New “You Rock Guitar” Steps Toward Video Game-Guitar Authenticity

The 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this past weekend unveiled dozens of new gadgets and gizmos for various industries, but one of the most intriguing products was another “g”: a guitar.

Well, it’s almost a real guitar. The “You Rock Guitar“, created by Inspired Instruments Inc., is mainly designed to be plugged into the ultra-successful Guitar Hero and Rock Band video games to encourage novice musicians to learn the real thing- while simultaneously enjoying their gaming experience.

Like a real guitar, it has six strings, frets and a full neck, along with a whammy bar accessory. It also works like a real guitar as an MIDI controller in music recording software like Garage Band and ProTools.

According to the Tech Herald, the You Rock Guitar contains 100 preset guitar tones, 25 real-guitar samples, and 50 options for alternate tunings- the latter being a potentially attractive feature for guitarists who can’t stand fumbling with pegs trying to find the correct tuning.

Jeff Bordeaux of Gadget Review tried the new product out at the conference, and was “impressed by the seeming [sic] endless range of applications and ease of playability.” Bordeaux also said it felt more and more like a real guitar as he played.

Ben Kuchera of ARS Technica also got to try it out, and shared Bordeaux’s sentiments. He praised the guitar’s playability as “a very effective illusion that does a great job of simulating the feel and response of a stringed instrument.”

The You Rock Guitar will be released this summer. Retail prices are set at a not-so-affordable $179, but when comparing it to real guitars, this new gadget would be a bargain.

The clear intention of the guitar’s creators is to bring fans and avid players of Guitar Hero and Rock Band one step closer to becoming real guitar players. However, while several guitarists are endorsing the product, it likely doesn’t match the sound and feel of the real thing.

Nonetheless, the You Rock Guitar looks to be the best attempt yet at simulating a real guitar experience. Beginning guitar players will use it as an early teaching tool and, in the long-term, a cheaper alternative to formal lessons. Hopefully for guitarists- and rock music in general- it will fill its players with the ambition to pick up the axe for real.

Here’s a Youtube video of what gamers and guitarists are saying: