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Mad Catz: Rock Band 3 MIDI Pro Adapter shipping
Ready to turn your totally sweet keytar into a totally sweet game controller? Mad Catz announced that the PS3 and Wii versions of the Rock Band 3 MIDI Pro Adapter, which allow use of MIDI keyboards, drum kits, and, eventually, the Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster, are headed to retail now. The Xbox 360 version, according to the announcement, is expected to ship "imminently" in limited quantities, to Best Buy stores. However, Amazon still shows the release date for all three versions as December 26, and Best Buy shows only the PS3 version in stock. We've asked Mad Catz to help clear it all up for us, but it's likely most of you won't need one of these until the March release of the Stratocaster controller anyway. Update: Mad Catz tells us that the release date confusion is just part of the nature of accessories: retailers obtain stock at different times, unlike the hard release dates software has. And Best Buy will stock the 360 adapter first simply because it'll be the first retailer to receive its shipments.
Rock Band Weekly: Queen
Next week's Rock Band DLC will be two track packs that are all Queen. One pack includes some Rock Band 3 upgraded tracks from Lego Rock Band, along with some lesser-ish known ditties, while the other is an extrabonanza of the band's most popular songs (which you might already own) reworked for RB3. That means: harmonies! So, if singing like Freddie Mercury wasn't already hard enough, you're really gonna have to work as a team to nail those tracks properly. You are the champions, my friends. The full DLC track details are posted after the break.
Rock Band 3 title update fixes crashing, pause score exploit
At some point today, PS3 Rock Band 3 users will be prompted to download a mandatory title update -- the Xbox 360 patch is coming "in the near future". The first of two planned updates resolves some persistent glitches in the game, including freezes that take place during the amp loading vignette and when messing around with eyebrows in the character creator. " All eyebrows are now safe," the forum thread assures us. Additionally, an exploit where players could constantly pause mid-song to inflate score has been addressed in the update. Now any performance during a song that's been paused multiple times won't have its score reported. Also, we reluctantly point out that one of the more dreaded issues, the PS3 keyboard audio glitch, is not included in today's update. Harmonix has acknowledged the issue and is looking into a fix. [Thanks, Wes J]
Rock Band Weekly: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company, .38 Special
So, next week's Rock Band DLC will include a Lynyrd Skynyrd track pack. Now, fun fact: Every time Lynyrd Skynyrd was typed in this post, I had to look up how it was spelled, out of some paranoid compulsion that I'd spelled it wrong. I wonder if "Lynyrd Skynyrd" is the music writer's version of the game industry's classic spell-anoia name: EA CEO John R-I-C-C-I-T-I-E-L-L-O. Accompanying the "Sweet Home Alabama" band, who apparently formed in Florida, are singles from .38 Special and Bad Company. The full DLC track details are posted after the break.
Harmonix giving away a free Doors song at music stores for Record Store Day
This coming Friday is known in America as Black Friday, the day when millions spend their post-Thanksgiving Day off shopping for Christmas presents (and thus retailers all get to make sure they end the year "in the black"). In a more rebellious circle, it's also known as Buy Nothing Day, an anti-consumerism protest against a culture of spending. And here's one more celebration: Friday will also be known as "Record Store Day," a day to frequent your local record store and keep it alive in the face of the digital music revolution. The music lovers at Harmonix are on board with that last one: The Rock Band 3 developer is offering free song tokens at participating record stores, and the purchase of any CD or record at those stores will earn you a free download of The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" to play in Rock Band 3. The deal is only while supplies last, unfortunately -- you'll need an actual card with a code to download the song. Good luck to everyone who goes out to find one. We'll be enjoying Friday's other celebration, Mongolian Independence Day. Where's our DLC for that, Harmonix? Road House.
Music game sales continue plunge down the charts
If this sounds like a familiar tune, it is: Music game sales have plummeted for a second-straight year. But this year, the tune is way more off key. According to analysis by Gamasutra, which looked at the period from January through October in each of the past three years, music game revenues in the U.S. have taken a phenomenal nose dive from an epic height of $1.6 billion in 2008 to where they've landed today: under $250 million for the year. "Short of a Christmas miracle," concludes analyst Matt Matthews, "music games won't break $400 million for all of 2010." Ohhh ... so that's why Viacom's hawking Harmonix.
