French videogame titan Ubisoft on Tuesday revealed plans to release a "Rocksmith" videogame that uses real electric guitars as controllers.
"Rocksmith" is being crafted for play using guitars plugged into personal computers or into Microsoft Xbox 360 or Sony PlaySation 3 consoles. Ubisoft promised gameplaythat makes reading music intuitive and fun.
Ubisoft's US senior vice president of sales and marketing Tony Key described Rocksmith as "the most authentic and addicting music game ever created.
"Whether a beginner or a seasoned guitar vet, players progress at their own speed and walk awayfrom the game with the ability to play songs by memory."
The game's library of music will range from classic rock bands to current artists, with tunes from groups such as The Animals, The Black Keys, David Bowie, Interpol, Nirvana and The Rolling Stones.
"Rocksmith" is slated for release in the second half of this year.
The announcement came on the heels of a decision by Southern California-based videogame publisher Activision Blizzard to bring the curtain down on a "Guitar Hero" music videogame franchise that lets players pretend to be rock stars.
Activision Blizzard said in February that it would not make any new versions of "Guitar Hero" due to "declines in the music genre."