Video: Rock Band on iPhone
Touch Arcade has been jamming out to Rock Band on iPhone and it has the finger-tapping video to prove it. Revealed yesterday, Rock Band for iPhone takes the rhythm series and converts each instrument -- including vocals -- into a tapping title, asking players to hit the notes at the proper time.
The game features a quick play mode, but players can take their bands to glory in the tour mode. It also includes online and local bluetooth multiplayer. There is no announced price for the full game, which comes with 20 tracks and could release as early as next week. Touch Arcade notes there was a Smashing Pumpkins pack of two songs for $1. We've contacted Harmonix for more pricing details and will update if we receive them. Check out the video after the break to see how you'll tap, tap, tap along to the music.
Update: Check out the full track list in the iPhone Rock Band fact sheet "thingy." Yes, that's what it's called.
The game features a quick play mode, but players can take their bands to glory in the tour mode. It also includes online and local bluetooth multiplayer. There is no announced price for the full game, which comes with 20 tracks and could release as early as next week. Touch Arcade notes there was a Smashing Pumpkins pack of two songs for $1. We've contacted Harmonix for more pricing details and will update if we receive them. Check out the video after the break to see how you'll tap, tap, tap along to the music.
Update: Check out the full track list in the iPhone Rock Band fact sheet "thingy." Yes, that's what it's called.













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
xxhonkeyxx @ Oct 8th 2009 7:44PM
*imagines all the strange looks one would get for holding the phone close in front of your face and singing into it while walking down the street/sitting in Starbucks*
Odog4ever @ Oct 8th 2009 8:09PM
You would would definitely get strange looks considering that is not how the singing portion works. (That part is near the end of the youtube video)
The Baron @ Oct 8th 2009 8:28PM
I think the more important question is - why isn't that the way the singing works? I guess if the iTouch doesn't have a mic (does it? I can't afford one to find out) then it kinda makes sense, but it'd be nice to have that option for the iPhone.
Martin @ Oct 8th 2009 8:30PM
Google is free. At least one generation of iPod Touch's are sans microphone, so that would segment early adopters there (there are millions).
shouryuuken @ Oct 9th 2009 1:19AM
none of the ipod touches have built in mics.. you can buy external ones for real cheap or use 3rd party headphones with a mic (i use my blackberry headphones).
i actually got excited when i realized you could do vocals in this game.. then watched the video and felt meh again.
Durden @ Oct 8th 2009 7:49PM
The finger at the top is freaky.
Marco le Polo @ Oct 8th 2009 7:51PM
Kinda like tap dancing with your fingers? Tap fingerancing?
Marco le Polo @ Oct 8th 2009 8:48PM
Kinda like this?
http://www.katzenjammerstudios.com/personal/chris/music/forgemmil.mp3
Rudy van DiSarzio, Jazz fusion guitarist. (I go by many names...) @ Oct 8th 2009 7:53PM
blink-182 in any music game = instant fail.
ChuckBartowski @ Oct 8th 2009 7:55PM
Because Jazz fusion guitar is sooooo much better....
Electro Poof [Super Nintendo IT ONLY DOES EVERYTHING - Now Only $29.99] @ Oct 8th 2009 8:04PM
@ChuckBartowski
Better than blink-182? Yes, it is better.
Anything's better than blink-182.
Rudy van DiSarzio, Jazz fusion guitarist. (I go by many names...) @ Oct 8th 2009 8:17PM
Funny how people here in Joystiq think that I'm actually a Jazz fusion guitarist.
Nobody sees the Mighty Boosh reference in my name.
I guess I'm the only Mighty Boosh fan here on Joystiq. :[
The Baron @ Oct 8th 2009 8:29PM
But jazz fusion is actually a lot better. Blink is fun to play on drums, or vocals if you have a particularly whiny friend, but other than that, no dice.
LegendaryRedass @ Oct 8th 2009 8:40PM
They're better than Turk-182
Grimcicle @ Oct 9th 2009 5:06AM
BEETAMAX!
You really should get that.
mynk @ Oct 13th 2009 11:52PM
his dying mother gave him drumsticks when he was nine alright
wow. losen up a little guys.
