Sony promises SingStore improvements

By Tom Bramwell Published 17 January, 2008

Reacts to complaints from fans.

Sony has issued a statement to Eurogamer regarding the current lack of songs on the SingStar PS3 SingStore, promising new content on 18th January and more to follow in early February.

"SingStar fans have been asking when the SingStore will be populated with more songs," the statement reads. "Our original vision, as outlined in early preview coverage of SingStar, was to have more than 350 songs available on the SingStore. We are working hard to increase the volume of content as quickly as possible.

"Eighteen new tracks will be live in the SingStore from 18th January (15 English and 3 Spanish tracks) including songs from KT Tunstall, David Bowie and Blur. This will be followed by an update the week of 4th February, including tracks from The Editors and MC Hammer, and we will be updating the SingStore with new content twice monthly thereafter. Thanks for your ongoing support."

The statement comes partly in response to a petition to Sony complaining about network outages, a lack of updates, "false advertising" (namely the "hundreds of songs available to download" image on the in-game interface), and a "lack of community news".

We've asked for comment specifically on the network issues, but we're still waiting on that.

Readers have also reported to us that their plaintive attempts to catch Sony's attention using uploaded video pleas have been ignored, with the videos deleted.

For more on SingStar PS3, which - but for the above issues - is a splendid package in many ways, check out our SingStar PS3 gamepage.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (41) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • JediMasterMalik #1 4 years ago

    Excellent stuff, wasn't expecting a response. 18 new tracks tomorrow is a good start, I want at least weekly updates though.

  • tonynibbles #2 4 years ago

    Power to the people!

    :)

  • DonnieDarko333 #3 4 years ago

    Superb! Please be a selection of American and European artists though and more up-to-date songs.

    Twice monthly with around 18-20 songs each update is ok by me, thats 36+ songs per month. I don't wanna be spending £50 per month on new songs, so i suppose thats a good amount.

    So i suppose the update will follow a pattern:

    Jan 18th
    Feb 8th
    Feb 29th

    etc..etc..

  • MBar #4 4 years ago

    How in the hell hasn't anyone made a MC Hammer joke yet?

    I would, but I can't touch this.

  • BadBoyBonner #5 4 years ago

    So all this extra storage on Blu-Ray has allowed Sony to squeeze on thousands of tracks on to the PS3 version of Singstar......hang on a minute!

  • JediMasterMalik #6 4 years ago

    @MBar - You get an lol out of me, well done.

    Also, as much as I wouldn't want anyone seeing me singing KT Tunstall, I do quite like some of her songs. :(
    Edited by 1 at 17/01/08 @ 17:04

  • monkie_king #7 4 years ago

    A petition? That's crazy. Whatever happened to the old-fashioned approach of just launching a $5m lawsuit?

  • optimusprym8 #8 4 years ago

    moar Barry White pls! That's all my voice can do...

  • BadBoyBonner #9 4 years ago

    JediMasterMalik - perhaps you wouldn't mind people SEEING you sing the songs? ;-)

  • oreillymj #10 4 years ago

    Editors \0/

  • JediMasterMalik #11 4 years ago

    @BBB - What? I don't get it!

  • LeeroyJenkins #12 4 years ago

    About time... but only 15 English songs??? Disappointing still in my opinion.

    It really needs to be weekly too.

    Sony need to follow up this statement with another thats a bit more substantial and has more of whats going on behind the scenes. We need to know why there aren't the 300 songs promised at launch, not just 'we will add 18 more this week and more in the future'. We want all our questions answered. It's not good enough.

    Sony need to learn from MS about how to deal with the community.

  • optimusprym8 #13 4 years ago

    "Sony need to learn from MS about how to deal with the community."

    what, sorry we can't say anything as we're being sued? :p

  • SirClive #14 4 years ago

    Anyone know if i can use the old PS2 Sinstar games on my 60gb PS3 (and will the new mics work on them)?

  • JediMasterMalik #15 4 years ago

    Yes, and there are no new mics, they are the old mics. The wireless mics aren't out yet.

