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ESRB outs 'Lips: I (Heart) the 80s'
For those of you looking to put your '80s singing chops to the test, it would appear that iNiS will be offering you just that chance if a recent ESRB listing for a fourth installment in the Lips series is to be believed. "Lips: I (Heart) the 80s" was recently spotted by IGN over on the ratings website, sporting a description that reveals at least two tracks from the 1980s-centric title -- The Police's "Roxanne" and Rick James' "Super Freak." The game is also said to feature "depictions of men and women in revealing outfits performing provocative choreography -- for example, women in negligees, black bras, panties dancing inside a classroom; large amounts of exposed cleavage, some grinding dance moves; and background images of storefronts/signs reading '25 cent Peepshows,' 'Live Sex Theatre,' and 'Topless Girls Dancing.'" Gosh golly! Regardless, with the recent release of Lips: Party Classics and today's ESRB listing, we have to imagine the official announce of Lips: I (Heart) the 80s is just around the corner. We'll be prepping our boom boxes with plenty of Public Enemy until then. [Via IGN]
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 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.
The Queue: What I need is a good defense
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today. I was up so late at the local Irish redneck bar's karaoke contest -- I'm in the finals next Thursday, for singing Fiona Apple's "Criminal", booyah -- that I pretty much forgot I was supposed to write The Queue today. I tried to explain to Alex and Adam (after stumbling home) that I owned that song and I should be off the hook, but they disagreed. So here I am, 3:19 in the morning, answering your questions. Kavu kicks off today's Queue. Kavu asked... Question: I just hit 63. With WotLK extending the cap to 80, is Aldor vs. Scryer such a big decision anymore? Also, should i worry about grinding rep to get lvl 70 gear, or will it all be replaced by greens in Northrend? Good question, and an easy one.
ESRB: Sing about urine and unprotected sex in SingStar Latino
Looks like Sony is expanding its SingStar library once again with SingStar Latino, an upcoming Spanish-language karaoke collection for PS2 and PS3. The ESRB description reads like a Harlequin novel at times, referencing "tight pants, bikini tops, bra-like tops, shirts/dresses that expose deep cleavage" and even more scandalous -- "touching breasts and crotch, grinding and gyrating hips." Is it getting warm in here?The ESRB also highlights some lyrics that are simply bizarre when taken out of context. One song seemingly encourages unprotected sex, according to the ESRB's translations: "Y no me hables de sexo seguro" [And don't talk to me about safe sex.] The full song -- Chenoa's "Cuando tu vas" -- is about love over sex.As for this lyric? "Mi agüita amarilla...Mo ja las ca lles...Y la empie zo a mear." [My little yellow water...It wets the streets...And I start to pee.] We can't even fathom how to explain that one. Watch both music videos after the break.
US SingStore adds Blondie, individual Coldplay tracks
Brace your faces, karaoke fans -- SingStar's US store has added even more content to help you sing the night away. This week the US SingStore has added a Blondie song pack comprised of five hits from the 70s-80s phenom as well as individual Coldplay tracks, originally released together as a package a few months ago.The store is also adding a few international flavors with tracks from (the awesome) Los Delinquentes with fellow Spanish star Bebe and Portugal's ironically named (because he's totally not a giant) Sir Giant. Full track listing can be found after the break.
Microsoft belts out Lips: Number One Hits October 20
If you've been sick to death of having to walk or drive down to the local bar for your karaoke fix every Thursday night, know that Microsoft is prepping its next installment in living room embarrassment for October 20: Lips: Number One Hits. The title features acts such as Lady Gaga and the illustrious Tears for Fears, but also doles out the Avatar rewards to players who can hit the high notes. Nothing ties an Avatar's outfit together like a pair of parachute pants. Don't act like you wouldn't wear 'em!
