Gizmodo: guitar hero iii

Gadget Deals of the Day

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:20:00 EST

Want a Guitar Hero III Les Paul Bundle for $39.99? We got it. Want a Gateway 17" Widescreen LCD monitor for $99? That too. A bigger Optiquest 22" Widescreen display for $150? Yes. Maybe a 4GB SD HC card with adapter for just $9 (nine dollars)? Totally. Hit the jump for today's gadget deals, with a special war movies section to celebrate veteran's day (including Dr. Strangelove and his nuclear bombs).

Gaming:
• Guitar Hero III Wireless Les Paul Bundle (Game+Guitar) for PS3 for $39.99 (originally $99.99 - valid only on 11/11).
• Golden Axe Beast Rider for PS3 for $29.98 (originally $59.99 - in Target stores only).
• Tom Clancy's End War for Xbox 360 for $39.99 (originally $59.99).

Monitors:
• Soyo 22'' LCD Widescreen Monitor with Speakers for $149.95 plus free shipping (originally $199.99 - use this rebate form).
• Gateway 17'' Widescreen LCD Monitor for $99.99 plus free shipping (originally $199.99).
• Optiquest 22'' Widescreen LCD Monitor for $149.95 plus free shipping (originally $305.99 - use this rebate form).

Audio Accessories:
• iFlip 7'' Portable Player for iPod for $24.95 (originally $199.99).

Memory:
• Kingston 4GB microSDHC Card with SD Adapter for $9 (originally $29.99 - valid only on 11/11. Use coupon code "MEW30P").
• Kingston 8GB SDHC Flash Card for $15.99 (originally $32.99).

Stocking Stuffers (War Movie Special—thank you to our troops and to all our veterans who protect our country!):

Blu-ray:
• Black Hawk Down on Blu-ray for $14.86 (originally $28.95).
• Full Metal Jacket on Blu-ray for $15.86 (originally $28.99).
• The Manchurian Candidate on Blu-ray for $18.95 (originally $29.99).

DVDs:
• Saving Private Ryan on DVD for $6.99 (originally $14.99).
• Jarhead on DVD for $3.83 (originally $9.99).
• Forrest Gump 2-Disc Collector's Edition on DVD for $6.99 (originally $14.98).
• Glory on DVD for $6.99 (originally $14.94).
• Across the Universe on DVD for $9.94 (originally $19.99).
• Three Kings on DVD for $4.99 (originally $12.98).
• Midway on DVD for $5.86 (originally $14.98).
• Dr. Strangelove on DVD for $6.99 (originally $14.94).

The Biggest Xbox 360 Bundle Yet (In Size and Value)

Mark Wilson — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:45:00 EDT

Exclusive to Sam's Club this November, Microsoft is releasing their quite literal biggest bundle to date. The box is huuuge and just bursting with a 60GB Xbox 360 Pro console, Lego Indiana Jones, Kung Fu Panda and Guitar Hero III with the guitar. Priced at $350, that's only $50 more than the Pro unit runs alone. So yes, it's a pretty good deal that's probably worth the forest-worth of trees that each box requires to come to fruition. [Kotaku]

UPDATE: Also, it seems that Walmart and Sam's Club will be the exclusive sellers of an Xbox 360 dragon controller. More details on that as they come in.

Dealzmodo: Guitar Hero III w/Controller for $50

Mark Wilson — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:50:00 EDT

If you've got an Xbox 360 and have been toying with the idea of trying out Rock Band or Guitar Hero, this Guitar Hero III bundle runs just $50 for the game and one wired guitar. Plus, this guitar will work for Rock Band, should you want to pick up a standalone copy on the cheap. As a fake guitar aficionado, I'll admit, I do prefer Rock Band's guitar over the clicky Xplorer model, and the newer GH controllers are more comfortable as well. But don't let my champagne tastes get in the way of a good bargain hunt. [Musician's Friend via dealnews]

Audio Engineer Claims that Metallica's Latest Album Sounds Better on Guitar Hero III

Sean Fallon — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:40:00 EDT

Mastering Engineer Ian Shepherd is among those who believe that the distortion Metallica fans have been complaining about since the release of Death Magnetic is not present in the Guitar Hero III version. As he notes: "In comparison, the released CD version is - to coin a technical phrase - smashed to f**k." So who or what is to blame here? Shepherd believes that the album was the latest victim of the so-called "loudness wars" going on in the industry right now. That is to say, engineers are over-editing and sacrificing sound quality to achieve a higher level of louditude. The GHII version strips away the clipping and focuses more on dynamic range.

