Console-less rhythm games a possibility - Harmonix

Between The Beatles: Rock Band, Lego Rock Band, Rock Band Unplugged, Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, Guitar Hero Smash Hits, Guitar Hero Metallica, and Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits, MTV Games and Activision Blizzard probably have the rhythm genre covered this year. However, that goes only for those who have a console or handheld produced by Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo.

There remains, then, a large percentage of the population not yet being served by the current breed of rhythm games. And according to Harmonix creative director Josh Randall, one way to tap into this market is for rhythm games to simply abandon consoles entirely.

"I think you could foresee a future where maybe you don't even have a console," Randall told UK gaming site VideoGamer.com. "Your instrument can have all these songs and you just plug it into your TV. I'm sure [the genre] is going to start to move in weird ways that no one's even thought of yet."

However, that isn't to say that it is a direction Harmonix is actively pursuing. "We're obviously focused on the consoles, but outside of Harmonix, there are people doing interesting stuff in the mobile space," Randall continued. "It's going to be interesting when it all splinters apart and then comes back together in some form we've not even thought of yet."