PS2 Taking Air-Guitar to the Next Level - 14.12.05

Newsweek is reporting on the success of the Playstation 2 game Guitar Hero, which sees players don a guitar-shaped controller and strum along in time to rock anthems like David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, and Boston's More Than a Feeling.

The controller has five buttons on the fretboard, a strum bar, a whammy bar and a set of built-in sensors that can tell when the guitar is pointing straight up. The player must manipulate all of these to mimic the actual riffs and movements needed to perform the songs on a real guitar.

Doing it correctly allows you to progress from playing at virtual basement parties to sold-out stadiums.

The $69.99 game is the work of California publisher Red Octane, who observed the musical-game craze in Japan and aimed to give it a more American flavour:

Silicon Valley game publisher Red Octane is devoted to bringing the musical-game craze to the United States, but the dancing games, "which have all been kind of quirky and Japanesey, haven't hit at the heart of America," says CEO Kai Huang.

The approach seems to be working - the game has reportedly sold out at retailers like Best Buy, no doubt partly because MTV have been featuring it in on-air competitions.

Newsweek: PlayStation 2: 'Hero' Worship - Guitar Hero game details

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