Taking Guitar Hero To Another Level

Ars Technica reports: Any story about Guitar Hero or Rock Band isn't complete without some yahoo in the comments claiming that people should stop having fun playing games and should start learning how to play an actual guitar. One product at the Consumer Electronics Show was pitched to us as an advanced Guitar Hero controller, but what we saw at the booth was a surprisingly robust musical product that will retail for $179.99.

The guitar, called the You Rock Guitar from Inspired Instruments Inc., features six metal "strings" and a full-sized neck with rows of pressure-sensitive lines that act and feel like the strings of a real instrument. You can strum, you can fingerpick, and you can play chords and solos. The controller has clearly laid out sections for Viacom Inc.'s Rock Band, and by hitting a button on the body of the guitar you turn on "game mode" so you can use it on your video game system—a $25 add-on gives the guitar Bluetooth support for wireless play—but the guitar has many more tricks up its sleeve.

The neck is removable so you can travel with it. You can plug the guitar directly into an amplifier and play with a number of voices built into the product. You can plug into a PC or Mac and use the You Rock guitar as a MIDI controller, expanding your options for what you can do with the hardware.

I was given the opportunity to play for myself. After only a few stumbles, I felt like I was playing a real guitar; it's a very effective illusion that does a great job of simulating the feel and response of a stringed instrument.

For those learning their scales, you can play along with the included backing tracks, and the guitar will mute itself if you play a note out of key. When you're playing a solo in the correct scale, you'll hear every note. If you mess up, you'll know. It's instant feedback for your playing, and could be a great tool for budding axmen (and axwomen).