Would you look at that, today is indeed December 7, which means Rockstar Games released Beaterator for Apple portable devices today.

Available for both iPhone and iPod touch for $4.99 in the App Store or on iTunes, the game, though it’s more like a tool, allows enthusiasts to manipulate a “massive library of sounds,” many of which were constructed by hip hop legend Timbaland, and morph them into original beats. Yo.

According to Rockstar, Beaterator for iPhone/iPod Touch has been streamlined and optimized, when compared to its PC and PSP counterparts.

"We’re happy to bring Beaterator to Apple’s platforms for an entirely new audience to experience its unique music-making capabilities," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "The entire application has been revamped to provide an extremely accessible and innovative experience for iPhone and iPod touch owners."

Happy beat-making!

RockStar games teamed up with Timbaland on a very special project for prospective DJs and musicians called Beaterator. While it’s for the PSP and comes with a UMD, Beaterator is not a game. Many may recall that RockStar had initially hosted a Music Mixing application on their website a while back. They were developing it into a potential PSP application when Timbaland jumped aboard and gave them a slew of beats and loops to work with. The celebrity endorsement gives the mixer serious backing, but my real question starting the game was whether or not it is any good.

Right off the bat you’re treated to a tutorial of how to use Beaterator properly. An animated Timbaland gives you a play by play on how to make music and the options available: Live Play or Studio. Live Play is an animated mixing session where you use 8 different looping tools to play during your songs. The loops and beats initially available are the preprogrammed settings on the game, but when you get better you can make your own loops and beats to replace them. You can record the songs you’re making and gradually make changes so that the song transitions itself naturally to the next one. Once you finish your song you can edit it bit by bit to tweek any problems you encounter. Live play is for easy on the freestyle song making.

The in depth song making comes with the Studio option. In the Studio option, you are presented with hundreds of loops and beats to choose from and must sample them one by one to see if it’s a loop you want to use. The loops themselves range from “inspired” to “half-assed” and can annoy someone who is casually exploring the game. You can create songs from these beats or upload your own sounds and music from your computer in order to expand the type of songs you can create. The Studio is definitely for a musician with a basic knowledge of Synthesizers and willing to put a lot of time into carefully molding songs.

The app itself is a very good tool which musicians will love. But there are numerous problems which will keep it from being embraced by the general public. While Live Play is easy and quick to use, Studio is complex, and not as well explained in the tutorial. Using the Song Crafter part of the application is difficult, since you need to change numerous things in order to get a song just right, and the PSP’s controls can be a very big hindrance. The beats and loops are for the most part great, but you can tell that too much was put into the application. Sampling beats can take a while to load, even for clips which are a few seconds long. This can be problematic to say the least, and the lag indicates just how much data is on the UMD.

Blast Factor: This is a music mixer which will take a lot of people time to fully access. The studio mode is very comprehensive but can be a little bit of a turn off because of how complex it seems. The beats and loops available are very impressive for the most part, and can be expanded upon with sounds from your computer. The tutorial doesn’t go in depth, so the mixer is not as simple to use as the casual user would like. The undertaking was ambition, and the end result is effective but not terribly efficient. It feels as if a touch screen based media player/system would be better suited for the creation of music, so I’ll probably end up checking out Beaterator on the iTouch. For the price it’s being sold at though, it’s a very affordable solution for artists who can’t afford to buy the PC software.

Beaterator is available for $39.99 on the Playstation Store and all major retailers. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for review purposes.

Now that Beaterator is finally out, RockStar has started a series of monthly Beaterator parties in Sony’s exclusive Listen@Home space in PlayStation Home. Gamers should upload their Beaterator tracks onto the Rockstar Social Club and the top songs will be played during the Beaterator Sessions! So get your PSPs ready and make some killer songs. The first party is on October 16th, so get your butts in gear. Beaterator is available on UMD and will be available for iTouch and the iPhone later in the fall. Check back for our review of the music mixer later this week!

