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Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster plays both real and virtual guitar... at the same time (video)
As unfair as it is, what initially gave us hesitation about Mad Catz and Squier's Stratocaster Pro guitar controller was that, well, it's Fender's second-tier brand. Despite these prejudices from our youth, Harmonix pretty much sold us on it with one pretty badass trick: the ability to simultaneously play Rock Band 3 on Pro Expert and rock the same tune through an amplifier. Bonus: in the presentation we saw, extra notes and added fills didn't seem to affect score. So, that just about turns the uncanny valley of plastic peripherals on its head. Just make sure you crank your TV's sound system to 11 to not be drowned out from what's likely an even worse screw-up sound. See for yourself in the video after the break (caution: a few naughty words contained within).%Gallery-95362%
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%
Mad Catz reveals Rock Band peripheral pricing
A press release from Mad Catz has revealed pricing on several of the new Rock Band 3 peripherals -- and also revealed an interesting gameplay quirk about the highest-profile new instrument, the keyboard. The keyboard ($79.99 by itself, $129.99 with a copy of the game) can be used not just to play piano or keyboard tracks, but can also be used to play lead guitar or bass. That adds even more variation to Rock Band 3! The Fender Mustang Pro-Guitar Controller (the one with all the buttons, not the real electric guitar) will retail for $149.99, which means that the Squier Stratocaster is likely to be ... pretty expensive. The Pro Cymbals Expansion Kit, which adds three newly-designed cymbals to the existing drum kit, will be $39.99, as will the MIDI Pro-Adapter for connecting any MIDI keyboard or drum set to your game console. In addition, Mad Catz will announce revised versions of the existing Rock Band instruments soon. Essentially, not only will Rock Band 3 have more options than ever, it'll also have more ways for you to spend a lot of money. %Gallery-94903%
Rock Band 3 gets 'Pro' mode, real guitar hybrid controller and keytar revealed -- Devo be praised
Wrap your head around this one: a 150-button guitar peripheral. That's for the pro version of Rock Band 3, whose goal is to actually turn the controllers into something more fitting of actual musicianship in a separate, more advanced "Pro" mode (the core game is still intact for those want it). First up is the aforementioned two-octave keyboard / keytar, whose difficulty goes from pressing within one of five ranges to actual dead-on notes. For drums, the three cymbals can now actually function as separate notes, sharing three lanes but given their own shape to know which to hit. Guitar, however, is a whole new beast. A $150 Fender Mustang pro (pictured up top) boasts 17 frets and 6 strings of accurate placement for a total of 102 buttons, and six nylon strings that must be plucked individually. Of course, if that hits the uncanny valley of plastic peripherals too closely, there's a Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster that'll be coming out that can actually be used as a real guitar or a Pro model. Vocal melodies from Beatles Rock Band carry over here. No concrete release date; head on over to new Joystiq for the preview, or if you want to see true trendsetters, watch Devo predict this game all the way from 1982 -- that video's after the break.
Rock Band 3 purportedly gaining keytar peripheral, infinite amounts of our love
Look, we've no qualms with keyboards -- Elton John is permanently embedded in our playlists, it'll be the first instrument we teach our robotic children, and it's easily the most underrated part of Justin Bieber's spectacularness. But there's no arguing that having a keytar peripheral is far, far more awesome in the grand scheme of things. According to the same mole on ArsTechnica that has correctly nailed a new PS3 bundle, the PSP go and Xbox 360 price cuts, Rock Band 3 will feature a new keytar peripheral, which will undoubtedly destroy our productivity for an indefinite amount of time. We're also told that Mad Catz will be taking over the production of RB hardware, leaving Harmonix only responsible for touching up the software. There's still no indication of when this mythical device will be hitting your local Game Stop, but it's certainly safe to slide your pre-order alert system to Orange.
