Proceeds from the numbered consoles will go to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières. The first console, already up on eBay, is currently at $20.50 with the auction ending in a little more than nine days.

Beginning Sept. 9, Xbox 360 owners can also download All You Need Is Love with those proceeds going to that charity as well. Purchasing the song for 160 Microsoft Points will also enter you in a contest for a chance to win one of the limited edition 360s and a Rickenbacker 325 replica guitar controller.

The Beatles: Rock Band, officially goes on sale tomorrow. Check out our review.

This instrument will be sold in the premium version of Rock Band, bringing rich bass sounds (and umlauts) to your very expensive virtual Beatles experience. [Kotaku]

The resulting Speak n' Spellbinder instrument captures all of the analog randomness of a Speak 'n Spell, mapped to the frets, strum button and whammy bar of a Rock Band guitar. I wish that modder Aj Gannon really started thrashing in the below video, but we'll have to settle for a pretty complete and organized tour of the device instead. [Getlofi via MAKE]

Listening Test: It's music tech week at Gizmodo.

Currently, we expect unit sales to decline by more than 50 percent series-over-series for November," said EEDAR's Jesse Divnich, "This is coming off the October month where series-over-series units declined by more than 60 percent.

So going into Christmas, sales are down. It's also notable that eBay pricing on the recent Guitar Hero: World Tour has dropped below retail pricing.

Even without citing sales numbers, EEDAR is grouping Rock Band right alongside Guitar Hero as a waning fad.

Divnich does go on to explain that both Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles should retain a loyal fanbase for the next decade or so, even if they aren't the wild cultural phenomenons they once were—just as Dance Dance Revolution keeps a following despite most of us sticking our metal pads in the basement by now. [Edge via Kotaku and most righteous image]

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]

On the day Rock Band 2 shimmies onto store shelves, Rock Band 1 will get an update that'll add an "export" option. It'll ask you for a password, which is included with your copy of Rock Band 2. After you punch in the code you'll have to pay up, but Harmonix says it won't be more than five bucks (the money is for rights holders). Then all of your songs, or at least the ones you're allowed to port, will be copied to your hard drive. Harmonix's PR dude John Drake also said that if you buy Rock Band 2 and just rent Rock Band 1, you'll probably be able to copy the songs as long as you pay the fee.

There are some songs you might not be able to move over, but Harmonix hasn't said which ones yet. One thing to consider is that if you copy over most of the songs, while Harmonix didn't dish the exact numbers, you're probably talking a couple gigabytes of your hard drive permanently gone (roughly ~30MB/song x 58 songs = 1.74GB), which might be an issue if you've only got a 20GB model. Still, we're pretty happy about this. [Multiplayer via Kotaku]

This means that Guitar Hero: World Tour's insane kit—guitars and drums—will work with Rock Band 2's and vice versa (and Konami's Rock Revolution series). Some of the advanced game-specific features might not work (like maybe the touch features on GH:WT's guitar), but basic compatibility will be there. They're working on making stuff already out there (GH3 and RB) play nice too. All I have to say is you rock, Sony. [PlayStation Blog via Kotaku]

1, Better Hardware

According to Harmonix: "Quieter, more realistic, and more reliable instruments"

2. Third Party Hardware

"We're also actively welcoming new peripheral makers to make instruments for our game. Just like real instruments, we want players to be able to choose what instruments they use..."

3. Backwards Compatibility

Songs you purchased for RB1 will work for RB2. Future RB songs will work for both games.

4. More Meaning

"We have several new modes that not only provide new ways for you to experience your music library, but also new ways for you to transition from Expert to real instruments.

Jason Chen and I will bring you more when the game is more officially unveiled at E3 in July. Until then, who out there is kicking themselves for buying the "Louder, less realistic and less reliable instruments?" [IGN via Kotaku]

The new kit is said to be released August 15th of this year and cost $100. And at this time it's available for pre-order now on the Xbox 360, but not listed as a PS3 option (which may or may not mean something). That said, we're still holding out for Rock Band's next, most promising simulation peripheral—the groupie kit. [Gamestop via Kotaku]

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

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]

Probably because of the PS3's more open platform, the USB drum kit is automatically recognized in Windows. And with a little midi mapping, you can be rocking out in minutes.

Xbox 360 Hack

PS3...Sorta Hack

Verdict: if you want the Rock Band drums on your PC, buy the PS3 version.

[dxprog and youtube] [kotaku]

The drums were designed with care. Four pads with subtle color rings can be adjusted for play while either standing or sitting, while a foot pedal for the bass sits on the floor (where it can also be adjusted, from left to right). I played some Nirvana on MEDIUM DIFFICULTY BECAUSE I AM AWESOME, and I found the drums to be an even superior product to the excellent guitars we've loved for so long.

The heads feel just like practice drum pads, and Harmonix has done an excellent job making it feel like each pad is its own snare tone. The bass pedal is tough to time until you realize that it can be held down halfway between hits. Then it's smooth as a roadie's butt. (I'd assume.)

But the best part—the part I didn't anticipate—is the feeling that using real drumsticks provides to the player.

Yeah, I sucked it up a bit at first, and then I may have started banging my head, glancing over at our lead guitarist as I introduced his solo. I'm fanboying out, and I don't even care.

What will immediately stand out is the fact that five buttons have been added to the guitar at the base of the fretboard. If you're looking at the five fingers on your hand now, wondering how you're supposed to be able to reach those, fear not (and also learn to play a guitar): The new buttons are reportedly included for a solo mode in the upcoming game, no doubt for when players need to shred their way to the finish.

Hopefully we'll see some more details on the various other controllers soon. – Kevin Hall