Rock Band instruments going solo Feb. 12

MTV Games confirms it will begin selling $79.99 drum and $59.99 guitar peripherals a la carte starting next month.

"I'm going solo, man!"

The lack of stand-alone instruments for Harmonix's Rock Band--the $169.99 Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 bundled version and $159.99 PlayStation 2 version of which comes with a guitar, drum kit, and mic--has proven to be a serious headache for many wishing to form a virtual quartet. While Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 fretters have had no problems supplying bassists with Guitar Hero II or III guitars, PlayStation 3 gamers have been unable to supplement their lineup without swiping another trio's axeman.

When the now-platinum-selling Rock Band first hit stores last fall, developer Harmonix assured gamers that the game's instruments would be offered a la carte--eventually. Today, publisher MTV Games confirmed that, starting February 12, a $79.99 drum kit and $59.99 guitar would be available in US stores. No mention was made of when--or if--a Rock Band microphone would be sold solo, although the game already works with any USB microphone.

The introduction of solo drum kits will allow many more players to take advantage of the drum-versus-drum section of the game's versus mode. The introduction of a la carte guitars will also open up the guitar-versus-guitar mode to a larger number of owners of the PS3 version of Rock Band, which can also be bought as a single disc.

110 Comments

  • Ginger_Face

    Posted Mar 3, 2008 10:58 am PT

    grr why cant activision and whoever else they're arguing with just let us ps3 players use our GH3 guitars with rock band, we shouldnt be forced to pay for their faults

  • fireman27_1

    Posted Feb 25, 2008 6:55 pm PT

    Are the PS2 versions of the Peripherals the same for PS3?

  • Crossefire00

    Posted Feb 17, 2008 12:18 am PT

    Hey taco, it's tools like you that cause companies to provide less and less customer service. I bet mommy and daddy are so proud or their lying little man. Now for a serious question...Any word on the avaiability of wireless instruments? Also, it'd be nice to get a second bass pedal and use a t connector. Might let me get further on expert with the drums...

  • RoC1909

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 1:11 pm PT

    @cheesytaco69

    Well aren't you just the man for being dishonest. Leave it morons these days for BRAGGING about doing something such as this.

  • cheesytaco69

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 4:40 pm PT

    I cheated EA out of a free controller so I didn't have a friend bring his all the time... LOL NOOBLETS AT EA!

  • Killer2401

    Posted Jan 30, 2008 5:39 am PT

    When will third party controllers be out? I thought Madcat was making some....

  • gyrefalcon

    Posted Jan 28, 2008 3:50 pm PT

    All you guys complaining about the breaking kick pedal - I have had no problems whatsoever and have been playing it for over a month almost nightly. You guys must be stomping the daylights out of that thing. Maybe it takes a girls light touch to play it right...

  • brutalbrian

    Posted Jan 27, 2008 7:55 pm PT

    After seeing these prices for the controllers, I am glad I bought that bundle now.

    Me and my roommates took one look at the prices for those extra/replacement peripherals and said **** that!!

  • iLL_SuiTed

    Posted Jan 27, 2008 6:52 pm PT

    sweet now i dont have to beg my friend to bring his guitar over

  • Schwarte

    Posted Jan 27, 2008 12:50 pm PT

    As constantly replacing broken gear isn't cheap on the publisher either, they will probably try to mend whatever it is that causes the high failure rate.
    Users have a tendency to believe they are being heavily mistreated when they have to get a replacement. It's a nuisance, that is true, but honestly, be grateful you get a replacement. It's the companies who loose money on them.

  • thatguy0130

    Posted Jan 26, 2008 11:26 pm PT

    I wonder if the guitars that they sell solo will be as faulty as the ones they pack in the bundle. I have heard tales of people having to get their guitars replaced three or four times now. I recently had to get mine replaced because of the fret buttons not working properly. You would think that they would attempt to fix that problem before pushing more defective hardware out the door.

  • RAPJR

    Posted Jan 26, 2008 9:09 pm PT

    leimeisei: Know your facts. After it was discovered the GH3 guitars didn't work with Rock Band on PS3, Harmonix figured out a patch that would have made it possible. Activision blocked it then asked for money from Harmonix to be able to put out the patch to make the guitars work.

    So, how is this Harmonix's fault? They were willing to fix it but unable due to Activision's block and childish attempt to get money from them.

