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Harmonix is reviving Rock Band Network in 'Rock Band 4'
During a livestream on Tuesday, Harmonix announced that after a few years away, the Rock Band Network is coming back. Originally announced in 2009 near the height of plastic guitar controller mania, it allowed content creators to import their own tracks for play (and most importantly, for sale) within the Rock Band series of games.
The best VR headsets and accessories for dorms
We'll be the first to admit that a virtual-reality session isn't terribly conducive to bonding with new friends in the dorm. But, hey, a few of us here at Engadget are introverts, so you don't need to explain to us the value of strapping on a headset and momentarily blocking out the stress of classes and meeting new people. Included in our back-to-school guide are many of the usual suspects, like the Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR and Daydream View. We also recommend the optional Rift and Gear VR controllers, as well as games like Rock Band VR and Farpoint. Enjoy your escape from the real world, but remember to take a social break from time to time.
'Rock Band 4' to get online multiplayer later this year
One of Rock Band's biggest draws has always been local multiplayer. When four or five people are in the same room, jamming away on plastic instruments, it's hard not to crack a smile. Of course, it's not always possible to get people together, so developer Harmonix is working on bringing online multiplayer to Rock Band 4. It's due this holiday and will offer a "Quickplay-esque" experience for you and a few friends. So if someone can't make band practice -- or your group is miles apart -- you can still play together and prepare for that all-important reunion gig.
'Rock Band 4' for PC fails to get crowdfunded
Labels may have wanted to keep Rock Band 4 from making the leap to PCs over piracy concerns, but not even a crowdfunding campaign could help jumpstart the effort. Harmonix held a month-long campaign on Fig in hopes of offsetting the development costs for porting the Xbox and PlayStation title to the PC, but as time expired, the project had only raised $792,817 or 52 percent of the $1.5 million goal. By the way, 27 people pledged $2,500 to nab every Rock Band song for the PC title. That's dedication.
'Rock Band 4' for PC will offer every DLC song ever for $2,500
Unlike on other platforms that have access to most every song in the franchise's archives, Rock Band 4 for the PC comes with no previous DLC content. As such, Harmonix has added an additional tier to its fan-funded Fig campaign that would give backers at that level every single song in the Rock Band DLC library. The only hitch: you're going to have to shell out a whopping $2,500 for it. Well, that and the campaign still needs to raise another two thirds of its $1.5 million funding goal in the next 11 days.
'Rock Band 4' is coming to the PC with your help
If you wailed when you heard that Rock Band 4 wasn't coming to the PC, it's time to wipe those tears away -- you now have a chance to make it happen. Harmonix has kicked off a crowdfunding campaign to bring its latest music game to Windows systems through Steam. So long as the company reaches its $1.5 million goal by April 5th, you'll get a version of RB4 that transcends what you can do on consoles. You'll get to directly sell your own songs through Steam Workshop, for example, recreating Rock Band Network without all the overhead. It'll support a mouse and keyboard outside of songs, too, so you won't have to fiddle with your plastic guitar just to change settings.
MadCatz cutting a third of staff after 'Rock Band 4' flop
Peripheral maker Mad Catz has posted yet another disappointing financial report, sparking executive resignations and major layoffs. The filing is the first full quarter since Rock Band 4 was released last year, and the game helped sales increase to $65 million, 114 percent higher than the year before.
'Rock Band 4' devs will wipe the leaderboards next month
In a sign of what's to come for your favorite board game, Harmonix announced it's fixed a "gnarly" Rock Band 4 bug, and next month will deliver a patch that ends a number of scoring exploits. The bad news for players? That also means the games leaderboards will be entirely reset. While players will still have their high scores saved locally, they'll need to go again for online bragging rights. Speaking of online, in a recent blog post Harmonix said that bringing internet multiplayer to the new game is "very much on the table," but it hasn't committed to a timetable.
'Rock Band 4' and 'Guitar Hero Live' are basically board games
The puppies always get excited when I open the hall closet. As the heavy, wooden door slides open with a twist and a pop, my two tiny dogs run over, tails wagging, because opening that closet means one of three things: The pups are going for a walk, I need to sweep, or it's time to play Rock Band 4. My boyfriend and I store the plastic guitars in that closet, and as I slide them out, brushing past jacket sleeves and cardboard boxes, even the puppies understand what's going on. We're having a party.
Harmonix caught posting five-star 'Rock Band 4' reviews on Amazon
When is it a good idea for employees to post reviews of their own company's game? Most people would probably say "never," but that didn't stop Harmonix employees working on Rock Band 4 from doing it. A suspicious Reddit user found at least seven 5-star reviews by Harmonix employees, including from one user who said she was a "new fan," but is actually the company's "legal and music coordinator." Others including a project manager, consultant and senior designer also gave it top marks. Amazon ratings are crucial for such a family-oriented game, given that the online retailer may be the only place casual buyers will look for them.
