Rock Band Voice Engine Tricked By Something Called a "Musical Instrument"

On one hand, what's happening here is very simple: Rock Band's singing feature just senses pitch, not words, so it's perfectly reasonable that a flute—or indeed almost any instrument—could do the trick. On the other? This is art. More »

Cold, Lifeless Robot Shreds Blondie In iPhone Rock Band

This little homemade robot takes all of those impressive no-look Dragonforce-on-expert Rock Band/Guitar Hero YouTube videos and destroys them with a cold, clockwork efficiency. Updated. More »

Polk HitMaster "Monitor" Means Inexplicable Faux Instrument Arms Race Actually Exists

The disdain I harbored for that ridiculous Altec Lansing Guitar Hero "stage monitor" was fading this morning, but news from Polk that they, too, would be entering the world of fake music accessories revived those feelings anew. More »

Altec Lansing Stage Gig Is a "Guitar Amp" For Guitar Hero "Guitarists"

And with this, a $100, 40-watt speaker that looks exactly like a stage monitor but nonetheless isn't quite a stage monitor, the bizarre, alternate universe of rhythm gaming is complete. More »

Now Available: Rock Band for iPhone and iPod touch

I've been psyched for this ever since EA confirmed the multi-player mode supports four players over Bluetooth. The $10 app lets you invite Facebook friends, and choose guitar, bass, drums or vocals. 20 tracks are included, too…here's the full listing: More »

Rock Band for iPhone Looks Just Like the Real Thing, Minus the Plastic Instruments

Watch your back, Tap Tap Revenge: Rock Band is coming for the iPhone, and it looks slick as hell. And as a bonus, this is one version of Rock Band that won't clutter your living room up with toy guitars. More »

Remainders - Things We Didn't Post

An Owl in a Box...Google Finally Solves PDF Searching...Lo and Behold: Teens Prefer the Apple...Rock Band Coming to iPhone? More »

At Last, Flight of the Conchords Give Me an Excuse to Play Rock Band

I don't care about Rock Band, even with the announcement of the Beatles and Lego editions. But now that the Flight of the Conchords are coming—like Jemaine and Bret confirmed at the Emmy Awards—I'm so getting it. More »

Nexilux 3-In-1 Mini Guitar Hero Instrument Is Like Assembling a Sniper Rifle

Sometime early next month, Nexilux is planning to release this mini retractable guitar that works on the PS2, PS3 and the Wii for both Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. Plus, putting it together makes you feel cool. [Nexilux]

These Rock Band Drums Take the Cake

Rock Band drums really do take up a bit too much space. But there's always room for Rock Band Drums cake. More »

Logitech's New PS3 Drums: High Quality, High Price

Looking for more serious drums for your Guitar Hero/Rock Band addiction? Logitech has a set of premium drums, and they're asking a premium price for them: $230. More »

Buy a Modded Guitar Hero Controller To Cheat at Fake Rocking

We're big Guitar Hero/Rock Band fans, but buying a controller so that it can play the songs perfectly so that you don't have to do anything? That's taking it a bit too far. More »

The Story of the Beatles in Two Minutes

I don't care about Rock Band. Or Beatles Rock Band. Not even Lego Rock Band. But I do care about The Beatles, and the game's opening cinematic is just a perfect, beautiful summary of their history. [Thanks Omar]

Plastic Controllers Are the Future - Stop Complaining

That Tony Hawk plastic peripheral skateboard elicited groans from people who didn't want yet another plastic controller in their living room, but you know what? Suck it up, because they're the future. More »

Paul McCartney's Höfner Replica Brings The Bass to Rock Band

We have already seen Lennon's Rickenbacker 325 and Harrison's Gretsch Duo Jet, but today it's Paul McCartney's turn with the Höfner bass. More »

Handy Guides for Repairing Guitar Hero Instruments

One modder posted a handful of guides for fixing common Guitar Hero instrument problems, like flaccid whammy bars and unresponsive drumheads. Worth a looksie even if you're only duct-tape-proficient. [PowerTunePlus via Ars via Lifehacker]

Lego Rock Band Announced, Looks Slightly Less Interesting than Dreamy Concept

When Jesus posted this charming concept image of Lego Rock Band when the game was just rumor, boy it looked good! Now that we see the real game...I mean, really, anything was going to be a disappointment after that first shot. More details at: {Kotaku]

All 12 Beatles Albums Newly Remastered, MP3 Distribution Coming Soon?

