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Harmonix is reviving Rock Band Network in 'Rock Band 4'
During a livestream on Tuesday, Harmonix announced that after a few years away, the Rock Band Network is coming back. Originally announced in 2009 near the height of plastic guitar controller mania, it allowed content creators to import their own tracks for play (and most importantly, for sale) within the Rock Band series of games.
Your next favorite songs are the backbone of 'Metronomicon'
Rhythm games live and die by their soundtracks. The problem is, if you're holding a plastic instrument in your hand, you've probably played through the same songs over and over whether it's in Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Regardless of how advanced the gameplay is, then, at the end of the day, if you're tapping through Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" in one game, you might as well be playing it on any of the popular franchises. That's where The Metronomicon: Slay the Dancefloor makes a bold left turn.
'Rock Band VR' is the dorkiest game ever and I love it
Rock Band VR will make you feel like a rock star. But from the outside, you'll look like a crazy person with an Oculus Rift on your head and a plastic guitar in your hands, strumming along in silence. Basically, you'll look like a huge dork while playing it. But the embarrassment is worth it: Rock Band VR successfully captures the feeling of actually playing music in front of a crowd. Even though it's Harmonix's first stab at virtual reality, the end result is immersive and, most importantly, fun.
'Rock Band VR' is coming to the Oculus Rift on March 23rd
You won't have to wait much longer to play Rock Band VR. Developer Harmonix has announced that its virtual reality title is launching for the Oculus Rift on March 23rd, with pre-orders available now through Amazon. You should keep in mind that the bundles being sold, one for PlayStation 4 and the other for Xbox One, only include a digital copy of the game and a guitar controller.
'Rock Band VR' is a completely different kind of guitar game
When Oculus first teased Rock Band for virtual reality, it sounded like kind of a stupid idea. A guitar game? In 2016? In virtual reality? How passe. It was hard to imagine how the series' iconic stream of colored notes would translate to VR, and I immediately dismissed the idea. It turns out I was right -- Rock Band's classic game mode didn't make a smooth transition to VR, so the team at Harmonix had to come up with something completely different -- and it's so much better than awkward rhythm game I was expecting.
'Rock Band VR' will only let you shred guitar
Abandon all hope, ye Rock Banders who live to bang on the drums, lovingly 'pluck' that bass or croon like you're America's next top someone -- for now, at least. According to UploadVR, developer Harmonix has confirmed that its upcoming Rock Band VR for Oculus Rift will only be playable with the guitar. Harmonix had hinted as much this past March when we attended a Rift preview event, saying that support for those three other instruments would likely be left off the table. But it seems like the effort to put the "band" back together in VR was just too challenging for the developer's first Rift effort. Instead, Harmonix has decided to perfect the immersive experience using only the guitar, which requires a clip-on Oculus Touch controller to track its placement in the virtual space.
You'll need an Oculus Touch to play 'Rock Band' in VR
We already knew Rock Band VR was coming to the Oculus Rift, but now we have a bit more information about the project. In a gameplay demo at an Oculus Game Day event recently, we learned that the game will essentially require that you attach an Oculus Touch to a guitar controller via a clip adhesive (seen above), which confirms what we saw in the promo video that Oculus and Harmonix released a few months ago. That's essentially how the game will communicate your movements and controls to the computer. We also learned that all Bluetooth controllers should work with the VR version of the game, as would Xbox, PS3 and PS4 controllers.
'Rock Band 4' is coming to the PC with your help
If you wailed when you heard that Rock Band 4 wasn't coming to the PC, it's time to wipe those tears away -- you now have a chance to make it happen. Harmonix has kicked off a crowdfunding campaign to bring its latest music game to Windows systems through Steam. So long as the company reaches its $1.5 million goal by April 5th, you'll get a version of RB4 that transcends what you can do on consoles. You'll get to directly sell your own songs through Steam Workshop, for example, recreating Rock Band Network without all the overhead. It'll support a mouse and keyboard outside of songs, too, so you won't have to fiddle with your plastic guitar just to change settings.
