NO ps2 Rockband for the Huskie Family

[Huskie]

After much deliberation, we decided that getting RB for Christmas for the kids would not be the wise choice for us at this time. The pre-order is now officially canceled.

I am too concerned about the number of problems with the instruments. Not just the initial boxed instruments but more so about the replacement instruments. In my opinion, this issue could go on for some time now and I'm not getting in the middle of it. If it was just me, it might be a different story but for me to have to explain why the instruments keep failing (which would probably be the case for us) to the kids is not something that a parent enjoys.

Out of everyone in my extended family, I am the one most upset and bummed over this. I jumped on this site when I first heard about it in April. It's been a long haul for me waiting for any little bit of news. We've all come a long way here watching this game come to fruition via our blog rock, now known as Rock Blog. We also came to admire HMX's staff that visited us, talked to us via their own special blogging styles (Matt's "Silence" was a chuckle) and maybe even experienced the HMX move to another building as if the movers lost our virtual chairs as well as the real ones.

I'll still be watching that Tech Forum closely to see how it's working out but there is no way I'll have this in my house for Christmas. Maybe sometime down the road.

And the Wii the kids are getting for Christmas will keep us busy in the meantime. :)

Daesania,
The ball is in your court now. It was a hard decision but it was something I had to do now based on what we were seeing with the instruments.

Digital Camera vs. RB? :)

[CableCarrier]

I wouldn't gauge the failure rate for the peripherals based on a forum dedicated solely to show the problems with peripherals.

In other words: internet echo chamber. Re-preorder it. For the children.

[Eman311]

what a terrible choice. I feel for your children.

[Daesania]

I'm going with the RB, Huskie.. After much deliberation with the parents, we all agreed this is much better than my digital camera. Besides, I hopefully get a bonus at work at the end of the year.. that'll buy my camera :)

[notoriousgop89]

You should not base a decision to cancel a pre-order on these forums. The internet is a breeding ground for people to complain about their bad experiences. I am getting rockband for Christmas from my parents and my friend owns a fine copy of RB (actually, I can't speak for the strat, he has NEVER played with it. He prefers GH controller feel). If I were you, I'd get another pre-order and if you have a problem, your kids will have new instruments in a few days.

[Eastwood]

I think that is the smart choice, dude. If EA is giving away free games because of this, you know someone was aware of the goof and didn't act. It is a shame that HMX has to suffer because of EA's failures. I'm still waiting on my guitar. I ordered 2 day air on 11/21. I finally got what I hope is resolution yesterday, but they refuse to 2nd day air me another one without charging me $125 in the mean time (it was originally $100). I feel it was an injustice to me because I already did the authorization. So now I have to wait 3 - 5 days each way on a 3 way trip until I get what I hope is a working replacement, which I hope is for the right system (see the Tech forum for that one). I would have def. waited if I would have known this is going to happen...

Oh yeah, and my red pad is starting to go out.

[Nate Finch]

I'm with the poster that said that you can't take these forums as representative. People only come here if they have a problem. There are thousands of people perfectly happy with their controllers (like me, for example). Plus, the PS2 version may already have all the fixes. Seriously, with a generous return policy, I think your kids would be much more happy with the game and maybe possibly someday might have to return the peripherals and not be able to play for 2-4 days. Compare that to getting nothing at all.... Especially since Rock Band is such a positive experience... encourages interest in music and cooperation.....

[Eastwood]

I'm with the poster that said that you can't take these forums as representative. People only come here if they have a problem. There are thousands of people perfectly happy with their controllers (like me, for example). Plus, the PS2 version may already have all the fixes. Seriously, with a generous return policy, I think your kids would be much more happy with the game and maybe possibly someday might have to return the peripherals and not be able to play for 2-4 days. Compare that to getting nothing at all.... Especially since Rock Band is such a positive experience... encourages interest in music and cooperation.....

You have to realize that the best interest for the entire family needs to be taken into account. Instead of dumping almost two bills into this one item that may have a higher chance of being defective, those two bills can be dumped into more gifts to be sitting under the tree.