Rock Band Weekly: John Lennon's 'Imagine' album
John Lennon's "Imagine" album will be next week's Rock Band DLC. The acclaimed set of songs joins the title track, which is one of the Rock Band 3 on-disc songs. The album's DLC launch comes about a month after the worldwide celebration of the 70th anniversary of Lennon's birthday. No need to imagine the album's track list, it can be found after the break.
Music Box: Rock Band ottoman
A clean space is a rocking place, so if Rock Band peripherals are taking up precious living room real estate, perhaps one of LevelUp Gears' ottomans could be a solution. The units are solid wood, with velcro guitar loops and other touches designed to keep your plastic music peripherals tidy. The storage units are available in two versions: Back in Black and Skull and Snakes. According to a LevelUp representative, the Back in Black version is available now at Costco for $90. The Skull and Snakes, which is considerably more expensive for no discernible reason, is $180 at Kohls.com and $200 on JCPenny.com. Of course, if you're looking for a cheap storage solution, a 20-gallon trash can should also do the trick.
October NPD: NBA 2K11 tops charts, Xbox 360 'best selling console in 2010'
Here is the second edition of the revised (and less informative) monthly NPD report. With the market research group no longer sharing specific hardware figures, it's noteworthy to point out that only Microsoft has (as of writing) released concrete sales numbers. Major Nelson tweeted that Microsoft sold 325K Xbox 360s in October. Although the figure represents a 32-percent drop from the previous month, it was enough to secure Microsoft's spot as best-selling console of the month. Major Nelson also added that the Xbox 360 "is the best selling console in 2010 [with] 3.5 million" sold so far. Sony's response doesn't offer console sales numbers, but Patrick Seybold commented on increased momentum for the company's PlayStation Move motion controller. "The PS3 Move Bundle had a 15-percent increase in sales since launch last month, and we're working hard to keep the inventory up across the country to meet strong consumer demand." In addition, Seybold reminded us of the impending launch of Sony's big holiday game: "With next week's launch of the industry's most anticipated title, Gran Turismo 5, we're sure to carry the momentum through the holidays." Nintendo, as of the time of publishing, had not offered comment. Software sales jumped 6 percent year-over-year for the month to $605 million. The multiplatform release of NBA 2K11 helped propel it to the top of the charts, undoubtedly aided by EA Sports' cancellation of NBA Elite 11. Fallout, Medal of Honor and Fable all made strong debuts -- but Rock Band 3's 15th-place position in sales has us concerned. NPD analyst Anita Frazier did make a special note in the report, assuring us that "this game has the potential to perform well over the holidays." The top-ten software breakdown is posted after the break.
Rock Band Weekly: Bee Gees, B.B. King, Procol Harum
Some big news hit developer Harmonix this week as parent company Viacom revealed plans to sell the company, but that shouldn't affect the weekly Rock Band DLC releases for the time being -- they're stayin' alive, stayin' alive. Next week's DLC offerings deliver a six-pack from the Bee Gees that includes several of the band's best-known hits. Accompanying the brothers as they deliver disco dreams are B.B. King and Procol Harum -- yeah, that's quite a combination. Now, jive talkin' turkeys, check out next week's full DLC track details after the break.
Rock Band, Dance Central DLC 'ongoing work' not affected by Viacom sale
After seeing this morning's news of Viacom selling developer Harmonix, many of you were concerned about the company's persistent work in supporting its products with downloadable content. Harmonix has responded to our inquiry, stating, "This morning's announcement does not affect the ongoing work at the studio as we continue to support our existing franchises, Rock Band and Dance Central. As stated earlier, Viacom is in discussions with several potential buyers and will continue to fully support the business until a sale is completed." The developer plans to continue answering outstanding questions on its forum on this thread. We also contacted Viacom and MTV Games regarding the status of the licenses for the music store and whether they'll transfer with Harmonix once the company is sold. A Viacom spokesperson informed Joystiq, "All we can say at this point is that Rock Band and Dance Central DLC will continue as planned and we will continue to fully support their releases." Update: Added Viacom quote.