Confessions of a 'Rock Band 4' drum queen
"Drums are hard." That was the verdict from my boyfriend after a raucous night playing Rock Band 4 with a group of friends. He's a guitarist, in both the physical and digital realms, and to him, Rock Band 4's drums are an anomaly. The rhythms are somehow tricky and repetitive at the same time; landing the bass pedal takes nearly perfect timing; it's a big rig that requires big motions; and the entire instrument takes a ridiculous amount of coordination. This is why my boyfriend doesn't enjoy playing the drums in Rock Band 4 -- and it's precisely why I love it.
'Rock Band 4' final setlist boasts REM, Mumford, Skynyrd, more
Rock Band 4 guitar gods, songstresses and drum demons, here are your weapons in the coming music-game war. Rock Band 4's complete setlist includes legendary and modern artists and songs, including Cake's Short Skirt/Long Jacket, Brad Paisley's Start A Band, Gin Blossoms' Follow You Down, Fleetwood Mac's You Make Loving Fun, REM's The One I Love, Mumford & Sons' The Wolf, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' The Impression That I Get, Lynyrd Skynyrd's That Smell, Rush's A Passage to Bangkok and Van Halen's Panama.
Using your old gear with 'Rock Band 4' on Xbox One will cost you
Rock Band is rising from the dead this fall, and as such we're starting to get finer details about different prices and packages for the forthcoming game. Unfortunately for Xbox One owners, the "disc-only" version of Rock Band 4 will cost $79.99, $20 more than the PlayStation 4 version. Harmonix confirmed that's because the Xbox version will come bundled with a legacy adapter that'll let buyers use their old instruments with the new game and hardware. PS4 owners won't need that -- the existing USB adapter that PlayStation owners have always used with Rock Band will continue to work just fine. If you're new to the series and buying one of the bundles that includes instruments as well as the game, though, the pricing will be identical: $249.99 will get you a mic, guitar, drum set, and the game regardless of which platform you're playing on. If you just want the game and a guitar, you'll be shelling out $129.99. Mad Catz also plans to sell the adapter standalone for people who purchase the game digitally. Rock Band 4 is set to launch on October 6th.
Guess who's (kinda) keeping 'Rock Band 4' from PCs
Rock Band 4 arrives on the PC-like Xbox One and PS4, so it made sense for Eurogamer to ask if the game would ever make its way onto the real thing. Unfortunately, PC gamers won't be getting a version of their own, and it looks as if the music labels' heavy-handed demands for anti-piracy measures are to blame. In an interview, Harmonix project director Daniel Sussman explained that the two consoles have various secure tools that make it hard for users to get at the assets inside each game. PCs, in his words, are more of an "open platform," which would put the onus on Harmonix to protect the "licensed music" that's featured in the title. Squint hard enough and those lines roughly translate to: we could, but labels want us to lock their music up so tight that it'd be impossible to achieve on the PC.
Why 'Rock Band 4' got the gang back together
Walking onto the roof of the Shangri La Hotel in Santa Monica, California, I was nervous and curious to see Rock Band 4. After all it had been five years since Rock Band 3. Would it still feel good? Is this really the right time to bring back Harmonix's brilliant karaoke video game, with its comfy plastic instruments and catalog of songs? After playing it and then talking with Greg LoPiccolo, one of the creators of both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, my fears were laid to rest. Under a thick smear of sweet rock and roll, of course.
Curtain lifts on first 'Rock Band 4' songs
Not to be outdone by Guitar Hero Live, the folks over in the Rock Band 4 camp unveiled the first handful of tracks for this fall's face-melting simulator. And they're pretty diverse! As noted on IGN, the half-dozen ranges from Avenged Sevenfold to The Who. Developer Harmonix is debuting gameplay on Twitch with the IGN folks as well. Sadly there's no word of Deftones, High on Fire, Katy Perry, Mastodon, or Taylor Swift yet, but we still have a long ways before this new tour kicks off. There's that whole song request form in case there are any dream songs you'd want included, too. Prep your air guitar and jump past the break for the full list.
'Rock Band 4' will be co-published by hardware company Mad Catz
Rock Band creator Harmonix is bringing a roadie along for this year's release of Rock Band 4 -- Mad Catz, the peripheral manufacturer, will co-publish the game on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Mad Catz is in charge of making all of the wireless instruments in Rock Band 4, but as a co-publisher the company will also lead global sales, promotions and distribution, Global PR Director Alex Verrey says. Harmonix and Mad Catz intend to release Rock Band 4 simultaneously in the US and European territories, Harmonix PR Lead Nick Chester tweeted to a curious fan today.
'Rock Band' is back with 'Rock Band 4': headed to Xbox One and PS4 in 2015
Remember way back in 2009? Times were simpler then: Pittsburgh's Steelers were Super Bowl champions; Tiger Woods was caught having an affair; and I was playing a lot of Rock Band. You probably were too. Many millions of you were, anyway, and the plastic peripheral market was booming. In a few short years, the world went from zero to dozens of plastic guitars, keyboards, mics and drums per household, all in the name of games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. House parties quickly turned into Rock Band parties with surprising frequency. It was only another few short years before those games, and the peripherals they required, fell off a cliff. That was 2010, when Rock Band 3 launched. It's been five years, and the world is apparently ready for more Rock Band. The folks behind the original Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises are back in the development seat and bringing Rock Band 4 to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year.
