Towards the end of February, Sony announced that a version of Rock Band would be making its way onto the PSP. Rock Band Unplugged is the first portable version in the Rock Band family tree.

While most normal people imagined this game would be bundled with full scale instruments, it turns out this isn't so. Rock Band Unplugged will be played in segments called "phrases". Players will switch between instruments during phrases and play all of the notes using the standard PSP buttons.

We've got a small track listing, bundle information and a date for the new software. First the tracks known so far:

3 Doors Down - "Kryptonite"
AFI - "Miss Murder"
Alice in Chains - "Would?"
Audioslave - "Gasoline"
Black Tide - "Show Me the Way"
Blink 182 - "What's My Age Again"
Freezepop - "Less Talk More Rokk"
Jackson 5 - "ABC"
Tenacious D - "Rock Your Socks"

I really hate "ABC". Rock Band Unplugged rolls in with 40 master recordings. We'll also see the PSP's ability to connect to the PSN in order to, I would assume, access downloadable tracks in the future. The new tracks will also be heading for the big consoles eventually.

Rock Band Unplugged will be releasing on June 9th in North America and Europe for $39.99. Folks without a PSP will be able to take advantage of a Rock Band edition handheld with the game, a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo and a slip to download School of Rock. Standard bundle price of $199.99.

Any takers?