Anyone else going to buy Beats from the PSN store?

[rodeojones903]

For $5 I'll try it out. Going to grab it as soon as it pops up. It will only be available on the PC version of the PSN store.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/psp-beats-on-pc-playstation-store-today/

[TripleTags]

Im interested in this thing .. ill even recommend a source of legit (read no pirates) undeground electronic music so you can get free songs to play with at www.sectionzmusic.com

[Lawyers Guns N Money]

I'm definitely intruigued by it, but my computer is on the fritz right now, so I'll probably get it eventually.

[rodeojones903]

Its up now. I just downloaded it and will give impressions later.

[bluenatas09]

I'm actually really impressed by this title..especially at it's $5.00 price tag. You might think that the notes are a little off at first...but once you put on the harder modes (mainly Extreme) you'll notice it does quite a good job at songs more fitting for this type of game. I'd say give it a go if you're the least bit interested.

I didn't want to start a separate thread but it'd be great if we could get a list of songs that work great in Beats in here.

I'd suggest:

All around me - Flyleaf
War - Low Rider

[lilboo]

I bought it. It's def not an EBA (But I I don't think it ever was supposed to be..yanno?)

I only played a few songs. I also ONLY played them on the easiest difficulty..so I can't say much..
BUT.
From what I played, I did enjoy it.
I do believe it's very well worth the $5.

And BTW, It was nice to turn on the PSP again :)

[adamones]

Man it is taking FOREVER to download!! This is my first time using the PlayStation Network, is it always this slow? This is ridiculous.

It's only at 18% after about half an hour. WTF

[shipwreck]

I'm interested in it, but from what I hear the PSN store doesn't work on Macs, so I guess if it's not on the PS3 store, I'm out of luck.

[bluenatas09]

Unfortunately I believe you're right about it not working on Macs...and I think it's rather silly that there's no way to get it off the PS3 store..or hell, off the PSP's online functionality itself.

[RelentlessRolento]

hmmm... I'll get this tonight. I suppose Heavenly Star and some Wipeout Pulse will go good with this.

[adamones]

Man it is taking FOREVER to download!! This is my first time using the PlayStation Network, is it always this slow? This is ridiculous.

It's only at 18% after about half an hour. WTF

Wow, one hour later I'm only at 40%.

Does it take this long for anyone else or is my internet connection ridiculous? I mean I am surfing the web without hiccups or anything. I don't understand how in the world it can take anything this damn long to download!

[DesertEagleXIX]

Mine's stuck a 5%

This was a hassle- First I had to update firmware, then the site was finicky about my credit card. Next, the PSN store said something about 'certificates'; I had to lose my old one. Next, I got a download error. I restarted. Now, my download is stuck at 5% 256K.


Tried 3 times. I can't get past 5%- The PSN store is officially broken.

EDIT: I reset my PSP, and it seems to be working now. The store seems unstable.

[rodeojones903]

I had no problem. It downloaded the first time right off the bat.

Only play the game on extreme. The other settings don't seem to fit the songs well at all. After loading up some Blood Brothers, Death from Above, At the Drive In, and a few others and playing on extreme this game is awesome for $5. By no means is it perfect, but its the first time I can play the stuff I really want to listen to in a game like this.

You can not lose a song, its just about getting a high score. The extreme setting is the only way to play. It plays like guitaroo man, but with songs you actually want to listen to.

[adamones]

Once I got to 75% it shot up real fast and finished downloading in like a minute.

The game is alright. I've played a few songs on Hard, it's really easy. I think I need to go on ahead and step it up to Extreme. I'm still exploring the game a bit.

This game has NOTHING on DJ Max Portable, but it's fun to play with your own music and it's only $5.

[jling84]

You can not lose a song, its just about getting a high score. The extreme setting is the only way to play. It plays like guitaroo man, but with songs you actually want to listen to.

Whatttt you didn't like the songs in Gitaroo Man??? You had to like the Legendary Theme right? I actually put the Legendary Theme in my memory card so that I could play it with Beats.

To anyone who is considering getting this game, GET IT NOW!

[bluenatas09]

I really need some help deciding on a few more good songs..any ideas?

[NamPaehc]

PSPfanboy overview/details. (http://www.destructoid.com/custom-soundtracks-and-in-game-messaging-is-sony-finally-listening--58129.phtml) Impressions to follow.

