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Rock Band 3 Fender Mustang Pro guitar review
Next week's Rock Band 3 launch marks a giant step for the franchise, with the pro mode edging its gameplay closer to actual musicianship. The keyboards and drums are easier transitions to make, given what's essentially one-to-one mapping for notes and logical input solutions. But what about a guitar, arguably the genre's flagship instrument? We've seen and tried two solutions to the pro guitar input conundrum: the Squier Stratocaster, an actual guitar that's still not ready for primetime, and the Mad Catz Fender Mustang, a 102-button replica more reminiscent of peripheral than instrument. Still, with a mid-November release date, the latter's likely to be your only official option for pro guitar rocking this holiday. So, how does it fare? Read on to find out! P.S. For all your other Rock Band 3 queries, check out Joystiq's exhaustive review! %Gallery-105735%
Rock Band 3 Fender Mustang Pro guitar controller and MIDI-Pro adapter eyes-on
We still can't get time with the Fender Mustang Pro guitar controller while actually playing Rock Band 3, but the gang at the Mad Catz booth were fine enough with us letting us toy around on its own, sans game. So, how does it feel just silently going through chords and scales? Sturdy as can be, sure, and the 100-plus buttons for the neck feel like they'll stand up for a good bit of time. That said, it felt harder than a real guitar locating the strings and frets -- especially a pain for faster chord changing. Also a burden? No ability to bend strings -- not that you'll be able to bend on the Squier Stratocaster either, as it turns out, but that's a whole 'nother issue. We also got some eyes on the MIDI Pro Adapter for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii; there isn't much to look at for now, but if you get your kicks from plastic dongles, hey, we've got all the photos you need below. %Gallery-95481% %Gallery-95483%
Rock Band 3's gear priced: keytar and Pro guitar sport MIDI out, adapter lets you use any keyboard / electronic drum set
Has your head cooled from all that rock news this morning? Nope? Well, we'd hate to rile you up again, but Mad Catz -- now the official provider of all Rock Band 3 equipment -- has priced its latest arsenal for the upcoming rhythm revival title. There's also a few new details on each instrument, so without further ado: Wireless Keyboard: That MIDI port many of you spotted is for output, letting you plug the two-octave (C3 to C5) velocity-sensitive keytar directly into MIDI sequencers for non-gaming use. It'll set you back $80, with an optional stand to be sold separately (no price given) alongside the game's launch. Buying the keyboard / game bundle will be $130, or about $10 off individual purchases. Oh, and if you want to feel a bit more techno, this puppy can be used as the guitar / bass input. MIDI PRO-Adapter: Want to use your own keyboard or electronic drum set? Here's the mediator you need, from MIDI to USB to console, and it sports the D-pad and other necessary gamepad buttons as well as velocity sensitivity adjustment controls. Asking price is $40. Pro Cymbals Expansion kit: three cymbals, apparently rejiggered from RB2's offerings for quieter play and a pre-defined 10 degree angle. It's $40 for this hi-hat, crash, and ride pack. Wireless Fender Mustang Pro Guitar Controller: Not the Squier hybrid we saw, this one actually sports a multitude of buttons for each string, spanning 17 frets (102 buttons in all). Actual strings are used for the plucking and strumming, and here's something interesting -- the axe has a MIDI output for software sequencers. This behemoth is $150, or approximately 1.5 Benjamins in your local currency. Pictures of each instrument -- and the yet-to-be-priced Squier -- in the gallery below, as well as a few screen caps of Pro mode so you can get an idea how exactly it'll "correct you" on proper Bohemian Rhapsody finger picking. %Gallery-94999%
Activision unveils gnarly new Guitar Hero axes for Warriors of Rock
Some of you might be surprised that a game as simple as Guitar Hero is on the precipice of its sixth iteration, and others still will just want to know what the latest axe is going to look like it. Well, behold! Today we're witnessing the debut of the new "shredding-friendly" design, replete with cutaway sections in the body and an aggressive, modern look. The cutaways are possible thanks to an internal redesign concentrating the electronics into the neck and fretboard, which will also allow you to swap different bodies around the controller parts. Yes, that does mean you'll be able to play without any body appendages at all, if you wanna be all contrarian about it. Another design, a GameStop exclusive, is also on show, and you can see it just after the break.
Apogee debuts GiO USB guitar interface and controller for Macs
You're going to need to practice on a lot more than Rock Band or Guitar Hero to fully make use of this rig, but Mac users looking to go a step beyond basic GarageBand recording may want to consider Apogee's new GiO guitar interface and controller, which is fully compatible with GarageBand 09, as well as Logic Studio 9 and MainStage 2. Designed to more or less give you full hands-free recording, the device packs five Stompbox buttons that are dynamically color coded to match software effects, plus five Transport control buttons that are dynamically lit when engaged, not to mention all the ports you'd expect, including a 1/4" instrument input, a 1/4" MIDI Expression pedal input, a headphone jack, and that all-important USB port, which just so happens to also conveniently power the device. You're still going to have to make do with your current setup for a bit longer, however, as this one's only set to launch sometime in September for a fairly reasonable (as far as Apogee products go) $395.
