Mad Catz Rock Band Portable Drum Kit Review

Lets face it, the Rock Band series is based entirely upon the idea that people will be playing with friends, coworkers, or in certain party situations, other inebriated individuals. But despite being so multiplayer-centric, Rock Band requires a lot of hardware—guitar controllers, cables, microphones, and drum kits. While the guitar controllers can be carried around in one piece, the drum kit controllers must be either lugged around as one jarring unit, or broken down into several pieces. In either case, a Rock Band drummer on the go is a hard thing to be. Fortunately, the developers over at Mad Catz have posed a solution to the plight of the traveling virtual percussionist: the Rock Band Portable Drum Kit.

As part of Mad Catz's impressive series of licenses with Harmonix to produce some of the world's first Rock Band 2 accessories, Mad Catz has assembled one of the more truly unique products to come out of the franchise. By essentially breaking the Rock Band drum kit's components down to the absolute necessities--drum pads, control pod, kick pedal, and sticks—Mad Catz has made not only traveling with the kit easy, but storing it as well. The drum pads can be stacked for maximum space efficiency and portability, and the included wires are coiled to minimize cable-clutter. Taking the portability sentiment a step further, both of the included drumsticks unscrew into two pieces.

More here.

Another Look At Konami's Rock Revolution Drums

It was refreshing to sit down at an actual drum set this time around after trying get by with nothing but air a few days ago. After jamming out to a few songs with them, I have to say these are better than the original four-head Rock Band drum set. Now, that's not to say the RB2 or Guitar Hero sets won't better (and they probably will), but I like the setup of these drum heads much better. It's too bad, however, the actual game makes drumming on this particular set very frustrating.

For the drum set itself, it's really nice and sturdy. You can store the sticks right into the side, and the pedal is solid and has some weight to it. What I like the most is how the yellow snare head is sort of in the middle and much larger than the other ones. It's the head you'll be hitting most and it fits more naturally right in front of you like a real set. The other heads are positioned correctly as well, but I'm not really feeling how the cymbals aren't floating like they should be. It's makes it a bit hard to focus on the notes when you might end up missing the cymbals all together since they're small. But these are minor complaints compared to the gameplay.

Read more at kotaku

Rock Band 2 Wireless Guitar and Drums Hardware Review

Gizmodo have reviewed the instruments for the new Rock Band 2.

"Just like the actual Rock Band 2 game, the new Rock Band 2 peripherals work more at refining the experience than redefining it. The wireless guitar and wireless drum kit add a bit of freedom from tripping and crashing into coffee tables, as well as minor design decisions that only improve your fake rocking out. The improvements aren't different or better enough for Rock Band 1 owners to throw out their current gear and buy these versions, but they are a great bonus for people who are buying the Rock Band 2 set."

Read more at Gizmodo.

Premium Rock Band Drums Will Be Hard To Find

Kotaku wirtes, Rock Band 2's Ion drum kit is scratching our Phil Collins cosplay itch like you wouldn't believe. But, uh, where can you buy it? The thing's not only expensive, it's huge, meaning you're unlikely to find it stacked end-over-end atop a shelf at the local Best Buy. Well, it was confirmed today at the GameStop Expo that the specialist retail giant will be stocking the drums, albeit with a catch: not every store will have them. Instead, certain stores will act as "hubs", where customers can order drums that are then delivered. If it's not too hard, it'll be delivered to the customer's local store. If that's too hard, they'll be delivered straight to your home. That's some blue-ribbon service from a place like GameStop, but then, it had want to be for a $300 peripheral.
Source Kotaku

A Close Look at the Rock Band 2 Drums

Returning from the Penny Arcade Expo earlier this week I was delighted to discover a giant brown box sitting in my house. Inside? The Rock Band 2 instruments: Two guitars and drum set. I haven't had a ton of time to mess around with the new drums yet, but so far I can say they're much quieter, and they feel much better to drum on. Those new pads have just the right amount of spring to them.

Hit up the jump for a full gallery of drum pics, including one that shows off the extra jacks for add-ons like cymbals and comparison shots next to the old Rock Band drums. And stay tuned next week for a closer look at drumming in Rock Band 2.
Source kotaku

Hands (and feet) on with ION's Drum Rocker Rock Band Premium Drum Set

Rock Band 2 might not be out yet, but ION was kind enough to send us the new Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set a couple weeks early. Built like a tank, this thing makes the original Rock Band drum set look like the toy it is -- we're talking aluminum tube construction that apes traditional electronic rack kits, soft trigger surfaces that register velocity, and quarter-inch connections that'll make modding a dream. Of course, all that heft means that set-up took over an hour and it eats up just about twice as much living room space as the original with no easy way to take it down, but if you're a hardcore fake rocker and you don't have the DIY chops to roll your own, this is $300 you're gonna want to spend. A couple more quick impressions after the break, and tons of pictures in the gallery.
Source engadget

DIY Rock Band drum kit ditches everything but the bare necessities

While there's certainly plenty of off-the-shelf options out there for folks dissatisfied by the stock Rock Band drum kit, those looking to really dial things up to eleven may want to follow the lead of this modder from EDrums.info, who created a mesh head drum set with some wood, some new components, and plenty of skill. As you can see in the multi-page how-to linked below, however, this isn't exactly a one-day project (for mere mortals, at least), and there's no shortage of opportunities for complete disaster once you start tearing the original drum kit apart. If you persevere though, you'll not only be able to impress you friends with your Rock Band skills, but your actual drumming skills as well, as it can also be turned into a real drum kit with the addition of a drum module.
Source Engadget