Mystery port on 'Rock Band 2' drum kit gets even more mysteriouser

You know the supposed Guitar Hero: World Tour keyboard that never materialized? If you were really looking forward to that, get ready to have your hopes dashed on another mystery instrument that will probably also never come to be. According to Harmonix, that extra port on the back of the updated drum kit -- which previously was said to be for a second kicker -- is actually for something that's totally not a second kicker. What exactly will fill that port, though, the company isn't saying. Speculation is rife about another nebulous keyboard peripheral, but if you ask us our money's on a high hat, or maybe that other fundamental aspect of the drumming experience yet to be captured in the silly plastic instrument game genre: the triangle.

[Via N4G]

[JPJ007 @ Dec 4th 2008 1:11AM]

I have a fever, and the only prescription, is more COWBELL.

[ED @ Dec 4th 2008 1:31AM]

Zing!
That's worth two internets, plus a bonus dump truck for getting in first without making a fuss over it or using caps.

[j_g_puff @ Dec 4th 2008 8:54AM]

The first thing I thought when I read this article was MORE COWBELL...Imagine my dismay when, gleefully scrolling down to share my hilarious opinion, I discovered that someone had beat me to it in the very first comment.

You've been high ranked, so I can assume that if I'd got there first, I would have been too. This makes me feel a little better.

[Andrew @ Dec 4th 2008 9:15AM]

before even looking at the comments i thought a cowbell would make much more sense than a triangle. even a tambourine would be more practical since they are both used regularly in real drumming.

[Matt @ Dec 4th 2008 9:17AM]

JPJ007 FTW

[Chird @ Dec 4th 2008 10:04AM]

You know we don't have a lot of songs that feature the cowbell...So I would be doing myself a disservice and this band a disservice if I don't play the HELL out of this!!!!

[hijr21 @ Dec 4th 2008 1:18AM]

I'm going to sleep now, hope you have fun reading engadget's very interesting stories about "mysterious ports".

[James @ Dec 4th 2008 1:27AM]

I hear theyre going to review your wife's mysterious port next.

[PaNiD @ Dec 4th 2008 1:45AM]

his wife has a mysterious extra hanging cable

[Shadyman @ Dec 4th 2008 2:00AM]

It's a trap!

[wickedpheonix @ Dec 4th 2008 1:24AM]

I don't think so. As you can see from all the other instruments, they gotta knock down the number of keys to 5 if only to fit all the notes on the screen. How they get to that from 88 or so for a full keyboard, and still have it feel like an actual keyboard (which is at least 10 keys, 1 for each finger on both hands), I have no friggin' clue.

Divide by zero anyone?

[Jenny @ Dec 4th 2008 3:20AM]

Maybe it will be one of those light up keyboards, for players to follow along.

[Godfail @ Dec 4th 2008 8:37AM]

Line 6 reduced the keyboard to 37 keys with the TonePort KB-37. Half the work is already done.

[PaNiD @ Dec 4th 2008 1:32AM]

Extra port for extra fun!!!!!!!!...

thats all i could come up with

[kamakaze @ Dec 4th 2008 1:41AM]

i gotta go with engadget on this one; besides, triangles are the new cowbell!

[SchmuckyTheCat @ Dec 4th 2008 1:44AM]

I'm glad MORE COWBELL was the first comment.

[Allan @ Dec 4th 2008 1:48AM]

Yes!

Bruce Dickinson is very proud, indeed!

[Shadyman @ Dec 4th 2008 7:43AM]

@Allan:

*THE* Bruce Dickinson?

[fistpittingnork @ Dec 4th 2008 8:55AM]

The cock of the walk, baby!

[mykie @ Dec 4th 2008 1:56AM]

PREDICTION: Rock Band 2 Blue Oyster Cult track pack and Cowbell attachment bundle!

[Godfail @ Dec 4th 2008 8:39AM]

While BOC is a classic band that doesn't suck, I can't imagine more than two songs being worthy of a track pack. Now, a Cowbell Track Pack that includes only tracks with cowbell from many different bands, that would be hilarious and good at the same time.

[sgt_easton @ Dec 4th 2008 2:03AM]

Second kicker? Yeah right, I could have told you that would never happen. Most people who take a stab at drums in these games can barely handle one bass drum on easy, let alone two. I've been playing a real drum set for years and I can say that double bass is quite the difficult thing to pick up.

[Bobby @ Dec 4th 2008 2:13AM]

There isn't any song in the game that goes too fast so far using double bass pedals. Dream Theater's Panic Attack and Judas Priest's Painkiller probably have the fastest bass drum kicking. If it's possible to do those songs with one foot, with two it would be a breeze. I have been playing drums myself for many years and I think that instead of wasting money on Rock Band equipment altogether, people should just invest in REAL EQUIPMENT and learn to play REAL INSTRUMENTS. It's a thousand times better than playing Rock Band...

[Speeddemon2008 @ Dec 4th 2008 4:44AM]

and for double bass all you need is a headphone splitter and a second pedal. it works so nice.