MadCatz cutting a third of staff after 'Rock Band 4' flop
Peripheral maker Mad Catz has posted yet another disappointing financial report, sparking executive resignations and major layoffs. The filing is the first full quarter since Rock Band 4 was released last year, and the game helped sales increase to $65 million, 114 percent higher than the year before.
'Rock Band 4' devs will wipe the leaderboards next month
In a sign of what's to come for your favorite board game, Harmonix announced it's fixed a "gnarly" Rock Band 4 bug, and next month will deliver a patch that ends a number of scoring exploits. The bad news for players? That also means the games leaderboards will be entirely reset. While players will still have their high scores saved locally, they'll need to go again for online bragging rights. Speaking of online, in a recent blog post Harmonix said that bringing internet multiplayer to the new game is "very much on the table," but it hasn't committed to a timetable.
'Rock Band 4' and 'Guitar Hero Live' are basically board games
The puppies always get excited when I open the hall closet. As the heavy, wooden door slides open with a twist and a pop, my two tiny dogs run over, tails wagging, because opening that closet means one of three things: The pups are going for a walk, I need to sweep, or it's time to play Rock Band 4. My boyfriend and I store the plastic guitars in that closet, and as I slide them out, brushing past jacket sleeves and cardboard boxes, even the puppies understand what's going on. We're having a party.
'Rock Band VR' is coming from Oculus and Harmonix in 2016
Oculus VR's Palmer Luckey was going to be at The Game Awards but we didn't know why. It turns out that he was going to appear onstage and debut Rock Band VR. All we know for now is that it's coming next year and that, well, you'll play a version of Rock Band in virtual reality, and that Dragon Force's epic speedmetal track "Through the Fire and Flames" is going to be featured. So there's that. Are you ready to play virtual instruments in virtual reality?
Confessions of a 'Rock Band 4' drum queen
"Drums are hard." That was the verdict from my boyfriend after a raucous night playing Rock Band 4 with a group of friends. He's a guitarist, in both the physical and digital realms, and to him, Rock Band 4's drums are an anomaly. The rhythms are somehow tricky and repetitive at the same time; landing the bass pedal takes nearly perfect timing; it's a big rig that requires big motions; and the entire instrument takes a ridiculous amount of coordination. This is why my boyfriend doesn't enjoy playing the drums in Rock Band 4 -- and it's precisely why I love it.
Using your old gear with 'Rock Band 4' on Xbox One will cost you
Rock Band is rising from the dead this fall, and as such we're starting to get finer details about different prices and packages for the forthcoming game. Unfortunately for Xbox One owners, the "disc-only" version of Rock Band 4 will cost $79.99, $20 more than the PlayStation 4 version. Harmonix confirmed that's because the Xbox version will come bundled with a legacy adapter that'll let buyers use their old instruments with the new game and hardware. PS4 owners won't need that -- the existing USB adapter that PlayStation owners have always used with Rock Band will continue to work just fine. If you're new to the series and buying one of the bundles that includes instruments as well as the game, though, the pricing will be identical: $249.99 will get you a mic, guitar, drum set, and the game regardless of which platform you're playing on. If you just want the game and a guitar, you'll be shelling out $129.99. Mad Catz also plans to sell the adapter standalone for people who purchase the game digitally. Rock Band 4 is set to launch on October 6th.
'Rock Band 4' will be co-published by hardware company Mad Catz
Rock Band creator Harmonix is bringing a roadie along for this year's release of Rock Band 4 -- Mad Catz, the peripheral manufacturer, will co-publish the game on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Mad Catz is in charge of making all of the wireless instruments in Rock Band 4, but as a co-publisher the company will also lead global sales, promotions and distribution, Global PR Director Alex Verrey says. Harmonix and Mad Catz intend to release Rock Band 4 simultaneously in the US and European territories, Harmonix PR Lead Nick Chester tweeted to a curious fan today.
