter and Facebook. A release date for SingStar's forthcoming upgrade has not been announced. [Image: Sony]
SingStar for PS4 employs your smartphone for belting off-tune renditions
When SingStar arrives on PlayStation 4 consoles later this year, it won't require shelling out extra dough for a shiny new microphone. Instead, the title will allow you to use your smartphone or tablet as the mic thanks to a free app for iOS and Android. The newfangled software will play nice with both PS3 and PS4 versions of the game with support for custom playlists built in. There's also improved social sharing and song downloads from the SingStore. Heck, they've even added Bruno Mars tunes, so get your pompadour wig ready.
SingStar franchise being rebooted as free-to-play later this year
Sony's London Studio director Dave Ranyard will reveal the SingStar franchise's reboot as a free-to-play series at next month's F2P Summit in London. "Phase one was to launch SingStar as an app pinned to the PS3's cross media bar last October. Phase two is a complete redesign and overhaul of the whole game structure and UI for the digital and F2P age, which is due for release later this year," said Ranyard. Remember, the first person to mention "Total Eclipse of the Heart" has to buy the songs for the rest of the night!
Singstar becoming free PS3 app in Europe 'very soon'
SingStar will become a free download on the PlayStation 3 XMB "very soon" in Europe, according to an announcement on the PlayStation Blog. The free version of the popular singing software doesn't even require the standard SingStar mic – you can also use official wireless headsets, USB microphones, or the microphone on the PlayStation Eye camera.The game isn't totally free, of course. You still have to buy songs from the SingStore, unless you already have a collection or just want to sing along to "short demo songs."
SingStar becoming a 'free download,' mic still required
Sony's SingStar Viewer app for the PlayStation 3 previously just allowed players to check out SingStar content for free; they'd have to put the game's disc in if they actually wanted to sing along with any of the game's songs. But a new message in the app hints that will be changing very soon. The Viewer app has reportedly been discontinued, and a message when the app is loaded says that "The complete SingStar experience will be available as a free download very soon!" Presumably, that means that anyone will be able to download SingStar, and then play Sony's karaoke game for zero cost (with extra songs being purchaseable separately).The one catch: The game will still require a mic, so if you haven't bought one of those yet, you'll need to do so. But the good news is that the mics are available for just a few bucks in certain places, so those interested should be able to pick one up easily. We'll look for more official news on this next week from the PlayStation Blog.
SingStar goes 'Back To The 80s,' would do anything for love (but won't do that)
As any karaoke connoisseur will tell you, the only sure-fire way to win the minds and hearts of your audience is through the hypnotically entrancing black magic of the power ballad. Sony realizes this, and in order to ensure maximum audience mind malleability, it'll be releasing SingStar Back To The 80s sometime before Christmas. The songpack will feature "30 massive hits" (we're guessing Meatloaf) from the decade of Devo and decadence, although no specific songlist has been released as of yet. Even so, the news has us feeling all nostalgic for the smell of hairspray and Whitesnake's Still Of The Night. If only our oversized glasses, tight jeans, and v-neck t-shirts would come back into fashion, we could... what's that? No. You're kidding.
Singstar EU adds pop, rock and Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Singstar store in Europe is getting its first update in three weeks with boogie wonderlands and the music of the night. Read on for full details.
SingStar update adding 40 songs, including classical tracks
Along with the standard-issue group of modern tracks available in the SingStar update this Wednesday, Sony will also add, as it describes, "works from infamous composers such as Mozart, di Capua and Puccini." ... infamous? ... We're not sure if in some interesting marketing crossover the company meant that these composers are electric; or that Mo, Capi and Puck were crackin' skulls and then beating out piano concertos when they weren't on the streets. Anyway, full update details can be found after the break.
SingStore Update: Hello, is it No Doubt and A-Ha you're looking for
The U.S. SingStar Store is still playing catch-up with its European counterpart, but today's 60-odd new arrivals should bring us a bit closer to parity. Check out the full list of new tracks, including packs from No Doubt, A-Ha and Lionel Richie and the Commodores, after the jump.
SingStar's European tracks come stateside, all releases worldwide from now on
SingStar fans living in the U.S. haven't exactly received equal amounts of attention as SingStar fans living in Europe. (Luckily we've got all this freedom and liberty to make up for it, right guys? Woo!) Tons of downloadable songs that arrived on the European PSN have yet to come stateside -- but thanks to a recent deal struck up between Sony and Universal Music, the two regions' musical selections will begin moving towards parity with a series of major content updates, the first of which is due out this Wednesday, December 15. This first update will add 64 songs to the U.S. SingStore, as well as 11 new tracks for SingStar Dance, all of which are listed after the jump. Also, all future DLC releases for the series will arrive at the same time in the U.S. and Europe. Finally, we can put this bitter jealousy to rest.
