Rock Band Bundle 360 Guitar Confirmed As Wired

In a yesterday’s OXM podcast, Harmonix CEO, Alex Rigopulos, confirmed the guitar controller in the Rock Band bundle for the Xbox 360 will indeed be a wired version. This news comes as no surprise due to rumors circulating as to the contents of the $199 Rock Band bundle. On the PS3 side, all guitars (bundled or not) will be wireless. There will be a 360 wireless guitar controller available as a separate purchase. Now keep in mind the whole wired vs. wireless debacle only affects the single guitar included in the Rock Band bundle. The other peripherals included in the bundle (drum and microphone) will be wired across both platforms. In fact, the 360 version of the bundle will include a necessary USB hub to assist with the lack of USB ports needed for four Rock Band peripherals (PS3 = ok). When it’s all said and done, either platform will have to make an extra purchase to maximize Rock Band’s peripheral potential of four. Well, unless you think that crap controller for 360’s Guitar Hero 2 will fill that spot.

Alex also sheds light on the layout of “Solo Tour” mode. Rock Band will still follow the linear Guitar Hero style of easy songs progressing to harder songs. However, depending on which instrument you choose, the song list will be aligned based on that particular instrument. Alex made mention of The Who’s “Won’t Be Fooled Again” possibly being the drum option’s final song, due to sheer difficulty. Remember, Harmonix is going for a “note for note” score to each song on the expert difficulty. There will be no solo mode for bass.

“Band World Tour” mode (aka co-op) will have a career management aspect that will give Rock Band a seemingly non-linear gameplay. Basically, this mode will give the player(s) the choice of what venues to play and, depending on the venue, offer incentives (extra money) if they pull off, say, 5 star ratings at that particular venue. Meaning, once your band gets really good, you can go back to an easier venue and show them how awesome you are now. Alex admits that Rock Band isn’t focused on multiplayer versus, but mostly the co-op modes.

Also discussed were downloadable content and the issue of ESRB rated songs. Alex hinted the possibility of unedited song versions being available for purchase.

While I’m somewhat miffed that the 360 bundle will not include a wireless guitar controller (why not make the already seemingly expensive bundle slightly more expensive?), I can understand why Harmonix made sacrifice. Microsoft proprietary wireless feature of the 360 is becoming the bane of many developers due to the licensing fees. Harmonix seem really fixed on that sub-$200 price tag. Even if you don’t like the stock songs Harmonix are providing, you have to admit that the many game modes and opportunities for variable gameplay make Rock Band seem more like a deal. Being the cheap-o that I am, I still plan on buying both GH3 (bundle) and Rock Band (non-bundle). My plan is to use the GH3 controller with a barebones copy of Rock Band. This is all assuming Activision will play nice and allow such a mix. Plus, Harmonix have already stated they are ok with it. That way I can let my friends fork over the extra cash if they want me to join in on the Rock Band party kit.

Via OXM