We'd write a much more thorough review right now. But there's a problem -- Beats has taken control, and we find it difficult to stop playing it. Before you read any further, make sure you load the PLAYSTATION Store, get your credit card ready, and download Beats. It's only $5 -- you won't even notice the cost. What can you do in Beats? A lot.

* Import your music -- and play it! Yes, Beats will detect every song on your Memory Stick and turn them into playable levels. There are multiple difficulties, and they very accurately correspond to the music. The advanced stages will also detect some of the finer nuances of each song. The amount of playability you have from this mode corresponds to how much music you want to put on your PSP. It can be limitless. And what does it play like? A lot like Gitaroo-Man (that's a very good thing). You'll hit buttons according to the beat, but they'll fly in from all sides of the screen, and you'll have to hit the corresponding D-Pad direction in tandem with the buttons on screen. Don't worry, in-game tutorials will teach you everything you need to know.
* Create your own music! Seriously. You'll get access to some rudimentary loops and samples, but you'll get everything you need to create your own tunes. Then, you'll be able to save your music to your Memory Stick.
* Play online via Infrastructure mode! Yes, you can go against other players online and compete in Beats challenges.
* Share your music online! You can also upload your musical creations and download other user generated content.
* Oh, and it's beautiful! Tons of animated skins bring the screen to life. This game is gorgeous.

We have nothing but praise for such an incredible game. It deserves more attention, and we implore you to buy this game. You really have no excuse. Stay tuned for updated impressions.

[Thomas96]

Virtual Console game for PSP? I'm definitely going to give this a shot. But this the start of something nice on the PSP... I'd like it if they'd let homebrewers release applications for the PSP... calendar, ebook, and of course more original games like Beats.

[adamones]

Alright guys I'm going to go against the flow and NOT recommend this game.

First of all, I'm a big DJ Max Portable player. So there is some of the reasoning why I don't enjoy this game as much as others. But go ahead and hear me out, I think I can give a fair opinion of this game without being too subjective.

A lot of players have been saying that the buttons go with the beat as you play on harder difficulites... and I would really disagree with that. I've played over 10 songs now and I would estimate only 40% of the time the buttons I'm pressing really go with the music (I'm playing on Extreme Difficulty BTW). I get the feeling playing the game that I'm just hitting buttons while I'm listening to music, and not really playing a game. You can't really "FAIL" at the game or get Game Over if you start doing really bad, you just simply play for score.

Really I'm just not impressed with the game. Unless you are really bruising for a $5 music game, then I say go ahead. I really don't even call this a "rhythm game" because the music rarely matches up with the buttons and you can just as easily play through the game with the music turned off and pushing buttons as they come on to the screen. The same can not be said true for "rhthym games" where listening to the music actually helps you play the game.


Either way, it's only $5. If nothing else you have a small diversion while you're listening to music on your PSP.

[zenprime]

For those without a Windows PC but a PS3, help from Pspfanboy! (http://www.pspfanboy.com/2007/12/07/how-to-download-beats-with-a-ps3-not-a-pc/)

Okay, so maybe you don't have a Windows PC that is capable of running the PlayStation Network downloader. That's okay. You may have a Mac, or you might be running Linux -- or you're just too darn afraid to install a new program on your computer. Whatever the reason, there is an alternative ... provided you have a PS3.
Visit the PLAYSTATION Store (http://store.playstation.com/) on any computer. Complete purchase of Beats, but do not download it.
Log in to your PS3 using the same PSN account as the one used to purchase Beats.
Go to PLAYSTATION Network on the XMB. Click on Account Management.
Click on Transaction History.
Then, click on Download List. You will see Beats on this list.
Download to your PS3. Connect your PSP via USB and install your new favorite PSP game.Hope this helps the few of you that simply cannot access the Store on your computer. If you're without a PS3 and a Windows PC, you're in tough luck for now. Why not just buy the game at a friend's house?

[RelentlessRolento]

I picked it up even though it's in a genre I usually stay away from. For the price you pay for it, it's better than alot of stuff you see on XBLA that go for $5. It definitly has a strong singstar influence which makes absolute perfect sense.

[LancerEvoX]

I'm trying to get it right now via download but the PSN Downloader keeps giving me errors.

[pete5883]

Tried The Last of the International Playboys on Extreme. It matched the beats pretty well.