Got your copy of Beaterator? Mastered all the skills yet? Awesome. We have good news for you! Rockstar Games is announcing the Beaterator Band Challenge, a competition that offers millions of artists and bands on Myspace the chance to win $5,000 (!) by creating a track using the song crafting tools provided in Beaterator. To enter, just go and fill out an entry form. Rockstar Games will choose up to 100 bands for the semi-finals. These bands will be provided with a PSP system and a copy of Beaterator. Each semi-finalist who submits a track will be showcased on the website and then people who visit Mypace and IGN will have the chance to vote for their favorite songs. In addition to winning $5,000, the winning track will be featured on the PlayStation Network and Myspace homepages. So get cracking!

We’ve been following Beaterator for a while now, so I’m pleased to announce that it has finally hit the shelves! It’s not so much a game as it is a music mixer, but that shouldn’t discourage you from checking it out. It is a collaboration between Timbaland and RockStar Games which allows players to make their own beats, regardless of age or skill level.

Once you buy the game be sure to check out‚  the Social Club RockStar Games has set up for users. Users can go on the website and share their music and also check out the song battles and contests RockStar Games will release for Beaterator.

Beaterator is available at any major gaming outlet and also for digital download on the PlayStation Network. Fans of the iPod Touch and iPhone can also look forward to the Apple Store release sometime later in the fall. Comment below with your thoughts on the game!

Rockstar Games sure know how to promote their developments. This time, the project is Beaterator, the once web-based music-making application now headed to the PSP and PSN, and in this Artists Series 2 video we get to hear a host of rap artists and producers’ take on the new game.

Hint: they like it. But do you? Check out the video and let us know! And if you missed Artists Series Part 1, it’s right here.

Beaterator comes to the PSP and PSN tomorrow, September 29.

Beaterator, the web-based application turned video game debuts on Sony’s PSP September 29 with iPhone and iPod Touch versions promised for later this fall, but before you can play the game you have to watch other people do so. So is the way of marketing.

In this third trailer for the game, an average kid, Jason, an aspiring drummer and‚  musician, displays the ease of creation in Beaterator. With in-game images and phat beats we like this trailer alot, but until we get our hands on, we can’t be sure. Anyway, feast your eyes!

We have a special surprise for anyone who has been closely following the game Beaterator.

RockStar Games has released the debut trailer for the game with Timbaland himself presenting the different modes and functionalities of the musical presentation of Beaterator. However, they have also released Beaterator Sessions: Max & Clay, a live action video of two young kids creating original songs from the application. This hilights the easy to use nature of the game. Check out the videos embedded below.

Comment below with your thoughts and opinions about the trailer.

Rockstar Games has announced that Beaterator, the PSP music making game, will also be coming to the iPhone and iTouch this fall. The game, which allows people of all musical backgrounds to create world-class beats and songs, will go extremely well with the Apple products due to its “pick up and play” nature. Featuring thousands of loops and sounds made by both Timbaland and Rockstar, the game will surely entertain anyone with a love of music and a desire to make their own music. For more information check out the Beaterator website.

Comment with your thoughts and opinions below!

Rockstar Games has released a new clip to promote the new music mix game Beaterator. In the behind the scenes clip features Timbaland talking about his collaboration with Rockstar Games and gives viewers a look at what Beaterator is all about. The video also shows a sample of the numerous beats included in game and how you can get the most out of it. We have the video below. Check it out and leave your thoughts on the game.

Rockstar Leeds, the team behind Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars today nailed down a September 29 release date for their music modulation web app turned PSN and PSP title Beaterator.

Rockstar launched the real-time music sampler and sequencer in 2005, and after a more than welcome acceptance of the tool and determined support by famous rap artist Timbaland, Beaterator is now, at least as Rockstar believes, worthy of the PSP and PSN markets.

“Beaterator is a very natural progression for us” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “Music is incredibly important to us here at Rockstar, and we believe that there are many people out there who share that passion and will be excited about creating music of their own.”

“I’ve worked closely with Rockstar Games to make something completely unique” said Timbaland. “Beaterator is like taking my music studio and turning it into a suite of tools anyone can use. We can’t wait to hear the beats people make and share with the world.”

Hop on over to the Beaterator page to try your hand right now, or simply watch the game’s debut trailer below.