SingStar was the one of the first great ‘casual games’ to hit the market and one of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s biggest success stories. It all started in 2004 when a genius somewhere at Sony decided that it would be a great idea to turn Karaoke into a fully fledged game. Throw in the original music video, and a competitive edge and you have magic.

Over the past four years the SingStar Brand has sold more than fifteen million units in their European territories, that includes South Africa. With the inclusion of the SingStore on the PS3 more than two million tracks have been downloaded.

To kick off our SingStar week here is Sony’s Press Release Timeline of SingStar:

The original SingStar® was launched in May/June 2004 exclusively on PlayStation2 to public and critical acclaim, entering the charts at number one in most of Europe’s biggest countries.

SingStar® Party, the follow-up, was launched pre-Christmas 2004, and included not only another great line-up of international artists, but also further ‘party’ and multi-player features, such as duets.

SingStar® Pop followed in the Spring of 2005 introducing yet more original features and options including rap scoring and medleys, plus 30 of the biggest and best hits of the last three years.

SingStar® ‘80s launched at Christmas 2005 and featured a tracklist 100% dedicated to the best music of the ‘80s, with licensed tracks and videos from artists such as Duran Duran, Culture Club, Wham, Blondie, The Cure, offering a real treat for all SingStar fans, and serving as an essential Christmas party accessory!

SingStar® Rocks! launched in April/May 2006 and is packed with attitude, capturing the ultimate balance of exciting new rock acts e.g; The Killers, Razorlight, and Kasabian plus a few alternative rock gems and a good sprinkling of ‘dad rock’.

SingStar® Legends released in November 2006 and features an impressive line-up of past and present music icons, including John Lennon, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, U2, Madonna and the Jackson 5.

SingStar® Pop Hits launched in April 2007 with a tracklist dedicated to the biggest names in pop. With thirty huge pop tracks from award winning artists including Jennifer Lopez, Scissor Sisters, Nelly Furtado and Fall Out Boy, Pop Hits is an essential buy for any pop music lover.

SingStar® R&B launched in October 2007 with a sassy line-up of the best of R&B music introducing a mixture of modern day superstars and much revered Soul and Motown icons from the past.  Featuring Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas and Salt-N-Pepa.

SingStar® Volume One (PS3) saw SingStar make its long awaited debut in the Next-Gen world in December 2007 and was an instant Christmas hit. Featuring 30 brand new tracks by artists such as The Killers, Pussycat Dolls, Gwen Stefani and Gorillaz, SingStar Volume One also heralded the arrival of SingStore and MySingStar. SingStore allowed players to download additional tracks from an ever increasing library of both classic and modern songs. Online music community My SingStar Online allowed players to upload their videos and audio performances for comments from other players and allowed listening and commenting on other’s performances.

SingStar® Summer Party launched in May 2007 with a tracklist celebrating the best of summer smash hits. SingStar Summer Party feel good tracklist had classic hits from pop icons such as Elton John, Blur, and Blondie. Mixed in with current pop acts such as Rihanna, Amy Winehouse and Mika. Finished off with a good helping of cheesy pop from Lou Bega, Chesney Hawkes and Yazz.

SingStar® Volume Two arrived on PS3 in the Summer of 2008. As well as another 30 exclusive tracks, the second Blu-ray SingStar disc offers an all new Harmony mode, allowing players to sing different parts of the same song at the same time. It also offers all-new customization options for MySingStar and improves the look of the famous SingStar carousel.

SingStar® Volume Three arrived on PS3 in the winter of 2008. Added another 30 tracks to the PLAYSTATION 3 tracks included all time classics from Lionel Ritchie, Michael Jackson and Barry Manillow. Plus current hits from chart toppers Dizzy Rascal, The Ting Tings and Fergie.

SingStar® ABBA launched in November 2008 on both PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation 2. Music lovers of all ages to get up and sing along to some of the greatest pop tracks of all time. Sing all your favourites including ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Take a Chance on Me’, ‘Waterloo’ and much more.