We could tell by the tone of Mr. Charles Huang's voice that something just
wasn't right, and now it seems the truth has finally emerged. According to the Harmonix team, Activision is the reason why Guitar Hero III axes still aren't functioning with the PlayStation 3, and if that wasn't cruel enough, it stings even more to know that the solution is sitting in Sony's lap just waiting to be distributed. Reportedly, Harmonix has already created the patch that would allow GH III guitars to shred in Rock Band, but instead of it going out on December 4th as planned, kvetching by Activision has put the release on an indefinite hiatus. Granted, we're sure Harmonix is doing its best to cast itself in a positive light, but regardless of what's really going on behind the scenes, why not get an interoperability update out there and just let the
consumer decide?
[Thanks, dorrington]
posted Dec 13th 2007 1:12AM
personally. I like the RB Axe much more. I do miss the clicking from the GH one, now if only they would bring the rock bang guitar to the wii, id be a happy camper
Id be a happy camper when they add a virtual marshmallow roasting channel.
Looks like Activision wont be getting my money anytime soon then. I hope Harmonix releases solo guitars soon so i can play four player Rock Band.
There's some serious complaining going on in the Rock Band forums. I think one guy even suggested e-mailing the CEO of Activision and/or his two assistants to complain directly to them.
PS3 guys like myself are pretty g*******d pissed off, though.
http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=15440
Looks like Activision will not be getting my money anytime soon. I don't see how they see this move as being good, I know that I would buy GHIII for PS3 if the Guitar would work with my Rock Band.
what!!!??? your stuck with the ugly ol fender strat?! no fair! LPs RULE!!!... ok, maby strats arent so bad but there like the cliche of the guitar world
no way LP's are about as cliche as strats are.
Strats cliche? Perhaps thats because they are the 'pound for pound' the best guitars on the planet.
I have emailed Activision (using Contact Us on the bottom right of their webpage) and their executive officers to display my unhappiness with their decision to eliminate Rock Band support for GH3 Controllers on PS3. I would suggest you guys do the same. Here are some of their email addresses. I even got a few out of office replies from some of them, so they are definitely active email addresses. If you choose to email them, I would suggest being tactful.
rkotick@activision.com,
bkelly@activision.com,
rdoornink@activision.com,
mgriffith@activision.com,
ttippl@activision.com,
grose@activision.com,
rkaminsky@activision.com,
bhodous@activision.com,
aweiser@activision.com,
"Hello Activision's Executive Team,
I have been recently informed that Activision Inc. has requested that Sony do not release a patch already created by Harmonix to enable controllers compatible with Guitar Hero III to work with EA's Rock Band on Sony's Playstation 3 console.
This request to deny your customers whom purchased Guitar Hero III to not use their own controllers with their games has upset many "fans" of the GH3 series. This has upset many of your customers to the point where they will no longer purchase any games published by Activision.
A link to your customers' reaction to your stance on incompatible controllers can be found below.
http://kotaku.com/gaming/playstation-3/activision-blocks-rock-band-patch-kills-ghiii-guitar-support-333236.php
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/say-it-ain.t-so/activision-roadblocks-ghiii-guitar-support-for-ps3-rock-band-333279.php
http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=15440
While this does not affect me directly (As I own Guitar Hero 3 for Xbox 360 and have no intentions of purchasing Rock Band), that does not change my belief or feelings that your customer's are getting the short end of the stick and not getting the service or gaming experience they deserve.
Because I feel they deserve a better experience, I am here writing this letter to your company in hopes that you will change your decision to ensure your customers are happy. In addition to this letter, I am also making a personal decision to not purchase any games published by Activision. I understand that you now have an agreement with Vivendi Universal, and those games published by Vivendi/Blizzard shall also be ignored when making any future purchases. I was quite interested in purchasing a copy of Call of Duty 4 for the Holiday Season, but due to the decision to disable controller support, this is one more item crossed off the shopping list. You should be aware that I am not the only one that will not be purchasing any further Activision published products, just read the links mentioned above.
