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Activision's 'fix' for the Guitar Hero III Wii mono problem photo

Awhile back, the Destructophone rang off the hook with concerned calls when the word got out that Wii version of Guitar Hero III emitted only monaural audio. Nevermind the Dobly Pro Logic logo on the box; the audio output from the game is the same coming out of each speaker, no matter how many speakers are switched on.

Destructoid's staff debated on whether we should run the story or not, and eventually we decided to leave it alone. We figured that this issue wouldn't matter that much for most of the Wii-owning gaming public, and that players should be more concerned with hitting the right notes on their fake, plasitc guitars than the quality of the audio coming out of their TV speakers. 

For those that are still concerned, The New York Times' Bits blog has run a statement from Activision:

We recently became aware that some consumers have not been able to enjoy the full audio output in the Nintendo Wii version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. We are currently working with Nintendo and are planning to issue an improved audio experience in future versions of the game. We expect to have re-mastered discs available by early 2008 and we will be offering consumers replacement discs at no cost once they become available. We thank all of our customers for their support and patience.

We'd love to see the final numbers on how many Guitar Hero III Wii owners actually bother acquiring the new "re-mastered" fix. I'd guess that many users wouldn't even notice the mono audio unless you told them about it.


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29 comments | showing # 1 to 29

The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 12/07/2007 20:17
Where can I buy a Destructophone?
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 12/07/2007 20:17
Also it's spelled "Dolby".
cannedpasta's Avatar
cannedpasta at 12/07/2007 20:19
That's exactly the same e-mail I got and blogged on this morning... gotta love form e-mails!
Ninoog3's Avatar
Ninoog3 at 12/07/2007 20:28
Or you can buy an Xbox360 and have real fun...haha
Lethal Dosage's Avatar
Lethal Dosage at 12/07/2007 20:29
lolinferiorconsole.

If this was a problem on the 360 or PS3, it would've been patched within 72 hours.
Kryptinite's Avatar
Kryptinite at 12/07/2007 20:36
Well I guess I'm one of 5 people who actually have GH3 for the Wii so I'm stoked.
topgeargorilla's Avatar
topgeargorilla at 12/07/2007 20:53
@Kryptonite

Apparently, the Wii version is the hottest version this holidays. With the Guitar Hero Brand and the Wii name, from what I understand, the game is really hard to find.
.
.
. Yeah, the eBay prices are pretty high.

[urlhttp://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=guitar+hero+III+wii&category0=[/url]
Bricfa's Avatar
Bricfa at 12/07/2007 20:55
@Lethal_Dosage

Indeed
Shin Oni's Avatar
Shin Oni at 12/07/2007 21:05
I think it's high only for the fact that bitch rumbles. So it's pretty much makin sweet luvin with your guitar and wiimote...only for play.

and yay. Another reason to save or spend 90 bucks on something else if need be till next year.
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 12/07/2007 21:06
What actual guitar rumbles?
crazymunch's Avatar
crazymunch at 12/07/2007 21:30
I have GH3 for Wii and GH 1 and 2 for PS2, and I definitely notice the difference in audio - the sound in the Wii version just sounds tinny and muddy, and there's less clarity than the PS2 games
IceMax's Avatar
IceMax at 12/07/2007 22:17
I'm getting GHIII for wii for my b-day (hopefully), glad to see this getting fixed.
mdmike's Avatar
mdmike at 12/07/2007 22:17
"Destructoid's staff debated on whether we should run the story or not, and eventually we decided to leave it alone. We figured that this issue wouldn't matter that much for most of the Wii-owning gaming public"

With all the other minor gaming news and nitpicks that you run throughout the day, you decided your blog didn't have enough room for a story about a fairly important bug in one of the most popular recent game releases? I dislike the PS3, but something tells me if the PS3 version had this problem, you would've run the story.
cquezaad's Avatar
cquezaad at 12/07/2007 22:26
maybe they just felt that since the "majority" of the wii owners don't really care about the graphics and audio differences between the Wii and the 360/PS3 they wouldn't care about the mono sound that came with the GH3. but thats just a maybe...I don't actually know...
GeekyDad's Avatar
GeekyDad at 12/07/2007 22:53
"...We figured that this issue wouldn't matter that much for most of the Wii-owning gaming public..."

Are you kidding? You didn't think this would matter to people who purchased a MUSIC game?

I hope you guys don't get paid for your "reporting."
Trev's Avatar
Trev at 12/07/2007 23:16
The wording strikes oddly with me. They don't try to write it off as a bug or manufacturing problem or anything, which you would imagine many companies would. Instead they side-step the issue and go onto "we'll get it replaced ASAP". I don't mean to jump straight to something like "They thought they were going to pull a fast one and no one would notice" but I don't know why they would handle the situation so gingerly if it were just an "oops".
Oni's Avatar
Oni at 12/07/2007 23:20
"We figured that this issue wouldn't matter that much for most of the Wii-owning gaming public, and that players should be more concerned with hitting the right notes on their fake, plasitc guitars than the quality of the audio coming out of their TV speakers."

