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GH2 360 axes not quite golden? (See what I did there? It's topical!) photo

We received an email from one of our readers a few moments ago claiming something might be amiss with the controllers for the just-released Guitar Hero 2 for the Xbox 360. I'll let Paul tell it;

Today I picked up GH2 360 at Game Crazy in Hemet CA. Had a bad whammy.. Very  erratic  control. Had to really whack it around to get to to bend a note, and when it did bend it was late and not controlled like GH and GH2 on ps2.

So we opened up another and it was the same.

Also, [the] Demo unit [was the] same!

All defective units were the model with the mystery port by the cable.. Model # 95055, HV1.0 (Sticker on back of controller).

Normally we'd chalk this up to a single, localized incident, but the Internets seem to be resonating with the angry typing of people who've experienced similar things, and if there's one thing I know about the Intertubes, it's that they never lie (also, that they are "serious business", but that's a different story).

We'll keep you guys updated on whether these things are defective or not, but until this whole thing gets sorted, I'd recommend picking up guitars with model number 95065, BV1.0 on that sticker Paul mentioned. Also, keep plastic bags away from children and don't feed the bears.

This public service announcement was paid for in part by the Association for Public Broadcasting, and viewers like you.


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48 comments | showing # 1 to 48

Ignignokt01's Avatar
Ignignokt01 at 04/04/2007 03:40
damn. i was gonna buy this tomorrow, but now ill wait. too fking expensive to have to deal with this crap
vgfreak30's Avatar
vgfreak30 at 04/04/2007 03:44
Man MS has defective everything these days
Ignignokt01's Avatar
Ignignokt01 at 04/04/2007 03:52
lol good one.

not

pretty much all of the 360 accessories work flawlessly, and the only bad thing you can say about them is that they are often overpriced.
Knives's Avatar
Knives at 04/04/2007 03:53
I did notice the whammy bar wasn't very responsive, it felt just like the PS2 one after months of use.
Namelessted's Avatar
Namelessted at 04/04/2007 04:28
Nex, when is your sexy hair coming back? seriously, it is all I think about every day. I sit in class just dreaming of Nex's hair. It makes me fail all of my classes.
ScarCeLLe13's Avatar
ScarCeLLe13 at 04/04/2007 04:46
Yea i have the same problems. With mine you have to move the whammy around alot to get it started. And somtimes it starts really late
JohanMcDougal's Avatar
JohanMcDougal at 04/04/2007 05:14
I have 3 friends with a 65 and theirs don't work.

I honestly think it's software-related. If you plug your guitar up to a PC and go to calibration, you can see the whammy bar is responsive... the game just might not recognize it for some reason. Hopefully that shiz gets patched.
JohanMcDougal's Avatar
JohanMcDougal at 04/04/2007 05:16
Oh yeah... and Microsoft didn't even manufacture this. Red Octane did.
bleep's Avatar
bleep at 04/04/2007 06:45
pretty much all of the 360 accessories are fucking worthless, but hey at least they're not overpriced.
0bshaky's Avatar
0bshaky at 04/04/2007 06:46
I was planning on buying this shit too (since it got great scores) but now I dunno... I didnt played the PS2 versions so maybe this error can only be noticed by comparing to the PS2. Does this makes it unplayable or it is just some kid bitching?
Brandon Undead's Avatar
Brandon Undead at 04/04/2007 06:52
This is true, but there's like a sweet spot on mine where it's more responsive. If I bend it about halfway down and shake it there, between all the way up and all the way down, I get the best results, but it definitely causes it to start later and be less consistent.
What a pisser. There's no excuse for this.
Kryptinite's Avatar
Kryptinite at 04/04/2007 06:55
My seems to be all good. I don't know what version it was but I didn't notice anything wrong with it last night.
Brandon Undead's Avatar
Brandon Undead at 04/04/2007 07:18
I should add that after I used mine for a couple hours yesterday, it seemed to be doing a *little* better. I wonder if it's because I was getting used to working with that little sweet spot, or if it just needs breaking in?
ExpertPenguin's Avatar
ExpertPenguin at 04/04/2007 07:58
I noticed the same thing, it's got a bit of a delay, and isn't as spot on as the PS2 whammy...but maybe Brandon is right, perhaps it just needs breaking in. Some of us have been playing with the same guitar for well over a year anyhow.
Nick Chester's Avatar
Nick Chester at 04/04/2007 08:00
The guitar I have is that model number and I'm having no problems with it yet.
j0mb13's Avatar
j0mb13 at 04/04/2007 08:10
0bshaky: I'm the kid! age 41 :) Nex gave you an edited post of the information that I gathered today. I was determined to get to the bottom of this so I purchased 2 more guitars than I needed So I could troubleshoot. I'll give the details and then you can draw your own informed conclusions

