LOS ANGELES -- One of the hottest trends in video games is one of the oldest pastimes of the human race.

A virtual symphony of music-playing games will soon be lining store shelves as game publishers and console makers try to capitalize on the growing popularity of the genre. The latest is from Nintendo Co., which unveiled its "Wii Music" game here at the E3 video game convention Tuesday.
In almost every genre of game, if you see a big spike, it's largely attributable to one or two titles that have driven the growth, and this is no exception," said Anita Frazier, an NPD analyst. "This industry really is title-driven and these two franchises have really changed the way everyone thinks about music-genre games."

As for musical talent, well, that's optional.

Nintendo's goal with "Wii Music" was to give people the joy of performing without having to worry about hitting a wrong note or making a mistake, said Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary Nintendo game designer, himself a guitar player.

People will be able to play virtual air guitar or any one of more than 60 instruments by shaking, strumming or tapping the motion-sensitive Wii controllers to control the music coming from the console. People will be able to change the arrangement by missing or adding notes, but the music will still sound good.

Nintendo's Wii balance board rounded out a virtual drum set during an on-stage performance at the convention. Miyamoto played a virtual saxophone and later a cowbell, as others from the company joined him on stage in a classic Nintendo song.

Nintendo recognized the success of other music-based video games but wanted to take a different approach in its game, Miyamoto explained in an interview afterward. Unlike "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," there will be no need to watch a TV screen to know when to hit a note. People will be able to listen and play along.

"What I wanted to do with Wii Music was to create an experience where you don't really need the TV, and you can simply enjoy the fun of performing music yourself," Miyamoto said through a translator. "That's the core concept."

Nintendo said "Wii Music" will be released in the U.S. by the holidays.

The other two console makers are also playing along.

(Read more from Source)