SingStar players saddened by understocked SingStore

by Scott Jon Siegel { Jan 15th 2008 at 6:00PM }

SingStar's offerings on the PS3 have been less than stellar thus far, causing fans to express themselves in the most effective method possible: a petition.

Of course, we wouldn't report on an internet petition if it didn't bring to light some legitimate problems. Though Sony promised more than 350 music tracks for the service at launch, it has so far delivered less than 100 songs. This is especially bizarre given that the SingStore advertises "hundreds of songs available to download," which is obviously not true.

On top of this, copious server outages, and a lack of updates to the SingStore news sections are leaving fans in the lurch. If the petition doesn't do anything (which is absolutely unheard of on the internet), then here's hoping Sony at least wises up and begins catching up on the missing content.

Tags: singstar, sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

kojo87 @ Jan 15th 2008 6:04PM

SingStar players saddened by the fact that they actually like SingStar.

Eric @ Jan 15th 2008 6:12PM

The PS Network is free! Getting what you pay for much?

Vince UK @ Jan 15th 2008 6:22PM

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/30/major-nelson-speaks-about-recent-xbox-live-issues/3

Stu @ Jan 15th 2008 6:45PM

Thanks, but I would rather have a free reliable network, that a costly peer-peer unreliable one..

Chase @ Jan 15th 2008 7:51PM

As it happens in life most of the time: you do indeed get quality of the amount you pay.

And you know what? A week of instability does not make an entire year.

NorCal05 @ Jan 15th 2008 8:28PM

I've enjoyed 5 years of great Xbox Live service with 1 week of poor service. Provided it isn't a reoccuring theme, I'm ok with that.

Shagittarius @ Jan 16th 2008 12:23AM

Since this game is still 4 months out in the US I bet they have a few hundred songs by the time it reaches North America.

Pre-Release
Ships 05/13/08

ill trooper @ Jan 16th 2008 1:26AM

Shag is correct - this isn't in the US yet, and although they still should have had all they promised to have ready for the European releases, by this time this hits stateside, it'll probably be up to snuff and as described.

I have a whole new interest in this nonsense after the fun we've been having playing Rock Band as the singer.

Marty @ Jan 15th 2008 6:12PM

Ah, where would we be without the internet petition? Sometimes, I can't help but wonder... It sure would be a better world without internet petitions.

Fernando Rocker @ Jan 15th 2008 6:13PM

I read before, here in Joystiq comments, that SingStar would be the Wii killer jaja... let me find the article.

By the way, I found this article too... mega lol

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/A-List-Of-PS3-Games-That-Will-Murder-The-Wii-4314.html

Lair, Eye of Judgement, Stranglehold, Blacksite lol

HighFiveJesus @ Jan 15th 2008 6:17PM

No way singstar could beat Boogie, High School Musical or Hannah Montanna on the wii.

Stu @ Jan 15th 2008 6:23PM

Yep, and there is nothing wrong with any of those games, Lair included. Seems you and other have been suckered in by gaming review sites with hidden agendas, or at best not enough time to review said games (Lair in particular).

On that list, I do note you fail to mention the games that totally crucify anything available on other consoles, like Unchartered, Ratchet and Clank, Warhawk (a million times more fun than Halo 3).

sheppy2.0 @ Jan 15th 2008 7:33PM

Fernando,

This was a topic about Singstar and it's failings. Mainly the failings in the ability to add to the original content to the game through additional purchases. The store only has 100 songs and tends to wig out on occassion. That is the failing.

And yet, as if you're just sitting around with fingers primed on the "let's be a fucktard" button on your keyboard, you bring Wii into this and the supposed war. Okay, fine. I can deal with this.

You can champion Wii all you want. Good going. Frankly, I'm looking for a reason to power that fucker back on sometime before March 9th, but that's me. But dude, seriously, if you're going to attack Sony on a failing in their online arena, please realize you are championing fucking Nintendo. To even try to compare these two companies in regards to this thread is like trying to compare apples and noocleer wessels. Someone needs to beam your ass up, cause you done, space cadet.

simmcity @ Jan 15th 2008 9:32PM

agree with Sheppy, just when I though Fernando would stop being a troll, there he goes again. Somehow always managing to bring the Wii into a conversation.

upz @ Jan 15th 2008 10:31PM

Sheppy, well spoken, as usual.

And who the hell is the bizarro Fernando?

