Like Guitar Hero? You'll love Instant Jam
Behind the scenes, Instant Jam is using InstantAction's proprietary streaming technology to render all the 3D graphics on its own servers, then pipe it through as something that will run on any machine. Castle said that bands and their labels will have the option to customize these 3D backgrounds for particular songs, just like music games on consoles have done.To match up music tracks in a user's library with the ones in the company's database, InstantAction is using a song fingerprinting technology that Castle compared to what companies like Shazam and Soundhound use. "It's similar to Shazam, but we're not using the same technology," Castle explained. "It actually analyzes the waveform, like a digital file matching. For big files, like several megabytes, we can see what the signature is."Instant Jam's add-on store.InstantActionLike many other popular games on Facebook, such as PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz, Lexulous, and Farmville, Instant Jam offers only asynchronous gameplay. Built on top of that is a framework that encourages people to challenge friends, and share songs with friends in return for more chances to play.The number of songs you can play is limited, though it's refreshed throughout the day. A user can also buy additional play credits for real-world dollars, though when CNET talked to Castle, that pricing structure was not yet finalized. Credits can also be spent for in-game items like new guitars, power-ups, and notes that can be easier to hit and reward more points. As of last month, Castle said that Instant Jam was up to a library of around 2,500 tracks--all at four different difficulty levels. Included in those are 400 some tracks from Rolling Stone magazine's top 500 songs of all time list. Castle explained that the staff members who code the note progressions into these tracks can run through a full album in a matter of hours, and as the service continues on, its library will keep growing. Instant Jam will be launching in beta as part of this week's GamesCom in Cologne, Germany.Related:JamLegend turns your keyboard into a guitarUnderstanding next-gen streaming game services
