Ubisoft Announces Music Game For Real Guitars 172
Despite recent troubles in the music game market, Ubisoft thinks the genre still has room for innovation. They have announced Rocksmith, a rhythm game designed for use with real electric guitars. The guitars will connect to a console or PC through the standard output jack.
"... the 'note highway' is actually a virtual guitar fretboard, complete with numbers which correspond to the different frets, and the 'target zone' consists of six horizontal strings. Wherever each note appears on the virtual fret board, that’s where your finger(s) go on the physical fretboard. Once the note reaches the target area you strum the string it comes into contact with. Simple. The camera zooms dynamically to highlight where on the fret board you should be looking at, in much the same way that a musician’s eyes would scan up and down the neck of the instrument during a performance."
Re:rock band 3 already has this (Score:5, Insightful)
If a game makes practice easier or more enjoyable, why not use it? In the end, it's the acquired skill that counts, not the way you got it. And if the game teaches you a usable skill, it definitively isn't stupid.
Re:rock band 3 already has this (Score:3, Insightful)
Not everyone has the time/commitment/money for lessons (which would certainly be a better option for learning to play).
Still, they somehow have the time/commitment/money for playing the game? Or are they just casual players and thus not really interested in playing an instrument? This is the point: you want to play guitar, you just buy one. You want to learn to play, you might choose self-learning if you don't want to throw money at lessons. (Of course, you just want to have a nice time with friends, you go and play with them and be happy.)
when's the last time you passed a guitar to a non guitar playing friend and had them start playing?
It was some years ago. I taught him his first chords. I had him "start playing". Alas, no computers were involved. These games were not out yet.
Looking at the frets? (Score:5, Insightful)
I've played guitar for 30 years, and the following quote is disturbing to me:
"in much the same way that a musician’s eyes would scan up and down the neck of the instrument during a performance"
You're not really supposed to be looking at the frets while you're playing. Your fingers are supposed to know where to go without looking, much like when one learns to properly touch type. Looking at your fingers while you're playing is a bad habit that sadly a lot of new guitarists fall into. Yes, in the initial learning stages one needs to do so, but any good teacher will break that habit in their students as soon as possible.
That being said this might still be a useful learning aid for aspiring guitarists. I'm not interested.
Re:rock band 3 already has this (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:rock band 3 already has this (Score:5, Insightful)
I can already play real guitar and drums, and have played in a band in the past, but I find the game a hell of a lot of fun, without any of the hassles of being in a band. Quit whining.
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Really? (Score:5, Insightful)
They criticise plastic controllers, now they criticise real guitars. Where's the happy in-between?
Those opposed to the music game genre generally believe the lack of realism is holding it back. It doesn't take any sort of musical skill aside from a good sense of beat to push 5 coloured buttons. Yet the instant it requires a real instrument, and real playing ability, it's not about the controller at all - you're still playing a game which immediately destroys any sort of credibility the activity of playing an instrument may have associated with it.
How is this any different to playing along with a CD, the radio, or youtube? It's not. It's arguably better as it will provide feedback on your progress while giving you a genuinely entertaining way to learn (by experiencing true rock and roll culture) rather than the stale "these are chord charts; now play these scales" you get from your local guitar school/tutor. I also hope Ubisoft will include an advanced tutorial for improving your playing technique instead of simply repeating a section of the song until you can perform the require button mashing from muscle memory.