Proceeds from the numbered consoles will go to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières. The first console, already up on eBay, is currently at $20.50 with the auction ending in a little more than nine days.

Beginning Sept. 9, Xbox 360 owners can also download All You Need Is Love with those proceeds going to that charity as well. Purchasing the song for 160 Microsoft Points will also enter you in a contest for a chance to win one of the limited edition 360s and a Rickenbacker 325 replica guitar controller.

The Beatles: Rock Band, officially goes on sale tomorrow. Check out our review.

An MTV Games/Harmonix spokesperson e-mailed Kotaku a statement this morning denying the existence of the SingStar Fab Four edition, which was reported by British gaming news outlet MCV earlier this week. SingStar, for those who aren't familiar is Sony's successful karaoke game series, which has seen numerous themed editions around the world.

"MTV Games and Harmonix have the exclusive rights to create music games based on The Beatles per our exclusive partnership with Apple Corps Ltd," the MTV statement began.

"Contrary to the rumored reports, there is no Singstar: Beatles software product. There is only "The Beatles: Rock Band" hitting shelves worldwide on 9/9/09 on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii in which players can play as a singing game or as a full band game."

We were informed that the company is considering special microphone packs, though nothing is set in stone, the MTV rep explained: "We have been working very closely with all of our partners to create various retail promotional opportunities in Europe to support the existing installed base of existing music video game hardware with potential offerings such as 'The Beatles Microphone Bundles.' This follows on our industry leading stance on music game peripheral compatibility as we are always working to ensure cross compatibility across all Rock Band instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero and other authorized third-party music video game peripherals and microphones."

No SingStar: Beatles? OK. But a very SingStar-y looking package of game disc and mics bundled together featuring the Beatles? Looks like that has a shot at happening.

Bitmob.com has taken a gander at some images from the upcoming Beatles Rock Band game. They've taken a look at photos and video stills of the Beatles. And they've compared.

The results aren't surprising. John looks like John. Paul looks like Paul. Etc. But they're still fun to look at.

Not a zombie-eyed blank stare among them.

The Real Beatles Vs. The Beatles: Rock Band [Bitmob.com]

It's been a busy morning for The Beatles: Rock Band. First the trailer dropped, bringing with it eight new songs, from "Paperback Writer" to "Revolution". Now EA has released a list of fifteen new tracks, eight of which were included in the video, and three - "Do You Want To Know A Secret," "I Wanna Be Your Man," and "And Your Bird Can Sing" - mentioned in McWhertor's preview.

So what songs does that leave us with? How about "With A Little Help From My Friends," "Birthday," "I Got a Feeling," and "Dig a Pony?" Are those good enough for you? No? There's just no pleasing some people.

So, as an addendum to Luke's post earlier, here's the full list of twenty-five out of forty-five tracks:

"Back in the U.S.S.R."
"Can't Buy Me Love"
"Day Tripper"
"Eight Days a Week"
"Get Back"
"Here Comes the Sun"
"I Am the Walrus"
"I Feel Fine"
"I Saw Her Standing There"
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
"Octopus's Garden"
"Paperback Writer"
"Revolution"
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
"Taxman"
"Twist and Shout"
"Within You Without You"
"Yellow Submarine"
"With A Little Help From My Friends"
"Birthday"
"I Got a Feeling"
"Dig a Pony"
"Do You Want To Know A Secret"
"I Wanna Be Your Man"
"And Your Bird Can Sing"

The Beatles: Rock Band also adds to the series' established gameplay by letting up to three vocalists perform at once, assuming lead or harmony vocal duties in songs like "Paperback Writer." Players won't suffer score-wise for flubbing those harmony parts, but serious players will likely welcome the challenge of matching The Beatles harmonizing chops.

Oh, and the publisher added three more songs to the songs confirmed to appear in the game with "Do You Want To Know A Secret", "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "And Your Bird Can Sing." Read on for our latest impressions of the game.

What Is It?
Rock Band formula meets The Beatles. The latter is not simply slapped onto the former, however, as The Beatles music, career and personality is applied to tried and true Rock Band gameplay, adding support for up to three vocalists. In addition to the chance to quick play the band's classic tracks, players can also follow the group's musical career, from its hundreds of appearances at The Cavern Club in Liverpool to its American debut on the Ed Sullivan show to beyond.

What We Saw
Harmonix previewed, among other things that we can't talk about yet, the game's 'Vocal Trainer' mode. The Beatles' regular use of three-part harmonies—which can be incredibly complicated, particularly for those of us rarely have an opportunity to harmonize with two buddies—is going to require some getting used to, musically. Some of us can barely screech our way through a tune in Rock Band, let alone differentiate the lead from the complimentary harmonizing vocal tracks, so this brand new addition is more than welcome. We also got to play a handful of songs previously not shown to the public.

