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Rock Band 3 Pro guitar preview: the guitarist vs. the guitar hero
Since our brief glimpses at E3, we've managed to pick up Rock Band 3's new Pro guitars a few times -- both live on the Engadget Show and otherwise -- and have gotten a better feel for how both the Squier Stratocaster (a.k.a. the "real guitar") and Mad Catz's 102-buttoned Fender Mustang replica play. We'll save the in-depth coverage for the final review, but what follows is two separate impressions coming from two different perspectives: one from Ross Miller, a former guitar instructor with 12 years playing experience, and one from Sean Hollister, a Guitar Hero player with no musical background whatsoever. Head on after the break for our full impressions. %Gallery-101752%
Rock Band 3 trailer shows off the power of love (and keyboards)
Don't call it a keytar! If you've been waiting for a chance to see Rock Band 3's new keyboard in action, Harmonix delivers just that in its latest trailer for October's music/rhythm release. We're certainly enticed by its addition to regular gameplay, but that Pro mode? Well, we'll leave it to ... someone else.
Video: See Rock Band 3 for DS in action
Maybe you had trouble picturing our description of Rock Band 3 for the DS -- that it looks and plays almost exactly like Rock Band Unplugged for the PSP. Don't worry though, because we're saving you all that mental taxation by posting an actual trailer right here. Alll you have to do is watch!
Rock Band 3 details: RB2 export confirmed for all consoles, 'pro' mode DLC may be more expensive
A recent PAX interview by RockBandAide with Harmonix's John Drake reveals a ton of minutiae for hardcore fans, and confirms that Rock Band 3 will allow you to export the RB2 tracks for a fee -- as you could with RB1. Drake states that the the export feature will work for all three consoles, though there are always "a couple songs that get complicated" when it comes to re-licensing. Official pricing and details regarding the export should be available shortly. Drake also states that while regular DLC will keep the regular price ($2 per song), content made for Rock Band 3's Pro Mode will "probably" be more expensive. Harmonix has "a lot more work to do" on those tracks, and doesn't wish to increase the cost of the regular DLC to subsidize the Pro DLC that's aimed at a smaller group of players. %Gallery-99242%
The Engadget Show - 012: Omar Khan talks Android and teases Galaxy Tab, Harmonix shows off Rock Band 3 and Dance Central, and more!
Get ready humans, because we have an all new, amazing Engadget Show fresh out of the box (for the second time this month!). For your viewing pleasure, we sit down with Samsung CSO Omar Khan to get the inside scoop on everything from Galaxy S, Android strategies, whatever is happening with Bada, the upcoming Galaxy Tab, and much more. Next, we check in with Engadget investigative correspondent Rick Karr who scales a skyscraper to chat up the man tasked with improving New York City's data infrastructure for AT&T. Then, Josh and Paul welcome fellow editors Joanna Stern and Chris Ziegler for an unforgettable roundtable before inviting Harmonix to the stage to show off Rock Band 3 (featuring a cameo guitar performance by the inimitable Ross Miller) and their first Kinect title, Dance Central. Thrill as Josh and Ross bust a move to Lady Gaga and watch with envy as a bunch of audience members walk away with big time giveaways. If that's not enough, we also have a mind-bending set of live chiptunes music from Zen Albatross with visuals by invaderbacca that you do not want to miss. What are you waiting for? Watch it now! Hit up the stream after the break! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Joanna Stern, Chris Ziegler, Ross Miller Special guests: Omar Khan Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Michael Slavens Music by: Zen Albatross Visuals by: Invaderbacca Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Taped live at The Times Center Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 012 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 012 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
The Engadget Show Live! with Omar Khan, Rock Band 3, and more!
Keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 8:00 PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live, with Samsung CSO Omar Khan, Rick Karr, Rock Band 3! Nilay's on vacation, but Josh and Paul are on hand with Joanna Stern and Ross Miller, plus we'll have music from Zen Albatross and visuals from invaderbacca and much, much, more! You seriously don't want to miss it! Check out the live stream after the break!
