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P-kara's music subscription goes offline June 30th
A sad farewell for short-lived P-kara. The interactive karaoke game was released this past December in Japan and its last day offering access to online content will be June 30th. P-kara was a unique title for the PSP system, allowing users access to over 3,000 streaming songs through an online subscription. Without access, only 20 songs are available for play on the UMD disc alone. Although karaoke services are nothing new in Japan, there isn't much of anything to choose from in the karaoke game genre over here. Users in North America that haven't already imported the title will have to look at other platforms. Sony will offer an upcoming solution to the drought of karaoke games with their latest Singstar entry for the PS3 and if connectivity with the PSP leads to further engaging popularity, we see no reason why karaoke games wouldn't make a welcome return to the PSP platform. So, farewell for now, P-kara. Lets just hope it's not for too long.[Via Kotaku]
Customer choice important to Singstar dev - 350 songs at launch
This morning Paulina Bozek, executive producer of the Singstar series of games, gave a speech at the Nordic game conference about the upcoming Singstar title for the PlayStation 3. Gamesindustry.biz have a full summary of the presentation but, as usual, I'm going to boil it down to what I think are the most interesting points.Firstly, some numbers. 350 songs at launch, with 100 new ones every month. That should be enough to cover every song from each PS2 Singstar game, plus 100 new ones on day one. Give or take. This fits with the crux of Bozek's speech, that users want a massive amount of choice. As yet, there's no word on how much songs will cost to download.She goes on to discuss how interactive media is changing - that players are becoming creators and sites like Facebook and YouTube are great indicators of how consumer participation is evolving. Sounds very similar to a certain Mr. Harrison's Game 3.0 speech, don't you think? 'My Singstar Online' will mix all of these sites together to create a communal creative experience.
SingStar adds PSP-PS3 connectivity
UK retailer GAME may have accidentally leaked a crucial tidibt about the upcoming PS3 version of SingStar. The karaoke game allows wannabe performers to record their performances with EyeToy and post them online to a personal SingStar page. In addition, players will also be able to save their recordings to PSP, to share with friends at any time. With both a PSP system and SingStar handy, you'll be able to show off your next embarassing karaoke performance forever.Gallery: SingStar (PS3)[Thanks, Ben!]
SingStar harmonizes a few details
We danced around this piece of news for the better part of the week, but we're finally sitting down and cranking it out. After I get a sandwich. And look for a used copy of Stella Deus. And watch this Mythbusters re-run. All right, let's do this.First up, as we've previously said, SingStar will come with a standard 30 tracks by artists like Gwen Stefani, OutKast, Coldplay, Pussycat Dolls, Razorlight and Wolfmother, but upon its release there will be over 300 tracks available for download, many of which are from previous SingStar games. Songs will be added monthly when the game launches in June -- for Europe and Australia. The US is still lacking a clear release date.In addition to having a strangely MySpace-ish setup (profile, pictures, song lists, etc available to other online users), there will be new mics released for the game. If you've got a PS2 SingStar mic, fear not! It will still work with the PS3... but if you want to keep your PS3 sporting zero controller wires, you might want to snag a new PS3 wireless one. My opinion. Don't forget to request a song or artist!
Sony talks My SingStar Online, Final Countdown makes the cut
Sony's Kevin Mason has shed some light on just how they plan on making the online portion for their PS3 karaoke title, SingStar, the YouTube of amateur night. As one of those Game 3.0 titles that Phil loves to talk about, SingStar is all about taking away any shred of dignity you once had and letting the citizens of the PlayStation Network have at it.Utilizing a USB camera, SingStar will not only capture audio and video of your performance, but up to 10 pictures as well for upload to your very own My SingStar site on the PlayStation Network. Players can then choose to display their content publically or for friends only. As with YouTube you can browse the public domain, leave comments and even rate the performance of others. We just hope we're spared from video responses, which are notoriously more embarrassing than your screeching of "Final Countdown."Speaking of which, Europe's immortal favorite will be one of the many tracks available for download. Yeah... the guy with the six-hundred dollar console is expected to shell out extra for a Europe track? COME ON!
