http://au.wii.ign.com/articles/863/863040p1.html?RSSwhen2008-03-28_145800&RSSid=863040
US, March 28, 2008 - One of the first titles announced for the Japanese WiiWare service last year was Karaoke Joysound, a karaoke program that promised downloadable music for the Wii. Today, at a Tokyo press conference that also saw the unveiling of new WiiWare games like Alien Crush and Blue Oasis, Hudson shared specifics on this potential killer app for Nintendo's new download service.
Hudson appears to have some ambitious plans for Karaoke Joysound Wii, as the program is currently being called. The company hopes to have 20,000 songs available at the start of service, with 1,000 additional songs added every month.
Although it's being referred to as a WiiWare title, Joysound is a bit different from the rest of the WiiWare lineup. Users download the Joysound program from a server that's being exclusively set up for it. This server will also house the songs for downloading.
Hudson is currently considering a billing system based not on a per song rate, but on a subscription rate. Users will presumably be able to download as much as they want over a set period of time.
As previously announced, Joysound will be released both as a WiiWare download and as part of a package version. The package version will include a USB microphone, and may include lesson modes and more elaborate displays during songs. For those who do opt for the WiiWare version, Hudson plans on offering the microphone separately.
Sadly, specifics beyond this were not shared today. However, Hudson reps did state that they expect a Japanese release by this summer.
