Guitar Hero Phenom Danny Johnson visits Inspired Instruments to try the You Rock Guitar for himself and provide input into it’s final stages of development.

Guitar Hero Phenom Danny Johnson, checks out the You Rock Guitar

Irvine – September 2009 – World-renowned 5-time Guinness World Record holder Danny Johnson stopped by Inspired Instruments this past week to try the YOU ROCK GUITAR and provide valuable insights into the final stages of product development.  “Danny is undisputedly the best Guitar Hero player in the world, but he’s also a musician.  That qualifies him uniquely to test and help us review the finishing touches on the YOU ROCK GUITAR” said Kevin Kent, Inspired’s CEO.  A 5-time record holder, with 3 more records awaiting approval, Danny is the only player in recorded history to score 100% on every Guitar Hero game ever made by Activision, earning him records, the title of Guitar Hero Guru, and featuring him at the forefront of a growing number of players that are continuously striving for challenges and excellence in the world of musical video games.

Danny’s sizable following exemplifies the shared passion by millions of gaming enthusiasts around the world.  Like many players, Danny progressively mastered each of the songs, games, and levels.  After hearing about the You Rock Guitar at E3 in Los Angeles this summer Danny decided he had to see it and play it for himself. Here’s what he had to say.

“The YOU ROCK GUITAR is awesome.  It goes far beyond what a traditional gamer can do, but it’s so much more. It feels completely amazing,” said Danny after trying it for himself.  “When I first started playing Guitar Hero, I thought about playing real guitar, but I couldn’t do it with what was available.”

“As an aspiring guitar player I never found enough opportunities to truly enjoy playing on my own.” Says JR deSouza, Inspired’s executive VP.  “The guitar was often too loud or out of tune, and there were few digital tools at my disposal back then.  There was a big gap between my aspirations and my reality.”  The YOU ROCK GUITAR is designed for just that.  It combines the instant gratification and ease of use of video games with the ability to play, create, and share real music of the digital instrument.  “It’s the best of both worlds, guitar gaming and guitar playing.” says the original inventor Cliff Elion.

Cliff went on to say, “in addition to the feedback, Danny’s input helped with the final tweaks of the gaming aspect of the neck – hand positioning when playing as fast as Danny does is critical. Gamers will be glad Danny stopped by.”

“The YOU ROCK Guitar is flat out amazing” says Danny.  “It teaches kids how to play real guitar by playing real strings and frets, not just buttons and a paddle.  Now that I’ve seen it, I realize this is what I’ve been waiting for!”

“It’s interesting to see the exact same passion and desire coming from both ends of the spectrum, the video gaming and music playing worlds.  The YOU ROCK GUITAR allows players anywhere on that spectrum, from gamers to professional musicians, to benefit from all that a digital guitar has to offer,” says Kevin Kent, CEO.

JR adds “I’ve been involved with a number of new-to-the-market products in my career, but few with as many immediately recognizable benefits.  And it’s not just Danny.  People look at this product and they get it.  We’re hoping Danny will help us spread the word, passion is infectious.”

YOU ROCK GUITAR… Have Fun, Rock Will Happen.

About Inspired Instruments

Inspired Instruments is dedicated to providing customers with innovation at every opportunity, real music for real gamers. You Rock Guitar and GameFlex™ are registered trademarks of Inspired Instruments, Inc.

Guitar Hero Phenom Danny Johnson talks about playing with the You Rock Guitar on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/YouRockGuitar

Get ready to rock – The Pre-Order List is here.  For you and your friends. http://www.yourockguitar.com/order-form/

XBox is here to stay! At least for a while…

Microsoft: No new Xbox coming next year
by Ina Fried

No matter what people thought they heard Steve Ballmer say in Chicago,
Microsoft is not planning to introduce a successor to the Xbox 360 next
year.

In a blog posting on Thursday night, Microsoft said that the Xbox 360 is
"not even halfway" through its current lifecycle and will be here long into
the next decade. The company is planning to introduce a new
gesture-recognizing controller, code-named Project Natal, and that is
expected next year, although Microsoft says it isn't talking timing with
regards to Natal.

"As the Xbox team stated at E3 two weeks ago, we are not even halfway
through the current console generation lifecycle and believe Xbox 360 will
be the entertainment center in the home for long into the next decade,"
Microsoft's Major Nelson said in a blog post. "Project Natal will be an
important part of this platform, but we have not confirmed a launch date at
this time."

Of course, that is what has opened the door to all the speculation. In his
posting, CNET colleague David Carnoy notes that Microsoft says it isn't
planning an all-new Xbox 360 either.

