I was actually accounting for the video aspect also.  Unless they are bringing in entirely new sets and stages for you to play on we are talking about maybe a few KB worth of data to tell the actors where and how to move, a good lipsyncing  engine would only need the lyrics in a text format to sync that also.  A very small amount of the 30MB is anything but song tracks.

Also, I kinda figured that the game stopped playing only the portion being messed up when someone made a mistake. But you can still get around that with only a single recording..but I totally admit its a lot more complicated that way...thats why I said it wasn't going to happen =P

Basically they made it for the 360 and PS3 where the space issue didn't matter and they did it the easier way...its not a bad method its just using more space than is absolutely required.  In short they did it the smart way for those consoles because there was no reason for them to spend time or effort shrinking the format when it wasn't an issue for them.  It makes things interesting for a Wii port but that wasn't on their plate at the time and by the time it was in the cards they weren't going to go back and fix something that worked already.

 That's what I was indirectly trying to show.

 Games that are though of as cool that people probably feel kinda tough playing,  played with a guitar that under an other circumstances anyone above 8 years old would call babyish.

True, I'm sure there are ways to condense the tracks more, but how much harder would it be with the Wiis limited audio setup? I'm not very familiar with audio so I don't know if that is a constraint or not.

I was under the impression that VC games (which I, at least, consider 'download purchases') could be copied to SD cards.  And by 'under the impression,' I mean you can do this.  By standard means.

You get a "This file cannot be copied" message. I could post a screen shot, but take my word for it. If I could copy my VC games, I would.

Streets of Rage 3 "This file cannot be copied"
Gunstar Heroes "This file cannot be copied"
Punch-Out!!! "This file cannot be copied"
Military Madness "This file cannot be copied"
Ninja Gaiden "This file cannot be copied"

Super Metroid did copy a 1 memory block file to SD card, but I have to try playing it on another Wii before knowing if the game is playable on any console. I can do it tonight, but I don't see why it would play since the game itself takes 4 memory blocks. The 1 memory block that was copied is probably just game save data.

If you know something that isn't documented regarding the transfer and copying of VC games, enlighten us.

Downloaded songs are making them way more money then the game itself ever will. The wii isn't too strong with online users.

It would still make them some money, but after they said they sold 1 million songs (Probaly due to 360's online), I don't think they are losing much sleep.

I just hope that the Wii version and its lack of DLC doesn't prompt Harmonix to release another Rock Band game in the next 14-18 months. Part of the reason I bought into the game was because of its longterm DLC potential.

That does raise an interesting issue: if RB and even GH are raising significant amounts of revenue simply through downloads, what are the incentives for new releases?

You get a boost in game sales, from both previous users and late hardware adopters who will probably buy either game as an initial purchase.

Visibility of releasing a sequel due to constant press/media coverage.

New characters, venues, etc. could all be added through DLC, so presumably the next iteration of RB and GH will have new play elements, modes, etc. to push previous owners to buy the new version. It's not like the release of RBII or GHIV will keep anyone playing RB or GHIII from being able to purchase additional songs.

Regardless, there will be new versions in the future, the DLC just provides a constant refresh of new content to keep interest up. They'll make them simply because they'll sell, just like the 50 iterations of DDR that have popped up over the years.

It depends.  If a new release means 58 more songs for $60 more thats a great deal...especially since they give a great mix of songs in there too.  It would suck to swap discs I suppose but if they let you choose to "install" songs on your hard drive so that you can play them on either version of the game etc....but all of that is speculation anyways...

What I'm trying to say is that I can see merit in both methods.

Personally I've never been a big fan of spending $$ on DLC for any game...perhaps a bit irrational but its still a quirk I have nonetheless.  I guess I've always just seen it as something they forgot to add originally and now want me to pay more for it or something...but I suppose it depends what it is. A song I can understand a lot more than say a level or map etc...

Sqrl, I'm a big fan of DLC simply because if I don't like the song, I don't buy it.

Considering that any online source charges $1.00 to just listen to a song, I have absolutely no problem with paying $2.00 to play that same song in RB. I think that's a pretty fair price (but don't get me started on Guitar Hero's $6.50 song pack with no individual song available bullshit).