How Far Along Is It?
"Percent Complete: 90%" according to the preview. To our eager eyes and ears, everything else seemed to be in place, from the necessary training modes that will get new players and veteran Rock Band players up to speed, to a robust song listing. If there was anything still left to be buffed to a mirror shine, we sure didn't see it. The game hits retail in less than two months, so a near-final product didn't surprise us.

What Needs Improvement?
Not Enough Sitar! As revealed in the game's newest trailer, "Within You Without You" will give Beatles fans the opportunity to experience the thrill of playing sitar with a plastic guitar. Harmonix reps gave us the impression that this was the only song, so far, to let gamers unless their inner sitar hero. Let's pray that's remedied.

What Should Stay The Same?
Vocal Trainer: Even for the vocally handicapped, the finer points of harmonizing can be understood and maybe even executed, thanks to The Beatles: Rock Band's tutorial. Using the left trigger on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 controller, budding harmonizers can cycle through a three part harmony's lead and harmony tracks, singling out notes that might be harder to hear. Better still, a guide note can be layered on top of the vocal track to offer the listener a clearer sound. It's perfect practice for finding that perfect pitch.

Advanced Vocal Scoring: And, once serious Rock Band players get a feel for the intricacies of singing those harmonized vocal tracks, they'll be able to aim for perfect scores. The guitar parts we played on "hard" difficulty really weren't that hard. Not that "Twist & Shout" is a technically complicated guitar song, but Rock Band fans nonplussed by the instrument difficulty will find something potentially difficult to master—especially if they play on playing an Expert guitar or bass note highway while harmonizing. A handy advanced vocal scoring chart can be reviewed after completing a song, showing the player just how many "Double Fabs" and "Triple Fabs" a trio of vocalists earned.

Beatlemania: It's been covered before, but there's a certain degree of enjoyment to be had from playing Beatles songs as they were meant to be played. "Beatlemania" scoring bonuses, known as Overdrive in other Rock Band games, does little to muck with the master tracks. No chaotic drums fills here to kick it off. No whammy and flange effects turning "Paperback Writer" into a sonic mess. And that's refreshing.

Love: Even as an extremely casual Beatles fan, seeing the attention to detail labored upon The Beatles: Rock Band is exciting for the medium. The "dreamscape" settings employed as backgrounds for songs like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Yellow Submarine," songs which wouldn't feel appropriate in concert or recording studio settings, add charming personality to the package. Some of the other additions—again, which we'll have to discuss later—exude extreme care on behalf of the developers and the creators.

Final Thoughts
It's hard not to get excited about The Beatles: Rock Band, even for those of us who don't categorize themselves as serious fans of the band. The game's new Vocal Trainer mode will be an education in itself, a genuine learning tool that teaches a skill even better than discovering to play drums—well, play "drums" on a custom game controller. The initial track list announced by Harmonix features a good blend of well-worn hits and deeper cuts, all of which are fun to play and experience in either the virtual settings Harmonix has either recreated based on real world landmarks or built from the ground up.

See some of those real world and otherworldly settings in new screens in the gallery below.

The eight new songs are, in order of appearance:

"Paperback Writer"
"Twist & Shout"
"Can't Buy Me Love"
"Eight Days A Week"
"Yellow Submarine"
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
"Within You Without You"
"Revolution"

This brings the total number of confirmed songs for the game so far to 18 (complete list below).

"Back in the U.S.S.R."
"Can't Buy Me Love"
"Day Tripper"
"Eight Days a Week"
"Get Back"
"Here Comes the Sun"
"I Am the Walrus"
"I Feel Fine"
"I Saw Her Standing There"
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
"Octopus's Garden"
"Paperback Writer"
"Revolution"
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
"Taxman"
"Twist and Shout"
"Within You Without You"
"Yellow Submarine"

Good to see the yellow submarine finally make a substantial appearance!

Rock Band developer Harmonix has stated that the situation regarding Michael Jackson's estate will not effect the release of Rock Band Beatles. What's more, the game's track list will not be altered.

Jackson purchased the Beatles' back catalogue in 1985 — rumor has it that this caused a falling out between Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, who advised Jackson to purchase song rights.

In the wake of Jackson's recent passing, McCartney has commented on that rumor:

Some time ago, the media came up with the idea that Michael Jackson was going to leave his share in the Beatles songs to me in his will which was completely made up and something I didn't believe for a second.