Regards,
Jonathan"
Too bad I can't edit a post, but rkotick@activision.com is actually bkotick@activision.com. That is the CEO of Activision.
Hey whats your email?
Just emailed them too.
john: actaeonlf@gmail.com
Why?
they should let you use a regular controller and just call the game controller hero. That is all it is anyway.
I am glad this is actually getting some attention. I think with all the format wars going on that for Activision to start another one is uncalled for. I hope some bad press helps them see the error of their ways.
Why does this article point the finger at Harmonix in the last sentence?
@Paul
Actually, Harmonix made a game like that when they started. It was called Amplitude.
amplitude is the sequel to frequency, both awesome beat games (for the PS2) if you enjoy the genre. Beat Mania is also good.
Its such bull shit since you can be a single instrument yet... i hate them....
“Am I missing something, or is this one of the stupidest business decisions of 2007?”
More on my curiously Rock Band-obsessed blog: http://pbickford.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/activision-blocks-release-of-rock-band-compatibility-patch/
Harmonix, since it's billed as a 4-player party game, coulda at least included a BASS controller or a second Strat, for the ridiculously high price (which, yes, I paid ON RELEASE DAY). Then those of us who just want another guitar, and don't really care who made it, would be in good shape.
That makes perfect sense! I think that Sony/Microsoft should give us two controllers when we buy the system because the games are almost all 2 player. Games that support more then 2 should all package a controller for the price.
I think if you do the math you will see you get plenty for your money in Rock Band.
This is a astronomically short sighted, stupid, brand damaging , brain dead move demonstrating a complete ignorance of interoperability history... or specifically what the MIDI protocol / interface did for the music instrument industry. I guess they deluded themselves into thinking they're really in the hardware business, rather than content business. The significance of the guitar artifact is the least compelling design idea in interactive music genre...but a McLunan would say 'complete rearwindow' and for that effecive marketing enticement. I've been a guitar player for for almost 30 years, and this lack of vision in this nacent genre is typical old media.
I think the more disturbing fact here is that Sony has the power to stop a company from patching their own software.
I understand Sony having Quality Assurance for the patches released through their online service, but it should stop there. If the patch works it should be released. Leave the "legal" matters to the software company.
Can you imagine the uproar if Microsoft stopped the latest Crysis patch (or something like that) from being installed on Windows because THEY didn't approve it?
Sony is holding the patch because Activision asked them to do it, it's not Sony's choice.
Sony isn't releasing it because Activision is telling them not to, probably with lawyers. I don't get how one company can bar another from patching their game, but it might have something to do with Activison's EULA that says you can only use that controller for GH3 and nothing else. I wonder if Harmonix could get into legal trouble with Activision if they invite users to break the EULA? Or perhaps it has something more to do with IP / reverse engineering issues?
This probably has nothing to do with Sony. I'm sure it's all about Harmonix attempting to patch RB to allow GH's proprietary axe to function. If they're trying to use GH3's "proprietary" tech in the patch, i'm sure Activision asked Sony not to distribute it. Besides, imagine the uproar that would ensue if RB could use the GH3 axe... while it still doesn't work with GH2.
Wait... I thought the opposite was true, too. I have Guitar Hero III on a 360, and was thinking of getting Rock Band. Unfortunately, I heard the Rock Band guitars wouldn't work on Guitar Hero III (I only have 1 guitar), and decided to hold of on Rock Band until I could use their guitar in Guitar Hero III. Actually, if I still had the box for Guitar Hero III, I'd return it too... as protest. Make BOTH guitars with BOTH games!!
You can play Rock Band on the Xbox 360 with: GH2 controller, GH3 controller, Rock Band Controller.
You can play GH3 on the Xbox 360 with: GH2 controller, GH3 controller.
You can play Rock Band on the PS3 with: Rock Band Controller.
You can play GH3 on the PS3 with: GH3 controller.
This is Sony and MS's fault to begin with by not requiring compatibility. Consoles are partially appealing because they should just work, but now with DLC and patches being downloaded, everyone just releases crap and this sort of thing happens.
