For those you you that don't know, there's this game coming out (is it out already? I don't know) called jam sessions which basically allows you to play the guitar on the DS. Not like Guitar Hero "following along with the song exactly" formula, but actually picking and playing your own chords via buttons and then strumming w/ the stylus. Cool? Lame? Personally, I have no idea, but I was surprised by the embedded song as composed by Tycho of Penny-Arcade fame posted on the myspace for the game (
http://www.myspace.com/jamsessions). It's a little further down, in the little embedded player.
I have no idea how or if it handles single notes as opposed to chords, but the dynamic range they get out of a little DS widget is pretty cool. Now I know many people would just say "learn how to actually play guitar!" but I think this could be a fun diversion for those less musically inclined. Also, it seems like the ultimate example of democratizing rock (think garage bands, but 10000x nerdier).
So, stupid and useless, or promising?