  • afrothunda312

    Posted Jan 26, 2008 10:39 am PT

    what about a european release date? and leimeisei the price of the guitar is not the same as the game read it properly

  • leimeisei

    Posted Jan 26, 2008 7:33 am PT

    btw... THE GUITAR COSTS AS MUCH AS THE GAME? What a waste.

  • leimeisei

    Posted Jan 26, 2008 7:31 am PT

    I bet the PS3 guitar compatibility was Harmonix's fault. Activision was probably more than willing to work something out, but Harmonix probably refused, and then went to their customers and blamed it on Activision. They would do this because now, all the PS3 owners will have almost no choice but to go and buy the Harmonix standalone guitars.. Meaning they get more money... AS OPPOSED TO everyone just using the Guitar Hero III guitars.

    However, the only reason to blame for any of that in the first place is because all PS3's guitars were wireless, so that is why they didnt work. From now on, I vote the game companies dont make the guitars. A separate hardware company should.

  • powerframe8

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 9:22 pm PT

    you think a third party will come out with a good kick pedel, that doesnt snap. sell it for like 15 bucks. theyd make a fortune.

  • FooMasterNarr

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 5:25 pm PT

    My pedal snapped too. No replacement box it's been over a month. I recommend www.woodrockpedals.com. I fixed my pedal with a wood one I got in less than a week and the service was awesome.

  • rockstar_88

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 2:50 pm PT

    Yeah, my drum pedal snapped in two, but my friend was the one that broke it, so I'm rather pissed. I'm still trying to figure out why the replacement box hasn't been sent yet.

  • Venom_Dragon

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 1:51 pm PT

    UK people can stop moaning... South Africa is getting the software only version in March, ant the instruments only in JULY!!!!

  • legendssunist

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 1:02 pm PT

    79.99?

    *Sigh*...

  • Tricky

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 1:00 pm PT

    Who gives a crap, just release Rock Band in the freakin' UK already. Jeez.

  • THEJAMES25

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 11:57 am PT

    YO MAN I TEAR THAT GUY A NEW PEEHOLE MAN

  • stuarthanley

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 11:52 am PT

    Any chance us UK GAME BUYERS can get this bloody game in the near future?.... Hello....Hello????.... MTV GAMES.... are you even listening????

  • ctg867

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 11:39 am PT

    to Chirico_Cuvie

    I'm aware of the Harmonix PS3 guitar problems. The issue is stupid on both sides. And the fact that no Rock Band guitar on any platform will work on any Guitar Hero game on any platform is another problem that you didn't bring up. So that's ONLY Activisions fault also? Like I said, both parties are responsible, and nobody can, or deserves to be seen as innocent in the compatibility matter.

    I'm glad you agree the the prices are too steep, but the fact that Nyko is coming out with wireless guitar for PS3/Wii/PS2 that works with any Guitar Hero/Rock Band is kinda sad. The fact that they are expected to cost the same as the wired first party guitars is even more pathetic.

    Why not come out with a $100 bundle with a guitar and the game like they did with GH3? Even if it was wired, and was still as crappy in quality as the one in the bundle is now, I would still buy it because I find Rock Band to be more fun then GH3. But no, they force me to buy all three and the game, all wired, for $170 if I wanna play it. That's kinda disappointing from a consumer standpoint. Until the accessories are affordable, compatible, and in high quality working order, I wont buy them.

  • stuarthanley

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 11:36 am PT

    It might be good if we get the bloody game in the UK in the first place!!!!!!!

  • theaudience

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 11:25 am PT

    when are our guitars going to get replaced with ones that actually work? i got my replacement, works better, BUT STILL BROKEN!! any fast notes on hard or expert that require up and down strumming still are a pain. seriously....this is getting really annoying...

    ps. $80 for the the drums???? riiiiiiight. 3rd replacement kick pedal is on its way. THIRD. breaks way too easy.

  • mattcake

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 10:47 am PT

    Argh, those drums are calling my name... ma ah ah ah ah ah t'cake... I have a GH2 guitar but I dont really wanna buy Rock Band til I can play the drums too Singing I will leave for when I'm in the shower ta.

  • Jon_Wolfy

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 9:31 am PT

    So am I to understand these guitars might actually work? Well I wish the guitar that came with the game worked as well as the guitar that was the replacement worked.