RoboChamp @ Jan 15th 2008 10:49PM

You know, I could have sworn this Joystiq article was about the Singstore Online store. Not an ignorant article written by an ignorant website linked by an ignorant gamer.

Yppehs @ Jan 15th 2008 11:59PM

sheppy's last name is shephard or sumthin like that. he said it on the feed a year or two ago

Stu @ Jan 15th 2008 6:17PM

I notice how you fail to report on the official response about updates to Singstore on the 18th..

Marty @ Jan 15th 2008 6:18PM

OMG TOBIAS!

Eric @ Jan 15th 2008 7:11PM

Hey Stu,

Honestly, I own a ps3 and let me tell you how wrong you are. Uncharted was technically solid but didn't have a single original idea in it, it copied Gears - but not as visceral, Tomb Raider - without the exploration, and Prince of Persia - without the creativity. Ratchet (and I'm a big fan of the series) good but does not 'crucify' anything (Galaxy was much, much better), and Warkawk? Please. COD4 and Halo 3 killed that game. I'm really disappointed with system, the online is barren compared to Live, and the only game I want for it is Hot Shots Golf (Love that series!)

It's a good movie player. That is all I use it for. 360 FTW.

Mr Khan @ Jan 15th 2008 7:13PM

I believe the above commenter is Jack/Tanya_Valdez

Killjebus @ Jan 15th 2008 7:32PM

You sir, have the best parody of an avatar that I have ever seen on this site. Ramen

Trickob @ Jan 15th 2008 11:30PM

tanya valdez, the chick who made that kick-ass scarf??

Easo @ Jan 15th 2008 6:21PM

Doesnt Sony own one of the largest record... never mind.

Brucie B @ Jan 15th 2008 6:29PM

It's Sony, C'mon There's Nothing New Here!

Trickob @ Jan 15th 2008 6:36PM

the expanded song collection won't be available for Singstar on the PS3 phats...

tiremfej @ Jan 15th 2008 6:39PM

What...Sony overpromise and under deliver again!?!?! Say it ain't so man!

GoldenS1104 @ Jan 15th 2008 6:45PM

Are you really that much of an attention whore that you have to plagiarize blog comments?

Look at the 7th Comment at this Link: http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/01/14/singstar-players-are-unhappy-with-the-state-of-community-feature/

tiremfej @ Jan 16th 2008 8:43AM

Haha, I guess you're right. All I can say is, "Great minds think alike."

mike @ Jan 15th 2008 6:41PM

The game has flopped thats the main reason

XanthouS @ Jan 15th 2008 6:44PM

I've not nearly 100 tracks to sing on Rock Band...

And they're actually good songs (for the most part).

baby sea tuna @ Jan 16th 2008 8:01AM

Yeah, I don't get why you'd even bother with the bubblegum garbage they've got in Singstar when there's Rock Band out there. Duets, I suppose...but I'd rather sing Iron Maiden alone, than Coldplay with a friend.

Eric @ Jan 15th 2008 6:45PM

@Vince UK

So what? I've been on XB Live since its' inception and the service has been phenomonal. The only noticable hiccup I've encountered was what you referenced, and even then it wasn't bad - just slower to log on than usual; and given that the service has been flooded with new users I have no problem with it - plus I'm getting a free arcade game.

I own a PS3 and I've got to say the PS Network is barren in features and users compared to XB Live. $50 is a pittance to pay for the ease of use and comprehensive features.

You get what you pay for.

sheppy2.0 @ Jan 15th 2008 7:46PM

You know, Eric. I once was a Live subscriber too. Wish I could say I enjoyed it. But, can't say I did. You see, majority of the games some friends and I like to play together, we tend to do face to face. It's more personal that way. So when I do go onto live, I had to scour the wilds of that wilderness and often found one thing common among the entire Xbox Live community.

Assholes. Literally millions of the bastards. Between being told my mother was fucked with that rocket I dodged or even being called a Bomb Nigger in Bomberman because I tend to drop them tactically instead of as fast and the button can tap, I have to admit I was ready to quit most games within 5 minutes of starting them. And yes, you can mute users and report people but here is the deal. I was reported 5 times.... for winning the match. You read that correctly. I would barely say anything except announcing sniper positions as I found them and I was reported for abusing language and sportsmanship. To this day, I do not have a five star account. And many of the games I would play nowadays would be completely barren (Chromehounds, Ridge Racer 6). So honestly, as my fifth 360 died and I found myself not willing to reinvest until that situation got better, I can honestly say I don't miss Xbox Live.

