Note: this site is in private beta, although you can get an invite with the link at the bottom of the post.
In a time when most people spend eight hours a day (or more) with their fingers on a keyboard, a service called JamLegend wants you to spend a few more. It turns your average, everyday keyboard into a virtual electric guitar. Think of it as Guitar Hero, without the need for special hardware or software.
To play songs, you just hit the right note at the right time, which just like Guitar Hero or Rock Band requires holding the corresponding notes and strumming with the Enter key. The site suggests two ways to play--either a "chill" mode that looks like you're typing into an Excel spreadsheet (good for playing at work) or the "jam" style where you hold your keyboard like a guitar and use the function keys like you would frets.
The jam style takes some getting used to, but is a far more satisfying way to play, and Guitar Hero or Rock Band enthusiasts will feel right at home, although depending on your keyboard it's a little more cramped.
To play, you just hit the corresponding note at the right time. On the right it keeps track of your current score, high score, and the person who rocked it the most on that difficulty level.
(Credit: CNET Networks)The real power of the site is in the collection of songs and the integrated social experience that lets you play with and against your friends. Unlike the console titles that limit you to a selection of licensed music from big-name bands, the songs on JamLegend are indie. That doesn't mean they're bad though; in fact most of the songs I played would be far more fun to play than some of the B-side tracks that fill out the set list on the console games.
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Jeff Yapp is an executive V.P. at MTV Networks. He's in charge of the cool stuff, including MTV's virtual worlds strategy and its video game products.
At Under the Radar, he showed off the latest innovations from both groups, including Rock Band, an XBox and PS3 game produced by Harmonix, the company that created Guitar Hero, and that MTV acquired in 2006.
In a demo video at UTR, Yapp showed how Rock Band lets four people team up on guitars, drums, and vocals. I think the drum kit is a new idea for video games, but conceptually it's not all that different from Dance Dance Revolution. The vocal thing is also new: Rock Band scores you for getting the vocal contours right. If you're good, you can have your voice played over the game's built-in audio. If not, just let the pre-exisiting track play while you hum along underneath it.
In the video, the virtual world demos are at the beginning, and Rock Band shows at the end.
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