The Engadget Show returns tomorrow, with Samsung CSO Omar Khan, Rock Band 3, crazy giveaways, and much more!
It's that time again, the Engadget Show is back in a big way tomorrow, August 27th at 8pm! First up, Josh is sitting down with Samsung Chief Strategy Officer Omar Khan to chat up the company's recent Android sprint, then Engadget's investigative correspondent Rick Karr is back to scale a skyscraper and check up on an AT&T team tasked with improving New York's data infrastructure. Next up, Josh and Paul welcome fellow editor Joanna Stern back to the roundtable and we've got an exclusive live demo of Rock Band 3, plus a special Harmonix surprise... oh, and be ready to rock out to mind numbing chiptunes music, since Zen Albatross and invaderbacca are back for an encore performance! You were wondering about giveaways? You're in luck, because this time we'll be giving away, not one, but four Samsung Galaxy S phones! Yep, we're talking about four phones, on four different carriers. And if that isn't enough, we're also giving away an insane laptop rig from AMD, featuring the HP Envy 17 Eyefinity laptop and three (count em!) HP ZR24w 24" S-IPS Pro LCD monitors! Whatever you do, don't miss this one! As usual, we'll be doing the giveaways at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person. If you're geographically incapable of joining us in New York City, just tune into the stream at right here on Engadget. The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! Here's all the info you need: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 5:30PM on Friday, doors will open for seating at 7:30PM, and the show begins at 8PM You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break) The show length is around an hour If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Rock Band 3 DS's full track list revealed
In the console versions of Rock Band 3, you'll have 83 different tracks with which to rock out. In the DS game, not so much -- more like 25, actually. Relax: where the handheld game lacks quantity, it makes up for with quality. These 25 tracks culled from the console release represent great artists, like Faith No More, INXS, Queen and Night Ranger, among others. We know how much you love your Night Ranger. Check out the full DS game track list past the break.
Rock Band 3 trailer tickles the ivories
If our preview doesn't have you pumped to try out the keyboard in Rock Band 3, perhaps the latest trailer will. The video shows off a number of the songs suited to the new peripheral, including Yes' "Roundabout," Foreigner's "Cold as Ice" and more. Our only question: Where's the Rach 3?
The Engadget Show returns this Friday, August 27th with Samsung CSO Omar Khan, Rock Band 3, crazy giveaways, and much more! (Updated)
It's that time again, the Engadget Show is back in a big way this Friday, August 27th at 8pm! First up, Josh is sitting down with Samsung Chief Strategy Officer Omar Khan to chat up the company's recent Android sprint, then Engadget's investigative correspondent Rick Karr is back to scale a skyscraper and check up on an AT&T team tasked with improving New York's data infrastructure. Next up, Josh and Paul welcome fellow editor Joanna Stern back to the roundtable and we've got an exclusive live demo of Rock Band 3, plus a special Harmonix surprise... oh, and be ready to rock out to mind numbing chiptunes music, since Zen Albatross and invaderbacca are back for an encore performance! You were wondering about giveaways? You're in luck, because this time we'll be giving away, not one, but four Samsung Galaxy S phones! Yep, we're talking about four phones, on four different carriers, so you know what that means. And if that isn't enough, we're also giving away an insane laptop rig from ASUS, featuring the B53J Eyefinity laptop and three (count em!) ASUS VE276Q Monitors! Whatever you do, don't miss this one! As usual, we'll be doing the giveaways at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person. If you're geographically incapable of joining us in New York City, just tune into the stream at right here on Engadget. The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! Here's all the info you need: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 5:30PM on Friday, doors will open for seating at 7:30PM, and the show begins at 8PM You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break) The show length is around an hour If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. Sprint is offering 50 guaranteed tickets to the Engadget Show taping to the first 50 entrants who text "ENGADGET" to 467467 or enter online! Standard text messaging rates apply. Click for the Official Rules and see how to enter online. Note: "Official Rules" needs to be linked to http://www.engadget.com/show-tickets/ Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
This is the full 83-track Rock Band 3 setlist
Recording from Gamescom, Harmonix has issued a video response to the alleged Rock Band 3 song list leak from earlier this week. Three members of the studio appear on screen to discredit the -- wait a minute! Is that the entire setlist scrolling in the background? Head past the break for the complete 83-track listing, as seen in Harmonix's tongue-in-cheek reveal.
