There's no denying that the high-def, high-fi karaoke of SingStar for PlayStation3 isn't a slickly-presented, notably improved*, and mostly splendid experience -- if you're into the whole embarrass-yourself-silly croak and croon thing --, nor that integration of the PlayStation Eye camera plus online social networking features that allow you to record and share snippets of your (lack of) musical mimicry proficiency are wholly novel, neoteric affairs.

However, despite the new-generation fidelity, the Blu-ray capacities and the supplemental-content download capabilities of the PS3, SingStar sells itself short; rather, it sells you short.

First off, there's only 30 tracks available out of the box. Sure, with that you're singing over (and being proficiently graded on) 30 original recordings of the original artists, complete with their original music videos in the background (as opposed to studio band cover tunes and b-grade video found in karaoke at your local bar). However, considering Blu-ray discs could easily contain, say, 230 karaoke-formatted titles (judging by file sizes displayed on downloads), Sony clearly skimped. Instead, there's a touted offer to download many more SingStar songs at $1.50 a pop, not unlike the Guitar Hero / Rock Band / American Idol or even iTunes model. While creating your own diverse library of custom karaoke is a pretty cool idea, that fact that it'll cost you upward of $300 to download a song library which could have been boxed in entirety in the first place is a bit of a sham.

As a corporate affair, Sony calls this "branching further into digital business," describing the benefit to consumers as "more user-focused, personalized and interactive." The guys in finance just say "cha ching!"

The obvious upside is that you won't have to go to a retailer to buy a bunch of genre-specific versions of SingStar like you do with the PS2 versions (soon to be 7 of them). You can do it in your underwear from the comfort of your couch (at least until SingStar Vol 2 comes out, tentatively expected this fall). And pay through the nose for the privileged. Ahh, progress.

Also, note that you need the SingStar specific microphones to play SingStar. You can buy a pair with the game as a bundle, or you can buy the game only and use the mics you might have bought for your PS2 SingStar games -- they're the same mics. But it's not compatible with any other game mics, including none of the vocal gear you got with some other PS3 singing game.

And regardless, they're wired mics, which is rather archaic, all things considered. As Sony flouts PS3 capabilities as new-gen this and Bluetooth that, and expects you to pay big bucks for a big library of karaoke, it seems shortsighted to not make wireless microphones also available, at least as an option. There was talk of such devices, but they obviously did not materialize when SingStar launched last week. The technology to make a cordless mic more pitch sensitive than your standard headset boom mic would likely be a tad pricey. But with all those "early adopters" who didn't mind shelling out way too much for a PS3 in the first place, and who don't mind paying one- or several hundred dollars for PS3 karaoke, surely there's a group that wouldn't mind paying for a primo pair of remote mics. As it stands, you're tethered by 10-foot, single-purpose cords, practically standing on the entertainment unit, depending on your set-up, and then likely tossing the mics in the attic once the wireless mics come available, which should be, uh, "someday" ...SingStar Vol 2 maybe?

Anyway, if you're totally into self-deprecating singing shenanigans, or you're just in denial about your musical prowess, get SingStar. Otherwise, don't.

TIP: You can score higher in SingStar if you keep the original lead vocal track up loud enough for the microphone to pick it up so the game will score that instead of your miserable vocal effort.