SingStar gets ready for its PS3 debut, taking requests
With the PS3 SingStar on its way in June (for Europe), we've heard very little about what specific tracks would make their way onto the disc. Turns out it doesn't really matter since we can download nearly anything we want. Why? Here's a quote from Game Director Paulina Bozek:"The SingStore is up and running here in the studio, and we've got hundreds of songs to download, at our fingertips. Finally we can browse through hundreds of songs and download exactly the tunes we want – it's fantastic to have the variety and choice. We're also starting to think about all the less known songs that we want to put up there. It's all digital now, so space is no longer at a premium. We no longer have to agonize over the perfect 30 songs on the disc and we're looking forward to having some fun with it. I recently had a request for the band The Pixies from a journalist and it would be great to know what everybody out there wants, so if you have any special requests, let us know in the comments to this blog."So the game is done, but they're taking requests? Everyone, leave them a comment on their blog requesting your favorite song or artist. Since I love music beyond belief, I've got a few ideas myself. Go![Via 1UP]
May is the month for games... in the UK!
The US PlayStation site doesn't have these listed in a very easy-to-find place, if at all, but the UK PlayStation website has updated its release schedule for some hotly anticipated titles. April doesn't hold much for you guys, but May is your month -- you'll probably be getting these games earlier than everyone else (expected, since at least one is coming from a European studio). We are, of course, talking about Lair and Heavenly Sword, both slated for a May release.You've also got SingStar coming your way in June, which implies there may be a huge revamping of the PS-Store sometime before that. Don't quote us, we're not sure, but it would make sense and be nice, what with Sony being a gigantic music distributor and all. Good stuff, that. We didn't expect Heavenly Sword until much later in the year. If the UK gobbles it up in May, we in the US may get it around July, right? Hopefully.
Karaoke Revolution vs. SingStar: Which is tougher?
The surface differences between SingStar and Karaoke Revolution are obvious. One uses the official versions of songs, the other uses covers. One has full music videos in the background, the other has animated 3D singers and environments. One has remained blessedly license-free, the other gave us the image of an uncanny-valleyified Simon Cowell that can never be erased from our minds.But the surface differences don't really matter in the end. What really matters is how well each game judges your vocal performances. After all, this judging is what separates the karaoke video game from the weekly "talentless hack night" at your local bar. When we noticed that SingStar Pop and Karaoke Revolution Vol. 2 both shared the Britney Spears hit "...Baby one more time," we knew we had a definitive test on our hands.That's right: two systems, two games, two microphones, one performance. Which game would be more lenient on our awful singing? Continue reading to find out.Previously: Joystiq Video: Karaoke Revolution Country
Sony denies the SingStore pricing rumor
Yesterday we posted about the SingStore, a part of the PS3 SingStar title, where you can download more music tracks and videos for the game itself. Pricing was said to be set around 1.49 GBP. A Sony spokesperson responded: "The SingStore prices on the site are wrong. We haven't announced anything on the prices yet." Thus Sony spokesperson (if you read any classical mythology, there's usually a "Thus Heracles" or whatever after someone talks... so, no, we didn't write a strange fragment. But if we wanted to).Sony didn't dismiss anything else, though. The 30 tracks and HD videos seem to be accurate, in that case. We'll get this game in the fall, but Europeans will have access to it in June.