Now the report is that I am devastated to find that he didn't leave the songs to me. This is completely untrue. I had not thought for one minute that the original report was true and therefore, the report that I'm devastated is also totally false, so don't believe everything you read folks!

In fact, though Michael and I drifted apart over the years, we never really fell out, and I have fond memories of our time together.

At times like this, the press do tend to make things up, so occasionally, I feel the need to put the record straight.

Jackson and McCartney collaborated on a couple of hits together, including "Say Say Say" and "This Girl Is Mine".

Rock Band Beatles Unaffected By Michael Jackson's Death [IGN via GoNintendo] [Pic]

Harmonix's Chris Foster, who is serving as lead designer on The Beatles: Rock Band, elaborates:

The shareholders, as we call them — Paul and Ringo, Olivia and Yoko — were really creative partners throughout the project. They were involved in picking and approving the song list, the venues we went into. With the dreamscapes, they saw storyboards of all of the material, and gave feedback on whether or not they felt like those interpretations supported the songs in the way they wanted.

They looked over all the characters, the animations ... they really kept us honest on whether we were capturing the spirit of the band as they were performing, which was a huge challenge for us...At every milestone they improved it. I think Sir Paul McCartney heckled our project lead's bass-playing when he saw one of the game demos. So yeah, they were involved.

You know, Yoko Ono was wheeled out at Microsoft's E3 press conference, and name-dropped here as well. I'd think her contributions would be a detriment to a game based on, you know. The Beatles.

You Say You Want a Revolution: Chris Foster on The Beatles: Rock Band [Crispy Gamer, via Go Nintendo]

Thing is, while "we" may be fans of The Beatles, "I" am not. I don't hate them, just…never got into them. Which puts me in a unique position! Since I wouldn't be gushing over simply getting to play a music game as The Beatles, I could take a good, hard look past the fanboyism and see how the game itself is shaping up.

What Is It?

It's Rock Band. Starring The Beatles. You play as them, you play their songs, you play at famous venues that hosted the band, you even get to use real-life imitations of their real instruments. For a Beatles fan, it probably doesn't get much better than this.

What We Saw

We first saw a band made up of Harmonix staffers and Rock Band community members play a few songs, then we were free to go rock out on instruments, and songs, of our choosing.

I played through "Here Comes The Sun" on guitar and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" on bass.

How Far Along Is It?

The game is out in only a few months (September), and it shows. It's pretty much done.

What Needs Improvement?

Spice Of Life : From what I saw, the gameplay needed a little more to differentiate it from vanilla Rock Band. There are some cool extra touches to the game, like "dream" sequences playing in the background of some of the band's stranger, later songs, and overall career progression – which we couldn't take a look at today – probably has a few surprises in store as well.

But playing both those songs, it just felt like…Rock Band, only playing Beatles songs. Same mechanics, same display, same instruments. It's instantly familiar. Perhaps a little too familiar.

What Should Stay The Same?

Crazed Fans: Harmonix have gone OTT as far as authenticity goes, with each set, band member and instrument recreated perfectly in-game. There's even cute little touches you don't notice the first time around, like the fact the songs retain the original "warmup" banter between the band members.

For Beatles fans, this is the kind of thing that will have them screaming like teenage girls on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Instrumentation: On the one hand, I'm slightly disappointed that the build quality of The Beatles instruments seems no better than for regular Rock Band peripherals, especially given the game's premium price. Be prepared: they're not quite as classy as they appear in Harmonix's promo shots.

But you know what? That doesn't really matter. They're no worse than Rock Band peripherals. And these are plastic instruments that are perfect replicas of the actual instruments The Beatles used, right down to the logos and paint schemes. That'll be more than enough for most Beatles fans.

Final Thoughts

Harmonix didn't need to reinvent the wheel with this one. Just stick some Beatles stuff over the top of the existing Rock Band and count the money. And that's exactly what they'll be doing in a few month's time.

Still, we'd have liked it if, like The Beatles themselves, the developers had gone a little bonkers towards the end and tried something slightly different, slightly crazy. Because, hey, it worked for The Beatles.

This career-spanning look at The Beatles first video game shows off the variety of visual styles that will be highlighted in The Beatles: Rock Band, as well as how that three-party harmonizing will work. Or at least what it will look like in the HUD.

Check out the Microsoft E3 liveblog for additional details about the game and its Xbox 360 exclusive downloadable content.

