Rock Band's Fender Stratocaster revealed

The fine folks over at Brian Crescente's Hair Palace have snagged a couple of images of Rock Band's sexy Fender Stratocaster periphial, and I have, in turn, re-snagged them.

From what I can tell, the Strat looks to be pretty substantial and those who pined for a heavy, less toy-ish Guitar Hero axe will surely welcome it with open arms and willing fingers. The fact that the buttons aren't raised, and that you actually press them down into the neck will no doubt add to the natural feel that Harmonix was shotting for. Also notable are the colored frets on the side of the neck, allowing less confident gamers to see where their fingers are at any given time. Finally, take notice of the solo keys further along the neck of the guitar. Just try not to break anything from rocking out too hard. And here's a real Strat, in case you want to compare.

But don't get too excited just yet: this fine piece of gaming periphery (which isn't in production yet) will set you back $80 on the Xbox 360 and $60 for the PS3. The games, drums, and microphone will run for $60, $80, and $20, respectively, bringing the grand total to $250. Or you could buy the Rock Band bundle for a cool $199. I have a feeling that Gamestop is going to sell a Ted Nugent-esque amount of bundles. The STD you'll surely catch for being such a Rock God is not included.

Before you head to the sperm donation center, keep in mind that $250 will outfit an entire band. So unless you have a prehinsile tail, most people are going to have enough on their plates with one instrument, at least until you get through the first campaign. I forsee a huge run on guitars and a definite shortage of drummers and (talented) vocalists, which could make assembing your multiplayer band tricksy ... hey! That sounds just like the real world.

Oh, and if you've been living in an awesome-proof cave, check out the screenshots and more info.

[Seriously, via Kotaku; big thanks to all Community Bloggers and tipsters that sent this in!]