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Why does the rock band guitar suck?

Help me parse my Rock Band options!

  • Thinking about taking the Rock Band plunge, but there's so much to think about! Help me decide what to buy and when! So after perusing the various track lists and DLC for Rock Band, it seems like it's finally time to buy, but what version to buy? It's for Playstation 3. I've mentioned to my boyfriend that RB2 would be an excellent Xmas gift for me, but he tends to way underestimate the popularity of videogames, so if I rely on him to pick up the RB2 bundle it probably won't happen. Also might be a bit too expensive and greedy for a present. I'd pick up the original bundle now, but I understand it has a wired guitar, which is kind of a downer. I don't care so much about wireless drums, and I've heard the RB2 drums (at least for Xbox 360) kind of suck. So the way I see it I have a few options: 1) Buy the current bundle and deal with wired guitar 2) Buy the current game and wireless guitar now, then maybe my boy can get me the drums and RB2 disc for the holidays. 3) Wait and just buy RB2 bundle. If I buy the parts separately, it seems I'm missing out on the microphone. Do they sell it separately, or what other mics work? Another question (sorry, try to think of this as a massive RB infodump). - Will the original Rock Band controllers work with Guitar Hero IV when it releases, or just the RB2 ones? I would ask if GH4 would be a better buy, but looking at the tracklists and RB's record of excellent DLC, it seems like Rock Band is the choice for me.

  • Answer:

    I just play RB at friends houses and don't actually own it. BUT: I think wireless guitars are almost a requirement. Especially when you've got 4 people trying to play at once, it gets really tangley if you're jumping around with acceptible levels of ROCK with wired guitars.

yellowbinder at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

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RB1 bundle for the PS3 has a wireless guitar (wired mic and drums). I've seen the mic sold separately. I've heard that most any usb mic would work but I haven't tested that out.

simplethings

Are you sure RB1 bundle has wireless guitar on PS3? Every online listing I can find says it's wired. It would be better to get the bundle, I feel I'd have a weak Rock Band experience if I just had a guitar for a few months.

yellowbinder

There's really no reason to get the original Rock Band bundle. For a $5 fee (licensing fee legal wrangling, they say), you can export all (but 3) of the songs from the first Rock Band onto your console's hard drive, where they will be playable in Rock Band 2. So I'd recommend getting the sequel, and then just renting or borrowing a copy of the first long enough to export its songs. By accounts, the RB2 instruments are a little better than the RB1 equivalents, even aside from being wireless.

Drastic

I feel I'd have a weak Rock Band experience if I just had a guitar for a few months. Rock Band 1 in Band mode is much more fun if all the songs are unlocked in single-player mode first. It won't take a couple months, but it might take a week or so. Also, the bundle only comes with one guitar, and full band mode requires two. What about limping along with one wired guitar for awhile then supplementing it with a wireless guitar in a few months? Really, a wired guitar was never much of a problem for me..

muddgirl

Oh, I forgot that the Rock Band 1 guitars (for Xbox) keep breaking on us. I've heard that the RB 2 guitars are much better.

muddgirl

Are you sure RB1 bundle has wireless guitar on PS3? Every online listing I can find says it's wired. Speaking as an owner of such a bundle, yes. The PS3 guitar is wireless. Rock Band 2 will support other microphones, notably the Singstar ones, according to Sony. I concur with Drastic's feedback otherwise - buy RB2, borrow RB1 to do the song export. (I'm sure lots of copies of RB1 will be available soon on the cheap.) Pick up an extra guitar if you frequently have 4 people looking to play.

Remy

Thanks for clearing up the wired/wireless issue with the RB1 bundle. I know about the export thing, and it certainly sounds awesome. I guess my hesitation on that is part "but the RB2 bundle will probably be hard to find when it first comes out, and possibly through the holidays," and part "but I want to play nooooooooooooooow." Thanks for the answers so far, keep 'em coming. In particular, does anyone know if the original RB instruments will work with GH4? I know the new ones will...

yellowbinder

Pretty much any USB mic should work, so no worries on that score. There's a http://www.joystiq.com/Instrument-Compatibility-Matrix/ over at Joystiq that goes over what guitars work with what. If you do end up getting two guitars down the road, keep in mind the Guitar Hero guitars tend to have a different feel to them — GH guitars make a slight click when you strum them, and some people like the audible feedback while they're playing. The RB guitars are larger, so they feel more like a real guitar, and the strumming is quiet but can seem ... mushy compared to the GH. I'm hoping the RB2 guitars will play well.

rewil

Don't buy the original Rock Band bundle right now. There will be a Rock Band 2 bundle coming out for your console of choice soon for the same price as the original bundle and the instruments are a bit more sturdy than the originals. I believe the new guitars/drums are now wireless. You can import most of the original Rock Band songs into Rock Band 2 for $5 so I recommend that you buy the Rock Band 2 bundle when it's available, rent RB1, import the songs, and you have a track list of 130+ songs. You'll need to pick up an additional guitar to get the full band experience. I use a GH2 guitar and I think it's superior to any guitar out there right now but it's all personal experience.

Diskeater

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