Rock Band 3 songs leaked by video
A video coming out of Germany's Gamescom convention yesterday may have accidentally revealed a whole mess of unannounced tracks for upcoming rhythm/music title Rock Band 3. During an interview shot by YouTube user GottGamesShow (since taken down), an RB3 rep could be seen scrolling through the entire setlist for the game, apparently revealing tracks from John Lennon's "Imagine" to Devo's "Whip It." RockBandAide grabbed the whole list before the video went down, which we've dropped for you after the break. And though we've reached out to Harmonix and MTV Games for confirmation, we'd like to point out that, for now, the songs could potentially be future Rock Band Network tracks or simply placeholder. That said, we're hoping they're not -- we're pretty psyched about the two songs we already mentioned, and frankly, it's all about James Brown. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Preview: Rock Band 3 (DS)
Harmonix wouldn't provide any screenshots or footage of the DS version of Rock Band 3. But here's a good idea of what to expect. Yep, Rock Band 3 for DS is a lot like Rock Band Unplugged for PSP. If you're familiar with Unplugged, you should be able to jump right into Rock Band 3's Expert modes on DS. The gameplay is identical: all the instruments and the vocals are charted at once, and you freely switch between them as you attempt to successfully play note phrases to keep each part "alive." It's Harmonix's classic Frequency game, but with rock music. Rock Band 3 for DS doesn't take advantage of the touch screen or the built-in mic -- nor does it require you to pay attention to both screens at once. The top screen displays your characters performing, while the bottom screen is the familiar note stream. Nearly all of the features of Unplugged make a reappearance, but some are given new names. For example, "Band Survival Mode" is now called "Pro Mode," adopting the moniker given to the console game's biggest new feature (but you won't be plugging your MIDI instruments into the DS). Additionally, The Tour and Career modes have been enhanced in the some of the same ways as the console version: there are now "unique gameplay challenges" (objectives) that you'll need to achieve to progress.
Preview: Rock Band 3 keyboard, Pro Keys and Keys trainer
At a Harmonix event a few weeks ago, I finally got some solid fingers-on time with Rock Band 3's keyboard, and as a guy who took nearly 10 years of Friday afternoon piano lessons as a kid, I can say that it's a nice set of keys. The quality of the plastic ivories is not quite as good as your Grandma's classic Steinway, but better than a cheap Casio, and Harmonix has put just as much thought and design into the keytar* as it did into the previous Rock Band instruments. I also got to play with the game's trainer modes for the first time. Training is available for each of the three instruments, and rather than just a simple tutorial, the trainer is a fully interactive game that teaches you, step-by-step, the finer points of playing both the real and plastic gear. When teamed up with the instruments and a little bit of time and practice, Rock Band 3's trainer really seems like it can teach you the same things that Mrs. Crane taught me all those years ago.%Gallery-99242%
Rock Band 3 gets 10 more songs: Bob Marley, Slipknot, Roxette and more
Eurogamer has revealed 10 more songs that we'll be playing in Rock Band 3, and the list is all over the place -- Bob Marley, Roxette and Slipknot join eclectic groups like Mexico's Maná and Germany's Tokio Hotel. The music game series is definitely stretching the limits of its title, although "rock" as a genre can be pretty widespread anyway. You can find the full list of new songs after the break. These 10 tracks bring the list of known songs in the game to around 40, about half of the 83 to be included on the disc. And if that's not enough, you'll also be able to import songs from all of the previous Rock Band games, including the Rock Band Network and LEGO Rock Band. So there'll definitely be no shortage of music to play when the game comes out on October 26 this year.