As a result of all this, the filesharing community is already hard at work breaking down the GH3 version to isolate the tracks. There is also a petition floating around arguing for a re-mix or remaster of the album—but they claim that the brick-wall limiting and compression was done before mastering, so they feel that it is basically a loss at this point. It's a shame too because the music itself has been well-received. [Mastering Media via Music Radar via Wired and Petition]

Guitar Hero III Gets Another Controller: Nyko's Front Man

Kit Eaton — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:00:19 EDT

I've never got into Guitar Hero, but if you're a fan and fancy a new controller, then here's Nyko's new Front Man for you. Wireless and fully compatible with GH3 (of course) it boasts all the usual control stuff like bidirectional strum bar and durable fret buttons. Plus it comes with interchangeable pick guards in "designer colors". That'll be black, white and shocking pink, then: perfect for those 70's riffs. It's available now for $49.99. [Ubergizmo]

Looks Like Santa Will Have to Leave New Boobs Under the Xmas Tree

Sean Fallon — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 15:45:47 EST

In an attempt to score herself a sweet new rack, this married mother of four managed to gather up two Wiis and 7 Guitar Hero IIIs for auction on eBay.

So I set out 3 weeks ago to find 20 Wii's and sell them for $500-ish a piece like everyone else is doing to buy myself a Christmas gift, a new set of boobs. You see mine are used, as in milk factory used. We-I am married-have 4 children and I have spent 8 years pregnant and nursing. I have promised myself for 2 years now that THIS YEAR I would get a new pair.

As previously mentioned, she only managed to score two Wiis (which is still pretty damn good) and 7 GH II units. Unfortunately, this particular auction only netted her $497 —far short of the money she hoped to receive after hearing how "a dad sold his pot-smoking son's Guitar Hero on Ebay as punishment for $9K."

Presumably, she still has one Wii remaining and a whole mess of Guitar Heroes, but at this rate it looks like Santa will have to leave her some new boobs under the Christmas tree. Oh, and her auction description ends with "So thanks for listening and don't tell my husband, he will ring my neck if he saw I did this but desperate is desperate and he'll be happy with the end result." Whoops! [eBay via Crunchgear]

Activision: By Guitar Hero III/Rock Band Guitar "Agreement," We Meant "Money"

matt buchanan — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:40:12 EST

Remember how Harmonix wanted to release a patch to let you use Guitar Hero III guitars on Rock Band for the PS3, but then Activision blocked it and Harmonix told everyone about it, and then Activision said Harmonix just didn't wanna play ball, where it pretty much seemed like Activision meant Harmonix didn't want to pay cash monies but we weren't absolutely certain? Hey, guess what? We're certain now.

Sez Activision flackperson:

Unfortunately for Rock Band users, Harmonix has been unwilling to discuss an agreement that will allow us to provide that option in a manner that maintains the high standards people have come to expect from Activision... We believe we should be compensated for the use of our technology.

You know you guys aren't making any fans here, right? People just wanna use your guitar, which would involve buying your game/gear, thereby earning you compensation for your technology. On the other hand, Harmonix comes off as the nice guy here, just trying to get whatever gear they can into customers' hands while 7,000 Chinese slave-elves pump out plastic guitars. [Boston Globe via Kotaku]

Dad Sells Son's Guitar Hero III for $9,000 After He Catches Him Smoking Dope

AddyDugdale — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:31:51 EST

A 15-year-old Canadian had his hard-to-find Christmas gift taken off him before he'd even had the chance to unwrap it. After the teen was caught smoking a spliff, his father retaliated by flogging his Wii copy of Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock he'd lined up for his son's Christmas present on eBay, netting him over $9,000 in the process. More info below.