The mouse ain't dead...yet: five of the best mice reviewed
For over thirty years the computer mouse ruled over the kingdom of computer navigation. Despite losing its rubber ball and cord over the years, the peripheral lived a long, full life of being pushed across desks and tables getting the cursor where it needed to go. It died today from neglect as it was abandoned en masse for touchpads and touch-based computers. Many tech pundits have already started drafting an obituary of the computer mouse like the one above, but let's be clear: we think the death of the mouse is greatly exaggerated. In fact, we're so convinced the mouse isn't dead that we've been testing some of the best on the market for the last couple of months. Click on below to find out why we think the lowly mouse has more than a few good years left, and which ones out there deserve your attention.
Save on Tatsunoko vs. Capcom FightSticks at Capcom's online store
Buying a Wii arcade stick for a single game might be hard to justify, but Capcom is making it somewhat easier with its latest online Deal of the Week. This weekend, the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom FightStick is marked down 15%, to $67.95. If you buy it together with the game, the whole thing is $113.95, with the stick making up $64 of that. We should also point out that the FightSticks are $68.56 on Amazon at the moment, so you have another potential avenue for savings. And it wouldn't necessarily just be for one game -- it would be really nice for retro fighting games and even shooters on the Virtual Console, as well.
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift FightStick is blazing, blue
click to enter our Tournament Edition Gallery Do you want a Mad Catz Tournament Edition FightStick, but ... bluer? Mad Catz and Aksys have just announced a BlazBlue: Continuum Shift FightStick, featuring imagery from the upcoming BlazBlue sequel. Like the latest revision of the Super Street Fighter IV stick, this controller features genuine Sanwa parts and internal storage for the 13-foot cable. Only 3,000 sticks will be produced: 1,500 each for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The only place you'll be able to get one is through Aksys's online store. Pre-orders will ship in June for $199.99. With those limited quantities, if you want one, you should probably look into that soon. We're holding out for a BlayzBloo DS arcade stick. %Gallery-92122%
Street Fighter champion Daigo Umehara joins up with Mad Catz
After completely rebuilding its image with the well-received Street Fighter IV FightSticks, and securing the rights to produce the official controllers for future Rock Band games, Mad Catz is set to further position itself as a high-end controller company through a very targeted celebrity endorsement. Daigo "The Beast" Umehara, last seen battling US champ Justin Wong at Capcom's Fight Club, is considered one of the best Street Fighter players in the world. He'll now use and promote Mad Catz's arcade sticks at tournaments. That's great for him and all, but the partnership benefits us as well: in addition to acting as a pitchman, Umehara will offer his considerable expertise to Mad Catz during the design process on future joysticks. Usually, we'd roll our eyes at a "pro gamer" attaching his name to peripherals, but there's a promise of really nice arcade sticks here! Source [PDF]: Mad Catz Announces Champion Gamer 'Daigo "The Beast" Umehara' Joins Team Mad Catz
Mad Catz courts Xbox 360 dogfighters with pricy F.L.Y. 9 flightstick
Yo, Mad Catz. We both know there aren't a lot of good flight sims on the Xbox 360, but that's no excuse for releasing a bargain-budget stick like the Aviator as your first foray into the console space. It doesn't do Saitek's reputation justice, and fliers like us won't stand for it. We want something a little more substantial. Something like your fancy Cyborg X flight stick for PC... What's that, you say? You've done it? Fan-tastic. With nearly all the bells and whistles of the original stick but added buttons, a removable lap rest and completely wireless functionality, the Cyborg F.L.Y. 9 looks like just the stick to strafe our Xbox 360 budget this spring for $100. But hey, that's not cool -- what's with doubling the original Cyborg X's $50 price? Press release after the break.
Eclipse Litetouch wireless touchscreen keyboard clears the FCC, on its way to retail (video)
OK, dudes -- we don't want to freak you out or anything, but the Wireless Litetouch Keyboard has cleared the FCC. Brought to you by Mad Catz, this bad boy (and its wired companion) was first unveiled at CES this year. Featuring an programmable LCD touchscreen with three different sets of "buttons" (number pad, media mode, and the user configurable MyEclipse mode) the latest entry to the Eclipse line has is sure to get admiring looks from the drone in the cubicle across the aisle. Compatible with Mac OS X as well as your many flavors of Windows, this bad boy will be out soon -- wireless for $129, or wired for $99. Jaw-dropping video after the break.
