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.

Joystiq sticks-on: Final thoughts on the ION Drum Rocker

Since our initial impressions, we've had a few weeks to get used to the ION Drum Rocker set (a variant of the Alesis DM5 Pro set -- pedal, cymbals, pads/hardware). More importantly, we've had a few days to play on it with Rock Band 2. Is it worth the $300 cost of entry? Read on for our final thoughts.

To read the full review, go to joystiq.

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.

Rock Band 2, standalone instruments coming next week

Harmonix has announced that the Xbox 360 version of Rock Bad 2 has officially shipped to retailers in time for its September 14 release date. The standalone wireless drums and guitar are also shipping sometime next week for $90 and $70, respectively. Also shipping next week are Mad Catz's "Fender P-Bass" wireless guitar controller ($70) and the ION Drum Rocker set (wired; $300).

The press release also reminded us that the RB Music Store had recently surpassed 21 million song downloads since its launch in late November. That's 15 million more since we last heard about it in March and an average of 2.3 million per month.
Source Joystiq.

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

Mad Catz Ships the First-Ever Rock Band(TM) Bass Guitar

Fender Precision Bass Guitar Kicks Off a Full Line of New Rock Band Products

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 2008--Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today that it has begun shipping its Fender(TM) Precision Bass guitar for the Xbox 360(TM), the initial offering under its license with Harmonix and MTV Games to produce and distribute game peripherals and other products for the critically acclaimed Rock Band(TM) game.

"We are excited to be providing an opportunity for the millions of Rock Band fans to enhance their game-playing experience with our Fender Precision Bass guitar," commented Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. "This is the first in a series of Rock Band products we expect to release this fall, each of which we believe will add to the realism and enjoyment of this immensely popular game."

This premium bass guitar provides gamers with a licensed, authentic Fender Precision Bass guitar to complete their ensemble. Compatible with both Rock Band and the upcoming Rock Band 2 games, the Fender Precision Bass can be used to play both lead and bass guitar portions of a selected track. Incorporating all the features of the standard guitar, including Solo Keys, Whammy, and Overdrive Mode, the Fender Precision Bass comes equipped with innovative features designed to enhance the Rock Band experience.

The unique Split Strum Bar allows gamers to strum and pluck notes faster and with more precision, vital for fast tempo tracks. The genuine Fender Precision Bass does not have a whammy bar. To respect the accuracy of the bass, Mad Catz has engineered whammy compatibility by discreetly incorporating it into the volume knob of the bass, providing gamers with essential functionality when playing both lead or bass guitar portions of the track while preserving the timeless authenticity of the original design.
Source Madcatz

ezJam Combo Guitar for Wii plays neutral in the battle of the (virtual) bands

Living room arenas around the world will soon become even more cluttered with toy instruments thanks to Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour. Axes for the two respective franchises haven't gotten along on the Wii, and while we're still not sure whether the next generation will cooperate ezGear is hoping to bring some peace (and eliminate some clutter) for current Nintendo rockers with its ezJam Combo Guitar. Inside its baby-blue Strat-esque styling there's port to plug in your Wiimote when playing Guitar Hero III as well as an integrated wireless transmitter for Rock Band. At $70 it's a little more expensive than other third-parties like the Nyko Frontman, but playing lead in two bands instead of one is totally worth it.
Source Engadget

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