While we had little doubt that MTV Games, Harmonix and Apple Corps would be doing their damnedest to drum up press for the Rock Band game planned to arrive this Fall, we're now expecting nothing short of Beatlemania. That's because the band is finally issuing remastered editions of its key albums—14 of them—day and date with the release of The Beatles: Rock Band on September 9th.

Most of these albums haven't gotten this kind of remastering attention for more than two decades. And this endeavor is one four years in the remastering, according to Apple Corps.

The newly remastered albums, from Please Please Me to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to Yellow Submarine, are promised to feature "the highest fidelity the catalog has seen since its original release."

Wonder if that means that The Beatles: Rock Band will feature the newly remastered versions of these songs, something that may not matter as much to audiophiles as they'll be heard amid the din of switch clicking and plastic drum head tapping.

Original Beatles Albums to Be Reissued [NYT]

Dhani Harrison, son of Beatles guitarist George Harrison, tells Billboard that, in addition to being a "totally, historically accurate" trip through the band's storied music career, a little something old and something new will be included. What that is, exactly, Harrison won't say quite yet.

The son of George says he was instrumental to the genesis of the project, noting that he "took the project to Apple and sort of convinced everybody to have a presentation." That was two years ago, according to Dhani Harrison.

With The Beatles: Rock Band launching on September 9th, we expect a very slow drip of news to come from the MTV Games and Harmonix camps, making the wait for concrete details on the game as headache-inducing as the work on Harrison's part.

Dhani Harrison Talks New Band, Beatles Video Game [Billboard via Destructoid]

In a short question and answer session with Entertainment Weekly Paul McCartney dishes tidbits of dirt on the upcoming game first announced last year:

Can you tell me about this special Beatles edition of the Rock Band game that's coming out this fall?

It will feature different periods of the band - you get early days, Liverpool, then psychedelic, and on from there. It's very cool. And I like the idea that the game introduces kids to music, you know?

Paul McCartney: Q&A [EW]

Ono calls the not-Rock Band game, of which MTV is currently very light on specifics, "a start to a beautiful new page in [the Beatles'] history."

You know, given Ono's recent elbow-rubbing with Q Entertainment's Tetsuya Mizuguchi — which was tapped to develop the Japanese version of Rock Band — we have to wonder if he was at least partly responsible for greasing the wheels on this one. Sounds like a long shot, but Miz might be smooth enough to pull it off.

Beatles videogame: Yoko Ono speaks, insiders mull band's digital future [EW - thanks, Jason!]

It was presented as if they were doing the music business a favor. It's true you can choose other types of music, and somewhere along the line someone's going to do it for free for the exposure ... When it comes to the Beatles, the leverage changes. We're very happy with the terms of our arrangement with MTV.

Well of course you are. "Very rich" deals have a way of making very rich people very happy.

MTV and Activision face off in battle of the brands [Reuters]

Some of the choices are no-brainers, but when it gets to filling out the last 10 songs, who knows. If MTV uses sales charts as a guide, these are the top 45, on the jump.

1. “Love Me Do”
2. “Please Please Me”
3. “All My Loving”
4. “From Me to You”
5. “I Saw Her Standing There”
6. “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
7. “Money (That’s What I Want)”
8. “Please Mr. Postman”
9. “She Loves You”
10. “The Hippy Hippy Shake”
11. “Twist and Shout”
12. “A Hard Day’s Night”
13. “Can’t Buy Me Love”
14. “I Feel Fine”
15. “Johnny B. Goode”
16. “Day Tripper”
17. “Drive My Car”
18. “Help!”
19. “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”
20. “Ticket to Ride”
21. “We Can Work It Out”
22. “Yesterday”
23. “Eleanor Rigby”
24. “Paperback Writer”
25. “Taxman”
26. “Yellow Submarine”
27. “All You Need Is Love”
28. “Hello, Goodbye”
29. “I Am the Walrus”
30. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”
31. “Penny Lane”
32. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
33. “Strawberry Fields Forever”
34. “When I’m Sixty-Four”
35. “With a Little Help from My Friends”
36. “Back in the USSR”
37. “Blackbird”
38. “Helter Skelter”
39. “Hey Jude”
40. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
41. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
42. “Come Together”
43. “Here Comes the Sun”
44. “Let It Be”
45. “Octopus’s Garden”

Taxman, Paperback Writer, Day Tripper would be a blast to play. I can already see the guitar notes coming at me for I Want To Hold Your Hand. But Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds? How would they get the accordion Lowrey organ into that? New peripheral?

A Beatles' Game Set List? [Team Teabag]

I checked in with Electronic Arts to see if perhaps that was because someone other than Rock Band’s publisher was going to be putting the game out. Jeff Castaneda at MTV Games was quick to point out that Electronic Arts would be The Beatles distributor, but not the publisher. MTV Games will actually be publishing the game for Haromix.

