14 DAY TRIAL // With the controller for Activision's DJ Hero already presented to be public and set to be demoed at the upcoming E3 trade show, Numark Industries and Genius Inc., which have been working on Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, have also released the first images of their controller, called Scratch Deck, which their videogame will use, when it is released for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 this fall. Those who attend E3 can look forward to getting a hands on with the gadget at the trade show.
Scratch Deck should combine two of the most important elements to create a believable DJ experience, a turntable, which can spin and is touch sensitive, equipped with a crossfader, and five Akai made Pro MPC look-alike drum pads.
All the songs in the game can be manipulated in real time using the turntable, while the drum pads are designed to allow players to trigger samples that can be added to any track. Samples can bundled with the game but players can also make their own by recording them using a USB mike. The controller has been designed to be used by both left-handed and right-handed gamers.
Adam Cohen, who is the director of Business Development at Numark, stated that “For decades, Numark has been developing turntables, DJ mixers and digital DJ controllers. We know what professional DJs demand, and we used that knowledge to produce SCRATCH DECK. It was critical that we deliver an authentic DJ experience to gamers, whether they be experienced DJs or players who have never put a needle to vinyl.”
It will be interesting to see who emerges as the winner in the battle between Scratch: The Ultimate DJ and DJ Hero when they are both released. Activision will promote its product aggressively but Scratch might have an advantage due to the Numark created controller.