Here's Activision's response - the question is, who's lying?
"To Music Gaming Fans:
The recent announcement by MTV Games/Viacom's Harmonix division that Activision is blocking Sony from releasing a patch and their plea to enable Rock Band software to work with Guitar Hero hardware paints a very misleading picture.
In fact, Harmonix and its parent company MTV Games/Viacom recently declined Activision's offer to reach an agreement that would allow the use of Guitar Hero guitar controllers with Rock Band. We have been and remain open to discussions with Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom about the use of our technology in Rock Band. Unfortunately for Rock Band users, in this case Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom are unwilling to discuss an agreement with Activision.
Activision's top priority is to provide consumers with a seamless marriage of best-in-class hardware and software. We are focusing our efforts on innovating hardware and software that are designed to work together, work flawlessly and provide an enjoyable gaming experience.
Best regards,
Activision"
Link: https://activision.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/activision.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=19652&p_created=1197598466&p_sid=EW_*P8Ti&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD04ODYzLDg4NjMmcF9wcm9kcz0mcF9jYXRzPSZwX3B2PSZwX2N2PSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPWFuc3dlcnMuc2VhcmNoX25sJnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li=&p_topview=1
That response by Activision smells like someone wants some money. I'm willing to bet Activision wanted to license the code to make it work for cash, Harmonix said no thanks, and engineered its code on its own.
Hence Activision likely used lawyers on Sony to keep the patch from being released.
Still stupid on Activision's part, as even that press release doesn't really answer the question of if Sony has the patch, and has tested and approved it, why isn't it released? IN other words, the ball is still in Activision's court, regardless what that PR statement is trying to say.
I know this is a little off topic and might have been mentioned by someone else, but what about the PS3's Guitar Hero III guitar being compatible with the Guitar Hero I and II games? Will this patch allow those games to work with the PS3 and a guitar? I bet that's what the patch originally was made for because they knew there were issues during development of GHIII and it just so happens that it also allows players to use their guitars with Rock Band. Rock band is just mad that they think that they're going to lose money but I doubt it will be much. I'm glad I waited to buy Rock Band game only. Never had intentions of getting the drum set or singing.
Why should a Guitar Hero III guitar have to work with Rock Band? So Activision doesn't want their products being used with another company's product. In fact, it's not just another company, it's the competing game of another company. The only reason people are whining so much about this is because nearly everything that MTV Games/Harmonix ships with Rock Band is either broken, breaks quickly, or isn't there. My RB guitar down strum broke seemingly instantly. My yellow drum pad never worked. There was no microphone in the bundle at first. And to get these things in any decent amount of time, product I had already paid good money for, I had to put hundreds of dollars of account holds on my bank account, more than what it would have cost to just buy a new game. Activision shouldn't have to make their guitar work with RB, let MTV Games/Harmonix get their own product in line, I don't blame Activision for letting them stir in their own mess. Still curious as to why you can't buy an extra genuine RB guitar? It's because they have to warranty out so many of them, they can't afford to start just flat selling them, or they would deplete their own inventory. That and the chance of the ones being reshipped have the same defects and are only a matter of time before they break, too. Let
I'm really disappointed with Activision, and with Sony for not taking a leadership position in this matter.
I liked Guitar Hero enough to return to gaming and to buy what I thought was the most cutting edge console - the PS3. I even went out of my way to find a 60gb PS3 for the hardware compatability.
...and then I found out that the controllers wouldn't work, even though the game starts right up like a champ.
Activision needs to take the high-road here, and deliver on the good faith that it's GH, GH2 and GH80's customers have shown them by buying their products for the last few years.
Sony needs to recognize as well, that the longer it sits on the fence and refuses to bring Activision to the table with Harmonix/MTV, that they are allowing them both to de-value their console system. It's one thing if we were talking about a mildly popular game, but the Guitar Hero franchise is a MAJOR revenue stream to disenfranchise with petty behavior.