Beatles Rock Band to support three singers at once

Get ready to harmonize, folks. MTV Games and Harmonix today announced that the upcoming The Beatles Rock Band game -- which will be the first appearance of The Beatles' music in game form (their songs famously aren't even on iTunes) -- will feature three-part vocal tracks in addition to the usual drum, bass, and guitar parts.

I was skeptical about this game at first, but everything's shaping up impressively so far. New details are flowing freely about the game today, which will be released on September 9 in a along with reproductions of classic Beatles instruments -- including a large-scale Hofner bass and a Ludwig-branded dum kit (go Ringo!). Two new guitars -- reproductions of the Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet -- will be sold separately. Gear will be available for all three major consoles and, if you don't want the new instruments at all, the game ($60 alone) will be compatible with existing Rock Band gear.

45 tracks will be included on disc, and the first ten were announced today, all A-list titles from the band's catalog, including:

- I Saw Her Standing There
- I Want To Hold Your Hand
- I Feel Fine
- Taxman
- Day Tripper
- Back In The USSR
- I Am The Walrus
- Octopus's Garden
- Here Comes The Sun
- Get Back

As well, "All You Need Is Love" will be available as a download (on the Xbox 360 only) on launch day to benefit the charity "Doctors Without Borders."

All tracks will of course be masters, with the addition of "previously unreleased authentic voice recordings from John, Paul, George and Ringo chatting between takes during studio sessions recorded at Abbey Road more than four decades ago."

Now for the kicker: None of this is going to be cheap: The deluxe bundle with  game, drums, bass, mic, and mic stand will run you a cool $250, plus an extra $100 for each guitar you'd like: That's $450 if you want the full-on Beatles experience (and even then you'll likely need more microphones and mic stands so you can sing and play simultaneously).

Want to see it in action? Exclusive game video footage along with commentary from Paul McCartney, Ringo Star, Yoko Ono, and Olivia Harrison will be live on this web page beginning at 1:30PM PDT today! [UPDATE: Video never showed. Sorry.]