  • DonnieDarko333 #16 4 years ago

    See i would agree with weekly updates, but like i said before...what if you wanted 50 songs in one month?! Thats £50!

    Unless you obviously wait to buy them...but then you'll never be on top of the releases as more will keep coming in!

  • SirClive #17 4 years ago

    but the point is that you can pick and choose the ones you like. It would be a bit mad getting every song.

  • Zomoniac #18 4 years ago

    Are they planning to make it so I can take my paid for songs on a memory stick to my gf's so me can play them on her PS3? Like every other piece of content on PSN and XBL...

  • BadBoyBonner #19 4 years ago

    @JMM I meant as long as they could SEE you but not HEAR you! lol

  • Phily50 #20 4 years ago

    \o/ the system works!!!!

  • LeeroyJenkins #21 4 years ago

    "what, sorry we can't say anything as we're being sued? :p"

    There's a BIG difference between not being able to talk due to LEGAL reasons, and just not saying anything for a month for no apparent reason. Because a Major Nelson style blog is the sort of thing that Sony needs desperately - to be able to talk to the PS3 community like human beings, rather than giving us rare PR-laden statements.

  • mkreku #22 4 years ago

    http://blog.us.playst ation.com/

  • M_Spitz #23 4 years ago

    Please Hammer, don't hurt 'em.

    My life is complete

  • JediMasterMalik #24 4 years ago

    The mics look exactly the same to me. I got the bollwood bundle when it came out recently and the mics look identical, maybe they updated all of them recently.

    @BBB - I like to think of myself as a decent singer actually. ;)

  • Diomedes #25 4 years ago

    Singstar on PS3 is the ultimate party game ,lets put some good songs each week Sony and we have a deal .

  • kangarootoo #26 4 years ago

    "I would, but I can't touch this"

    Good work! :)

  • kangarootoo #27 4 years ago

    @designerheadache

    The PS2 mics DO work with the PS3 version of SingStar. The new mics may be nicer looking, better build, quality, insert other speculation here. But technically, they are the same.

  • kangarootoo #28 4 years ago

    This is utterly unrelated, but this thread is new and has a fair few posts so I figure people are still reading it.

    If anyone is interested, I have a code for a 90 day trial of lovefilm.com, whom I use for game and film rental. I'm pretty sure its not number limited, so here it is for anyone who wants it. Don't say I never give you anything (unless it doesn't work, in which case you can say that).

    Go here,
    <a href="http://www.lovefilm. com/freegift
    ">http://www.lovefilm. com/freegift
    </a>

    And enter this code: XMLF717

    It expires 31/05/08 so you've got ages. You can get a posh package for the 3 months and then downgrade it if you decide you want to stick with it but not pay so much. I started with a 90 day trial too, so lets just call this karma :)

    EG, if this somehow counts as advertising and is not allowed and so on, I totally apologise. I don't work for lovefilm or anything, I'm honestly just spreading the rental love (oh God, ABSOLUTELY no pun intended).

    Edit: cocked up writing the code. Good job I checked. It should be correct now. (checks 3 more times).
    Edited by 1 at 17/01/08 @ 23:22

  • JediMasterMalik #29 4 years ago

    LoveFilm are really rather great, they keep sending my many months of free time after I only was with them for a month. :D

  • Les #30 4 years ago

    "but yes no wireless option yet which is sorley needed!"

    That should be priority no. 1: no wireless mics is no purchase. Don't want to splash out for wired ones and then spend extra cash on wireless mics a few months later. IMO they should have waited with the release until the complete package was ready (a bit like with the rushed PS3 itself. It's a great machine but it could have been sooooo much better).

  • clean515 #31 4 years ago

    "Sony need to learn from MS about how to deal with the community."

    That is pretty much the dumbest thing i ever read... Microsoft is horrible with their community

  • Eighthours #32 4 years ago

    It's pretty baffling how Sony delayed the release of Singstar for so long, yet still didn't have the Singstore working as it should.

