EyeToy-based DJ Box Cues up the Vinyl

More images from SCEJ’s DJ Box title have been revealed, finally offering more of an explanation as to what exactly this ‘game’ is all about. It’s an intriguingly novel concept, utilising the PS2 Hard Drive, the EyeToy and the analogue controller in an effort to create a DJ simulator. Going beyond the mere confines of two turntables and a mixer, Sony has incorporated samplers, synthesisers and a recorder (as in a 4-track rather than one of those things you place nursery rhymes on). All of these virtual devices can be controlled either with the joypad, or by manically waving your hands in front of the EyeToy.

DJ Box might well be an attractive proposition to budding producers interested in banging out some sample-based dance music. The ‘Kaos-Pad’ feature should also be an entertaining party piece, as players will be able to ‘create’ sound by waving their hands across the screen in a near supernatural fashion. However, the whole turntable/mixer thing could be lacklustre. Previous attempts to recreate the scratch DJ set-up have fallen on deaf ears, and it’s difficult to imagine how the EyeToy could detect the quick and tiny wrist movements needed to accurately manipulate the vinyl on the platter like proper DJ's do.

The likely result is that DJ Box finds favour with casual beat-makers rather than DJs. Samples can be pre-recorded on the PS2 HD and then sequenced with the software before recording the finished piece back onto the HD. It will be interesting to see how DJ Box compares to similar, more expensive PC music software when it is released in Japan this July.