Preview: SingStar Dance and SingStar Guitar
A music game that's just about singing? That's so 2003. Or if you're the SingStar franchise, it's so, um, today. Sony's PlayStation karaoke series has proudly focused on grading vocals for years now, but that's about the change with this fall's release of both SingStar Dance and SingStar Guitar. I got a chance to try both of these games at Sony's pre-GamesCom press event, and have written up some quick initial impressions after the break.
SingStar Dance and Echochrome 2 announced
Forget about Just Dancing, it's time to get your sing on -- SingStar Dance was just revealed at Sony's E3 presser. What, not a dancer? Perhaps you prefer the black-and-white stylings of Echochrome? Well you'll be glad to hear that Echochrome 2 was also revealed. We know, we know -- more disparate titles could not be found, but we figured you'd rather hear the news as soon as humanly possible. We do what we can, folks. It's all for you.
SingStar adds vibrato support, turns PSP into virtual remote
SingStar may have trained you to become a better singer by keeping you on pitch, but don't expect to make a successful run on American Idol just yet. Talented vocalists can add some flourishes to their performances through the use of vibrato. (For examples, listen to any Mariah Carey song from the 90s.) However, games like SingStar and Rock Band have traditionally penalized players for straying from the exact pitch notated on the screen. Thankfully, the upcoming June update will modify the SingStar game engine to account for vibrato. "We suggest honing your vibrato skill on Gold by Spandau Ballet, Street Spirit by Radiohead or one of the tracks from the Il Divo SongPack," London Studios' Chris Bruce told PlayStation.Blog readers. Another update included in the June patch is the ability to use your PSP as a "SingStar Remote." By connecting your PSP to the game, you'll be able to browse and queue up songs to play while others are singing -- essentially recreating the functionality of a high-end karaoke bar. This is definitely a feature that will help make our drunken SingStar parties go much smoother.
SingStar adding online battle mode this June
Sony and London Studios are still working on updating SingStar with new features. A free update coming this June will add online battles to the long-running karaoke franchise. With online battles, you'll be able to send invites to PSN friends and challenge them to songs both players own. With the PlayStation Eye, you'll even be able to broadcast a video stream of your performance to your opponent. If you're interested in beta testing this new mode, then submit an application here. You must have a European PSN account to sign up.
Sony reveals SingStar Viewer application for PS3
Though SingStar may not possess the massive community base of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, Sony recently unveiled a PS3 application which offers a great deal of social networking capabilities to the karaoke game's players. Titled SingStar Viewer, the app (which appears under the Games folder of the XMB) allows users to browse and purchase songs from the SingStore, as well as view and vote on videos, photos and profiles uploaded by members of the MySingStarOnline community. This impressive functionality is totally free, and accessible even when the SingStar disc is absent from the PS3's drive. The PlayStation.Blog post, which announced the software, didn't give a firm release date for the app, but suggested you "check the PlayStation Store over the coming weeks." Check out the video after the jump to get a brief demo of the services offered by the application. Then wonder if you're confident enough in your karaoke chops to place videos of you and your friends singing in front of the cruel, cruel internet.
SingStar gets new features in holiday update, song-erasing bug fixed
The SingStar servers were recently brought down to allow a smooth transition for the game's next big update. Try not to get to frazzled by the downtime -- according to a recent post on Playstation.Blog, this update includes the long-awaited fix for the rhythm title's unfortunate knack for erasing the user's purchased tracks. A handful of other changes to the SingStore and the game's online community will also be introduced in the patch. The full list of these additions can be found after the jump. The blog post also announced that the franchise recently hit a fairly brag-worthy milestone: SingStar games have sold over 20 million units worldwide. That's right -- at least 20 million shrill karaoke covers of "Careless Whisper" have pierced the night around the globe. That kind of noise pollution is just unthinkable.
SingStar developers working to fix bugs introduced in latest patch
Dave Ranyard, the Game Director for SingStar, recently announced a fairly huge patch for the karaoke-infused rhythm title on the European PlayStation Blog. See, it would have to pretty large in order to completely encompass the game's previous patch, which apparently broke a lot of things. The game's last patch, software update 4.20, is apparently capable of deleting purchased songs off the system's hard drive, crashing the game in the middle of those songs or generally corrupting your media files. Fortunately, SingStar v4.30 is currently undergoing QA testing, and is targeted for a December 1 release. Just in time for the holidays, SingStar owners will receive the gift of not having their stuff deleted any more. Or, as we like to call it, the gift that keeps on giving.
Dizzee Rascal gets first keys to Home's new SingStar VIP space
British artist Dizzee Rascal will headline the European launch of the new SingStar VIP space during an online PlayStation Home event on September 24 at 20:00 BST (UK time)/ 21:00 CEST (Mainland Europe). The Mercury Award-winning rapper will be on hand to promote his upcoming fourth album Tongue N' Cheek and answer fan questions, but not before taking the stage to perform some of his chart topping jams and his upcoming single.If you need more incentive to connect, Home users who join the artist's launch party can get their hands on a free Dizzee Rascal mask (as terrifyingly seen above) for 48 hours. With an accessory as crazy as that, we hope to see a quick Quincy resurgence.