Maybe The Apple Corps. and the surviving members of The Beatles want to have their own space. Too bad because I was keeping my fingers crossed for Rock Band: The White Album.

[UPDATE]: Whoops, turns out I meant to say distributor not publisher. MTV Games is actually the publisher.

There have been mutterings from artists and songwriters that they are not being offered their fair share in videogames, but the gamemakers have the leverage. In the world of rock, there are thousands of tracks that will work, but when you get into the world of unique artists, that leverage shifts, tremendously, to the artists and songwriters.

We signed a deal that would be considered very rich by the videogame company but fair for the artists. It will have online implications that will be enormous.

In other words, they paid a lot more money than any other music game has ever paid. And obviously a lot more than Bobby "What, Me Worry?" Kotick would ever be willing to pay. Or, perhaps more importantly, set a precedent for.

MTV cues up Beatles video game [Variety]

Other than a brief mention of Rock Band during the teleconference, so far no mention has been made of the band's songs coming to Rock Band or Rock Band 2. In fact, Harmonix's Alex Rigopolis stated during the call that this is not a Rock Band expansion pack, but an all-new game title built from the ground up.

The game will be a journey that will take you through the entire Beatles catalog, from the first album to the last. There will be an interactive music performance involved using music controller peripherals, but they stress that the game is not a Rock Band title. Visual exploration of the Beatles will be a big part of the game, though they were not prepared to discuss more on that at this time.

They were also not prepared to discuss the possibility of Beatles music coming to Rock Band at this point, which I suppose still leaves the possibility open.

So how did MTV and Harmonix snag The Beatles? Apple Corps. representatives said that it was the fact that they (Harmonix) originated the music band genre, and they were impressed by both companies' passion for music.

It was stressed that this was indeed an exclusive deal for The Beatles music as far as video games are concerned.

The game will take advantage of many Rock Band elements, and will be compatible with existing Rock Band peripherals.

And thus ends the teleconference. That's all we have so far, but we'll keep you posted as more details on the Beatles game emerge.

THE BEATLES INSPIRE NEW MUSIC VIDEO GAME; APPLE CORPS LTD., MTV AND HARMONIX COME TOGETHER FOR UNPRECEDENTED DEAL

Exclusive Agreement Set to Bring The Beatles Music to Fans for the First Time in Interactive Form Here, There and Everywhere in 2009

New York, NY – October 30, 2008 – The Beatles’ extraordinary music and phenomenal legacy is set to rock across the universe in the form of a video game through an exclusive partnership between Apple Corps Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

This partnership marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. Published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band®, the game will be an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles. The game was creatively conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, and enjoys their full blessing. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE project, will provide his expertise and serve as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

“The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out,” Sir Paul McCartney said.

“It gives me great pleasure to be part of The Beatles / Apple and Harmonix / Rock Band partnership,” said Ringo Starr. “The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles’ legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence.”

“It’s cool. I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation for many decades,” said Yoko Ono Lennon.

“People are having so much fun playing Rock Band. Combined with The Beatles tracks, it is a great way to either listen or participate,” said Olivia Harrison. “If you like the music, it doesn’t take much persuasion to get you to play.”

“Introducing the genius of The Beatles to a whole new generation of music lovers through original and inspired ways is extremely exciting to us at Apple Corps,” stated Jeff Jones, CEO, Apple Corps. “We are truly pleased to be working with the innovative forces at MTV and Harmonix as they embody our mutual passions for music and creativity.”

“Many of us have been part of a generation that has long enjoyed an enduring love affair with The Beatles and now we’re looking to extend that love affair for future generations to enjoy,” said Van Toffler.” “Our inspiration for this project comes from a keen sense of history and a place of utmost reverence and respect for the band, their music and their heritage.”

“The impact of The Beatles is forever ingrained in the hearts, minds and souls of millions the world over,” said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks. “The Beatles are the reason many of us are WHERE we are, and some of us are WHO we are.”

“We are honored to be part of this new way for people to discover the timeless music and art of The Beatles - the most creatively and commercially successful, critically acclaimed, and influential band in the history of popular music,” stated Paul DeGooyer, MTV’s Senior Vice President of Electronic Games & Music.

“By presenting their music and artistry through the creative filter of a groundbreaking video game, we are giving legions of fans and music lovers all over the world a profound, new way to experience The Beatles,” said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and Co-Founder, Harmonix. “This game will be a celebration of the Beatles undeniable legacy.”