'cause, of course, Wii owners aren't like, real gamers or anything. Wii owners are too fucking stupid to realize things like Mono audio 'cause the Wii is just a kid's console; a toy for stupid mouth-breathers who obviously can't tell stereo from mono.

Fuck you, Dale.
Tino's Avatar
Tino at 12/07/2007 23:51
So, did anyone even realize the sound was in mono before this article ran? I didn't.

Did I care before hand? Nope.

Do I care now? Nope.

But I'm sure as hell going to jump in on this conversation.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 12/07/2007 23:58
I approve when companies acknowledge their screw ups and fix it for the consumers, even if only a small minority are actually complaining.

I also recall reading a statement saying they were working on making DLC available on Wii, which is pretty cool assuming it's downloadable to an SD card instead of the system memory.
cquezaad's Avatar
cquezaad at 12/08/2007 00:22
@Oni
I can't tell if you're just trying to be funny or you're being sincere...but I don't think thats what dale meant. It was probably more on the lines of...since the average Wii owners argument against a 360/PS3 owner is "it's not all about graphics" (and whether you want to acknowledge it or not, audio is involved in that because of the upgrade you get when going to HDMI or Digital optical), it can be somewhat assumable that Wii owners wouldn't be complaining so much about mono sound...

but, thats just what I think he meant and you shouldn't take things so serious. If it is a problem thats personally affecting you, then complain to activision....
slayoyayo's Avatar
slayoyayo at 12/08/2007 00:23
i'm not sure what's funnier: a music game having only mono sound or a music game having only mono sound not being newsworthy.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 12/08/2007 00:34
I'll be forcing my friends to get this upgrade if they have the Wii version. I'll stick with the 360, thanks.
Fading Star's Avatar
Fading Star at 12/08/2007 02:18
Poor Wii owners with Guitar Hero III.
intimate's Avatar
intimate at 12/08/2007 04:23
"Destructoid's staff debated on whether we should run the story or not, and eventually we decided to leave it alone. We figured that this issue wouldn't matter that much for most of the Wii-owning gaming public, and that players should be more concerned with hitting the right notes on their fake, plasitc guitars than the quality of the audio coming out of their TV speakers."

That's an odd line to take. I'd have thought that not giving the player what was advertised would be a fairly major infraction by any company. The game is marketed as having Dolby Pro Logic II, not only does it not meet this criteria, it doesn't even do stereo sound.

As cynical as it might sound, I honestly can't think of this same situation occurring on any of the other current generation consoles. If the 360 or PS3 versions outputted only in mono, we'd be hearing about it non stop, (most likely as ammunition from those who's console was NOT affected by the problem).

It's interesting to note that out of the 5 versions of GHIII on metacritic, (PS2, PS3, 360, Wii and PC), the Wii is tying with the 360 version and leading it in user reviews, though there are almost double the number of 360 reviews. Perhaps when Wii downloadable content launches, it'll be enough to push it over the edge.

As for the Wii being inferior? When it comes down to raw power, definitely, absolutely. When it comes down to sales and engagement, I think both the 360 and the PS3 are very much lacking in those departments.
Joe Burling's Avatar
Joe Burling at 12/08/2007 08:06
Wii owners shouldn't be worried about quality sound or video. If they are looking for quality outputs, they should be picking up a 360 or PS3 instead.
intimate's Avatar
intimate at 12/08/2007 09:16
We're not talking about quality outputs or spinnerz and tricked out rims though, are we? We're talking about a feature on the Wii, said game advertised with feature, it's just that the game simply doesn't function as intended.

It's a bug, and it should be fixed. No one should be claiming that they bought it purely on the basis that it had Dolby Pro Logic II, but that doesn't mean that it's something that those who own the game should be without.
Baron Calico's Avatar
Baron Calico at 12/08/2007 12:16
So you're saying that all Wii Guitar Hero 3 players are always sleepy and tired and sick? Sounds about right.
hippiepieces's Avatar
hippiepieces at 12/08/2007 15:02
"Destructoid's staff debated on whether we should run the story or not, and eventually we decided to leave it alone."

Don't you thing a mess up like that in a music based game is a little important? Why were you worried about how the game is going to sell? Anyways it doesn't matter that much cause your reporting it now and everyone that reads VG blogs know anyways. It's not like your trying to Kane and Lynch us.

I would have picked up the mono version anyways if I could have actually found it.
Dezroy's Avatar
Dezroy at 12/09/2007 22:31
In my house 2/3 people noticed the difference. It actually annoys me to the point that I will sometimes stop playing. And yes this was before I'd heard of the problem as well as now.
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