3 Units from 1 store all very broken. The Model with mystery port by cord. 95055, HV1.0 on back sticker.

2 units from another store all very functional. Both the model with mystery port by headset jack. 95065, BV1.0 on back sticker

Could be a software issue.. But with the varying degrees of malfunction ppl are reporting I'd bet on it being hardware. This is kinda my field of expertise but I could be wrong.

Using this info I landed myself 2 working guitars and I'm happy.
Snaileb 's Avatar
Snaileb at 04/04/2007 08:17
@ Obshaky : Bitching.
Kif 's Avatar
Kif at 04/04/2007 08:19
I dunno what everyone's problem is with Xbox 360 addons. I have the plug and play, the battery charger and the wireless headset and they all work fine (Although I still prefer the wired headset).
PetiePalo's Avatar
PetiePalo at 04/04/2007 08:23
How the hell do these things get past initial testing? Don't they QA this stuff anymore before release?
BluDesign's Avatar
BluDesign at 04/04/2007 08:23
I've got a BV1.0 that has a sticky whammy bar on it.
I don't think it's isolated to the HV's.

I can tolerate it for now, but I want a replacement, cause there's no way I'm going to be able to get some of the achievements without it working properly.

The whammy's a sad replica of the one on the original Gibson SG on GH1.
BluDesign's Avatar
BluDesign at 04/04/2007 08:40
I'm also not a fan of the X-plorer shape either, and if Ant Commandos comes out with a decent Flying V or SG knockoff, I'll probably consider those out of comfort.

I noticed it a lot last night, that the part where the X button is sticks out and into my wrist when I'm leaning my wrist on the guitar when playing. The rounder corner of the SG was much preferred.

But, at this point, I'll settle for a working controller.
ghettosmurf's Avatar
ghettosmurf at 04/04/2007 09:04
I don't get this, I've checked and I have this "broken" model everyone is talking about, but my whammy was responding perfectly last night. At least it's not ALL of them...
Matthew Mac's Avatar
Matthew Mac at 04/04/2007 09:10
Yeah, mines seems to work. I just thought you couldn't bend every single sustained note. Meh.
Brandon Undead's Avatar
Brandon Undead at 04/04/2007 09:15
Every sustained note is bendable, yes. If not, you are broken.
j0mb13's Avatar
j0mb13 at 04/04/2007 09:22
It is NOT working if:

You cannot bend every sustained note.
It does not bend with out a delay
You have to get fierce with it to get it to bend.

The guys here that have been playing the PS2 versions of GH1 and GH2 can confirm this. And your gonna miss out on lots of starpower if you cannot bend on the starpower notes right from the get go. Bend half way through note means half the star power.
fatsarmstrong's Avatar
fatsarmstrong at 04/04/2007 09:39
Yup, seemed defective to me. I picked it up yesterday and went home and played it last night, first thing I noticed is that the whammy bar was too low on the guitar making it uncomfortable in the first place. Then I started playing and found that the whammy bar never works for me, I really struggled with it. If I could use my PS2 Guitar on my Xbox 360 I would, much better guitar for Playstation and you have no idea how painful it is for me to say that.
Also has anyone noticed that you have to tilt the Xbox guitar more to get starpower, I missed a couple of notes because I had to think to much to activate star power?
BFeld13's Avatar
BFeld13 at 04/04/2007 09:48
I haven't had any problems. But then again, I never played it on the PS2 so I have nothing to compare it to.
Nick Chester's Avatar
Nick Chester at 04/04/2007 09:55
Yeah, I didn't have a problem (or notice one) until just now. My whammy be jacked, yo. I'll wait for the issue to be resolved and then exchange it. Damn it.
KilgoreTrout XL's Avatar
KilgoreTrout XL at 04/04/2007 10:00
Man, am I glad that I'm too addicted to Puzzle Quest on my DS to pick this one up for a few weeks.

Way to dump all the goodwill they had behind this game out the window.
bobthecat23's Avatar
bobthecat23 at 04/04/2007 10:27
fuck mine isnt working
j0mb13's Avatar
j0mb13 at 04/04/2007 10:47
Okay this is the LAST comment I'm gonna make to this story...