    Oh, and it's "Editors". Not "The Editors". Common mistake, but you'd think that in music announcements the PR bods would get it right!

  • mrtrevelyan #33 4 years ago

    It would be nice to have the option to upload your tracks off the previous Singstar games for the PS2 onto the PS3 HDD, or at least be able to run the PS2 singstar tracks off the PS2 discs straight from the PS3 Singstar front end.

    Surely the above options wouldn't be too much of a problem for 60G PS3s (with its built-in hardware compatability) - but perhaps a more all-embracing method (to include the 40G PS3 models) would be a downloadable software emulator patch which allows one to rip the PS2 singstar songs off the discs and onto the PS3?

    Sadly the cynic in me thinks this would cost the developers too much money and time to create when they can simply drip feed the old PS2 tracks onto Singstore (indeed, this seems to be what they're doing...)

  • Les #34 4 years ago

    "a downloadable software emulator patch which allows one to rip the PS2 singstar songs off the discs and onto the PS3?"

    Problem is, the PS2 disks only contain SD video's. Sony would never allow you to use that stuff because if you'd show if off to your friends on your HDTV they might think the game stinks.

    A better option would be to allow people that own the PS2 versions, to download the tracks on those CDs from the network in the max. resolution your TV supports.

  • Johnson #35 4 years ago

    Kangarootoo, I hope you and everyone else who abuses messaging boards to hawk their shitty little "get a PS3" deals gets run over by cancer. And I also hope all of your surviving relatives' children have really small dicks. Including the girls.

  • Les #36 4 years ago

    "Kangarootoo, I hope you and everyone else who abuses messaging boards to hawk their shitty little "get a PS3" deals gets run over by cancer. And I also hope all of your surviving relatives' children have really small dicks. Including the girls."

    Hurrah for civilization!

    Don't see why you're so bothered though. He's not advertising the PS3, though that would probably be a far better investment of your money than renting movies.

  • Johnson #37 4 years ago

    It's just one of those offers/scams where if you get other people to sign up for trials of things, the spammer can get a free console/iphone or whatever bauble it takes to create a freaking adbot army. There are ads at the side of the page so we can have informed reviews and features. There's no benefit to us having people like him around.

  • mrtrevelyan #38 4 years ago

    Hi Les - yes: that would be a good idea too. I've noticed however that most of the Singstore music videos are in SD format also (well, as I have a retro low-def TV I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between SD and HD anyway - I've actually noticed that Singstore lists most of their purchasable music video/songs as "SD";).

    Regardless - I don't see Sony implementing either your or my idea as there's money to be made (for Sony) to re-sell the previous songs individually (or as a pack) on Singstore.

  • tonynibbles #39 4 years ago

    I think it comes down to licensing issues.

    When you purchased your PS3 SingStar game, every track on that disc was licensed for distribution and use on a PlayStation 2 system with that current gen of game. The rights simply would not allow those tracks to be compatable on a brand new version of the game franchise - which incorporates video and audio uploading of that song, with people singing over the top of the original - its a completely different licensing area.

    And in fairness, anyone who bought a copy of their PS2 SingStar game 2/3/4/5 years ago would not have purchased it under the pretense that the game would be compatable with a new generation of the franchise developed especially for PlayStation 3.

    I don't have any problem with the PS2 games not being compatable with a brand new version of the game. All the PS2 games are compatable with each other - that's good enough as it is.

  • Zastai #40 4 years ago

    @Zomoniac: Create a user with your PSN ID on your GF's machine and you should be able to redownload songs you purchased at no cost. There's no option to copy installed game data across machines.

    @Les: There currently aren't any songs with HD video anyway (it was quite telling when even the disc didn't contain any HD clips even though the packaging touted it as a feature).

  • lachiendupape #41 4 years ago

    i know it's been torrid wait for decent updates but am I alone in my joy that i will be able to don my baloon pants and get the rap meter humming with my smooth lyrical flow? STOP..............Hammer time