So it seems there's finally going to be a new product in the Bemani line after years of waiting. Apparently this one is called Ju-Beat. There's apparently one test location and here's what we know so far:
1. It's pronounced YOU beat, not JEW beat. It had to be posted, you know you were all thinking the same thing. P.S. J00Dave, this one is for you.
2. All those little boxes are actually touchscreens. On the official JP Bemani forums there is a lot of reference by devs to players "touching" the screens instead of "hitting" them. This probably rules out it being similar to other Bemani product, Pop N' Music. I am personally thinking a Konami Ouendan (Elite Beat Agents) like clone.
3. A lot of people have been commenting on how much the machine resembles a piece of DJ equipment made by AKAI called a MPC (Music Production Center) that serves as a Midi controller. It could be gameplay could be a visual "mash-up" of how a MPC is originally controlled. Here's a pic:
Here's a pic of what the a song select tile looks like:
And here's a partial music list to give you a taste of the music style:
・けないで [ke nai de]
・全力少年 [zenryoku shounen]
・POP STAR [The best star in the world. Ever]
・気分上々 [kibun joujou]
・I'M IN THE MOOD FOR DANCING
・粉雪 [konayuki]
・YMCA
・天体観測
Almost every one of these songs has been in a previous Bemanistyle game before, with the expection of Popstar. Which makes me so excited you cannot imagine. These songs for the most part are fairly "relaxed" which would lead me to believe the game is more low-key and casual than other Bemani games like Guitar Freaks, sort of a more visual Pop N' Music. One thing that gets me though is the underground hit Ouendan (US Version: Elite Beat Agents) that follows almost a similar style, and actually, two of the music selections, 全力少年 [zenryoku shounen] and POP STAR are also in Ouendan 2.
Other than that, information is a bit sketchy at the moment, but I am waiting anxiously to see what exactly this strange machine's gameplay exactly is. Here are links to scans of the pamphlet from the test site:
And here's the music video for Hirai Ken's POP STAR to give you a taste of what the general atmosphere is going to be. And also because it's the best song. EVAR. Enjoy!