I just ran over to Target and snagged another another GH2 360 controller for a friend since I know they have the presumably good model

And it checks out!

So that brings my personal total to
3 Broken "95055, HV1.0" and 3 Good "95065, BV1.0"

I'm gonna have to recommend those that don't want a Kablamy'd Whammy go with the "95065, BV1.0"

Goodnight and good luck -jom-
DRAKENSTEIN's Avatar
DRAKENSTEIN at 04/04/2007 10:47
I've got the same problem, mine worked for about ten songs. Now if I want to whammy, I'm afraid I'll break the guitar, because it takes so much energy.
Angry Munky's Avatar
Angry Munky at 04/04/2007 11:24
My X-plorer was not working up to par for me last night (out of the box) as well. Not only was the whammy not working correctly, but the buttons and strum bar were delayed by a fraction of a second. I noticed that the breakaway cable wasn't completely connected. I unplugged the X-Plorer from my 360, and made sure that everything was snug along the USB cable. Now my X-Plorer works perfectly.
Brandon Undead's Avatar
Brandon Undead at 04/04/2007 11:34
Having delayed button reaction may be due to an HD TV. If you have further problems, calibrate your game.
JLanphear's Avatar
JLanphear at 04/04/2007 11:55
I knew there was something up with this whammy bar. Bastards.
Velirno's Avatar
Velirno at 04/04/2007 11:58
Looks like a bad batch from the factory from what jOmb13 is saying. It happens...I'll wait since I'm poor. Nice thing about college is that you're forced to sit and wait, so all of these glitches are gone by the time I have money.
SgtBilbo's Avatar
SgtBilbo at 04/04/2007 12:12
I was gonna pick this up tonight, too...should I take the crap shoot, or sit on my laurels until this gets sorted out?
Brandon Undead's Avatar
Brandon Undead at 04/04/2007 12:16
Make them let you look at the guitar in the box. If it's the safe model, go for it. If not, don't crap shoot. I've been through two since last night, both busted, j0mb13 has been through 3 of this model that were busted, and Nick came back and said his started malfunctioning earlier today.

Not good, not good.
Jayeugene's Avatar
Jayeugene at 04/04/2007 12:45
Mine's screwed up. Whammy sucks
Rainbowblack's Avatar
Rainbowblack at 04/04/2007 13:37
i bought GHII yesterday, mine works fine, my model # differs from both mentioned in the article

now if i could only not suck so much at this game (yes im a first timer)
Lolthien's Avatar
Lolthien at 04/04/2007 13:49
Has anyone noticed the lag calibration in the OPTIONS menu? Have any of you tried to use this? It solved the problem for me.
Brandon Undead's Avatar
Brandon Undead at 04/04/2007 14:14
Yes, I used the lag cal. for my HDTV. Doesn't fix the whammy at all.
BluDesign's Avatar
BluDesign at 04/04/2007 14:15
Lolthien,

That's for general gameplay. And also for HDTV people using LCD's and Plasmas.
ECMex86's Avatar
ECMex86 at 04/04/2007 14:27
I used the calibration in the options and it fixed mine. I don't how it is for everyone else.
ryansdick's Avatar
ryansdick at 04/04/2007 17:49
for serious, the fact alone that there are four models makes me physically sick.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 04/05/2007 00:05
Oh, quit your whining. I have Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II , and when I bought the second game, I only bought the game — I figured I’d just use the controller from the first game. My whammy bar sinks due to gravity...that doesn’t keep me from rocking out on Expert.
Lolthien's Avatar
Lolthien at 04/05/2007 09:46
Well... I have to admit, I have one of each guitar, and now, I have to take back my earlier comment. Yes, the lag calibration helped... slightly, but the second controller with the foot pedal port at the bottom still works MUCH much better. Something is seriously wrong. I'm taking it back today.

Looks like the three bucks for the 'warranty' from EB might actually have paid off.
ThermalAlloy's Avatar
ThermalAlloy at 04/05/2007 21:54
my controller is really laggy and the whammy bar barely works... the one for the ps2 is way better. even when i tried to calibrate the controller (because i have an HDTV) it helped a little bit, but its still really laggy... and the calibration proccess is REALLY hard to get perfect. what is the best setting for the calibration? does anybody know? like, is it better to have a higher number? or a lower number? PLEASE HELP
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