This was bound to happen I guess…
Videogame publisher XS Games recently unveiled the first look at the innovative AirGÔ peripheral for its upcoming game, PopStar Guitar. The AirG™, which will be available exclusively for the Wii™ console, brings an exciting new game play dimension to music rhythm games. The AirGÔ will serve as an air guitar, allowing players to unleash their inner pop star by simply attaching the peripheral to the Wii Remote. PopStar Guitar comes complete with 2 compact AirG peripherals for $59.99, offering a multiplayer experience right out of the box.
“The Wii Remote has dramatically changed the way people interact with video games today, opening up endless possibilities for fun and active game play experiences,” said Steve Grossman, chief executive officer of XS Games. “Utilizing the Wii Remote’s functionality to the fullest, PopStar Guitar’s AirG fuels player’s creativity and imagination as they live out their dream of becoming a pop star.”
As recently announced, PopStar Guitar will feature original mastered tracks from mega pop artists Rihanna, The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and leading bands Maroon 5, 3 Doors Down, Simple Plan and Blink 182. The game puts players in the role of a lead guitarist on a musical journey that begins with forming a garage band and progresses to the ultimate performance on the main stage of a worldwide “Battle of the Bands” competition. PopStar Guitar features twelve playable characters, 25 visually stunning venues and more than 50 pop songs. Players can customize their band, giving it a unique look, as well as win a number of VIP vehicles, so their band can travel like real pop stars! With three difficulty levels, PopStar Guitar will feature a single player Career Mode along with single player and multi-player mini-games.
Game Trailer:
Developed by Broadsword Interactive, PopStar Guitar will be available for Wii™ and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The AirG peripheral will be exclusive to the WiiÔ version of PopStar Guitar and will have 2 AirGs bundled with the game for a retail price of $59.99. For PlayStation®2 system players, PopStar Guitar supports officially licensed PlayStation®2 system non-USB guitar peripherals and will retail for $29.99. Available November 2008, PopStar Guitar is rated “Teen” by the ESRB.
2007 was another rock & roll year for the video game industry. NDP came out with some numbers to back that up:
- The US video game industry sales rocketed to a record high $17.9 billion dollars in 2007
- Nintendo reigning as champion of the console battle, ahead of Microsoft and Sony
- Sales of video game consoles, software and accessories rose “an astounding” 43% on the strength of all 3 categories
- Nintendo DS handheld game devices and Wii consoles were the top hardware sellers, ranking first and second respectively.
- Nintendo generated 52% of the video game devices sold in the United States.
- 8.5 million Nintendo DS devices were sold in the United States last year, while buyers snatched up approximately 6.3 million Wii game consoles. “By the end of 2007 we were sold out of virtually all hardware, and much of our stock of software and accessories was sold out as well,” said Cammie Dunaway, the executive vice president of marketing at Nintendo of America.
- Nintendo expects “that momentum to continue in 2008″.
- Sony sold 3.97 million PS2 consoles and 2.56 million of its newer PS3 consoles in the United States.
- Microsoft last year sold 4.62 million Xbox 360 consoles, which debuted in the market in November of 2005, a year before Wii and PS3 were released.
- Approximately $8.64B was spent in the United States on game software for consoles and portable devices.- “Halo 3″ was the top video game title, with 4.8 million copies sold.
- Activision’s “Guitar Hero” game raked in $820 million, a new one-year record for video game franchise sales in the United States.
- Nintendo’s “Mario Brothers” holds the throne as top-selling franchise of all time.
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