Logitech have announced their latest Guitar Hero peripheral, a wireless controller for the Xbox 360. Like the company’s existing guitar controller for PS2 and PS3, the new Xbox 360 version has a wood neck, rosewood fingerboard and metal frets.
Video demo after the cut
There are quite a few Rock Band guitar controllers on the market, ranging from the cheap to the surprisingly expensive, but one thing they generally have in common is the plastic strum bar. It doesn’t have to be that way, though; one enterprising gamer has swapped out the plastic for a beam of infrared light which is recognized as a strum whenever you break it.
Video demo after the cut
If you’re excited for the upcoming release of The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle, then you’ll be pleased to hear that you’re going to have yet another guitar controller option on your hands. This time, it’s a Höfner bass guitar controller.
So, if you love KORG Kaossilators and want to make them even easier to use, you might want to try on this crafty DIY project for size. No, you’re not seeing things. Someone has really wired up a Kaossilator to a Guitar Hero guitar remote.
How can it be, you may be wondering? Well, James Haskin got inspired when seeing Wayne Coyne’s double-necked Guitar Hero creation and decided to change up his Kaossilator just a tad.
Are you sick of playing “fake guitar” on Rock Band or Guitar Hero? Do you want to serenade the ladies through song, but don’t know how to play guitar? Fear not – Disney’s Star Guitarist might be able to help you out.
Techno-guitarmaker Ovation has just announced another breakthrough in the music world. The Ovation iDea is the first ever acoustic guitar to be equipped with a built-in MP3 recorder for laying down tracks at the touch of a button. Not only can the iDea record tracks, but it can also replay the song so you can play along.
Logitech have set out to show Starpex that they’re not the only people who can make a more realistic, wooden controller for Guitar Hero, with the launch of their Premiere Edition Wireless Guitar. Licenced by Guitar Hero publisher Activision, the controller has a wooden neck, a rosewood fingerboard and metal frets and tuners. Integrated 2.4GHz wireless gives it a 30ft range.
Peak Products have finally released their Starpex Guitar Hero and Rock Band controller, made from high-gloss lacquered wood and including both wired and 2.4GHz wireless connectivity. The first model to hit shelves is the Obsidian, which as the name might suggest is black; that will be followed on October 31st by Dead Rose and Black Sunburst versions.
Our own Chris Scott Barr would likely never forgive me for saying it, but one of the reasons I’ve never really gotten into either Guitar Hero or Rock Band is because it all looks a bit naff. Plastic instruments end up looking like kids toys, unless you’re willing to invest some serious hack-time in them. So Peak Products‘ Starpex could actually bring new gamers like myself onboard; styled after a real guitar, it has an instrument-quality, high-gloss lacquered finish with a hardwood body, neck, and headstock handcrafted by a leading guitar manufacturer.
Guitar Hero has spawned a large number of mods, hacks and general tweakery, with gamers often looking to use proper instruments in place of the normal controllers. However this is the first time I’ve seen a Guitar Hero controller converted in the opposite direction; it now works as a MIDI guitar, compatible with any synth with the necessary port. Best of all, there’s actually no damage to the controller’s original functionality, so you can switch between gaming and music making to your heart’s content.
JP
