The Price: $20

The Verdict: I like it more than the standard Rock Band (2) drum pedal, but probably not for the reasons you'd think. The Metal Pedal, for all of its hardcore skeleton styling, doesn't feel sturdier than the latest Rock Band stock pedal. Sure, it's called the Metal Pedal, but 80% or more of it is still made of plastic. The metal is in thin plating only.

But my size 12 feet appreciated the wider footbed, and the pedal's springs were looser than those you find in the Rock Band pedal—meaning it was easier to activate the bass drum which alleviated my puny shin muscles during quick passages.
Also, if you play both Rock Band and Guitar Hero, the cross-compatible hardware plugs into both drumsets and is toggled with a simple switch. I could see where using the same bass drum pedal for both games could be beneficial if you were a real score junkie.

Overall, the Nyko Metal Pedal isn't a must-buy. But if you're really into fake rocking and you find the options out there a little too stiff, it might be worth your $20.

Wide Footbed

Comfortable Resistance

It Has a Skeleton On It

Build Quality Not Noticeably Better Than Stock Pedal

[Nyko]

Heck took apart the kick pedal that came with GH4's drum set and used the piezoelectric switch in it, McGuyvered it into a little chamber with a diaphragm and added a tube that uses air to hit the switch. Voila, instant breath-controlled pedal!

Want to help a friend in need? Heck's posted the way to do this mod on his [website. [Hackaday]

The fans have three speeds that not only keep you cool, they also whip up your long hair into a dramatic frenzy that is sure to delight the ladies. Available for $70. [Blowit via TRFJ]

The Nyko Metal Pedal is a durable replacement for your Rock Band or Guitar Hero drum set pedal. Whereas Rock Band 2 upgraded their pedal from plastic to metal, many have cracked their old pedals with the force of their mighty rock. (I don't know if the GHIV set uses a plastic or metal pedal—anyone in the audience have a kit?)

Regardless, at $20, the Metal Pedal beats searching eBay for a replacement should your pedal break. It will be available this January.

* Yeah, I know it's not impossible. Actually, just a few days ago here in Williamsburg, Christy—from the weird and wonderful Christy & Emily, get their album—left me speechless with her amazing live—and real—guitar performance, which included a drumstick in a song.

Activision has yet to respond to the issues, but apparently their box lists using GH controllers outside of Activision properties as "expressly prohibited." Harmonix, who has traditionally supported cross-compatible instrumentation between the two franchises, has promised that "we are definitely looking into this. We'll keep you posted on updates as soon as more info is available."

It's hard to believe that this lack of compatibility was anything but intentional on Activision's part since they've had access to Rock Band 2 for months...which is a particularly large problem since many gamers are plopping down almost $200 for the Guitar Hero World Tour software and instruments.

Let's hope for some fancy software patches soon, though we're not holding our breath. [Kotaku and Joystiq]

The Price: $19

The Verdict: Pretty neat gimmick. The LEDs in these sticks aren't binary (on and off); rather they actually get brighter as you pound harder. It's a pretty neat effect for people watching you drum, but like playing the guitar, playing the piano, playing the flute or playing the skin flute, you're not looking at what your hands are doing, you're looking up at the notes.

These feel heavier than the wooden sticks that come with Rock Band and Rock Band 2. You'd think this would make the illuminated version more solid, but it only kind of does. The plastic jiggles ever-so-slightly when smacked against the pad, which makes a brittle sound that sort of makes you fear that it's going to snap in half and hit you in the face. That could be just us. When hot hitting anything, the sticks do feel more weighty.

At $19 these TAC drumsticks are pretty cheap and make for a great set of backup drumsticks for Rock Band 2. What you probably don't want to do (at least if you're a beginner) is switch back and forth between these and the wooden sticks, because they'll mess up your feel for drumming while you're still picking up the intricacies. [TAC]

The Guitar: The differences between the wireless Rock Band 2 guitar and the wired Rock Band 1 guitar are minor. The most obvious one is the fact that you can now, as Bruce Dickinson advises, "really explore the studio space" without yanking your Xbox 360 onto the floor. It may sound like nothing special, but it's one of those things—like getting waxed—that you have to experience for yourself to understand.