Complex @ Oct 8th 2009 7:58PM
I have never been a big fan of Music games, but I always saw them as being fun for when you have a party and you a guitar and all the other stuff, but this and the psp one don't seen all that fun to me.
Dr. Bradwart @ Oct 8th 2009 8:00PM
I would imagine singing is VERY optional. Otherwise they'd be excluding the Touch crowd.
Glitch W @ Oct 8th 2009 8:13PM
Well, the singing is just putting your finger on in four sections for as long as the note lasts, not singing into the mic, so the Touch crowd shouldn't be excluded
Torque_AOD @ Oct 8th 2009 8:03PM
I'm really disappointed.
I wanted to be able to sing INTO my Phone for the vocals.
Other than that.......sound quality is pretty damn good.
joeybeast @ Oct 8th 2009 8:09PM
Sweet.... buying it.
Martin @ Oct 8th 2009 8:33PM
Hells yeah. I doubt I'll get more than the songs included, since I put so much into the collection I have in RB2, but it'll be fantastic. Very glad for multi-touch.
mirage @ Oct 8th 2009 8:28PM
Rudy van DiSarzio, Jazz fusion guitarist. (I go by many names...) in any music game thread = instant fail.
Fargus @ Oct 8th 2009 8:32PM
Rock Band is officially dead to me. This is ridiculous.
Bobby Kotick 2: Echoes @ Oct 8th 2009 9:04PM
Oh, right, because releasing a game on a phone is a sign of the end. Just because it's on a phone doesn't mean it's the end of Rock Band being an awesome series. In fact, I doubt too many people will even know about this for a while...
Peter Moore @ Oct 8th 2009 9:22PM
...
You're not Bobby Kotick.
Dr. Bradwart @ Oct 8th 2009 9:31PM
Bobby Kotick has betrayed Joystiq! Where are his dulcet tones?
Bobby Kotick 2: Echoes @ Oct 8th 2009 10:02PM
Of course, I'm not. The real Bobby Kotick kinda put a bullet to himself after getting banned from Joystiq. Pride issues, I guess...
No, I'm the bastard offspring of Bobby Kotick. But never fear. I've learned everything I know from my father, and I'm willing to pass on what I know to those willing.
Dr. Bradwart @ Oct 8th 2009 10:27PM
So Bobby committed suicide, Tom committed seppuku...Peter, I'd look out if I were you.
Sly @ Oct 8th 2009 10:07PM
looks better than i expected. that's not saying much, but i'm alright with it.
Devin @ Oct 9th 2009 12:19AM
I don't get it, where do you plug in the peripheral? I want to add to my pile of garbage plastic instruments.
mynk @ Oct 13th 2009 11:55PM
want to add to your pile of garbage?
its the thing that you're playing this on. :)
Seroth @ Oct 9th 2009 1:28AM
It looks cool, and I'll probably buy it...but I was hoping it'd be like Rock Band Unplugged.
Spike (GT: SitriStahl) @ Oct 9th 2009 3:04AM
i want this, but then i would have to buy an ipod
Toop @ Oct 9th 2009 11:26AM
The main issue with having a game on my iPod/iPhone is that I want to be able to listen to my music. If I have thousands of songs in my library, I don't want to be restricted to just a few select ones. I have Phase on my iPod, which isn't nearly as complete as this game (no tour, no specific instruments, no professionally created charts, no multiplayer obviously), but what bugs me the most is that I don't get to just listen to whatever I want, which is what I use my iPod for. Even if I had my whole library converted to be playable in Phase it is much more inconvenient to switch artists or playlists. As a result I end up playing games that don't specifically involve music so that I can listen to my library in the background.
The other problem here is that I (and my friends) play Rock Band for the group party atmosphere it provides. The best part is listening to great music, really loud, with a group of people who are into it. Tapping out colours isn't that great by itself even if there is still good music.
What's this 2 for $1 thing? I don't see why these songs would be so much less than the ones available for 360/PS3/Wii. I guess we'll know when the final pricing is announced.
mynk @ Oct 13th 2009 11:56PM
i think they're less because of note charts and amount of effort it goes into producing them.
Sahil @ Oct 9th 2009 1:57PM
definitely gonna check this one out. I own Rock Band 2 for PS3 and Rock Band Unplugged for PSP, I will buy it and probably do a comparison between this and rock band unplugged