Now on PS3, I can find all sorts of people playing the games I am. Few get uppity and vocally abusive, and you can actually form strategies amongst random player team members without being called a faggot.

Now, to you, having a piss poor sense of community amongst thousands of illiterate and racists little 13 year olds all for the trade-off of $50 a year but slightly easier to join player matches is a mention of "getting what you paid for."

But to me, I try to avoid assholes online. I also tend to play on TF2 servers with codes of conduct. I play a game to have fun, not to be audibly raped by some little douchebag who has barely had his testicles drop. And frankly, the only PSN game where I have had troubles getting matches started was Calling All Cars. Everything else, I have friends or I have random players and it's usually lag free. PSN is a gaming community I enjoy. It just so happens to be for free.

Eric @ Jan 15th 2008 8:48PM

Hey Shep,

Sorry for your experiences but the simple fact is that more players equals more assholes. My overall experience has been great, I have a solid community of friends from all over the world I game w/ on XB Live and that definitely minimizes my experiences w/ the douchebags out there; and when they do show up we usually rip them as a group and no big deal. I game avidly on XB Live and have had no problems with reporting and have a five star rating - and although I don't do it actively I am not adverse to talking trash and trying to get under someone skin to get them off their game. (Note: no racist or homophobic comments needed to do that).

The fact of life is Shep that anonymity and microphones equates to jerks coming out of the woodwork and I can't believe for a second that the PS Network won't have the same problem as the community increases. You want assholes? Try playing any SOCOM or Madden on the PS2. And when they show up you can't blame the network for it.

My point to Stu was that XB Live is simply the standard for online console gaming by a wide, wide margin. The PS Network (mind you, I own the PS3) seems so bare bones comparatively that it's embarassing. And honestly, aside from watching movies (which it is excellent at) the system is never on. I was very disappointed with the PS Network and after exploring it XB Live seems that much better; it is in fact leagues beyond what Sony is doing.

p.s. Not to sound petty, but I was right about DMC4 which you swore would never come out on the the 360. And for the record, so will MGS4. No way Konami ignores that install base.

Co @ Jan 15th 2008 9:25PM

Nice post shep, but Eric is right. Give it time, PSN will be another XB Live.

sheppy2.0 @ Jan 15th 2008 9:33PM

Eric, you ignore the simple fact of the matter that there ARE people using PSN. I never have a problem filling a Warhawk or Resistance game. In fact, even Ridge Racer 7 has a strong community where you can play and usually fill a game. You say the Xbox Live problem stems from simply having more players. I'm curious how this equation adds up. Is there some formula? Since I've played countless PS3 games online, I've only run into 3 bad games. And normally, if the game supports it, they get booted. Otherwise, just muted. Now in many games I play, the community aspect usually numbers in thousands of regular players. So once again, it begs the question, when do the asshats start becoming the majority like on Live rather than isolated incidents. You say it's a simple matter of userbase or numbers sold.

Well, Xbox 360 has sold 3.21m copies of COD4, PS3 has sold 1.6m according to VGchartz. So that means, for every one copy on PS3 sold, two are sold on 360. So let's go with this as an actual metric. Hopefully this could help your equation as you inform me where the magic userbase comes from. Now, I own it on PS3 and have played roughly 40 games. Of those games, most players had the headsets. Of those, only one game had what I consider the "Live Experience." Now, I played a few games at a friends house since he wanted me to up his rank (and since I no longer have a 360, I natch couldn't do it from home). In the span of 6 games, 5 of them had he complete lowests of the low behavior and anytime I find a bad group, I search for another one. So on PS3, that's one in forty matches had an issue, but on 360, five of six matches were an issue. I really have to wonder, where does the asshole metrics come into place? Perhaps you have a mathematical equation you could use since you keep slamming PS3 as it's userbase being the sole reason why the assholes aren't about. After all, isn't Resistance about at 2.25m so obviously the 2 million point isn't where the asshat effect kicks in. So when exactly does it happen?

Also, you must have confused me with someone else (or the imposter... very possible) because I never state a game will never show up somewhere unless it's specifically developed first party. So as rumors of DMC4 came about, I may have said it was doubtful, but I highly doubt I ever said it would never happen. As for MGS4, who knows? It all depends on how much Kojima is willing to cut since he's already stated MGS4 is on a 50GB BluRay.