The strummer is almost exactly the same as the first, but has a slight bit more firmness to it. Nowhere near as clacky like Guitar Hero's, but Rock Band fans like it that way. The fret buttons are also exactly the same, with five up on top and five down below for solos. These are also slightly modified to feel better to the touch.

The exterior design is modeled after the Fender Stratocaster, with a faux wood finish look (the guitar is still plastic) that's nicer than Rock Band 1's. It's also slightly shorter by a couple inches. It's not an amazing upgrade, but definitely improves on the old version in every way. All these minuscule changes made our playing better. Not incredibly better, but just enough that we notice a difference. Still not good enough to pass Green Grass and High Tides on expert though.

The Drums: Rock Band 2's wireless drums are also slightly changed from the original, including a reinforced kick pedal to address breaking issues and velocity-sensitive drum pads. The target smack in the middle of each head makes it a lot easier to hit the center of the pad and not the edges because there's a subtle difference in sound when you hit compared with the rest of the face. The wireless on these drums isn't a huge deal because unlike the guitar, you're not roaming around your living room while drumming. It is useful for keeping the area between you and the TV clear, which is always great for clumsy drummers and singers. We didn't get a chance to test the cymbal add-on, which should add an extra layer of complexity for experienced drumsters.

Just like the guitar, the minor changes found in the drums aren't worth upgrading for if you already own a set. Instead, you can think of these as a bonus for people who were patient enough to wait for Rock Band 2 before joining the rhythm music craze. [Amazon Drums and Amazon Guitar]

Be sure to check out Kotaku for their review on Rock Band 2 itself.

Seeing the full-sized Fender/Squire branded Rock Band guitar/bass is kind of a trip, too. At first I thought the display case was just showing off their touted new guitar alongside a full sized guitar. Nope. Those full-sized, true wood instruments had subtly incorporated buttons. And Harmonix's new guitar looked like the same thing made for a kid (even if a closer inspection reveals the wood is, of course, veneer).

Playing on the new guitar wasn't quite as different as I'd expected it. The fret buttons feel identical to the current Rock Band guitar. But a difference can be felt in the strum bar, a magnet-based system redesigned to be tougher and more accurate. It just felt right, with double strum timing that was right on.

The biggest improvement, however, was one I could have never seen with my own eyes. An integrated light sensor and mic allow automatic timing calibration with any television. So you always know that it's you, not the game, that is screwing up. (I'm a bit obsessive about my calibration, manually tweaking it to death).

As for the drums...

The new $299 Ion drum kit looks fantastic, but I didn't get a chance to play it or the new stock drum kit. What I like about the Ion is that it's not another fake instrument. It's a midi drum kit that has been retrofitted with an adapter to work on the 360. (Which is, if you think about it, similar to what Rock Band did with their original drum kit but in a more discreet manner.)

But even with all the promised improvements to all the instruments, I'm not sure that even I can justify the repurchase. Those starting anew, however, will be scoring some nice gear.

The Price: $34 + $10 Shipping

The Verdict: QUIET! They're form-fitting around the drum heads and are tied in place with a shoelace-like string. You can put up to four "pads" under each cover, and at three (which we tested with) it muffled drums quite nicely. This muffling will make your neighbors and family members very thankful when they're trying to read or watch TV in the other room. On the other hand, you're going to naturally try to drum harder, which tires you out faster, but increases responsiveness of the drums a little bit (no more hits that are too soft).

The downside is that it's slightly harder to tell when you're hitting the edge of the drum as opposed to slightly inside the edge, but that's more of a skill thing that you'll overcome as you get better at the game. They're quite secure when tied off correctly. On the whole, we'd pay $34 for a pretty good quality set of pre-made drum covers that actually work and can take a good beating. It's better than taking up crochet and practicing for a month before making some yourself. [Drum Covers]

If you're an expert at the drums and already memorized which color is which, you can opt for the all-black version, which looks a bit nicer and doesn't draw as much attention to itself.

Then there's the Wii version below.

But even though Rock Revolution's drum kit looks like those of its competitors, the game is supposed to offer drummers more flexibility. Beginners can remove the pedal completely to ease the learning curve, and advanced drummers can feel free to fill in extra hits where they feel appropriate without penalty.

Still, we're starting a pool on the company/date that the first 15-button drum kit will hit consoles. Feel free to speculate in the comments. [MTV Multiplayer]