[dxprog @ Dec 4th 2008 6:19AM]

@Bobby: Some of us don't have room/can't afford a several hundred dollar drum kit. Plus, Rock Band is a nice introduction to the instrument and is far cheaper. For those that suck at it, they still have a fun game they can play with their friends. As for me, because of my playing drums on Rock Band and being good at them (play most songs on expert), I will definitely invest in a full size kit when I have the opportunity to do so.

[David @ Dec 4th 2008 2:25AM]

I just got the cymbal expansions, they're nice, but they could use some better hardware. I'm still curious to what the expansion port is on the Guitar Hero 2 and Guitar Hero 3 Controllers are for 360

[Stu L Tissimus @ Dec 4th 2008 2:38AM]

Those are for effects pedal accessories that never turned up, basically.

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Dec 4th 2008 3:05AM]

Probably a high hat with a souped up tempo.

[Mike @ Dec 4th 2008 7:46AM]

I'm on a roll... it's time to go solo.

[Tony Bowman @ Dec 4th 2008 9:04AM]

Vanilla Ice trumps Bruce Dickinson any day.

[Adam H. @ Dec 4th 2008 12:34PM]

vanilla ice, ice, baby...

[henry.anding @ Dec 4th 2008 7:43AM]

Amen!

[Chad Cropper @ Dec 4th 2008 8:26AM]

Christopher Walken and Will Farrell say "I need more COWBELL". Don't Fear the Reaper!

[matt merritt @ Dec 4th 2008 8:29AM]

A complete said of plastic wood-blocks.


Because the noise of my neighbor's drum pads coming through the wall isn't annoying enough!

[sean @ Dec 4th 2008 9:13AM]

bang the gong (get it on)

[Bjsfreaked @ Dec 4th 2008 9:22AM]

I'm more suprised rock band never updated the design of the drum kit. I mean a symbal as a normal pad????
why not try to do what GH has done which is actual symbals

[jahcriado @ Dec 4th 2008 9:47AM]

Oh come you guys!? You don't what this is for? Alright, finish this classic SNL skit with me: "Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription... (everyone now) is more cowbell!" It is obvious they want to give the port to the percussionists friend: the cowbell.

[sean @ Dec 4th 2008 9:59AM]

you obviously didn't read the other comments

you suck.

[Phill @ Dec 4th 2008 10:19AM]

Those games are the stupidest thing I have ever seen. Ever. Buy a real instrument!

[jahcriado @ Dec 4th 2008 10:56AM]

You obviously don't understand these games. In 2 hours of GH or RB I can have fun, maybe with some friends, beat a few songs, be satisfied with that & walk away. Maybe not even play again for weeks. What can I do with a real guitar in 2 hours? Learn a couples cords? Poorly? And if I put it down for weeks? These are VIDEO GAMES, meant for fun, for those of us who do not have the money for real equipment, don't really have the time to dedicate to learning an instrument for all its worth & who enjoy some mindless tube time. Would I like to lean an instrument? Yes! I don't have the space, time or money to own or learn one though.

[Phill @ Dec 4th 2008 11:25AM]

Space? That giant fake drum set is bigger than a guitar. The fake guitar is not much smaller than a real one.
Money? A quality real guitar costs less.
Time? Learning an instrument is time well spent. Clicking plastic buttons while pretending to play an instrument is time wasted.
I understand it is a video game. I have tried it. I don't even play an instrument (unless you count grade school piano lessons I have completely forgotten), but I still see no value in it.

HOWEVER: I understand that it is a video game and people find it entertaining. Many people. It is just not for me and these are my opionions. If you enjoy it, then more power to you. I'll be in the garage building something.

[Phoenix @ Dec 4th 2008 11:29AM]

What's the RJ-11 port on the bottom of the GHIII guitar for? I tried hooking it up to my laptop modem and nothing happened...

so far I haven't tried plugging it into the phone, but it's a matter of time unless I find out

[Loonie @ Dec 4th 2008 11:41AM]

Whoa-oooh-ooooh, my-ste-ri-ous port, I wanna get close to you...

... *Ahem*

[holycow @ Dec 4th 2008 11:50AM]

wow engadget.. great job deleting the original comment and leaving the reply. Makes me look like an asshole...

[[e-mail] @ Dec 4th 2008 2:17PM]

Rock Band is not like playing an instrument or being in a band. It is like dancing with some karaoke thrown in. It's a rhythm game, that's all. The charts are whack a mole in time to music. If you like dancing - if you enjoy matching something you do with your body with the rhythm of the music - you might like it. If you like karaoke too, your are more likely to like it.

Some folks just can't dance or keep time. Including plenty of professional musicians.

I venture a guess that Phill can't dance.

[Dave (id) @ Dec 5th 2008 1:04PM]

I cant dance, I cant sing.
I'm just standing here selling everything.

[DiligentJay @ Dec 4th 2008 3:13PM]

So............the headline for this post says Rock Band 2 but the post itself talks about Guitar Hero.....which is it?

[Ben @ Dec 4th 2008 3:40PM]

As the FP said, let's hope it's for a cowbell peripheral for the singer to hold.

[EricC @ Dec 4th 2008 5:29PM]

You're all wrong. It's going to be the fabled keyswordtar.

http://hrwiki.org/index.php/Keyswordtar

[deathwombat @ Dec 4th 2008 5:32PM]

Could it possibly be for backing vocals?