Anytime we hear the words "incompatible" and "music game" mixed into the same sentence, we typically can't resist the onset of a bitter beer face. That being true, we can't say we're too terribly bummed about this one, particularly since we highly doubt Microsoft's Lips will have the same following as Rock Band and / or Guitar Hero: World Tour. At any rate, you should probably know that the accelerometer-packin' Lips microphone will not work with RB nor GH at launch, though creator Keiichi Yano of Inis did confess that compatibility was theoretically possible with future patches. 'Course, we doubt anyone will spend time on said patches unless Lips moves like a billion copies this winter, but we suppose anything is possible with a snap of the fingers and a pinch of pixie dust.

[Via Joystiq]

Guitar Hero: World Tour has only officially been on shelves for a day or so now, but unhappy PS3 customers are already making a fuss -- the game's new drumkit isn't compatible with Rock Band 2. That's a major disappointment -- having redundant guitars because Activision and Harmonix can't play nice is annoying enough, but two drumkits is downright ridiculous -- and it's doubly irritating because Sony promised it would bring the hammer down and make sure all these peripherals were cross-compatible. The Xbox 360 kits seem to work with each other, so it's probably just a bug and Harmonix is apparently working on patch. In the meantime, you can probably take out your frustration with this crazy Gene Simmons axe-shaped guitar controller that's due out on Halloween -- we're not sure if we'd pay $80 for the privilege of pretending to be in KISS while playing a video game, but if you're in the Army, Amazon is taking preorders now.

Read - Guitar Hero: World Tour drums incompatibility
Read - Gene Simmons Axe Guitar

Are the blatant rockist tendencies of Guitar Hero and Rock Band ruining your enjoyment of those otherwise brilliant titles? Of course they are -- we noted your b-boy flava from two blocks away. But don't sweat it because Genius Products, 7 Studios and Quincy Jones III have your niche in their sights and will happily sell you Scratch: The Ultimate DJ when it hits the stores sometime in Spring 2009. With a game controller designed by Numark (known worldwide for its DJ controllers -- there's an example for you after the break), the game will be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and feature tracks by "many" (as yet unnamed) hip-hop artists. Trevor Drinkwater, President and CEO of Genius Products promises all and sundry "a cutting-edge game that captures the vital energy of hip-hop culture." And here we thought they were cynically jumping on the Guitar Hero bandwagon! We stand corrected.

Think that bundled Rock Band / High School Musical Sing It! mic is totally weak sauce? Ready to drop $79.99 in order to prove it? If so, have a gander at Logitech's latest, the Cordless Vantage Microphone. Crafted to work with the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 consoles, this AA (x2) powered device comes with a USB receiver and stand and supports a handful of titles including Boogie, American Idol Encore and the games we mentioned at the top. It'll be available this December, just in time for you to succumb to high prices for the sake of having something to shove under the tree.

No two ways about it, Mad Catz has a winner on its hand with this one. The Rock Band Portable Drum Kit for Xbox 360 is a complete skins kit designed to be shoved into most any backpack and played on nearly any solid surface. The rubber pads are designed to handle over a million strikes, though that antique coffee table you lay these on may, in fact, not be designed to withstand such abuse. For those not exactly kosher with a full-fledged kit consuming the den, this seems to be the perfect compromise. And hey, it's only $59.99 to boot. Ships "soon," but not "soon enough."

[Via OhGizmo]

Previously, the ship dates for Rock Band 2 instruments ranged from "sometime within the next few months" to "sometime." Now, however, we're hearing that the standalone wireless drums ($90) and guitar ($70) will begin to ship out next week (at least for the Xbox 360). Additionally, Mad Catz's Fender P-Bass wireless guitar controller ($70) and the wired ION Drum Rocker set ($300) should clutter up floor space around the same time. RB2 party to celebrate the Q3 close? Sign us up.

Living room arenas around the world will soon become even more cluttered with toy instruments thanks to Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour. Axes for the two respective franchises haven't gotten along on the Wii, and while we're still not sure whether the next generation will cooperate ezGear is hoping to bring some peace (and eliminate some clutter) for current Nintendo rockers with its ezJam Combo Guitar. Inside its baby-blue Strat-esque styling there's port to plug in your Wiimote when playing Guitar Hero III as well as an integrated wireless transmitter for Rock Band. At $70 it's a little more expensive than other third-parties like the Nyko Frontman, but playing lead in two bands instead of one is totally worth it.

Rock Band 2 might not be out yet, but ION was kind enough to send us the new Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set a couple weeks early. Built like a tank, this thing makes the original Rock Band drum set look like the toy it is -- we're talking aluminum tube construction that apes traditional electronic rack kits, soft trigger surfaces that register velocity, and quarter-inch connections that'll make modding a dream. Of course, all that heft means that set-up took over an hour and it eats up just about twice as much living room space as the original with no easy way to take it down, but if you're a hardcore fake rocker and you don't have the DIY chops to roll your own, this is $300 you're gonna want to spend. A couple more quick impressions after the break, and tons of pictures in the gallery.

Update: Joystiq also got a chance to check this bad boy out, they didn't like it quite as much as we did. Take a peek here.

It's sad that the petty bickering between Activision, Harmonix, and Konami required console makers to step up and ensure that gamers didn't end up with piles of redundant plastic instrument controllers, but things are starting to get better -- just as Sony did yesterday, Microsoft announced that it's requiring Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Revolution to be cross-compatible on the Xbox 360. The post on Redmond's Gamerscore blog isn't chock-full of details, but we'll commend Microsoft and Sony for getting involved to make sure that all the lawsuits and infighting don't adversely affect their customers -- now if they could only find a way to make those drumkits actually fit into a living room, we'd be all set.

[Via Joystiq]

With all the incompatibility out there among Guitar Hero / Rock Band instruments, it's a real treat to see something like this. The Director of Publisher Relations at SCEA has posted an update that promises compatibility between instruments and software for upcoming titles; for instance, Guitar Hero: World Tour's guitars and drums will work with Rock Band 2 and Konami's Rock Revolution software, and Rock Band 2's guitar and drum set will work with Guitar Hero: World Tour and with Rock Revolution. Furthermore, the team is still "working hard to ensure compatibility between the Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles currently on the market," though we are told that an announcement on that could surface "shortly." Rock 'n roll harmony, baby.

[Image courtesy of BeSportier]