Mad Catz Cyborg Rat: a guided tour (video)
We've talked up Mad Catz's Cyborg Rat before -- and even given it the hands-on treatment -- but even still, we thought it'd best to show you with the power of moving pictures all the crazy functions of this Franken-mouse (that's pronounced "Fronk-in-mouse," thank you very much). Check out the guided tour of the Rat 7 from the CeBIT show floor, and an explanation of the differences in each series iteration - after the break, care of global PR manager Alex Verrey. %Gallery-87356%
Swag Sunday: The DICE bag o' swag [update]
Update: This contest has been closed and the winner will be contacted shortly via commenter-based email, so keep your eyes on the inbox! Believe us, dear reader -- there's nothing we'd like more than to have brought you with us to Las Vegas for this year's DICE, but you must understand that the airfare was simply too much to bear. We've got the next best thing though (outside of our weeklong coverage, of course): the full bag of swag handed over to us upon entry! In practice, this means a Modern Warfare 2 throat communicator, a Street Fighter IV fightpad, a seasonally appropriate Rock Band Network hoodie, a Rayman Raving Rabbids-themed Wiimote charger and ... some other stuff! All you have to do is tell us below in the comments what you thought was the most interesting story to come out of DICE 2010. 24 hours starts now! Leave a comment what you thought was the most interesting story to come out of DICE 2010. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, in part because of our feelings on The Quiet Revolution). Limit 1 entry per person per day. This entry period ends at 6:01PM ET on Monday, February 22. At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one Modern Warfare 2 throat communicator (ARV $29.99), one Street Fighter IV fightpad (ARV $39.99), one Rock Band Network hoodie (ARV $10), and one Rayman Raving Rabbids-themed Wiimote charger (ARV $29.99). For a list of complete rules, click here. What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here.
Mad Catz reports growing profits, hints at new Super Street Fighter IV joystick
Accessory company Mad Catz released its earnings report for the third quarter of its fiscal year (ending December 31, 2009), with numbers that suggest its wares are selling like mad. Net sales came to $48.8 million, which is "the second-best quarter of sales in the company's history." Profits increased 51 percent over the same period in the previous fiscal year, a change Mad Catz attributes to its movement out of low-price controllers and into higher-end specialty accessories. Hello $150 FiightStick! In its announcement, Mad Catz also listed the controllers and accessories it plans to ship in the near future. In addition to the new Super Street Fighter IV "Tournament Edition S" FightSticks (pictured above), the release also reveals plans to sell a new Super Street Fighter IV edition of the standard FightStick. It's as of yet unconfirmed if the standard stick will be given a new layout and shell like the superified Tournament Edition stick, or merely new artwork.
