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Line 6 announces Relay G30 system for guitar players who want to rock you sans tether (video)
We've been to concerts where the lead guitar player seemed more concerned about tripping over the wire running to his amp than actually putting on a good show, and that's not cool. Line 6, creator of a series of rockin' music gadgets in the past, is back to sever that tether without trampling your tune, man. It promises great sound over 100-feet, even able to replicate the frequency loss from different lengths of cable, and pledges to be "the most dependable wireless unit you've ever experienced." It uses the 2.4GHz band (so hopefully nobody's running a boosted 802.11b router nearby) and costs $420 -- a bargain in this line of work. Don't believe us? Trust Steve Stevens, who not only has a lovely last name but also rocked out with Billy Idol on Rebel Yell and said "there are systems that cost well over $3,000 that sound nowhere near as good." Of course, if you're a big-spender with tour funds to blow, Line 6 will happily sell you the 12-channel G50 and G90 models, which will set you back $560 and $840, respectively.
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 'Premiere' wireless guitar isn't fake enough
As lovers of rhythm games -- frequent instrument protagonists, if you will -- we've grown accustomed to our musical instruments bearing the mark of imitation, the clickety clackety sound of second-rate synthesis. It is with shock and awe then, that we react to Logitech's "Premiere Edition" Wireless Guitar for PS2 and PS3, built especially for upcoming fake band sim Guitar Hero World Tour. It costs something to the tune of $250.Designed with realism in mind, the Logitech Wireless Guitar controller boasts "the authentic materials you'd expect to see on a real rock guitar," including metal frets, metal tuning peg handles, a rosewood fingerboard and wood neck. You'll also be able to get your hands around a touch-sensitive neck slider and fret buttons which benefit from quieter, "rubber dome technology." And while we're sure all those enhancements amount to a fantastic play experience, Logitech's director of product marketing for gaming, Ruben Mookerjee, reminds us that it's really just a "I have a bigger penis" thing. "There's no better feeling than being the guy with the best instrument when you walk into your friend's house to jam on Guitar Hero," he says. If you have the bucks, you can whip this baby out in December.
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.
Les Paul costs less money
Those of you in the market for another guitar for Guitar Hero III will be happy to know that RedOctane has dropped the cost of the wireless Les Paul guitar. Originally fetching a price of $69.99, it is now $10 cheaper.Have you been holding off on picking up an extra guitar until the price dropped? Have you been waiting to get one but just can't find one? Want a free one? Or do you go from hotel to hotel enjoying the Guitar Hero III they have to offer?[Thanks, Eric!]
A closer look at the Nyko Perfect Shot and Wireless Guitar
We haven't had a chance to play any Wii games with the Nyko Perfect Shot yet, since this gun appears to be out of stock everywhere, but we want to. Sure, it may not come with a copy of Link's Crossbow Training, but the Perfect Shot seems more functional than the Wii Zapper, at least. We'd love to know whether this peripheral is as good as it looks. Have any of you fine readers had a chance to try it out?Check after the break to see a similar video, but this time explaining the features of the Nyko Wireless Guitar.
Nyko's Xbox 360 wireless guitar -- an alternative?
Nyko is still not sure if they'll go to market with this concept for a wireless Xbox 360 guitar, and until we saw the Red Octane wireless guitars it was an option which made sense. The guitar is still viable, anything for a buck, but it just seems strange now given the relatively close future option. The reason for this guitar and its awkward set-up goes back to the whole mess with Microsoft's proprietary wireless. Nyko came up with a wireless guitar (seen above left) which uses a wired Xbox 360 controller and the white box (center) as a receiver for the signal. The box acts as a bridge for the wireless. The catch is the fact you need a wired controller which retails at $39.99. The guitar could either be -- they're floating prices -- $59 or $69 dollars, raising the question of whether people would pay $10 or $20 less for a wireless guitar which avoids the possibility of the Microsoft licensing fee being passed on to consumers. Once again, the licensing fee is pure speculation at this point, but nobody is saying anything at Red Octane, Harmonix, or Microsoft about it -- send up the red flags.But here's the key to this guitar -- it works really well. Really, really, well! While testing it we walked out of the room, across the hall, hid behind a stand and the only reason we started missing notes was because it was hard to see the screen from 60+ feet. Is the guitar worth filling the wireless gap for the few months that Red Octane waits to release their guitars with Guitar Hero III? That's up to the consumer, if Nyko decides to release the guitar. The hidden cost in this product is the wired controller, which raises the question of how big will they have to put those words on the box for the average consumer to see and register the information? The whole thing is still a toss-up about what they'll do, but as for the quality and functionality of the guitar -- it's definitely working.