[FriskyTanuki]

I may buy it, but probably not right now.

[eastx]

I hope to buy it before the end of the month.

[metaly]

After reading a bit about this, I'm pretty interested. I just don't know if I want to go through the hassle of upgrading my firmware. Anyone know what version it requires?

[Draekon]

After reading a bit about this, I'm pretty interested. I just don't know if I want to go through the hassle of upgrading my firmware. Anyone know what version it requires?

3.73





It seems some songs have trouble playing. Which may require a re-encode at a higher bitrate or something. I'll probably try and figure out common descrpencies later when I can be bothered to move the songs onto my PC for any real analysis. Though I hope someone can figure it out by tomorrow morning so I don't have to bother. :P

[adamones]

I haven't had any problems with any songs. All MP3 format...

[RelentlessRolento]

After a few song plays, I realize the game best runs if you listen to music with a very strong beat or repetition, thus the name beats. If you like most electronic types of music, rap, or hip hop, the game plays alot more closely than moody stuff or rock.

[LancerEvoX]

After reading a bit about this, I'm pretty interested. I just don't know if I want to go through the hassle of upgrading my firmware. Anyone know what version it requires?

3.70 is the required firmware to use the store. I'm running the game off 3.71.

[Thomas96]

I need to get the game... whats up... we should do something online...

[adamones]

Yeah, BTW is this game supposed to be online? Where do you go to do that? I go to the Lobby or whatever and of course there's no one there. I thought this game was multi-player Ad-Hoc only? Isn't right?

[FurryCurry]

Yeah, BTW is this game supposed to be online? Where do you go to do that? I go to the Lobby or whatever and of course there's no one there. I thought this game was multi-player Ad-Hoc only? Isn't right?

It's infra. Just that no one is playing it online because it's the Jamming sessions thing and not people competing with the game's built in songs.

I really do love this cheap little title but I would like to see something more if there's a sequel.

1) It would be nice if the software actually tallied up how many button presses will be in a song. That way we know what to aim for.

2) A grading system ala Beamania or DJ Max Portable.

3) A Playlist mode: Select up to, let's say, 20 songs and play them in a row. And with each new song the background changes.

4) Custom backgrounds and visualizations.

5) Holding buttons instead of just always tapping them.

[DesertEagleXIX]

Check out my frustrations (from www.tech-gaming.com)

Digital Rights Management or DRM, allows media companies to control when and how we use downloadable content. Each of the big three console makers has varying degrees of restriction on their software. Nintendo, for example, is quite inflexible with their content, tying content to an individual’s console. Microsoft on the other hand, is a bit more lenient. If your 360 breaks, you can re-download any Marketplace content, as long as you transfer your Xbox Live account. Sony has traditionally had the loosest DRM restrictions, even going as far as letting you share games with up to five other users. Signs point to troubling changes in the Sony camp, however.

A few months ago we downloaded Spyro the Dragon, a PS1 game from the Playstation Store. The Playstation Store is available from the PS3’s menu to download demos, trailers, and games. What’s innovative about PS1 downloads from the PS3 store, is that they are playable on both the PS3 and the PSP.

Recently, Sony opened another Playstation Store, for PSP users that crave content, but lack a PS3. This Playstation Store opened to little fanfare, and evidence suggests that Sony opened the store a bit prematurely. When we first signed up for the new Playstation store, we had trouble getting the system to recognize our existing account. Anytime we entered our e-mail, the system cryptically stated, “The e-mail address in invalid”. Little information or assistance is available on the site, and we assumed to had to create a new account- we used another e-mail address.

No problems existed until we downloaded Beats; a new music rhythmic game for the PSP. At first, the Playstation Store seemed to struggle with the download- after we paid for the item, the store aborted three download attempts. We came back an hour later, and the problems appeared to be resolved- we were able to acquire the game without problem.

With the game downloaded we were eager to try it out. Our PSP told us, “This content cannot be accessed on your account.” Time to call Sony.

After a brief wait, we spoke with a customer representative who was familiar with the problem. He explained that when the Playstation Store opened online, it would not accept PS3 accounts. He also mentioned that the problem was corrected in a few days, and that users should now be able to log on with their PS3 accounts. He suggested we merge our two accounts and transferred us to a tech support representative by the name of ‘Byron’.