The schoolteacher had been planning to give the $90 game as a Christmas gift to his son, and had taken weeks to find it. "I couldn't wait to spread the jubilance to my son," he rather touchingly wrote in the online auction blurb on eBay. But when he saw his son smoking in the back garden with some friends, he felt that the tearaway teen did not deserve such munificence, and decided to teach his son a lesson.

One bid of $9,100 later, and the teen's erstwhile copy of Guitar Hero III was sold to a wealthy Australian buyer. It hasn't turned out all bad for the teen, however, as the father has indicated that he may still buy his son a Nintendo game after all. "Maybe something like Barbie as the Island Princess or Dancing with the Stars. I know he will just love them." – Kit Eaton [eBay via AFP]

Activision Calls Harmonix a Punk, Says They Were "Misleading" About Blocked Patch

matt buchanan — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:10:56 EST

All the back and forth between Activision and Harmonix, it's starting to look like Poison vs. Motley Crue or Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth or something. Today, Sammy (Activision) said that MTV Games/Viacom shot down a deal to use Guitar Hero's guitars with Rock Band—it wasn't just Activision throwing a bitch fit. But, since the press release (which you can check after the jump) is all about a scuttled "agreement," they're probably talking about signed papers and possibly money, which we're guessing MTV Games doesn't want to get into. We don't care about the legal wango tango, we just want a bass player on our PS3.

To Music Gaming Fans:
The recent announcement by MTV Games/Viacom's Harmonix division that Activision is blocking Sony from releasing a patch and their plea to enable Rock Band software to work with Guitar Hero hardware paints a very misleading picture.

In fact, Harmonix and its parent company MTV Games/Viacom recently declined Activision's offer to reach an agreement that would allow the use of Guitar Hero guitar controllers with Rock Band. We have been and remain open to discussions with Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom about the use of our technology in Rock Band. Unfortunately for Rock Band users, in this case Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom are unwilling to discuss an agreement with Activision.

Activision's top priority is to provide consumers with a seamless marriage of best-in-class hardware and software. We are focusing our efforts on innovating hardware and software that are designed to work together, work flawlessly and provide an enjoyable gaming experience.

Best regards,

Activision

Activision Roadblocks GHIII Guitar Support for PS3 Rock Band

matt buchanan — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:40:17 EST

The magical patch from Harmonix that was going to give Rock Band on the PS3 some sweet compatibility with Guitar Hero III's guitar has been cockblocked by Activision. It was ready to go on Dec. 4, but Activision threw its hands (and probably lawyers) up in the air, so the patch is in limbo. Harmonix, on the other hand, will provide support to any third-party developer who wants to support Rock Band's gear, which is pretty cool on their part. Check out Harmonix's whole statement after the jump.

Hi Everyone,
As we have said in the past, Harmonix and MTV Games believe in an open standard philosophy of hardware and game compatibility. We think that there should be interoperability between music instrument controllers across all music games. This is clearly in the best interest of consumers, game developers and console manufacturers and will only help to grow the music game genre as well as inspire innovation and creativity.

Two weeks ago, Harmonix created a software patch for the Sony PLAYSTATION 3 version of Rock Band that allowed for guitar compatibility and support for third party peripherals, including enabling use of Activision's Guitar Hero III controller with Rock Band. The compatibility patch was submitted, approved and had been scheduled for release by Sony on Tuesday, December 4. Unfortunately, Activision objected to the compatibility patch's release. The patch remains with Sony, but we have been told that it will unfortunately not be released due to Activision's continued objection.

As is the case with the Microsoft Xbox360, we believe that Sony PLAYSTATION 3 users should be able to use the peripheral of their choice with Rock Band. We sincerely hope that Activision will reverse its decision and allow release of the compatibility patch and further, that Activision will allow Guitar Hero III to support Rock Band guitar controllers as well. We welcome all third party developers who wish to support our controllers and will provide any required support in order for them to do so.

We believe that when consumers have choice, everyone wins. Harmonix and MTV Games hope that Activision and others will also adopt this philosophy.

