Thursday, May 28, 2009
SCRATCH: THE ULTIMATE DJ CONTROLLER DETAILS
on Games On Net
Submitted: May 28, 2009
Scratch: The Ultimate DJ(Xbox 360)
Now that publisher Genius Products seem to have sorted out their legal feud with original developer 7 Studios and rival music game publisher Activision, progress on their battered title Scratch: The Ultimate DJ can continue.
To prove it, they’ve sent along some photos of the controller - now that they have it back. The controller, called the Scratch Deck, was designed in conjunction with leading turntable manufacturers Numark so ought to be reasonably realistic feeling (and hopefully quite robust). Adam Cohen, Numark’s Director of Business Development, enthused:
“For decades, Numark has been developing turntables, DJ mixers and digital DJ controllers. We know what professional DJs demand, and we used that knowledge to produce SCRATCH DECK, ... It was critical that we deliver an authentic DJ experience to gamers, whether they be experienced DJs or players who have never put a needle to vinyl.”
Officially, the Scratch Deck features a free-spinning, touch sensitive turntable with a crossfader and five Akai Pro MPC-style drum pads, which apparently makes it pretty good, as these are professional level devices. If that means as much to you as it does to me, look at the pictures and note the turntable, with its row of buttons in the apparently universal music game colours, and the switchy thing.
While the simple set up might suggest gameplay that hardly deviates from the guitar games, apparently the five drum pads are used to trigger samples, possibly in response to in-game cues, but the turntable can actually be used to tinker with tracks in real time, allowing for a freedom of creative expression not often found in competing titles. Sampling leaves a little more room for originality, since players can choose a selection of audio from the game’s library, or if they so choose, even record their own samples using a USB microphone.
Apparently also blessed with a quality vinyl finish that feels near identical to the genuine article, the Scratch Deck is reversible for those who prefer to spin with their left hands, and will be shown off at E3. Scratch: The Ultimate DJ will probably turn up (ha!) in June, barring further complications arising from the custody battle (and possibly one of those endless licensing-issues waits which seem to plague music games). It will be available on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. .. » Full Story on Games On Net