Logitech debuts wireless Guitar Hero controller for Xbox 360
Third-party wireless guitar controllers for the Xbox 360 have been disappointingly hard to come by to date, but Logitech has now come to the rescue with a new Guitar Hero-licensed controller that's similar to its PS3 and PS2 offerings, with the exception of being orange, and Xbox 360-compatible. Otherwise, you can expect the same wood neck, rosewood fingerboard, and metal frets as before, along with a touch-sensitive slider on the neck, strum bar and fret buttons that are "virtually silent," and a promised range of 30 feet. Unfortunately, the guitar also packs the same hefty $199 price tag as its PS3 counterpart, but if that's not too big a deterrent, you can look forward to picking up one of these up in August. Head on past the break for a quick video overview.
Logitech's $199 Black Edition wireless Guitar Hero controller shreds like cheddar
Check it poseurs, Logitech's Wireless Guitar Controller Premier Edition for Guitar Hero is back and ready to take on international pretenders shredders. The new Black Edition prop for the PS3 and PS2 still features the same rosewood fingerboard, wooden neck, and metal frets and tuning peg handles of the US-only original. However, it now carries a lower, $199 price tag (was $250 at launch) and "minor construction updates" based on user feedback. Oh, and it's now black... black like the heart of Chuck Schuldiner. If that sounds like a "a great value" as described by Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech's director of product marketing for gaming, then by all means, have at it when it ships to the US and Europe in June.[Via BLogitech]
PS3 Guitar Hero: World Tour drums not Rock Band 2 compatible; Gene Simmons guitar controller not compatible with taste
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 incompatibilityRead - Gene Simmons Axe Guitar
StarPex wooden guitar controller adds a little heft to your rock
Sure, Guitar Hero and Rock Band have fake plastic Gibson and Fender controllers, but cheap plastic ain't exactly rock'n'roll -- which is why this new StarPex PS2 / PS3 guitar controller looks pretty sweet. The ersatz Strat features a hardwood body and neck crafted by "a leading guitar manufacturer" (we'd bet $100 it's made by Samick), as well as solo buttons, an Overdrive / Star Power button in addition to the tilt sensor, and both wired and wireless capabilities. On top of that, the electronics are modular, so you'll eventually be able to swap parts and build your own custom axe. Sounds great -- but you better start singing in the subway, since this thing'll set you back $179 when it goes on sale late next month. Yeah, maybe we'll stick with the plastic axes after all.
Xbox 360 wireless Rock Band guitar starting to show up in stores
We've been waiting for Harmonix to deliver the promised Xbox 360 wireless Rock Band guitar controller for a while now, and it looks the company is stealthily getting them out there. Pre-orders have been trickling out for about a week, and alert reader Greg just sent us these shots of the controller in the wild at his local Best Buy. Oddly, he says the in-store price is $79.99 while the BestBuy.com price is $59.99, so if you're looking to cut the cord, you might want to save some cash and order online. Oh, and remember -- this bad boy doesn't work with Guitar Hero, so don't say we didn't warn you. One more shot after the break.
Guitar Hero 3's PS3 Les Paul hits the FCC
If it's got a radio in it, the government's gonna want to poke at it, and the wireless Les Paul shipping with the PS3 version of Guitar Hero 3 is no exception, turning up in the FCC's database today. Just like the 360 version we saw hit the FCC a little while ago, there's nothing shocking to report -- the PS3 version will still (sadly) require a USB dongle, up to four controllers can be paired up, and the faceplates are interchangeable -- but it's nice to know we're getting ever close to melting our faces off with GH3.
First glimpse at ten-button Rock Band guitar controller
Harmonix was just getting us warmed up, it seems. Instead of the five fret buttons we've grown accustomed to on the past Guitar Hero series, the Rock Band official Stratocaster-based guitar controller displays ten fret buttons. On the second pic embedded below, you'll notice the five new buttons down at the base of the neck. We can only imagine what kind of sick guitar solo action Harmonix has in store for us with these.The pics arrive courtesy of a Gamestop newsletter, which also details the new features embedded into the guitar controller. As we reported earlier, guitar effects will play a large role, allowing the player to flange, wah, reverb and delay their way into guitar gaming bliss. No official pricing was included at this time, though we wouldn't be surprised to see something closer to $79.99 or thereabouts for the controller alone. Price be damned, we're still going to have to give this bad boy a spin. Anyone else?
Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode
In case you missed it on Friday, IGN posted a pre-E3 hands-on preview of Guitar Hero II's new co-op mode. It's a departure from the first game's multiplayer mode in that the two players have to depend on each other a lot more to pass each song and thereby make beautiful music together.While the old multiplayer option will still be around in the sequel, the new mode mixes distinct lead guitar and bass or rhythm parts where each player affects the other in various ways, whether by failing if either performance slips (as in DDR), sharing the same Rock Meter (with mistakes from either player resetting the score multiplier), and needing to both go vertical at the same time to activate the shared Star Power. Thankfully, different difficulty levels can be assigned to each player.The Joystiq team out in L.A. will probably find something to do until they get their sweaty paws on a guitar controller or two on the E3 show floor (maybe one of those wacky press conferences will help pass the time), but we're sure the wait to try the latest build of this rockin' series will be worth it. The seven songs available at E3 are listed below.[Thanks, murph]