That doesn't completely shut the door on new hardware for 2010. Although
Microsoft has said it plans to offer Natal as an add-on to the Xbox 360, it
seems reasonable that the company might well come out with some new bundle
or set-up to accompany Natal's arrival as it looks to convert all of those
Wii owners.

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times,
changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley.
These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.

CNET
Beyond Binary
June 18, 2009 8:52 PM PDT

Games continue to appeal to a broader audience

Videogames attract more players
Two-thirds of Americans play; 42% own a game console
By Susanne Ault — Video Business, 6/2/2009

JUNE 2 | PHYSICAL: The Entertainment Software Assn. reports that 68% of U.S.
households enjoy computer or video games, representing a 3% uptick over
2008.

Adult gamers have been playing for 12 years on average, marking a decrease
from 2008. That indicates to ESA that more people are picking up game
controllers for the first time.

Releasing the study during the annual E3 Expo game conference, which it
produes, ESA touted the category¹s ability to attract new players.

³This is the new golden age of entertainment software. Our products are now
being enjoyed by over two-thirds of Americans,² said Michael D. Gallagher,
CEO of the ESA. ³As the findings of the 2009 Essential Facts illustrate,
more and more Americans across all demographics are now embracing the
interactive entertainment experience that computer and video games provide.²

In other findings in ESA¹s Essential Facts study, 42% of Americans own a
game console. The average player is 35 years old, and 43% of players are
female.

Almost half of all games sold are rated ŒE¹ for Everyone by the
Entertainment Software Ratings Board.

Gaming is increasingly a family activity, adds ESA. More than 60% of parents
with children under 18 believe gaming is a positive part of their kids¹
lives. These parents are present when kids purchase/rent games 92% of the
time. Also, these parents say they monitor their children¹s play 91% of the
time.

©2009 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights
reserved.

Why did we call it “YOU ROCK GUITAR?”

With Guitar Hero, you felt like a real guitar hero within the first ten minutes you started playing. With Rock Band, you joined the band. How cool was that?  Now, just a few short years later, there are 35 million gamers out there wanting to know what’s next. They want to really play. They want to Rock. They want to play guitar. 

With the You Rock Guitar in “You Rock” mode, YOU will really ROCK in the first 5 minutes of play. We guarantee it. And you won’t be out of tune, and you won’t be playing any wrong notes. And all that time playing rhythm only games will pay off in metal, punk, blues and rock and roll and in fact– YOU WILL ROCK!

SDK for Games & Education

We will be releasing our first release of the SDK soon.  If you are interested in the Beta program or feel as though you can make a contribution to the development process, please contact us.  Programmers with existing MIDI games or music based computer games might take great delight in our SDK program. We expect it to be a lot of fun and likely profitable for those early adopters.

The current platform integration with the You Rock Guitar includes: MIDI, APPLE, WINDOWS, Wii, X-Box, Sony Playstation, iPhone, and BlueTooth.

Application SDK Gamers
The You Rock Guitar Software Developer Kit Gamers (SDK) will allow a new generation of music game developers, or those with existing computer and gaming applications, to develop and market their games and programs for the You Rock Guitar platform.

Application SDK Education
The You Rock Guitar Software Developer Kit Education (SDK) will allow a new generation of guitar teachers and music education developers to convert previous work or teaching ideas into products that can be offered on the YouRockGuitar.com web site, much like Apple™ sells songs and movies.

YOU ROCK GUITAR… the perfect wave of learning, creating and rocking.

You Rock Guitar Modes

GAME MODE
Prepare for a revolutionary game experience.  Play on real strings to trigger the notes, just like a real guitar. Use frets, not buttons, with multi-touch game play in Rock Band™ and Guitar Hero™.  Are you ready to really rock? Good, now go to Guitar Mode and turn it up.

GUITAR MODE
Guitar mode instantly turns the game controller into a rock guitar with 30 of the best electric and acoustic sounds, plus 20 You Rock specials. If your ready to unleash your inner rocker, take center stage with the rocking progressions that changed the world.

• “You Rock” mode, so fun it won’t allow any wrong notes, so you can feel free to rock out right – from the start.
• A library of rippin’ built-in audio jam tracks in all the rock styles. Even record your chords or solos right on top.
• Record chords or solos over the drum and music loops.
• USB connectivity to link you to a world of music creativity.
• Download new guitar sounds, music apps, You Rock Tracks, interactive lessons.

YOU ROCK MODE

The You Rock Mode help you sound good while playing guitar, whether you’re a pro or just a beginner.  The You Rock Mode automatically eliminates wrong notes while you play, making you want to play longer & more often.