  • MaximusDM

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 9:22 am PT

    Hilarious since Activision isn't going to get separate Guitar Hero III peripherals out the door until March and that game came out a MONTH earlier than Rock Band. I'm glad I turned in Guitar Hero III with the guitar after the whole feud about Activision blocking the patch. I've had more problems getting their guitar to register properly anyway because the prongs on the detachable guitar never sat properly to lock in and my frets would work when they wanted to. While the select button isn't in the ideal position, the weight is nice, and the neck is smoother, and the strummer is tighter I still take the Rock Band controller because it actually worked properly... after one return to EA via warranty.

    Rock Band is a much better game than Guitar Hero III, song chart wise-, fun-wise, and co-op-wise. Battle Mode doesn't hold a candle to an entire drum and mic campaign.

  • grafkhun

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 9:15 am PT

    well at least they backed up their promises. i do admit its a bit pricey but w/e.

  • ThrillhouseLive

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 8:41 am PT

    Are they going to sell bass pedals seperately?

  • avatar18

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 8:29 am PT

    Not sure who dropped the ball, so now Im confused. IGN says Drums Feb 12, and Guitars April 1st. I sure hope IGN is wrong, because that would be one huge blunder for Gamespot.

  • melo_211

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 7:52 am PT

    Yessss..I like the RB guitars better then the Guitar Hero ones...now..I CAN HAVE TWO!! WOOT!!!

  • keyser27

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 7:14 am PT

    Any chance of a wired guitar? Rechargeable batteries suck. Will wait for a wired one. I'm sure I'm the only person on the planet who prefer their devices to actually work all the time, but maybe not. I'm sure it'd be cheaper to produce and work better as well. And no interference issues. I'd sell the wireless one in an instant and buy two wired ones.

  • roryk666

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 4:45 am PT

    they are milking this **** way too far.

  • zoe256

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 1:47 am PT

    I wish they'd stop making all this stuff for the US, and just concentrate on gettin it out in the UK & Europe! I'm sick of waiting while I hear about how the US has Rock Band...and downloadable content...and now the option to buy single instruments. It's not fair, and I'm pretty annoyed about it because I am really looking forward to this game.

  • super_hoops1967

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 1:30 am PT

    ooh yeah...great stuff...........WHENS IT OUT IN THE F****N U.K!!!!!

  • David_Kniffin

    Posted Jan 25, 2008 12:05 am PT

    Sweet, now I can finally have a bassist.

  • gmagnus

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 11:34 pm PT

    "i wish they would just sell it by itself instead of with the game"

    you think it's $59.99 for the game by itself and the same price for the game with the guitar?

  • SonicTheMonkey

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 11:32 pm PT

    $80.00 for the drum kit? I'd say its worth $40.00 tops. Thats just crazy...

  • keyser27

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 10:46 pm PT

    Any chance of a wired guitar? Rechargeable batteries suck. Will wait for a wired one. I'm sure I'm the only person on the planet who prefer their devices to actually work all the time, but maybe not. I'm sure it'd be cheaper to produce and work better as well. And no interference issues. I'd sell the wireless one in an instant and buy two wired ones.

  • VERS1ON

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 10:29 pm PT

    This is nice, but I can't wait for separate GH 3 guitars for PS3 to come out.

  • tyg_skye

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 10:21 pm PT

    thats too expensive

  • MatrixSpidey92

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 10:14 pm PT

    hey! Thats my birthday! cool. lol I already got the special edtion rock band, I want better SONGS ON DLC!!! City of blinding lights! Der Kommisar! Another brick in the wall!!!

  • ashby149

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 10:14 pm PT

    So, I am not the only one to snap a drum pedal in half?

  • BadMunky

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 10:01 pm PT

    i wish they would just sell it by itself instead of with the game

    if im wrong and its by itself thats a real ripoff and i hope third party developers will make there own brand

  • jazilla

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 9:40 pm PT

    $60 for a guitar is a rip off. buy a real starter guitar on ebay or at a local music store and learn how to play for real! You will definitely get more girls that way.

  • playa42018

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 8:58 pm PT

    Extremely expensive. Just the game and drums would be over $140. Might as well shell out another $20-30 and get the microphone and guitar. The vocals, IMO, is the most fun part of Rock Band.

  • pantweasel

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 8:45 pm PT

    I think it would be really cool if they sold extra/replacement foot pedals for the drum kit. Doing a double bass fill would be pretty sweet.

  • DevilMayAsian

    Posted Jan 24, 2008 7:50 pm PT

    I'd probably be interested if the instruments were well built, but they're not.

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