Rock Band developer Harmonix to be sold by Viacom
Viacom has announced that it plans to sell Harmonix, developer of the Rock Band series and Dance Central. The mega-corp has reclassified the Boston-based company as a "discontinued operation" in its third-quarter financial and has already changed all future earnings to reflect the sale. The company recorded a $299 million loss in discontinued operations to reflect the change. We followed up with Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter to help explain the "discontinued operations" situation. The analyst told Joystiq, "I am sure that the purchase price of $175 million is in there -- it would have been carried on Viacom's balance sheet as goodwill. The rest could be other operations (non-gaming), some portion of the earn out that they paid a couple of years ago, which should have been expensed, but you never know, or some portion of the development costs for games not yet released." Update: Added quote from EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich after the break. [Thanks, Andrew B.]
PSA: All forthcoming Rock Band DLC incompatible with RB1/RB2
Rock Band DLC released after October 26, 2010, is Rock Band 3 specific and will not be compatible with previous versions of the platform. This rule applies to all future Rock Band DLC, whether it's labeled "RB3 version" or not. Songs released before that cutoff date will remain available and compatible with the first two Rock Band titles. Also, new RBN tracks will be compatible with all versions. A Harmonix representative explained to Joystiq that new tracks won't be backwards compatible "due to the new authoring standards, inclusion of new instruments, new lighting / venue cues, etc." Although it's a bummer that owners of earlier Rock Band games won't be able to play new tracks, they won't easily be able to purchase the tracks by accident. Any songs released after 10/26 will not show up in the Rock Band and Rock Band 2 in-game store, nor will they show up in the standalone music store app or under RB1 or RB2 on the console's marketplace.
Harmonix explains Rock Band 3 legacy track upgrades, pricing
This week's Bon Jovi Rock Band DLC will include previously released tracks that now have an "RB3 Version." There was confusion about whether these songs, which now include keyboard and harmony support, would have their previous "legacy" versions upgraded for free. That will not be the case. Harmonix explains those who own the legacy versions will have to pay the $2 for the new RB3 Version if they'd like to have the keyboard and harmony upgrade. Also, for those who want the Pro Guitar and Bass versions of the songs, they'll have to buy the RB3 Version, plus pay another buck for the "Pro" upgrade. A Harmonix rep explained to Joystiq that the developer hopes to have the Pro Guitar/Bass versions available for the legacy versions -- without having to pay the $2 for the RB3 Version as well -- in the future, but that this won't be available for the Bon Jovi tracks. So, the short of it is: if you want the keyboard and harmony upgrades, you'll have to pony up the Jefferson ... that's who's on the two dollar bill. Yes, there's such a thing as a two dollar bill.
Rock Band 3, Joy Ride and Apache: Air Assault demos arrive on XBLM
Beyond the twenty trillion other games coming out weekly at this point in the year, you might be worried about how you'll fill your weekend? Maybe? Okay, okay -- for the one or two of you with some extra gaming time right now, several new demos have landed on Xbox Live Marketplace: Apache: Air Assault, Joy Ride (requires Kinect) and Rock Band 3. Assuming your home entertainment center is equipped for maximum gameage -- by which we mean you have no less than three televisions and three Xbox 360s before you -- you can now experience what it's like to juggle being a rock star, a race car driver and a simulation helicopter pilot at the same time -- without having to commit to such an impossible lifestyle. Or you could play one demo at a time ... we guess ... but where's the fun in that?
Rock Band Weekly: Bon Jovi, Deftones, New Order, Talking Heads
Next week's Rock Band DLC adds the Bon Jovi Greatest Hits: Rock Band Edition album. The pack includes 12 of the band's chart-toppers, with some previously released tracks re-released for Rock Band 3 with support for Keys, Pro Keys, Pro Drums and harmonies -- you'll also have the option to add Pro Guitar and Bass parts for an extra dollar. (As for why we chose the above Bon Jovi album art for this post, the particular cover and music video always seemed inspired by Ghost in the Shell:SAC's The Laughing Man; available on Netflix instant watch.) There will also be individual songs from Deftones, New Order and Talking Heads available next week. A standalone complex of details on all the tracks can be found after the break.
