Harmonix: music games could abandon consoles

Sees a future where a music-equipped instrument plugs directly into a TV.

It sometimes seems as if a new music rhythm game is released every five minutes, but Harmonix honcho Josh Randall believes things may change in the future. Randall thinks that games like Rock Band may eventually abandon consoles altogether, instead taking the form of instruments with built-in music.

“I think you could foresee a future where maybe you don’t even have a console,” said Randall, speaking to VideoGamer.com. “Your instrument can have all these songs and you just plug it into your TV. I’m sure it [the genre] is going to start to move in weird ways that no-one’s even thought of yet.”

The Harmonix creative director added that rhythm games may be influenced by developers working outside of the traditional home console sector.

“We’re obviously focused on the consoles, but outside of Harmonix there are people doing interesting stuff in the mobile space. It’s going to be interesting when it all splinters apart and then comes back together in some form we’ve not even thought of yet.”

http://www.virginmedia.com/games/gamingnews/news-story.php?storyid=39968168

Lets see them try to implement DLC with the thing and considering all data is stored inside the instrument its self what if you happen to break it? You would have to fork out another $300 or something ridicolous.

This actually isn't a bad idea. With the advent of cheap-o flash memory, they could store quite a bit inside a plastic guitar that otherwise runs just like one of those plug-and-play systems they have floating around out there. It would certainly transcend the barrier for people who don't want to plunk down $200-$400 for a console, and then a further hundred or so just for this game.

you mean like this one that has existed on the market for years already??

http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Fever-Interactive-Not-Machine-Specific/dp/B0015GS8UM/ref=sr_1_28?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1246986395&sr=8-28

HAHAHA, ashens already reviewed it... LOL...

Also, the "Plug 'n' Play Baseball" game that my brother bought 5 years ago says this is a bad idea...

Also, i think he's probably talking more of the likes of AppleTV (blegh), or OnLive...

I mean really, do we want to go back to 16-bit graphics and AM-quality sound (or in this case MIDI files)?

^ lol, i can't believe someone actually reviewed that game. xD

Music games could fuck off altogether as far as I'm concerned.

Prepare to flop IMO.

^This

If you watch any of ashen's reviews, you will see that 99% of the time, ashens reviews utter CRAP, in a comedic styling.

And he's quite good at it, as far as I can see...