Harmonix: Music games may not rely on consoles in the future

by Justin McElroy { Jul 8th 2009 at 2:00PM }

Music games have been blowing up lately (surprise!) but Harmonix can envision a time when they may not even need the boxes that brought them to the big show. Company boss Josh Randall told Videogamer.com, "I think you could foresee a future where maybe you don't even have a console. Your instrument can have all these songs and you just plug it into your TV."

Sorry Harmonix, but if you've got a spare $33.27, you can see that you've already been beaten to it. It's a guitar, it's a game, you might say ... it's the best of both worlds.

Tags: ea, harmonix, music-games, rock-band

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Sidebuster @ Jul 8th 2009 2:03PM

Did they do that for some games back in the day? I remember there being a commercial for a tennis game that you just plug in the tv and play. How did that do?

Alex @ Jul 8th 2009 4:53PM

Have you heard about it since?

That's how well it did.

HaVoC @ Jul 8th 2009 6:20PM

I don’t know if sidebuster is referring to it, but the Godfather of video games, Pong, was originally released as a tennis (ping-pong) plug-and-play after it became popular in bars and restaurants. So Alex, there is one of those “that’s how well it did” plug-and-plays that started an industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong

MystileArmor @ Jul 8th 2009 2:04PM

But how will we play Tony Hawk with our drumkits?

Girugamuk (Moptimus Slimed) @ Jul 8th 2009 2:04PM

so the next Rock Band is gonna be a plug-and-play game?

Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 8th 2009 2:06PM

It's all speculation.

Besides, what happens when the guitar breaks? Well shit, there goes all your songs too!

Young_Nastyman (a.k.a. Thor von Clemson) @ Jul 8th 2009 2:18PM

Where we're going we don't need roa......consoles

Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 8th 2009 2:05PM

I'm not sure whether to award or subtract a point for the "best of both worlds" reference.

ilovethewaggle @ Jul 8th 2009 2:08PM

Award...it was the first thing i thought of after reading the title of the article. this is just a bad idea.

LatinTrident @ Jul 8th 2009 2:05PM

My comment was edited. It's cool, what I wrote was "super-stupid."

Girugamuk (Moptimus Slimed) @ Jul 8th 2009 2:11PM

you would know...

Shmil @ Jul 8th 2009 2:12PM

It has homosexual tendencies? Try and come up with a more creative insult next time.

Chin-Paaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! @ Jul 8th 2009 2:14PM

Hey I always wondered, when people say "That's so gay", doesn't that offend gay people? I'm not gay, I don't care much for gays, I'm totally indifferent but just wondering about that. What if we said something like "That's so Hispanic?"

Girugamuk (Moptimus Slimed) @ Jul 8th 2009 2:17PM

no, you'd have to say something like "Thats so beaner" or "Thats so fat white bitch" or "Thats so Raven"

MrSpaceCowboy @ Jul 8th 2009 2:20PM

"Whoa homes,
You can't say that ese.
That'd be racist mang!"

...Is how the Hispanic community would respond most likely.

Longhorn of Myon [PSN: MariusElijah] @ Jul 8th 2009 2:23PM

FU Cowboy bitch

Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 8th 2009 2:26PM

Longhorn. Come here. We need to talk.

How are you going to censor "fuck" and the say bitch? Huh?

Be for a man. If you're going to attempt to yell at someone, at least have the balls to follow through.

Latin_Trident @ Jul 8th 2009 2:29PM

Thats so beaner is a little more accurate I'd say. Just like calling something red neck.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/443905374_a2d48cfc7a.jpg

FNG @ Jul 8th 2009 2:33PM

I don't see anything redneck about that "flat screen" fyi the screen is flat. that would be a redneck "flat panel"

Longhorn of Myon [PSN: MariusElijah] @ Jul 8th 2009 2:36PM

i like saying "ef u" (FU) instead of "fuck you"

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jul 8th 2009 2:47PM

Hey guys you can't say that,this is the internet show some class.

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jul 8th 2009 2:54PM

Racial discussions it finally happened 4chan merged with joystiq,how long until we see horse porn on the front page?