Sincerely,
The Harmonix Team

[Rock Band Forums]

Afternoon News: Robo-Pimpin' Ain't Easy and Some Other Stuff

Benny Goldman — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:59:00 EST

• Traffic camera in Capitola, California is way too sensitive, issues tickets to innocent drivers 60% of the time. Makes sense to me, the only California drivers I've ever seen aren't much for speeding. [Ubergizmo]
• UPS using software to minimize left-hand turns in their deliveries, claims it will save three million gallons of gas per year. Not turning left when you have the ability is just rude to guys like this. [NY Times]
• MTV held a Rock Band competition less than a month after the game was released. I can't decide who is more pathetic, the "bands", the people who showed up to watch, or what must be a very desperate Sebastian Bach. [MTV]
• Activision gets sued for claiming Guitar Hero III is in Dolby Pro Logic II when it is actually in mono. The overly-litigious audiophiles may have a point, but they are still dweebs in my book. [Game|Life]
• Toshiba has developed a process to increase the capactiy of flash memory to 12.5GB. If terms like "double tunnel layer technology" get you more worked up than the porn you'll be storing on the drive, read on. [Electronista]

Rock Band Patch Adds Support for PS3 Guitar Hero III Controllers

Matt Buchanan — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:50:17 EST

In the battalion of boxes that encases Rock Band's high quality gear there is but one guitar. Since you can't buy the instruments separately yet and Guitar Hero III's guitar won't work w/ RB on the PS3, your band is effectively bass player-less. Harmonix to the rescue: The upcoming patch for PS3's RB includes "a number of items related to guitar controller compatibility." Translated from PR-speak, it looks like they're adding support for GHIII's Les Paul geetars. Rock on. [Rock Band Forums via Kotaku]

Blending Guitar Hero (Tom Goes Nuts)

Haroon Malik — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 01:30:00 EST

We know how much you love the Will it blend? series, so here is the latest installment. This edition sees our crazy buddy get a Guitar Hero controller into the blender, but not before going completely ape shit at the device, prepping it for the proper blending treatment. Well, we know the question that is currently residing on your lips, we also know some douche will ask it regardless of the video evidence, but what the hell, jump to get your blendtastic game on.

There you have it; the Guitar Hero guitar controller does blend. Who knew? We thought we would be sick of these clips by now, but we have been proven wrong. Blending inanimate objects for no reason still completely rocks. We are slightly worried by ol' Dickson's manic look of insanity—his eyes seem to glaze over with a glass lifelessness that we have only ever seen in Russian dolls, but it adds to the humor. You go get 'em, Tom, you crazy cat. [Will It Blend?, Thanks, Adam. A.]

Halo Theme Song Coming to Guitar Hero III

Adrian Covert — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:05:46 EST

As a Thanksgiving surprise, the theme to Halo will be available as free, downloadable content for Guitar Hero III. Can Master Chief shred with all that gear on? [Joystiq via Crave]

Target's offering an exclusive Guitar Hero...

Matt Buchanan — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:39:40 EDT

Target's offering an exclusive Guitar Hero III bundle for the PS2 that includes the game and two controllers for $110, saving you 20 bucks on buying another guitar, if you don't already have like, 17. Oh, and they've apparently got a pukey red and white color scheme, to go with the whole Target thing. [Kotaku]

Wireless Guitar Hero III Controller for PS3 Not Entirely So

Matt Buchanan — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:40:11 EDT

If you're expecting to be undistracted by the smooth, seamless lines of your PS3 as you faux jam on your Guitar Hero III controller to "Cult of Personality," get ready for some eyesoreness. Since GH's controller doesn't work with the PS3's built-in Bluetooth, there's going to be some donglage hanging from the PS3's USB ports, taunting you with their non-conformity. Admittedly, not a huge deal unless you've got aesthetic OCD, but if you're at the multi-platform crossroads wondering which to buy, this little design boo-boo should help nudge you one way or the other. [Game Life via Kotaku]

Guitar Hero III Controllers Look Sweet But PS2 Gets the Last Riff

Matt Buchanan — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:00:12 EDT

It's official: You should keep your PS2 around for Guitar Hero III since it picks up the most badass guitar of the bunch, a black Kramer. The PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 all get boring white Gibson Les Pauls. But at least now you can swap the faceplate out for something that shreds a bit harder, like My Little Pony (of Doom).
[Gaming-Age via Kotaku]