Rumored details of SingStar song service surface
[Update: An SCEE spokesperson gave us the following response, "The information in the pamphlet is incorrect. The ambition is to have approx 400 songs for launch and build up the song catalogue on a monthly basis. The actual price for each track has not yet been confirmed."]The June European release window for PS3 embarrassment simulator, SingStar, isn't far away so details of how the Game 3.0 title works are bound to start cropping up. According to Australia's PALGN, "a pamphlet sent out to Australian retailers confirms a few small details on the upcoming game." Those details include a rumor that SingStar will hit with thirty tracks preloaded on the disc, each with accompanying high-def video. Also rumored is a ???1.49 ($2.88) price point for additional songs, nearly double the £0.79 iTunes track fee; however, Sony previously confirmed to Eurogamer that additional SingStar tracks would not be "any more than ... a track purchased from iTunes." It's not clear if the downloadable tracks will include high-definition video as well, arguably justifying the increased cost, or if they'll offer two versions, one with video and one without. We're sure Microsoft is glad to see Sony throwing on their swim trunks and diving into the deep end of the already bloodied waters of micropayments.%Gallery-1946%
SingStar PS3 comes with 30 totally radical tracks
Don't worry, these aren't the only 30 songs you can choose from, you SingStar addicts! Sony will let you add any song you like to the game via download/upload/something... we're not entirely sure yet but you'll be able to. In addition to these 30 as-of-yet-unnamed tracks, which we're assuming are totally radical, you will be graced with an HD video for every song.Via your "My SingStar" page, you will be given the option to upload videos and photos of your performance. It's like American Idol, except without judges. What we're unsure of is if you have to pay for these 30 songs. From our source article: "Thanks to a heads-up from forum member Maikii we can also confirm that the pamphlet reveals one of the songs costs ???1.49 (AUD $3.64 / EURO 2.17)." Huh? If you paid for the game, the songs on the disc should be free. Unless they're talking about future downloadable songs, we think this is pretty misleading. What do you guys make of it?
Singstar PS3 details unleashed, YouTube of karaoke confirmed
After a silence that dates back to the infamous E3 conference of 2006, Sony has finally unwrapped some major details concerning the PlayStation 3 edition of their karaoke smash, Singstar. Firstly, Singstar will be making its way to the States this fall, with a European release scheduled for early June. While they didn't name any specifics, Sony did mention that they're working with members of the music industry to ensure a girth of content for launch.Embodying the concept of Game 3.0 -- the theme of Phil Harrison's speech this morning -- Singstar allows users to not only download new content, but to upload their own as well. Folks from around the world will be plugging in their EyeToys or USB cameras' and shaking their money makers with their own video uploads that can be rated and commented upon from the community. A brief demonstration of Singstar revealed a pleasing interface that allowed for streaming both music and video previews of potential downloads. %Gallery-1946%
British gay gamers get pitched
UK gay magazine Attitude in their latest issue has the first video game advertisement specifically targeted at the gay market. The advertisement is for Sony's karaoke title Singstar: Anthems, which when originally reviewed had people noticing that there was a bit of a stereotypical queer quality to the track list. Looks like Sony went ahead and is trying to capitalize on that.Although many complain about the fact that different gamer demographics are popping up (casual, female, gay), it's fascinating to see a major company like Sony actually take note of a specific demographic and target it. Singstar is not widely available or known in the U.S., otherwise it would have been interesting to see if this ad appeared in gay publications Advocate and Out. Gay brand loyalty is well documented at this point, so even if readers of Attitude aren't interested in Singstar, they recognize that a company actually targeted them as a consumer.This is an indicator that video game marketing isn't just for the hardcore gamer magazines anymore. Companies are looking to diversify their audience as the cost of the product and general acceptance of gaming increases. Although game ads have shown up randomly in some major magazines, this niche marketing certainly puts a new spin on things. Attitude is still a mens publication, gay or straight, men still make up a majority of gamers. When game ads start showing up in Cosmopolitan, then you know something big is going on.
TGS 06: More than 3000 songs for new karaoke game
Karaoke and the PSP don't seem like a great match to me. Imagine, you're trying to read the newspaper on the subway, and the guy sitting next to you is singing to his PSP. Potentially uncool. But, if you're the kind of person that has to bust a song at a moment's notice, Sony's new P-Kara game for the PSP seems like its just for you. The game will let you download songs, in similar fashion to PS3's Singstar, and it'll let you download a whole heck of a lot of them: more than three thousand, if we're supposed to believe the news on Sony's official website.See also:The PSP as karaoke machine[Via PSP-Vault]
