There is a point when playing rhythm games such as Rock Band or Guitar Hero where you hit a kind of wall; there is only so much to learn hitting buttons as notes flow down the screen. Power Gig: Rise of the Six String—in addition to having a terrible title—wants to break that wall by teaching you actual guitar skills if you choose to move past what the tradition rhythm game has offered. The guitar peripheral is an actual six-string electric guitar, although we're promised that the full band bundle of guitar, drums, and microphone will be priced competitively with other rhythm bundles on the market.

We had a chance to see the game being played in front of us, although hands-on testing was forbidden. The notes came down the screen, connected by a pulsing ribbon, showing the player what button to hit on the guitar's neck. Any number of strings hit will register as a correct hit. In this mode, you will be able to use your existing rhythm game guitars. The real meat of the game happens when you move to the higher difficulty levels, where the dots are replaced by numbers, showing you what strings to play. A green two means you'll be pressing down on the second string down from the top of the neck, in the green section. Tutorials will show you how to hold your hands and fingers to create power chords.

"We won't be marketing this as a learn-to-play guitar product," I'm told. The idea is more that players will seamlessly move from the more video game sections of the title into modes that teach real guitar skills. A dampener is in place on the strings to keep them from vibrating and making noise while playing, but it can also be lowered to allow the strings to ring out fully; the guitar can then be plugged into an amplifier and played. It was stressed over and over that it's a real guitar. It will be cooler to hold a real guitar, and after mastering some of the game modes you'll know the basics to actually play many of the songs.

745 Studios was born out of First Act, a company that specialized in mass retail musical instruments; they know how to make a musical instrument on a budget. "On the hardware side of things, we're uniquely qualified to bring this sort of product to market," a company representative tells me.

745 Studios also claims its guitar is the most complex peripheral ever made. It can sense which strings are being hit, which ones are being strummed... the gameplay elements we're seeing today are merely scratching the surface of what's available. We were told that downloadable lessons may be available when the game is released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The company hinted at big partnerships with musicians, although specifics will have to wait until closer to E3. "We're talking to artists who have shied away from these games in the past, due to the fact that you're pressing buttons." With a real guitar being used as a gaming instrument, that barrier has been removed, and it seems that some bands and artists are intrigued by the idea.

"It's no secret that the music genre has taken a hit, but there are two brands that became billion dollar brands overnight. Although it's on the decline, there is still a significant installed base and audience," the company said. Real instruments, with more complex gameplay at the higher levels, mixed with the ability to pick up an actual working guitar without the intimidation factor are the main selling points of this game. We're also promised drum controls that are "just as revolutionary," but again, we're going to have to wait until E3.

What's our take on this? The game looked like a Guitar Hero or Rock Band clone, but watching the difficulty move into actual power chords that sound like the real songs when played—and the company promises only real songs, with master recordings—was compelling. I was handed the guitar to play with, and the 2/3 scale was tricky to get used to, but we were shown a full-scale guitar peripheral that will be sold as a premium SKU. The guitar looks and feels like a beginner instrument, but that's the point: to take rhythm gamers and turn them into a market that is now interested in buying and playing real guitars.

There are worse goals, and this group has already succeeded in putting low-cost guitars in the mass market. We'll see what Harmonix has up its sleeve for Rock Band 3, but new ideas in rhythm games are always very welcome.