Beatles fans and audiophiles alike should be excited that the Liverpool quartet's entire 12-album catalogue will be live and remastered in stere-eree-o on September 9—yes, 9.9.09—the same day that "The Beatles: Rock Band" comes out. More »

Zivix Headliner Guitar Will Befuddle the Guitar Hero Haters

Legitimate guitarists have a beef with Guitar Hero/Rock Band mainly because they make people think they can actually play guitar. But what of the Zivix Headliner, a real guitar that works with these games? More »

Beatles: Rock Band Will Come With Custom Beatles Instruments

The fact that there's a new Rock Band:Beatles iteration is coming this year isn't a surprise, but the fact that they're going to have custom Beatles instruments is. More »

Headbang Hero Delights Hardest-Core Rhythm Gamers, Chiropractors

It's the next obvious step in the progression, and the one essential ingredient Rock Band forgot: Strap on Headbang Hero's accelerometer-equipped wireless wig, flash the horns, and show those emo girlymen how it's done. More »

Rock Band Ottoman Stores Your Controllers, Stifles Your Dreams

Rock Band is just about perfect until you're done playing, look around, and realize your living room is full of Playskool toys and you can't actually play guitar. This ottoman solves one of those problems. More »

Disney Star Guitarist: Guitar Hero, But With Real Guitars

Any real guitarist will tell you that Guitar Hero has nothing to do with any real-world instrument. Disney, surprisingly, has created an educational and inoffensive spin that uses a real guitar as a controller. More »

Rock Band M.I.C. Combines Microphone, Xbox Controller in One

Kotaku gave the new Mad Catz M.I.C. Rock Band mic a spin, and they really liked the added functionality it brings to the game. The price, on the other hand, got them less excited.

Funde Razor SF is TONIGHT

In case you didn't notice our previous posts, we're hosting a little event (with Wired Game|Life) called Funde Razor in SF where you can play Rock Band for charity. And it's going down TONIGHT. More »

Have Fake Guitar Games Finally Peaked?

Good news for those of us with injuries from tripping over plastic guitars only to land on a plastic drumset. According to Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, the Guitar Hero franchise is "reaching its peak."

Nyko Metal Pedal: Music Games to Fully Embrace Satan

Someone give somebody at Nyko a raise, because they finally remembered the most important component of any pretend rock setup: Skeletons!

Activision Screws Up Their Own Guitar Hero Compatibility Charts

At first glance, these Activision-made Guitar Hero/Rock Band instrument compatibility charts appear very handy. That is, until you realize that they're completely overrun by inaccuracies. It didn't take long for the Kotaku commenters to rip apart the list, with one reader finding flaws with data on each platform. So we're left with one question: More »

Entrench Gender Norms While Breaking Them With Pink Guitar Hero Controllers

As a chick who's incredibly into both gaming and tech stuff, one of my biggest pet peeves EVER is the pinkification of girl stuff. Want to make me automatically hate something? Make it a shade of dusted coral. So despite these Aly & AJ-designed Rock Band and Guitar Hero-compatible controllers being in somewhat interesting shapes and relatively stylish (if you're 16) patterns... my first reaction is to want to puke all over them. Still, just because I can't stand pink doesn't mean there aren't gamer girls out there who actually do like the whole cutesy-wootsey ultra-femme look—if you know one, you can pick up one of these for $70 at Daisy Rock Girl Guitars. Oh god, just the name of that store makes me nauseous. [Daisy Rock via Popgadget]

PS3 Guitar Hero Drums Aren't Working in Rock Band

Since Guitar Hero: World Tour features a full set of instruments that are nearly identical to Rock Band's, Activision decided that it was time to take the high road and make their PS3 hardware completely compatible with their competition. Great, right? Well it is, except for one minor catch: PS3 Guitar Hero drums are not working in Rock Band. Oh, and the Rock Band mic isn't working in Guitar Hero, either. More »