One of the more surprising things shown during Ubisoft Forward was Rocksmith+, a new subscription service that works exactly as you might expect from a Rocksmith “game” with a few new features thrown in for good measure.
If you’re someone who’s been itching to learn guitar and/or bass but aren’t interested in paying for a teacher and attending lessons, Rocksmith has always been a great resource. For those on the fence about Rocksmith+ itself, there will be a free closed beta trial on PC and beta registration is currently open!
Ubisoft Reveals Rocksmith Subscription Service, Rocksmith+
Rocksmith is now a subscription service called Rocksmith+ which was shown during the Ubisoft Forward presentation on June 12.
Rocksmith+ will have three subscription options available for those that are interested in learning or improving their guitar (or bass) skills: 1-month for $14.99, 3-month for $39.99, 12-month for $99.99.
On the surface, the subscription pricing does feel a little pricey. However, it does seem like it would cheaper than paying for an in-person guitar or bass teacher. As with any subscription, you can cancel or let it expire when you no longer need to use it, which is kind of neat.
The reason it’s neat is because a person could feasibly use Rocksmith+ until they master the guitar (or bass) enough, end their subscription, and then take that knowledge and use free resources from there on out.
A number of sites offer free guitar tabs, and there are places where you can find free lessons, YouTube being one of them. Setting that aside for a second, Rocksmith+ does come with a variety of new features that help make it worth the subscription price.
For example, users don’t necessarily need to buy any gear as Rocksmith+ uses “phone-as-mic” technology where your microphone can track your guitar or bass. If you’re uncertain about the accuracy you’ll get by using your mic, Rocksmith+ on console and PC will also support the Rocksmith Real Tone Cable.
The press release mentions compatibility with existing guitar interfaces on electric and acoustic-electric instruments, noting that Rocksmith+ is partnered with Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, Ibanez, Ernie Ball, Ernie Ball Music Man, Marshall, Orange, and Mesa/Boogie.
For more on the features Rocksmith+ will offer, here are excerpts from the press release sent out following its reveal during Ubisoft Forward.
“Compatible with acoustic, electric, and bass guitars, Rocksmith+ will start with thousands of songs and grow to millions more in the future, within genres spanning from rock, classic, indie, alternative, hip-hop, pop, metal, country, Latin, R&B, and more.
At launch, Rocksmith+ will have a variety of authentic arrangements that represent songs the way the artists originally played them, and all songs in the library will be playable with chord charts for players to hum and strum to.
Users can take advantage of an entire suite of new and improved practice tools including Riff Repeater, wherein they can directly practice specific riffs in their favorite songs; and Adaptive Difficulty, wherein Rocksmith+ dynamically adjusts to a guitar player’s skill level while they play.
These tools are designed to give guitar players control over their learning journey. Rocksmith+ builds on the proven method with new songs, learning modes, and practice tools to be added for years to come.***
In addition to improving their mechanics, users will also receive access to free online videos to learn about proper technique, music theory, gear, instrument care, and more.
Rocksmith Workshop, a new user-generated content system that allows users to add arrangements from a list of pre-licensed songs to the library, will bring the music community to the heart of Rocksmith+. For the first time, the Rocksmith community has more control over adding the arrangements they want when they want.
The publicly accessible Rocksmith Workshop will let users create all aspects of a song from the transcription to the tones. Community arrangements are peer-reviewed for quality and available to all users.”
As previously mentioned, there will be a free closed PC beta for Rocksmith+ which you can pre-register for right now (click here to visit the registration page). The PC closed beta will likely be happening soon given that Rocksmith+ currently has a Summer 2021 release window for PC.
Specifically, Rocksmith+ will launch Summer 2021 on Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store. Afer the PC launch, Rocksmith+ has a Fall 2021 release window for Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. As for Android and iOS, those “will be available at a later date” with no release window provided as of the time of this writing.
All in all, it’s nice to see Rocksmith getting some love and we’re eager to check out Rocksmith+ once it’s released. After seeing the trailer and reading through the information including subscription prices, what are your thoughts?
Are you planning to check out Rocksmith+? Are you happy it’s a subscription service now? Let us know on our social media channels including Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to check back for more E3 2021 coverage here at Prima Games!
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Published: Jun 12, 2021 10:39 pm