The Engadget Show returns next Friday, August 27th with Samsung CSO Omar Khan, Rock Band 3, and much more!
Because August is just that awesome, the Engadget Show is back in a big way next Friday, August 27th at 8pm! You've read it right, we're talking about double Engadget Show! Thrill as Josh sits down with Samsung Chief Strategy Officer Omar Khan to chat up the company's recent Android sprint, chill as Engadget investigative correspondent Rick Karr scales a skyscraper to check up on an AT&T team tasked with improving New York's data infrastructure, groove as the Show welcomes Harmonix's Rock Band 3 team for an exclusive live demo, bask in the infinite wisdom of the round table with Josh, Paul, and a special guest, and rock out to mind numbing chiptunes music in an encore performance from Zen Albatross with visuals from invaderbacca! As usual, we'll be doing tons of giveaways at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person. If you're geographically incapable of joining us in New York City, just tune into the stream at right here on Engadget. The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! Here's all the info you need: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 5:30PM on Friday, doors will open for seating at 7:30PM, and the show begins at 8PM You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break) The show length is around an hour If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Rock Band 3 Achievements charted
Rock Band 3 runs the gamut on its 1250 Achievement points (including DLC), as revealed by Xbox360Achievements.org. You'll get points for everything from calibrating your system to hitting all Triple Awesomes in three-part harmony on "Bohemian Rhapsody." 25G for me, for me, for meeeeeee!
The Black Keys headed to Rock Band next week
"No duh, Joystiq -- it's called the Piano peripheral," you may scoff, but we're talking about the band The Black Keys, not the new Rock Band 3 peripheral. You'll soon be able to jam to their particular brand of blues-rock in Harmonix's Rock Band series, a missive on the band's official site details. Starting next week, you'll be able to access The Black Keys Pack 01 through your Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, which contains "Strange Times," "I Got Mine" and the band's most recognized track, "Your Touch." Savvy readers will likely best know it as the theme song for the bulletproof tiger himself, Kenny Powers. Each track will be available as individual downloads on Xbox Live, PSN and Wii for 160 Microsoft Points, $1.99 on PSN and 200 Wii Points, respectively -- or you can download the entire pack for 440 Microsoft Points or $5.49.
Mad Catz sales down 11 percent in Q2, no thanks to Street Fighter 4
Activision isn't the only company that dropped financial facts on us today -- accessory maker Mad Catz also held a conference call to do some fiscal reporting, and the outlook wasn't so good over there. Q2 2010's net sales were reported as $19.9 million, which is down 11 percent from the same period last year. Mad Catz blamed the fall on a lack of Street Fighter 4 accessory sales, but said the rest of the year should be fine, with its official Rock Band 3's accessories plus an assortment of stands, cases, chargers and the like due out for Move and Kinect as well. Elsewhere in the report, Mad Catz notes that North American sales were the biggest loss, while sales in Europe and other countries rose. And while the Xbox 360 and Wii accessory sales held fairly steady, the PlayStation 3 saw a loss of about five points from 24 percent to 19. Audio products saw a big jump, which Mad Catz says is because of the recent Tritton Technologies acquisition.
How Rock Band 3 updates the 'core experience'
I recently got a closer look at Rock Band 3, and while I saw new elements of the game's Pro mode (you'll read more about those at a later date), I came away impressed with all the enhancements made to the interface and career structure. Harmonix project director Daniel Sussman wasn't about to let me overlook it. "Everybody wants to talk about what we're doing with the keyboard and the pro guitar," he said. "The bigger story for me is that we've taken apart and put back together the core experience." When I first previewed the game, I saw "the overshell" in action -- across the bottom of every screen hides a persistent options menu, through which players can jump in, jump out and set up their profiles and characters as they see fit. You can also change difficulty in the middle of any song, on a per-person basis, and I often found myself tweaking the difficulty up or down mid-song as I got more or less used to the drums or keyboard setup. Whenever you change difficulty, the song rewinds by a few seconds to give everyone playing a chance to get back into place.