App Store Rejections: Apple rejects iKaraoke app, patent filed published for a karaoke player
As if the waters surrounding the App Store approval process weren't murky enough, one developer has just hit an unprecedented wall. Apple rejected his app, iKaraoke, citing that it duplicated functionality of the iPod application. Of course, the "duplicate functionality" reason is nothing new, but Apple's next step is: just a few weeks after rejecting the application, they have filed a patent for including karaoke functionality into the iPod app.A brief look at the demo iKaraoke's website will quickly tell you that, while the app does bear a light resemblance to some of the menus found in the iPod application, the actual interface that the user interacts with to select and download a song is far from duplicating the iPod's polished interface. Another key point is that the file format used by iKaraoke is known as the .kar format -- an unofficial extension of the MIDI specification that enables lyrics to appear in time with music. The lyrics are then displayed on the screen, and highlighted as the song is played. Does any of this sound like functionality found in the iPod app? We didn't think so.So what exactly was duplicated then? According to apple, iKaraoke "duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application, iPod, without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality." But they didn't just stop there. The reviewer went on to say that the application "downloads media files that are not managed by the iTunes application, which also manages media files, we believe this would be confusing to the user." Now, hold on a minute here... it's fine for several other apps to stream and download media files that are supported by the iPod without being managed by iTunes, but it's not OK for an app to download media that isn't natively supported, and provide functionality that isn't natively provided by the iPod? This wouldn't be much different from your typical app rejection if the story stopped there, but it doesn't. This morning, Apple filed a patent [application here] which details built-in Karaoke functionality being added as part of the iPod application, with some additional bells and whistles such as monitoring the pitch of the user's voice. So it seems the functionality that was duplicated is functionality that Apple has not yet released, and possibly not yet even begun to develop. Maybe the $99 iPhone Developer Program fee should include a crystal ball for testing apps before submitting them.As with the many other patents Apple has filed, this feature may never see the light of day. But is it really acceptable to reject an application, based solely on what appears to be a duplication of a feature that may or may not even be released in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.Update: As a few of you have pointed out in the comments, although the patent application was published today, it actually was originally filed back in April of 2008. While this does indicate that the patent was indeed filed long before the SDK was even released, questions still remain about whether or not Apple may choose to reject applications based on functionality found in unreleased features. Similar rejections have occurred with apps that offered podcast downloads prior to the inclusion of podcasting functionality in iTunes, for example. Essentially, what needs to happen is that Apple needs to clear the air on what exactly is considered a duplication of functionality, and to be clear with the developer on exactly what aspects of their application are in violation of this requirement, rather than sending a vague form letter and ignoring inquiries for additional information from the developer.
Mute Mic is the perfect addition to your next antisocial karaoke event
You know how your voice always sounds better in your own head than it does on tape? Apparently, someone in Japan agrees with you. To that end, they've put together a little microphone with a silencer -- so the next time you come home at 3 am, all hopped up on Sake and intent on generating a sorrowful wail alongside the backing track of what was once a hit for the Carpenters, make sure you're packing the Mute Mic. This bad boy is designed to muzzle your song-hole, ensuring that whatever sound you do generate remains restricted to you and your Wii. Your neighbors will thank you, and the estate of Karen Carpenter will thank you. Already a karaoke star? Show us your skills after the break.
Karaoke Revolution gets a tune-up for PS3, 360, Wii
click to enlarge Are you ready to put your lips to work and sing like a star? Are you ready to kill us for that horrible introduction? We only ask that you read the rest of this post first. It may (or may not) satisfy your urge to commit murder. Plus, if you killed us, the only singing you'd be doing would be as a jailbird.Developed by Blitz Games and simply titled Karaoke Revolution, the new PS3, 360 and Wii entry in the series is proof Konami has been paying attention to its competition. The game will launch with 50 master recordings on-disc, a deeper character creator than series vets are used to, customizable venues and the inclusion of original music videos for each song. Song and customization item DLC is planned (any doubt it wouldn't be?) but specifics aren't being discussed just yet -- apart from the fact that Wii won't be getting any of it.A party-centric playlist and drop-in/drop-out duet mode reminiscent of Lips are also planned to compliment PS3- and 360-only online play. All three versions will likely benefit from promised improvements in pitch and rhythm detection; hopefully it doesn't turn out to be like Lips in its pre-patch state. Look for this series reboot to hit this fall.%Gallery-50004%
The Karaoke Kit: everything you need to be a singer, save for courage
Eager to add a little spice to your weekly "family night?" No, we're not talking about forcing your kids to hack your DS into a MIDI controller while you and the spouse race to see who can eat the most frankfurters in ten minutes, we're talking about karaoke. The KARAOKE Channel ONLINE has just branched out by introducing its first hardware kit, which includes a pair of microphones, a vocal mixer and a volume controller. Oh, and this is somehow the first and only karaoke system "designed explicitly for use online," which likely means it's too lousy to be used in public. Anywho -- the singing system can be procured right now for $99.95 with a one year's subscription to The KARAOKE Channel ONLINE's library of more than 5,000 songs, or if you've got all the latest hits logged in your brain, you can snag the standalone kit for $39.95.