PSA: Lego Rock Band export 'temporarily' not working, 'will be soon' says Harmonix
Time for another public service announcement from your civic-minded pals at Joystiq: If you were thinking about picking up Lego Rock Band on Xbox 360 hoping to suck its delicious track marrow from that disc-shaped skeleton, you're going to want to hold off until further notice from Harmonix. Also, you're going to want to work on that metaphor. Following a lengthy 20-page thread on the issue, Harmonix took to the Rock Band Forums to assure fans – and would-be track-suckers – that the feature would be back up and running soon. You see, the process for exporting tracks from Lego Rock Band is a little cumbersome: You enter the code included in the game onto RockBand.com which, in turn, provides you with a code to "purchase" the license from the Xbox Live Marketplace. At this point, you're able to actually download (it's not really an "export" at all) the tracks for the cool asking price of $10. The snag: Harmonix has "temporarily run out of Lego: Rock Band redemption tokens" but expects to remedy the situation "soon." If you've already been afflicted by this issue, Harmonix has some advice for you in its statement. Everyone else, sit tight until whatever licensing nightmare that's responsible for this goes away. The statement: Due to overwhelming demand, we've temporarily run out of Lego: Rock Band redemption tokens for Xbox 360. We're really happy so many of you were excited to bring songs from LRB over into Rock Band 3 and we're doing our best to get new tokens set up for redemption as quickly as possible. Stay tuned to this thread and watch @RockBand on twitter for updates. We'll be responding to everyone via Redemption@RockBand.com shortly, but HMXcj and I will be updating this thread to reach as many people as possible. Sorry again for the inconvenience and thanks for your patience! [Thanks, Peter]
Squier Stratocaster for Rock Band 3 set to tour March 1st for $280
We've been waiting on this one for quite awhile... and well, we've got awhile longer. Fender has come clean with the price and release date of its Squier-branded Stratocaster for Rock Band 3 will hit the road on March 1st for just a penny shy of $280. The six-stringed warrior -- which also serves as a MIDI controller and a real instrument -- has far and away been our favorite method of playing the rhythm game's new pro guitar mode, and though the button-laden Mustang is available now for just over half the price, it really doesn't compare to the real thing here. Even the January 1st pre-order seems a ways off -- guess we'll be brushing up on our keytar skills in the meantime.
Fender's Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster guitar rocks out March 1, 2011
Fender has finally announced when its Squier Stratocaster guitar, the one built and licensed for Rock Band 3, will be available and, more importantly, how much it will cost prospective rockers. The guitar is expected to be released on March 1, 2011 for $280 (with pre-orders beginning January 1). The Strat certainly isn't cheap, but it's competitively priced in the world of electric guitars. It is an actual guitar, after all, as opposed to the 102-button Mustang controller from Mad Catz, and the Squier is expected to provide a greater level of realism to RB3's Pro Mode. In addition to teaching players some real rock chops, Fender's guitar can also be plugged into an amp and, like the Mustang, serves as a fully functional MIDI instrument. It's worth reiterating that Mad Catz's $40 MIDI PRO-Adapter is required to use the Squier with RB3. And it should also be noted that the Squier can't be used to play the game's standard modes, meaning you'll have to resort to a good ol' plastic guitar if you want to rock along with the classic multicolored gems. %Poll-55190% [Thanks Nick!]
Fable 3 crowns UK charts, Force Unleashed 2 and Rock Band 3 debut
Fable 3 took the throne last week in the UK as the top-selling title, moving 128,895 units and 6,000 more than Fable 2 did during its launch week. Fallout: New Vegas sales, which held the top spot the prior week, dropped 55 percent, moving 69,613 copies to wastelanders. FIFA 11 kicked it up and charged back into second place with 75,703 sales, while Just Dance 2 kept its momentum and slid into fourth, moving and shaking 58,375 units. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 premiered in fifth place. FU2 unleashed 56,064 copies on the British public, with plenty of folks likely screaming that abbreviation after spending those hard-earned pounds on the disposable game. Meanwhile, the 7,386 owners of Rock Band 3, which debuted way down at #26, likely rocked the weekend away. You may have noticed we have actual unit sales this week, that's thanks to UKIE (formerly known as ELSPA). No idea how long this'll last, but it's interesting given the NPD's recent reluctance to share such data for the US. Check out the UK top ten after the break.
