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Home Harmonix updates

Guitar Hero publisher doesn't care about compatibility with Rock Band guitars

4:50 PM on 12.08.2007, Dale North 34 comments

Guitar Hero publisher doesn't care about compatibility with Rock Band guitars photo
     Harmonix

Even though the controllers of Guitar Hero and Rock Band look similar, they're not exactly interchangable. As Nick pointed out earlier, the Xbox 360 Guitar Hero III guitar will work with Rock Band, but the PS3 GHIII guitar will not. It's worse in reverse: the Rock Band guitars do not work at all with Guitar Hero III.

While Rock Band developer Harmonix seems to be open to cross compatibility, Guitar Hero III publisher Red Octane would rather not bother with the competitor's peripherals.

“I don't think we're too interested in having their guitars work on our game, because they're having a lot of issues with their guitars,” said Red Octane's Charles Huang to 1UP. “From our standpoint, to be quite honest, if you know a competitor's product has issues, there's not a whole lot of motivation to make these problematic controllers work with your game. Why would you want to cause yourself the headache?”

Huang's "problematic controllers" remark references reports of Rock Band guitars breaking after little use. 

[Via DailyTech -- Thanks, Debbey] 


Next page: More Guitar Hero stories




grrza's Avatar
grrza at 12/08/2007 17:03
This is just retarded. It's a freakin peripheral. If I want to use a standard dualshock or sixaxis or DDR stomp pad, I should be able to plug it in, calibrate it (or assign buttons or whatever), and play with that. These guitars should be no different. Proprietary hardware is retarded.
Barcode's Avatar
Barcode at 12/08/2007 17:17
whoah, we both covered this.
kielejocain's Avatar
kielejocain at 12/08/2007 17:22
Does anyone else find it cute that Activision basically took a product that Harmonix made and tweaked it, then crapped on the next product Harmonix made from the ground up for not being as good as "their" product?

I find that cute.
Joe Burling's Avatar
Joe Burling at 12/08/2007 17:29
Rock Band > Guitar Hero 3

This is an easy fix. Just don't buy GH3. Buy RB instead. Done and done.
Meta-Ridley's Avatar
Meta-Ridley at 12/08/2007 17:30
Just another nail in the PS3s coffin.

>_> What? I had yo say it.
AgentMOO's Avatar
AgentMOO at 12/08/2007 17:39
Incompatibilty hurts the consumer, spin it how you want, this is a dick move by Red Octane.
EternalDeathSlayer's Avatar
EternalDeathSlayer at 12/08/2007 17:54
This is perhaps jealousy over Rock Band, which has attained better ratings then GH3. But in the end, money walks and BS talks, and GH3 is selling a lot faster than Rock Band, which still has sold well. So I guess Red Octane wins this one, bastards that they are.
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 12/08/2007 18:26
Ouch.
gamermasterman's Avatar
gamermasterman at 12/08/2007 18:27
I'll translate for them.

Red Ocatane:“I don't think we're too interested in having their guitars work on our game, because they're having a lot of issues with their guitars,”

Translation:"We don't want you using their guitars, then you would have no reason to buy another GH Guitar"
parrothead's Avatar
parrothead at 12/08/2007 19:05
My PS3 ghIII works on Rock Band.
Poopface Morty's Avatar
Poopface Morty at 12/08/2007 19:05
Wow, good thing I haven't touched Guitar Hero more than once (for a two song session at that) since I got Rock Band.
vexed alex's Avatar
vexed alex at 12/08/2007 20:00
Activision....that's a bitch move. A bitch move, indeed.
SourGr8pes's Avatar
SourGr8pes at 12/08/2007 21:45
Guitar Hero can go suck it. I'd rather use the Rock Band guitars anyways, ANYTHING to get away from that goddamned strum-clicking.
Ichigo Style's Avatar
Ichigo Style at 12/08/2007 23:23
Thats funny, I recall people having issues with the connectors from the head of the Guitar to the Body for Guitar Hero...
As well as this whole mono disc...
Oh shit! I forgot that Activision is just making up excuses to not support Rock Band controllers, just like when they took that other company to court over making controllers that were compatible with Guitar Hero! God I forget these things.
loki d20's Avatar
loki d20 at 12/09/2007 00:20
Boy, they're being about as petty as you can get.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 12/09/2007 01:22
Wow...real mature, RedOctane.
niakori's Avatar
niakori at 12/09/2007 07:12
@EternalDeathSlayer
Funny you should say that since it's hell trying to find rock band se for the 360 but I'm tripping over guitar hero 3 everywhere.
bubuli's Avatar
bubuli at 12/09/2007 08:01
WOW. how arrogant.

