SingStar Preview

Sony’s SingStar series has been a titan in the gaming market since the series debuted in Europe in 2004. Since then, the series has sold like gangbusters, releasing several niche versions (SingStar Bollywood, anyone?) and amassing 13 million units sold worldwide. Now, Sony is getting ready to launch their latest version, SingStar for the PS3, here in the US, and it seems that they are pulling out all of the stops for what should be the most complete version of the game to date. SingStar for PS3 will add a host of new features, including the SingStore, which is an in-game download service and community site for the game. Already out in Europe, SingStar is gearing up to launch on the PS3 in the US on May 20.

The one of the biggest additions to the PS3 version is the new SingStar Store, which will allow players to download new tracks from the game’s updated store. The store looks a bit like the newly revamped PSN Store, meaning that it’s quite clean and easily navigable. Sony has announced that songs will sell for $ 1.49 apiece, and they hope to have between 25-50 new songs added to the store each month, meaning that there will certainly be no shortage of new content for fans of the game.

Another big feature in the game is the SingScene, which allows users with a PS Eye camera to record 30-second clips of themselves singing in the game and post them online in the SingStar community. Players can then get on and see other people’s video postings, rate, and comment on them, kind of like a karaoke-flavored Youtube. The top-rated videos will gain feature spots on the main page.

Additionally the game will have new abilities beyond the PS2 iterations. There will be a two-player duet mode, allowing for multiplayer harmonies (although this will be available via a downloadable patch shortly after launch).

The tracklist hasn’t quite been finalized yet for the game as Sony figures out which games will make the disc and which will be available via download, but the game promises to be a very diverse blend of tracks from myriad artists. Look for it to hit stores in a bundle pack with two wired microphones ($59.99) and as a standalone game ($39.99) on May 20.