Karaoke Revolution vs. SingStar: Which is tougher?

by Kyle Orland { Mar 29th 2007 at 6:26PM }

The surface differences between SingStar and Karaoke Revolution are obvious. One uses the official versions of songs, the other uses covers. One has full music videos in the background, the other has animated 3D singers and environments. One has remained blessedly license-free, the other gave us the image of an uncanny-valleyified Simon Cowell that can never be erased from our minds.

But the surface differences don't really matter in the end. What really matters is how well each game judges your vocal performances. After all, this judging is what separates the karaoke video game from the weekly "talentless hack night" at your local bar. When we noticed that SingStar Pop and Karaoke Revolution Vol. 2 both shared the Britney Spears hit "...Baby one more time," we knew we had a definitive test on our hands.

That's right: two systems, two games, two microphones, one performance. Which game would be more lenient on our awful singing? Continue reading to find out.

Previously: Joystiq Video: Karaoke Revolution Country

Some notes on the testing:

Syncing up both games for this test was incredibly hard. While Karaoke Revolution dives right into the song after loading, SingStar has 16 seconds or so of music video before the song actually gets going. If you don't pause each game at exactly the right moment, the music won't sync up when started and the comparison becomes impossible. The video above omits dozens of failed attempts.
Surprisingly, both versions of the song have slightly different lyrics. In Karaoke Revolution: "Tell me baby, 'cause I need to know, now, what we've got." In SingStar: "Tell me baby, 'cause I need to know now, oh, because." Any commenters out there own the album and can tell us which one is wrong?
The SingStar version asks you to sing a lot of "oohs" and "ahs" between verses that the Karaoke Revolution version leaves out of the judging. For its part the Karaoke Revolution shows slight trills on notes that SingStar shows as a solid bar.

Tags: karaoke, karaoke revolution, KaraokeRevolution, konami, singing, singstar, sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Leemo @ Mar 29th 2007 7:05PM

MY EARS... DEAR GOD MY EARS!

Sketchy Fletchy @ Mar 29th 2007 7:29PM

OH GOD, THE PAIN!

NoHitHair @ Mar 29th 2007 8:00PM

Why wasn't there a warning posted to turn off our speakers?

vitamin_k @ Mar 29th 2007 8:41PM

I'm fortunate enough not to own the album, but google appears to agree with Singstar's version of the lyrics..

Ludwig Kietzmann @ Mar 29th 2007 9:55PM

I think asking our commenters to admit to owning a Britney Spears album in a public forum may be asking too much...

sheppy @ Mar 29th 2007 10:07PM

I'll admit to aiming M-Flo, Utada Hikaro, Two Mix, Tag Team (Whoomp, there it is, y'all), Kid 'N Play, Michael Jackson, Def Tech, Black Eyed Peas, The Darkness, My Chemical Romance, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Beatles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Rat Pack, Lion King soundtrack, and yes, even Salt 'N Peppa...

But never saw the appeal of Britney, thus... never bought an album.

Rubang B @ Mar 29th 2007 11:02PM

Oh yeah, then why'd you spell Utada Hikaru wrong? Faker!

Ben Tremblay @ Mar 29th 2007 11:18PM

OH MY GOD I'M IN PAIN, LORD END MY SUFFERING NOW ARGH

Ben Tremblay @ Mar 29th 2007 11:21PM

Hum I would like to add that I'm no better. :'( No rockstar life for me.

Dakins @ Mar 29th 2007 11:30PM

THIS IS TORTURE! WHY OH WHY JOYSTIQ?!

Rubang B @ Mar 29th 2007 11:39PM

Would you rather he NOT hit all those notes and get a near-perfect score?

ledorky @ Mar 30th 2007 2:21AM

I'm ashamed to admit it but I'm addicted to both series and can't get enough. I've bought and imported every single Singstar UK and bought all the Karaoke Revolution titles that came out.
I'd say Singstar is much tougher to completely get. I can get 100% on KR on easy but a Singstar designation is pretty damn hard.