I'm not going to buy another GH game again. RB > GH anyway.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 12/09/2007 09:02
I prefer the Guitar Hero guitars. Rockband's fender feels so cheap.
SanityMask's Avatar
SanityMask at 12/09/2007 12:46
why would you want your competitor's peripherals work on your game? so they can cash-in on your game? it's all movie driven, but what bothers me is it would have been better if they made rock band's guitar compatible with GH3 so they can cash-in on THEIR GAME.
Ninoog3's Avatar
Ninoog3 at 12/09/2007 16:13
My band is better than yours
Fading Star's Avatar
Fading Star at 12/09/2007 17:25
:(.
RWarrior1CO's Avatar
RWarrior1CO at 12/09/2007 18:18
Actually RedOctane is absolutely right. All the Rock Band guitars I've ever used eventually wore out very quickly. If you believe me, go ahead and look for a Rock Band kiosk at a Wal-Mart, and try playing the guitar. If it's been there for a few days, then I can guarantee it's not going to work correctly.

Why bother?
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 12/10/2007 04:15
Read the entire interview people, before you jump down RedOctane's throats.
mandlebaum123's Avatar
mandlebaum123 at 12/10/2007 08:43
Hold on here. Why are people jumping on Red Octane, when rock band's guitars don't have any compatibility on GH3. Are we sure that that was done specifically by Redoctane? Also, the destructoid review even stated that the RB guitars stink.
Dhaos's Avatar
Dhaos at 12/10/2007 08:57
this pissed me off so much. me and a friend split the cost of RB. he was going to get the drums and I was taking that Guitar so that I could play it on GH3 while he had the RB game. well imagine my surprise when I couldn't use it at all on GH3. I just about smashed the dam thing on the 360 but a cooler head prevailed.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 12/10/2007 09:42
Christ, Red Octane and Activision, quit being such douches.
fraughtbiscuit's Avatar
fraughtbiscuit at 12/10/2007 20:17
hi guys i am new to the site and i wanna make a few comments about everything microsoft is doing with the 360 and dont think that i am bashing them because i own one.

Charging you for downloadable content that you SHOULD get is BULLSHIT. every pc game i own lets me download patches, updates, bonus maps, weapons and every fucking thing else i want for free without having to purchase Microsoft Points.

ANother gripe is to the fact that microsoft will throw its name on anything just to make a buck. Lack of product testing has lead to too many people losing out on their stuff. With the pricing thats going on today thats pretty much an investment for kids and thier parents.

Fuck the new rock band guitar because i have had it for two days and it is broken already. 2 DAYS!!!!! And guess what, i hve to wait a week or two to get my replacement. which some people who got their replacements say they did not get a working replacement. SO AS PETER GRIFFIN SAYS " NOW I PLAY THE WAITING GAME>"
Jdoe43's Avatar
Jdoe43 at 12/13/2007 11:19
Quote "Why are people jumping on Red Octane, when rock band's guitars don't have any compatibility on GH3. Are we sure that that was done specifically by Redoctane?"

On the loading screen for GH3 it says something along the lines of "...Activision authorizes use of this game only with a guitar controller provided by Activision or a standard controller provided by the system manufacturer..."

Basically, you aren't "allowed" to use their game with anything third party. This includes third party normal controllers not just guitars.
Keely's Avatar
Keely at 12/23/2007 21:59
Its really not as hard as it sounds. Sure red octane is at fault STOP COVERING IT UP I have read all the interviews red octane was doing what they thought was a smart move which all of us would have done and that was not made it compatible with Rb guitars. They were looking to get more sales for the guitars, which is what any good business would want is more sales. RB don't mind sharing because look who pays for it MTV, EA games, they could really care less about selling a $30 guitar, when they just sold a $200 game also that knowing their suppliers cost like $60 for them to make it all possible. What red octane didn't think of is this. A kid has RB and GH3. His other friend come over to play. Well since obviously they cant both play GH3 with 2 guitars they are going to use RB so they can both use guitars. The other friend thinks he had so much fun playing RB that he decides to bug his mom until she buys him it and so on. Now if he got a chance to play GH3 maybe they could have shit out another sell. It is that simple really. They just didn't think of it all the way threw like they should have. But good luck having people own RB and GH3 and decide that GH3 is so much better they will pay like $70 bucks on top of the $100 they spent on GH3 in the first place. Because the only people who will actually say RB is gay is people who wont put out $200 for it cuz their cheap ass. If you think of it play multi player on GH3 with 2 guitars, your paying the same just about. face it RB out did GH3, it had a good run. I still bought GH3 I find it more challenge when it comes to
Guitar, but I like my RB more, I can play more instuments, create my character, and play with all my friends. Its better. Face it.
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