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Ready Check: First look at Cataclysm raids
There's been a huge splash of Cataclysm information released unto the wild in the last few days. Every since the beta hit the streets, we've seen information about warrior changes, hunters and even racial emotes. I guess I called it a splash. What I really meant is that there's been a flood of information everywhere. It seems like we can virtually see anything we'd possibly want to know about the expansion, right now. But what we haven't seen yet is much information on raids. Our good friends over at MMO-Champion have some great information about 5-man instances, but their raid information is running a little behind so far. Of course, that's never kept us from drooling over new raid content before now, so let's not start bad habits. Let's take a look at what raid information we do have and spend a little time getting excited about the new expansion.
PS2 to PS3 converter bridges the Rock Band / Guitar Hero divide
It doesn't look like Activision and Harmonix are ever going to make nice and implement broad hardware compatibility for Rock Band and Guitar Hero controllers, but if you've got a sizable investment in PS2 gear, The Ant Commandos' new converter might let you ignore all the nastiness and keep rockin' anyway. TAC's Universal PS2-to-PS3 Converter is compatible with PS3 Rock Band and PS2 / PS3 GHIII, and it works with basically every PS2 axe you can think of, wired and wireless. Not bad for just $20, but c'mon, guys, let's just make this stuff work for real, alright?
GHII X-plorer plays nice with Rock Band
For those about to rock that just plunked down $90 for Guitar Hero II, we have some good news. On the official Rock Band website, a Harmonix developer by the name of Jason Booth has confirmed that older Guitar Hero guitars will work with the upcoming title. We assume he's referring to the Xbox 360 X-plorer guitar, as the PS2 guitars are essentially incompatible with the PS3.The politics of this announcement are interesting, as the next iteration of Guitar Hero will be developed by Neversoft instead of Harmonix. Harmonix, meanwhile, is working with MTV and Electronic arts on Rock Band. If Harmonix owns the rights to the Guitar Hero controller, it could mean Neversoft will have to develop a completely new one for Guitar Hero III. Throw in RedOctane's (and thus Activision's) legal battle with The Ant Commandos and it gets even more confusing.Granted, GHIII is still a ways off, but we don't relish the idea of dishing out gargantuan sums of money every time a new music game hits.Here's hoping the X-plorer will be compatible across the board.[Via TeamXbox]
TAC Freedom V wireless problem and how to fix
The Ant Commandos, makers of the Freedom V Wireless guitar for Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II, have contacted Joystiq about a problem being reported with the latest Freedom V shipment. This issue only affects the most recent shipment of Freedom V guitars. Turns out the black foam, which was recently added, surrounding the battery pack is causing the wireless guitar to lose connection. Fixing the problem is as simple as "removing this foam padding from the battery pack." Once again, this only affects Freedom V Wireless units purchased recently and fixing the problem involves removing the black foam around the battery pack. That'll be all, rock on!
TAC: Guitar controller issues resolved
Following Guitar Hero II's release, owners of The Ant Commandos' (TAC) generation one guitar controllers, manufactured pre-Oct. 1, 2006, discovered their units didn't work with the new title. This was because, whether sinister or not, Guitar Hero II's publisher, Red Octane, placed coding in the game allowing only their brand of guitar controllers to work. This put The Ant Commandos, who are currently in the middle of litigation with Red Octane, on the defensive with inoperable controllers for a large base of their customers. Many customers blaming TAC for the problem.The Ant Commandos says that they are offering an adapter on their website for all generation one controllers. The cost is $6.99, with 3 - 5 business day shipping built into the cost. They stress that the $6.99 is actually the cost to have the adapter manufactured in China, shipped to the states and then sent to the consumer. A TAC spokesperson says, "We feel really bad for the consumer, [Red Octane] is penalizing Guitar Hero fans ... we are charging cost, we are not making money off this adapter." Retail outlets that still have generation one controllers, which come in a red or blue box, will receive adapters soon and are asked to place them inside the units. Generation two controllers, manufactured after October 1, 2006 and come in a yellow box, work fine with the game.[Thanks to those that sent in their control problems originally]
New 10 fret button Guitar Hero controller announced
The Ant Commandos announced a new 10 fret button, flying V Guitar Hero controller for the PS2 over the weekend. The new axe features five additional buttons at the bottom of the neck for rockin' solos in addition to the normal five fret buttons (maybe the extra buttons are meant to distinguish this bad boy from the official controllers, keeping them out of legal hot water ... hmmm). The wired version costs $50 and a wireless version goes for $60 (same as the official wireless guitars); both will be available for purchase at the company's website November 1st. We're guessing this guy is the only rocker good enough to benefit from the added buttons, though. Orange hammer-ons are scary.
RedOctane rocks the courthouse
In a spectacular display of canine cannibalism, RedOctane and its new parent company, Activision, last month set their army of attack lawyers on a company called "The Ant Commandos". Much like the RedOctane that existed before the Guitar Hero franchise became mildly popular, the latter company produces unlicensed, musically inclined controllers. These include bongo drums, guitars (wireless versions, natch), dance pads and a weird "Soccer Arena" mat which isn't really musical but will likely tie your legs into a knot just the same.According to the Gamespot report, RedOctane and Activision feel that TAC's guitar controllers are guilty of "unfair competition, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, unfair and deceptive trade practices, false advertising, unjust enrichment and more." One can only assume that the "more" part involves some sort of violence against defenseless puppies. Along with the similar packaging and advertising, even the quality of TAC's product is called into question. The lawyers argue that TAC's claim of 100% compatibility with Guitar Hero is false, as the tilt function necessary to activate Star Power is apparently not very consistent in their line of guitars. Getting sued for printing a lie is one thing, but to be dragged in front of a judge indirectly because your product might be a bit rubbish? Now that's music to our ears.