Mad Catz unveils three new 'Cyborg' gaming mice, coming 'Spring 2010'
At CES in Las Vegas this week, Mad Catz revealed a quartet of "Premium Cyborg Gaming" mice. From the base model "Cyborg R.A.T.3" at $49.99 that offers a 3200dpi laser, to the super fawncy "Cyborg R.A.T.9" at $129.99 that drops the USB cable for a rechargeable battery and offers a 5600dpi laser, all of them certainly look like something made with the Borg in mind (as evidenced in our gallery below). The standout feature for the Cyborg line is the grip adjustability of the upper three models. "For the first time ever on a mouse, the key points of contact between the gamer's hand and the mouse are fully adjustable allowing it to be customized for any grip preference," claimed Mad Catz prez Darren Richardson in the press release that announced the line. In addition to the customization factor, the upper three models also get two additional buttons (bringing the grand total up to seven, if you can believe it). No official release date has been set, but they're expected to ship this Spring. %Gallery-82041%
Mad Catz Cyborg Rat hands-on: true customizable mouse madness
We've seen plenty of gaming mice with adjustable DPI and swappable weights, but the new Cyborg Rat lineup from Mad Catz is truly stunning. The mouse is adjustable in almost every dimension and angle, thanks to certain sliding aspects, some hex key-adjustable mechanisms and buttons galore (including a very useful aiming button for slowing down the cursor in those heated sniper moments). The real winner is the Rat 9, which is wireless and has a nifty little "home base" that continuously charges a hot-swappable replacement AA battery and keeps some extra weights warm as well, though with a $130 pricetag it's not for the faint of heart. %Gallery-82141%
Capcom teases Super version of SFIV Tournament Edition joystick [update]
click to embiggen Update: Capcom's Twitter feed got a bit more informationey later on this evening, showing off the Capcom suite at CES, complete with "new hotness from Mad Catz." Though the shot is significantly more blurry, it certainly seems to indicate a new arcade stick coming from Mad Catz for Super Street Fighter IV. Considering the Consumer Electronics Show is happening right this minute in Las Vegas, it's no surprise that Capcom's Twitter account is busy teasing pictures of yet-to-be-revealed arcade sticks for the upcoming sorta-sequel Super Street Fighter IV. As you can see in the image above, an inky outline of Ryu overlooks a more colorful button set than the previous game's stick. Additionally, the shape of the controller's box certainly bears a striking resemblance to the Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition joysticks from Mad Catz that were in such short supply last year. We've followed up with Capcom but were told there's no official comment just yet.
Mad Catz adds mice to Cyborg PC gaming line, (doesn't) blend human and mouse DNA
Rabid feline news now, with the erroneously spelled peripheral maker announcing "a new range of premium Cyborg gaming mice" expected to be in(side?) consumer's hands by Spring 2010. We feel like we can confide in you: we also assumed Mad Catz had finally done it, actually blended human flesh with a traditional gaming mouse to create a new class (and species!) of PC gaming peripheral. Alas, no – it's just the addition of four mice, ranging in price from $50 to $130, to their currently keyboard-heavy existing Cyborg PC gaming lineup. "The Cyborg mouse range was developed entirely in house and I believe they are the most comfortable gaming mice you'll ever use," said Mad Cat Darren Richardson. "Also, upon contact with your hand, it will merge with your DNA and create an entirely new appendage blending the greatest aspects of the human body and the gaming mouse." Alright, we made that last part up ... but how about actual half-robot-half-rodent tech ... %Gallery-81741%
Official Tatsunoko vs. Capcom FightStick is officially real
Though we've had very specific hints about such an item for a while, MadCatz never released details about an officially licensed Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars arcade stick until today. Now, the peripheral maker has announced that the stick is real and will be out sometime this month, to coincide with the game whose name and art it bears. It's so real that, as Kotaku reports, you can pre-order one from MadCatz's site! The stick connects to the Wiimote for a wireless-ish experience, a de facto upgrade over the wired connections used by the PS3 and Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV FightSticks. It'll retail for $79.99.
Rumor: Tatsunoko vs. Capcom FightStick, game bundle on the way
[Comic-Con mockup; see retail box on Flickr] Tatsunoko vs. Capcom proves that the Wii is a perfectly capable platform for fighting games -- except that it doesn't have a high-quality arcade stick. If these box images found on MadCatz staffer Mark "MarkMan" Julio's Flickr stream are any indication, the company behind the Street Fighter IV FightSticks is going to take care of that. Julio posted two images of a retail box for a Tatsunoko vs. Capcom FightStick using the same shape and layout as the company's Standard Edition Street Fighter IV FightStick for PS3 and Xbox 360. It would seem that response to the Comic-Con mockup (seen above) was positive enough for the accessory manufacturer to go ahead with a retail release! The stick may be included in a special bundle for the game, as well. One Shoryuken forum user claims to have found both a normal and arcade stick bundle SKU in the GameStop database. We've contacted Capcom and MadCatz to find out just how we'll be controlling a giant lighter in a fight against Mega Man. [Via NeoGAF]
