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Rock Band VR Release Date, First Three Songs, And New Gameplay Video Revealed

Rock Band VR is the next evolution of Harmonix's music game franchise.

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Rock Band VR, the virtual reality version of the popular music game, will launch on March 23 for Oculus Rift, developer Harmonix announced today. A new gameplay video has also been released; check it out:

As you can see in the video, this isn't your normal Rock Band game. Instead, players have the freedom to experiment with chords, notes, and strum speeds that may not match the actual song track. The idea, according to Harmonix, is to illustrate the freeflowing nature of live music performance.

Harmonix also announced today that preorders for the Rock Band VR bundle that comes with a guitar peripheral are available today on Amazon for $70. Rock Band VR requires Oculus Rift and the Oculus Touch controllers, as well as a PC powerful enough to support Rift.

"Underpinning the gameplay is an amazing sense of presence you can only get in VR," Harmonix said. "From the moment the player takes the stage, they'll experience what it’s like to perform in front of sold out crowds--sweaty palms and all. To deliver this fantasy, Rock Band VR focused on the details--from working effects pedals to interacting with your bandmates to the ability to use your guitar to bang on the drummer's hi-hat cymbal."

When you chain together chords and notes, you'll earn points. Eventually, you can go into "overdrive," with things like head-banging timed to the music to trigger multipliers. "It's a deep, complex system that rewards both technical proficiency and creativity," Harmonix said.

The first three songs confirmed for the Rock Band VR soundtrack are some really good ones:

  • Aerosmith – "Walk This Way"
  • The Killers – "When You Were Young"
  • Paramore – "Ain't It Fun"

In all, there will be 60 songs on the Rock Band VR soundtrack, from "legendary artists and upcoming acts on the verge of breaking out."

Rock Band VR Technical Specifics:

  • Required Controllers: Oculus Touch, Rock Band 4 Guitar Controller
  • Recommended Processor: Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
  • Recommended Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 970 / AMD R9 290 equivalent or greater
  • Recommended Memory: 8 GB

VR Comfort Level: Comfortable

Compatible Guitar Controllers:

  • PlayStation 4 guitar controller: Bluetooth
  • Xbox One guitar controller: Windows 10, Xbox One Wireless Adapter for Windows

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