Nintendo has officially announced that Wii Music is set to debut on shelves of videogames stores on October 20. With the official unveiling of the title only coming at the E3 trade show during this summer, an October release date seems very close, which means that the game was in development at Nintendo long before it was announced.

Basically, Wii Music is touted as being Nintendo's answer to music simulation games like Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2. Shigeru Miyamoto, who is the main designer on the title, initially said that he planned to create something more like a toy set than a traditional competitive videogame and “that's why it's more interesting than a video game”.

The idea is that nothing is actually wrong in Wii Music as the concept is not to follow someone else's tracks to perfection but to create your own musical experience. It will allow all gamers to play 60 different instruments. Thus, you can join a jam session or you can play along to some 50 well known licensed songs and musical pieces. The game is designed with a very short learning period in mind and should allow every gamer to express himself through music.

Wii Music is designed to use the Balance Board, in conjunction with the Nunchuk and the Wiimote; it also simulates a drum kit, with Nintendo saying that it can provide a more accurate simulation than the drum kits that are included in Rock Band 2 or in Guitar Hero: World Tour.
 
The interesting thing is that Nintendo set the release date for late October, when the leading music simulators on the market are also planning launches. Rock Band 2 is already out for the Xbox 360, but late October will see the launch of the PlayStation 3 version, while Activision's Guitar Hero: World Tour is set to be released on October 26.