Now, I will readily admit the Live experience is theoretically better. There is more of a general platform behind it. However, I've stated my problems.

Eric @ Jan 15th 2008 10:26PM

Dude, are you kidding? So what are you saying? That PS Network users are somehow more intrinsically polite than XB Live users? If a game like COD4 had twice as many players on it then your have more of a chance of running into a dickhead. I don't need a scientific formula to recognize common sense. SOCOM, which was easily the most widely played online game on the PS2 had tons of jerks. Maybe you've been unlucky, who knows? I also don't run away after five minutes because someone's got a smart mouth; maybe you need thicker skin. Have you ever played competitive sports? If I skated away from the crease every time a defenseman cross checked me in the back and told me never to come back or he'd rape my mother I would never have played a full period.

If someone's a real dick I just mute 'em, then beat their ass at the game; and like I stated , the nature of Live lets you build a friends list and consistently game with people you know and like. I play Top Spin with guys from Australia, NHL with my buddy in Missouri, and plenty of other games with people both local and nationwide. I don't encounter many issues because I either don't let it bother me, use the mute button, or play with people I know.

evilJaze @ Jan 16th 2008 10:03AM

sheppy2.0 ftw!

Mr.ESC @ Jan 15th 2008 6:46PM

The cover of the game was enough to creep me out and it was just the cover I really don't want to know about the rest of the game.

Mr Khan @ Jan 15th 2008 7:11PM

As i can recall, SingStar was supposed to be a pillar of the "Game 3.0" that Phil Harrison outlined back at GDC last year

My guess is that since the other pillars of Game 3.0 (namely HOME) have yet to be implemented, the full realization of SingStar has been stillborn

Whatever happened to HOME, anyway? It really seemed on track up until E3, then it kinda dropped off the radar...

Mr.ESC @ Jan 15th 2008 7:20PM

Sony never mentioned anything about HOME after September,I knew there was a Beta but I think it was all smoke and Mirrors.

Maybe it will be released at the same time as LBP.

sheppy2.0 @ Jan 15th 2008 7:26PM

Well, have no clue about Home. As to Singstar, well, aside from the "barren" (100 pieces of DLC is barren?!?) music store, apparently the other community features are up such as uploading videos of your performance and allowing other users to rate said videos. That was their main 3.0 implimentation and that's worked so far. Just seems the store has issues.

sheppy2.0 @ Jan 15th 2008 11:07PM

Ooo, am I banned?

Killjebus @ Jan 15th 2008 7:37PM

I can see why they delayed this game for so long. My wife and sons have wanted Singstar PS3 for quite some time now, and I was thinking about importing the EU vesion. Now, I will wait for the release here. SCEE must have figured that the Europeans will want the game finished or not.

When it launches here in the states, I would assume that the 300 songs will be there. Otherwise, they would have launched it here too.

nahworry @ Jan 15th 2008 8:23PM

You better do wait for its release (wherever you are), as your local SingStore won't be open until the game hits your home ground. There is no content downloadable from the US, from Japan (which I am anxiously waiting for), or from France, for what it's worth.

So, long story short, if you do import, better have a British, German, or Spanish credit card at hand, alongside with a local address, or it is No downloads for you, come back, next month! Not that that is a bad thing, necessarily, but I'd prefer a more global approach. What's wrong with giving me access to Italian or Israeli pop music when I feel like it?

PS: My wife asks, where is the Oasis tracks they promised us? Where is Avril Lavigne, or Wir Sind Helden? We say, 3000 songs online, quick! It is really dumb to give us increments of just 100 tracks every month or so, just to be able to say, yes, big news, we updated the Store!

sheppy2.0 @ Jan 15th 2008 10:28PM

I can sort of answer the question why there is no global store. Distribution rights, mainly. Let's just put it this way, many Japanese publishers refuse to distribute in Asia due to piracy. Also, the Asia market has a significantly cheaper price on music than Japan. Just imagine $15 a CD versus $30-$40. So anyway, when I import music from Japan, I tend to snag the Hong Kong versions which clearly state "Not for sale in Japan."

It's funny but mainly the main thing keeping a global store from coming around is people bitching and fighting over what cut of how much goes to who cares? Without that, there would be a more global store system. But also keep in mind, as I import my copy of Mad Capsule Markets, I'm already breaking the law.... sad but true.