Keep your JoySound to yourself with new microphone peripheral
Karaoke JoySound Wii allows Japanese Wii owners to bring the karaoke experience home, with a full music subscription service. The only problem with bringing that experience home is that Japanese apartments tend to be tiny and thin-walled.Japan Trust Technology has solved that issue for late-night crooners with the Mute Mic USB. This specially-designed microphone includes a plastic cup that fits over players' mouths, muting the atonal, drunken screeches that would normally issue forth throughout the apartment building. As an added "bonus," it looks unidentifiably disgusting both in use and on its own, like some kind of medical device you wouldn't want to have to explain.%Gallery-33426%[Via GAME Watch]
Do Re Me Fa So La Oh No ... Activision trademarking 'Sing Hero'
Activision Blizzard has apparently filed an application to trademark Sing Hero with the US Patent and Trademark Office. IGN speculates that this could be the company's foray into the karaoke market, in an attempt to take on the lord high diva: Sony's SingStar.Considering how much practice Actilizzard has had with licensing music for Guitar Hero -- and how much potential there is to exploit the franchise -- a pure karaoke game sounds perfectly possible. As the depressing lack of "Drum Villain" constantly reminds us, however, a trademark filing doesn't necessarily guarantee the game's eventual arrival.[Via IGN]
Karaoke JoyTrailer Wii
Hudson is on a roll when it comes to super-upbeat game trailers! This trailer for the simple, yet awesome, Karaoke Joysound Wii makes us really hope that rumor about an American release turns out to be true. Not that the Wii particularly needs any more killer apps, but we think Karaoke Joysound Wii could turn out to be very popular. We'll see when it comes out in Japan on the 18th.It's a pretty simple idea, really: just a karaoke program on the Wii, with the ability to add vocal effects like echo and to use the mic as a tambourine. But it's got a super-cute look (that looks so much like Rodney Alan Greenblat's work, but is labeled as Dice-K Jackson) and the ideal DLC structure for a karaoke game. For 300 Wii Points, users get one day of unlimited downloads; 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Points buy three days, 30 days, and 90 days, respectively. Though we can't imagine buying 90 days' worth of unlimited access to a karaoke catalog unless we partied all the time, the 300 Point deal is killer for get-togethers.%Gallery-33426%
Memorex SingStand iPod karaoke mic critiqued and in the wild
Sadly (very, very sadly, in fact), this isn't the first device we've seen that poorly attempts to mix your iPod into a karaoke-type device, which probably means you'll be glancing right over it. Memorex's recently released SingStand MKS-SS1 Microphone and Speaker System was apprehended and photographed by the iPod fanatics at iLounge, and while the powered speaker base, auxiliary input for an additional microphone / instrument and the audio controls were swell, the lackluster iPod integration sort of left the critic wondering why Cupertino's darling was even associated. And seriously, are you really considering spending $70 on this with Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 widely available and able to satisfy your off-key singing desires? No, no you are not.
Metareview -- Lips (Xbox 360)
For big kids, karaoke is dependent on friends, good track lists and alcohol. Remove any one of those elements - especially the alcohol - and there's probably going to be a problem. So, it's not unexpected when potentially sober and lonely video game reviewers get their hands on Lips, it's going to result in some scattered scores. Given Europe's long-standing history with SingStar, it's really not surprising to see Eurogamer's writeup on Lips being less a review and more a comparison between the two franchises. Videogamer (80/100): "It's the only game of its type on the 360, it's got brilliant microphones and it at least tries to allow you to expand the potential track-list to infinity. If you like karaoke, and you have friends or family that like karaoke, it's a damn sight better in-law entertainment option than charades this Christmas, and for that we should be eternally grateful" Kikizo (80/100): "While the ability to sing to your own music collection has its problems, overall Lips is absolutely brilliant fun, as well suited to a Saturday morning with the kids as it is a late return from the pub. In the end, that's what this kind of game should be about, and as a rival to SingStar, Lips can happily call itself equal. " Gamespot (65/100): "The wireless microphones are convenient and innovative, and they make it difficult to go back to corded models afterwards. The song selection is also excellent, with 40 songs that are varied in style but united in anthemic quality. That said, the game's lack of camera support, vocal playback, and simple online functionality disappoint, especially given their proven success in Sony's SingStar series. Even worse, the nonexistent difficulty level means this is a game with practically no appeal for single players, aside from those who want to collect the easy achievement points." Eurogamer (50/100): "But the saddest thing about Lips is that it suffers in comparison to SingStar's gameplay. We've long moaned about legacy issues with SingStar - that it can't cope with vibrato, punishes you for tailing off at the right time, and has a bit of lag in audio playback - but despite Lips' fancy mics and superficial improvements, it's too easy, too isolated from other players, and too buggy. The irony is that SingStar has glitches as well, now and then, and casual gamers seem to put up with this, whereas Microsoft - architect of the Red Rings - has little goodwill left to cash in on that front. Casual or not, though, you should only buy this if you can't get SingStar."