Also MrSpaceCowboy that's what Carlos Mencia would say.

Hispanics would be Spaniard,Mexicans,Argentinos (Even when you guys don't want to admit it),Chilenos,Puerto Ricans and so on and people you really don't want to piss off.

Back on topic personally I hate everyone in general but seriously you can't say "that so gay",this is the internet show some class.

Sly @ Jul 8th 2009 3:11PM

yeah ESC, all through that discussion, i thought of carlos mencia.

also, rednecks accept the term redneck. say hick if you want to offend em. i would know, i live in alabama.

Don-Don @ Jul 8th 2009 2:06PM

How does one get those modified multiplier/overdrive bars and designs on the note highway? Is that what becoming a Platinum artist gets you?

Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 8th 2009 2:08PM

I haven't really thumbed through all the options in Guitar Hero 4 but can't you select the look of your note highway? I think that in turn changes the style of the overdrive.

MrSpaceCowboy @ Jul 8th 2009 2:09PM

That's an old hat RB1 screenshot.

It was one of the first screenies of the game

Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 8th 2009 2:11PM

Sorry dude. Total brain freeze. I'd been replying to that Guitar Hero post so much earlier that I didn't even realize that was a screen of Rock Band.

To answer your question:

I believe that's what it does once you complete The Endless Setlist 2.

MrSpaceCowboy @ Jul 8th 2009 2:06PM

Only now am I aware of this product?!

I must have it! So I can be like Miley in my living room.

After I'm done singing, I'll upload whore photos of myself onto the internet like she did. What a role model!

Degolas @ Jul 8th 2009 2:08PM

And you'll play it with RCA cables?

Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 8th 2009 2:09PM

Monaural Sound FTW!

psn: ijustw1n @ Jul 8th 2009 2:11PM

The music game genre is going the way of the sports genre. New fake "innovations" when in all honesty all you'll see is new song tracks (roster updates) for the full price of a new game.

Archon (PSN: Archonik, XBL: DarkARHN) @ Jul 8th 2009 2:11PM

Jeeeesssuuus, stop using this old, pre-release screenshot. The interface looks nothing like it. (The highways are sexy, though)

Cybergig1 @ Jul 8th 2009 2:28PM

exactly, with how many guitars/drums people who play seriously go through that'll never work unless the songs are on some seperate cartridge you plug in. then what about the DLC for the songs. that means the guitar needs a network adapter.....list of reasons this is ridiculous just goes on and on

Chimpanzebra @ Jul 8th 2009 2:14PM

Dear Joystiq,
Stop using this picture.

bongoes @ Jul 8th 2009 3:22PM

What's wrong with that picture?

Ben Forbes @ Jul 8th 2009 3:39PM

Rock Band hasn't looked like that ever. That was effectively the first PR shot of the original game.

Shmil @ Jul 8th 2009 2:23PM

You should probably just never comment again. I think I speak for the rest of the commenters when I say it'd be for the best.

Longhorn of Myon [PSN: MariusElijah] @ Jul 8th 2009 2:27PM

"spicy, ghetto, pimped-out, cheap,"

FU too

Vcize @ Jul 8th 2009 2:30PM

Wait, did they just say "plug in"? As in...not wireless?

Screw that.

T @ Jul 8th 2009 2:35PM

Do you know a lot of TVs that are able to support wireless peripherals.

Besides, it's obvious that they're talking about a core unit that IS Rock Band with the four instruments connected to that wirelessly.

Girugamuk (Moptimus Slimed) @ Jul 8th 2009 2:38PM

your posts are so lez

Chan @ Jul 8th 2009 2:39PM

I'd actually accept the 250$ pricetag on The Beetles: Rock Band if it just plugged into the tv.

Spike @ Jul 8th 2009 2:41PM

i have in mind something that looks similar to onlive, with the USB ports, ethernet port, etc. and songs are, simmilar to track packs, on like a flash drive or something, and you need a code to punch in, and DL the songs to the hard drive, this would be like the rock band platform becoming a rock band "system," needing only instruments and songs, the songs are stored into a hard drive, while the game is on the system itself, and instead of a new game, just firmware updates to fix things