GeekSugar

Wii Music Gets Ready For Class

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:00:14 -0800

Almost as heartwarming as the story about the senior citizens enjoying the Wii at retirement communities, Nintendo has just announced that it is partnering with The National Association for Music Education to bring Wii Music into the classroom.

Spanning across 51 cities, Nintendo will have music teachers use the game to help children get enthused about music and teach them about song structure, rhythm, and tempo.

I think as long as Wii Music is used in a manner that complements music lessons, then I'm all for it, but used solely on its own, not so much. That's like giving a class a Wii Fit to play with and calling it gym class.

Does the Wii Music Commercial Pique Your Interest in the Game?

GeekSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:00:16 -0800

After being given the chance to be a music-making kitty cat in Wii Music for the Wii, my first impressions of the game were pretty positive. But as much as strumming, stroking, and striking my Wiimote and Nunchuck to simulate instrumental music can be, I wasn't overly thrilled about the lack of competitive edge. I'm all about fun games without competition, but similar to the rest of you, it's rewarding when you get points (even if it is for getting a few keys correct). I just happened to catch this Wii Music commercial on TV last night and I couldn't help but have one of those moments where I thought - maybe it isn't so bad after all. What do you think? Did the commercial make you more interested in the game?

Do You Like That Wii Music Doesn't Have Scores?

GeekSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:45:35 -0800

When I took Wii Music for a test drive last month, I was trying to figure out what I liked more (and less) about it than Rock Band. What I still haven't decided about is how I feel about the lack of scoring. They want you to "create" music and interpret songs in different ways, but it's not easy to get used to the fact that at the end of your round, you have no way to measure how you did.

Amid reports that game sales are struggling, I wonder if this is what people don't "get" about the game, and if that's why Wii Music hasn't yet shown to be a threat to Rock Band yet. Aren't video games naturally about competition? Don't you get motivated to play a game by wanting to beat the next level or your own scores?

On the other hand, maybe eliminating competition is a healthy thing, teaching us to have fun for fun's sake instead of everything being a competition. What do you think about Wii Music?

Source

Wii Music: Don't Call It Rock Band

GeekSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:00:41 -0700

After I got my party on with Raving Rabbids and had my fill with the Personal Trainer Chef Edition, it was time to rock out with the Wii!

Wii Music (coming out Oct. 20), is Nintendo's answer to Rock Band, but is only similar to it in the sense that you're standing-up and interactively making music. Elements of competition are removed, and replaced with the ability and encouragement to play songs any way you want.

Using the Wiimote and Nunchuk controls, you can choose among a ton of instruments like piano, violin, guitar and the cat and dog (you read that correctly), and then play with your friends to make stylized versions of classic songs. The music is a bit more midi-sounding than Rock Band or Guitar Hero, the avatars just Miis, and all the songs super family-friendly, which makes Wii Music a really great option if you want to expose kids to a music game, but aren't that comfortable with the graphics and songs that the other games provide.

Check out the video to see it in action and hear what "Material Girl" would have sounded like if Madonna were a kitteh cat!

Daily Tech: Wii Music Makes US Debut on Oct. 20

GeekSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:30:27 -0700

Get your guitars, pianos, and flutes ready, because on Oct. 20, Wii Music will be hitting store shelves and with more than 60 instruments and 50 songs, you're guaranteed a rockin' good time. - Kotaku

Now you can get magazines like you get movies from Netflix thanks to a new service called Maghound, so you still get all your fave magazines but don't have to pay an annual subscription fee for them! - Lifehacker

Case Logic has just unveiled some sexy new laptop sleeves that are TSA approved and the prices are reasonable as well! - CrunchGear

A woman noticed a man taking intrusive pics of her on his cell phone so she took a picture of him and reported him to the police. Thanks to her pic, he was identified and charged. - The New York Times

It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in to your TeamSugar account for your chances to win geek-chic beach gadgets and accessories! - geeksugar

Sgt. Pepper Headed to the Rock Band Music Store Tomorrow

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:50:21 -0800

September was a big month for The Beatles in the gaming world when The Beatles Rock Band hit the market. I went crazy over it during a sneak peek at E3, and was not disappointed when I got my own copy. Although The Beatles have not always been so chummy with tech, times are a-changing as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band makes its way to The Beatles: Rock Band music store tomorrow for your Xbox 360 and Wii systems, and will be available on your PS3 on Nov. 19!

Although I'd love to, I can't really throw down for their special edition digital collection, so I'm stoked at least to get to play along on one of my favorite games. To see how much each track from the album will set you back, just read more.

Individual singles from the record like "When I'm Sixty-Four" and "Lovely Rita" can be purchased for $1.99 each (or 160 Microsoft Points on your Xbox), while the entire album can be downloaded for $13.50 (1080 Microsoft Points). Wii owners can rock out with The Beatles tomorrow as well, but you'll be paying $2 a pop or 200 Wii Points for the tracks.

Daily Tech: Pentax's Latest Red-Hot, Affordable DSLR

GeekSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:05:42 -0700

Pentax's new K-x DSLR only costs $650 and it comes in white, black, or special-edition red and navy hues - CNET
MySpace Music gets a new, interactive homepage with several new features - TechCrunch
Pro baseball player Heath Bell was able to lose weight in the off-season thanks to Wii Fit - The Wall Street Journal
You can now pick up a T-Mobile G1 for only $130 - CrunchGear
Microsoft's search engine Bing is growing in popularity - Mashable
It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game ever bracket! - GeekSugar

Daily Tech: The Pogoplug Shares Content Via Four USB Drives

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:40:33 -0800

The Pogoplug is a neat gizmo that allows you to share movies, music, or photos using four USB drives - Gizmodo
The BlackBerry Curve 8530 is now available from Verizon - RIMarkable
American Airlines has just launched a widget that will let you know if your plane has WiFi - Engadget
Check out the ultimate holiday smartphone buying guide - CrunchGear
Vive la France! Twitter is now available in French - TechCrunch
Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom for the Wii is a great game for kids ages 3 to 6 - USA Today

Shake Your Melody Maker With Wii Music

GeekSugar — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:00:10 -0700

If you're getting bored of Wii bowling, Nintendo has just announced a new addition to the Wii video game family-Wii Music! Discussed on Gearfuse, with Wii Music you can use your Wiimote and Nunchucks to control various musicians. The game will feature forty different instruments and if you round up a bunch of Mii's you can have multi-player band experience. The game is set to be released in Japan next year and then Europe soon after. Is it just me or does this game look somewhat entertaining? I can totally picture my family trying to play Wii Music- me and my sisters would be claiming instruments before we even press start!

Taylor Swift, Travis Barker, and Pete Wentz Talk Band Hero

GeekSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:40:05 -0800

Available in stores today, Band Hero is Activision's latest game, which lets friends and family members rock out with their Guitar Hero instruments to favorites like "ABC" by the Jackson 5 and "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. You can even sing along with other famous singers including country superstar Taylor Swift who performs some of her most popular hits like "Love Story," "You Belong With Me," and "Picture to Burn."

Here's some footage from the making of the Band Hero commercial, which includes mini-interviews with Taylor and her musical heroes including Travis Barker, and Pete Wentz.

Band Hero for the Wii costs $60.