Lips mic incompatible with Rock Band / Guitar Hero (at launch, anyway)
Anytime we hear the words "incompatible" and "music game" mixed into the same sentence, we typically can't resist the onset of a bitter beer face. That being true, we can't say we're too terribly bummed about this one, particularly since we highly doubt Microsoft's Lips will have the same following as Rock Band and / or Guitar Hero: World Tour. At any rate, you should probably know that the accelerometer-packin' Lips microphone will not work with RB nor GH at launch, though creator Keiichi Yano of Inis did confess that compatibility was theoretically possible with future patches. 'Course, we doubt anyone will spend time on said patches unless Lips moves like a billion copies this winter, but we suppose anything is possible with a snap of the fingers and a pinch of pixie dust.[Via Joystiq]
Lips coming to Xbox 360 this November, song list revealed
Why Microsoft went silent about its upcoming karaoke game, Lips, is beyond us. But thankfully, the curtain has been pushed aside, and MGS is ready to start hyping the Xbox 360's answer to SingStar. With developer iNiS at the helm (Elite Beat Agents, Gitaroo-Man), we knew to expect something more than just a karaoke game. By integrating a few new ideas and Wii-styled gyroscopic microphones into the mix, iNiS hopes to create a fun party experience that anyone can enjoy -- no singing required.Accessibility is at the heart of this brand new music game. Not everyone in a party is confident (or drunk) enough to show off their singing prowess. Not a problem in Lips. Developer iNiS has added a number of other things for anyone to do while a song is playing. Instead of grabbing the mic, you can grab a controller and start pressing buttons to activate a variety of "noisemakers." Four controllers can be used, in addition to the two wireless microphones. If you're is feeling a bit more theatrical, you can grab the microphone and shake it like a tambourine. You can move your body and perform the gestures that appear on screen. And finally, if you're ready to sing, you can start belting it out.Continuing the theme of accessibility, there's only one difficulty to be found in Lips. The vocal engine that's in place is supposedly much more forgiving than competing singing games. That means even those that aren't the strongest of singers can feel encouraged to play. Players can also jump into duets at any time: a simple shake of the wireless microphone will activate two-player mode instantly -- no need to pause the game or exit to a menu.
Karaoke Joysound Wii leaving Japan?
We're fascinated by Karaoke Joysound Wii, Hudson's karaoke program that allows players to turn their Wiis into karaoke machines and download selections from a massive library of songs for a 300 yen fee (for one day of unlimited downloading). But we believed that it was going to stay in Japan, for various reasons including the greater popularity of private karaoke in Japan, the reliance on a massive licensing deal that Hudson USA doesn't have, and the fact that Hudson said so.But 4cr's Keito reported in her hands-on preview of the game that "The game is going to be released in Japan on December 18th, and then in both the USA and Europe in 2009." Could Hudson be working on a deal with an American music publisher? If so, we may have $3 karaoke parties soon.%Gallery-33426%
Karaoke Joysound Wii dated in Japan, where it will probably stay
While we completely freak over the news that Alien Crush Returns will be coming Stateside soon, take a brief second to remember Karaoke Joysound Wii. A few months ago, Hudson's Mike Pepe stated that two games from Alien Crush Returns, My Aquarium, and Karaoke Joysound Wii would be localized. With the first two now confirmed for North America, that means (as expected) that the karaoke game will be staying in Japan.The silver lining: if you're feeling adventurous and refuse to let such obstacles prevent you from warbling to J-pop, you can always get your import on -- Hudson just gave the game a release date of December 11th in its homeland.[Via Siliconera]