Resurrecting 'Guitar Hero' through live rock and robots
Guitar Hero Live is trying to pull off one of the most difficult acts in rock and roll: the return to relevance. Not just a reunion tour feeding off nostalgic fans looking to recapture the good, old days of 2005, but a bona fide resurrection. After a five-year hiatus for the series, FreeStyleGames has taken over. It hopes to bring the rock star simulator back to the prominence that made Guitar Hero 3 the first game to break $1 billion in sales. Its first step: redesigning the iconic guitar, trading its five primary-colored buttons for six black and white keys that mimic actual chord fingerings, but that's not its primary gambit. Chasing the rock star fantasy that the old games sold even further, this fall's Guitar Hero Live places you on a real stage with a real band and audience, all filmed from a first-person perspective.
'Rock Band' is back with 'Rock Band 4': headed to Xbox One and PS4 in 2015
Remember way back in 2009? Times were simpler then: Pittsburgh's Steelers were Super Bowl champions; Tiger Woods was caught having an affair; and I was playing a lot of Rock Band. You probably were too. Many millions of you were, anyway, and the plastic peripheral market was booming. In a few short years, the world went from zero to dozens of plastic guitars, keyboards, mics and drums per household, all in the name of games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. House parties quickly turned into Rock Band parties with surprising frequency. It was only another few short years before those games, and the peripherals they required, fell off a cliff. That was 2010, when Rock Band 3 launched. It's been five years, and the world is apparently ready for more Rock Band. The folks behind the original Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises are back in the development seat and bringing Rock Band 4 to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year.
The triumphant return of 'Rock Band'?
After several years on hiatus, an official announcement and the shockingly rapid decline of the music game market, Rock Band suddenly leapt back to life this month. Harmonix Music Systems -- the studio responsible for the music game craze, and the studio that created Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Dance Central -- announced new tracks heading to the Rock Band online store, which works with both Rock Band 3 and Rock Band Blitz. Why in the world is Harmonix releasing new tracks as paid, downloadable content for games that only exist on previous generation consoles? The official word is full of public relations obfuscation: "We had an exciting opportunity to add new content to the already-massive Rock Band library with a song from Arctic Monkeys – a band that's never been in a Rock Band title before! – as well as new music from fan favorites Avenged Sevenfold and Foo Fighters. We couldn't pass it up. Also, we wanted to see if we could still do it. Turns out we can. It's sort of like riding a bike." Great. That out of the way, what's really happening? Companies don't just casually release new content for years old games. That's not a thing that happens. I'd call it "testing the waters."
Harmonix drops the mic, Rock Band weekly DLC ending on April 2nd
After 275 consecutive weeks of DLC that produced over 4,000 songs, Harmonix is tuning up Rock Band for its final content release on April 2nd. As the once-prominent rock star sim walks up the Stairway to Heaven, its studio will release additional tracks and pro guitar upgrades. This final planned run of new content will include music from unnamed artists who have yet to be featured in the Rock Band series. Sure, this news is a bummer, but not all hope is lost. Harmonix clarified that this isn't the end of the Rock Band franchise as a whole, only its weekly DLC releases. So, don't go listing your plastic axe on eBay just yet, because you never know when or where Harmonix could announce a reunion tour.
Rock Band games to be removed from iOS App Store this month
Despite the fad of plastic instruments coming to a quiet end a few years ago, Rock Band is still a fairly popular brand, popular at parties and on the upcoming downloadable console version called Rock Band Blitz. But at least one part of Rock Band's legacy is going away for good: EA has announced that the iOS versions of the game will be off of the App Store as of July 31. Harmonix was the original creator of Rock Band, EA licensed the game and the name to put versions on the App Store (made by third-party developers), and as a result of that license expiring, Rock Band for iPhone and iPad are going bye-bye. All this means is that if you currently own one of these versions, you'll need to get it on your iPhone or Mac and back it up, because after July 31, you won't be able to reinstall it. If you haven't bought it yet, and want to, now's probably the time to do that. After the 31st, you won't be able to buy the app or any more new songs for it. Or maybe not -- Harmonix is currently at work on that Rock Band Blitz game, so there's a chance that, license back in hand, the company could release their own Rock Band game for iOS. Harmonix has released one app before (a non-game app called Vidrhythm), and while the company hasn't shown a lot of interest in Apple's platform beyond that, there's a chance the developer could take to the store itself if they thought the move would be profitable. [via Joystiq]