Byron was surly, uncooperative, and rude. He explained that due to “legalities”, there was nothing that Sony could do about paid content not being playable on a PSP; it was a DRM issue that could not be circumvented. When asked what “legalities” he was speaking of, Byron explained, “I’m not a lawyer, so I couldn’t tell you”.

Further attempts to remedy the situation via Sony’s customer service ended in the same impasse. While employees admit there were some problems with the Playstation Stores online launch, none seem willing or capable to offer much of a valid solution. The only way we could play Beats is via a workaround, that made all our previous downloaded content invalid. Recent email to Sony has gone unanswered so far. Let’s hope Sony loosens DRM control before they alienate even more customers.

[RelentlessRolento]

Check out my frustrations (from www.tech-gaming.com)

Digital Rights Management or DRM, allows media companies to control when and how we use downloadable content. Each of the big three console makers has varying degrees of restriction on their software. Nintendo, for example, is quite inflexible with their content, tying content to an individual’s console. Microsoft on the other hand, is a bit more lenient. If your 360 breaks, you can re-download any Marketplace content, as long as you transfer your Xbox Live account. Sony has traditionally had the loosest DRM restrictions, even going as far as letting you share games with up to five other users. Signs point to troubling changes in the Sony camp, however.

A few months ago we downloaded Spyro the Dragon, a PS1 game from the Playstation Store. The Playstation Store is available from the PS3’s menu to download demos, trailers, and games. What’s innovative about PS1 downloads from the PS3 store, is that they are playable on both the PS3 and the PSP.

Recently, Sony opened another Playstation Store, for PSP users that crave content, but lack a PS3. This Playstation Store opened to little fanfare, and evidence suggests that Sony opened the store a bit prematurely. When we first signed up for the new Playstation store, we had trouble getting the system to recognize our existing account. Anytime we entered our e-mail, the system cryptically stated, “The e-mail address in invalid”. Little information or assistance is available on the site, and we assumed to had to create a new account- we used another e-mail address.

No problems existed until we downloaded Beats; a new music rhythmic game for the PSP. At first, the Playstation Store seemed to struggle with the download- after we paid for the item, the store aborted three download attempts. We came back an hour later, and the problems appeared to be resolved- we were able to acquire the game without problem.

With the game downloaded we were eager to try it out. Our PSP told us, “This content cannot be accessed on your account.” Time to call Sony.

After a brief wait, we spoke with a customer representative who was familiar with the problem. He explained that when the Playstation Store opened online, it would not accept PS3 accounts. He also mentioned that the problem was corrected in a few days, and that users should now be able to log on with their PS3 accounts. He suggested we merge our two accounts and transferred us to a tech support representative by the name of ‘Byron’.

Byron was surly, uncooperative, and rude. He explained that due to “legalities”, there was nothing that Sony could do about paid content not being playable on a PSP; it was a DRM issue that could not be circumvented. When asked what “legalities” he was speaking of, Byron explained, “I’m not a lawyer, so I couldn’t tell you”.

Further attempts to remedy the situation via Sony’s customer service ended in the same impasse. While employees admit there were some problems with the Playstation Stores online launch, none seem willing or capable to offer much of a valid solution. The only way we could play Beats is via a workaround, that made all our previous downloaded content invalid. Recent email to Sony has gone unanswered so far. Let’s hope Sony loosens DRM control before they alienate even more customers.


if ur having errors, there's a very easy method of downloading this via your PS3.

[LancerEvoX]

Wow... I'm happy I didn't have to go through all of that. But I hope Beats gets updates now and then via patches rather than a new sequel, at least for now. I'd like to see more themes and more tweaks for how the "beats" are created for the songs.

[Draekon]

I haven't had any problems with any songs. All MP3 format...

All the stuff I tried was MP3 and half of them don't work. One album in particular which none seemed to work from was the Gyakuten Saiban Orchestra Sountrack. However the CADENZA album (Another Gyakuten Saiben Soundtrack) works perfectly fine.

I have a friend who is going to bring over some of his music since I own practically none, so I'll see how his work. Granted all his crap is jpop which may need to be put in english if any japanese characters reside in it.

[LancerEvoX]

We should start up a list of songs that works great with Beats. But one thing I notice is that a lot of rap music works better than rock music that I own, especially Kanye West's "Flashing Lights", since rap music tend to have more "beats" than rock music.

[wildnuts02]

tag for when i actually get my psp