[Daesania]

Tell ya what Huskie, since I am getting it for xmas... If mine is decent, i'll let ya know :) Could always be a late xmas gift :)

[tomahawk72]

I don't understand why people are getting this game for the PS2!
It's a crippled version of the game. Pick up a 360 or PS3, they've come down in price.

[JB4GDI]

Digital camera vs. Rock Band?

Depends on the quality of the camera. If it was a digital SLR, crap yes I'd take the camera. Anything else? Doesn't hold a candle to the amount of fun you'd have on the drums.

Even if the guitar's are falling apart across the place, at least you've got the drums, which seem rock solid and are the most engaging piece of the game.

-Jaime

[Eastwood]

Even if the guitar's are falling apart across the place, at least you've got the drums, which seem rock solid and are the most engaging piece of the game.

-Jaime

Yeah, but even the drums are suspect. Plus, depending on the age of the kids, a broken guitar on xmas day might be devastating. I remember when I was a kid and something broke in my hands, I always originally thought it was my fault and cried (I was like, aged 4 - 7) because I was worried I would get in trouble. Someone then proceeded to assure me that it wasn't my fault and I felt better, but no one wants their kid crying on xmas day. Some of this equipment is breaking within hours, if not minutes, of play.

[Daesania]

I don't understand why people are getting this game for the PS2!
It's a crippled version of the game. Pick up a 360 or PS3, they've come down in price.

I cant afford a 360 or PS3. I've got 10k in debt that is more important than spending 800ish bucks on a game (that's 500 for elite which is what i'd want+100 for wireless+60 for live+160 for RB). I'd rather get it on PS2 now than wait til the end of summer before i can afford the 360.



Digital camera vs. Rock Band?

Depends on the quality of the camera. If it was a digital SLR, crap yes I'd take the camera. Anything else? Doesn't hold a candle to the amount of fun you'd have on the drums.

Even if the guitar's are falling apart across the place, at least you've got the drums, which seem rock solid and are the most engaging piece of the game.

-Jaime

The camera was a fujifilm s700, its not a SLR as they are still a bit out of my price range, but this one is atleast a 10x optical zoom P&S. Also has a manual mode, and really is not a bad camera considering its a P&S - also has lots of filters available.

[sa_nick]

It's been a long haul for me waiting for any little bit of news. We've all come a long way here watching this game come to fruition via our blog rock, now known as Rock Blog. We also came to admire HMX's staff that visited us, talked to us via their own special blogging styles (Matt's "Silence" was a chuckle) and maybe even experienced the HMX move to another building as if the movers lost our virtual chairs as well as the real ones.

Ahh, the good old days...

I'm taking a risk and importing the game, so even if (or when) something does break I cant get a replacement. I need to read up on electronics and do some modding me thinks.

[logicalnoise]

I cant afford a 360 or PS3. I've got 10k in debt that is more important than spending 800ish bucks on a game (that's 500 for elite which is what i'd want+100 for wireless+60 for live+160 for RB). I'd rather get it on PS2 now than wait til the end of summer before i can afford the 360.




The camera was a fujifilm s700, its not a SLR as they are still a bit out of my price range, but this one is atleast a 10x optical zoom P&S. Also has a manual mode, and really is not a bad camera considering its a P&S - also has lots of filters available.

well for one you can still save some money on the 360.
elite model is actually 450.00(and has 2 games w/ it for the holidays)
The wireless adapte is indeed a rip but you can use any wireless bridge and you can find a perfectly fine one for 40 bucks.
live is only 50 through the actual service and you can still find 13 month sub cards for 40 on amazon and ebay at times.
450+40+40 is only 530 bucks

however I understand family financial burdens but I'm just saying it isn't that bad. I also recommend a canon over a fujifilm(though admittedly i work for canon and am a bit biased).

[Smidget]

wow. well, i hear ya. Its certainly a situation that not all of us can relate with and if you think its best for your kiddies then it is best for your kiddies.

glad you'll still be around :)


EDIT: logicalnoise, you forgot the most important variable! RB! :eek: haha

so, 530 + 160 = 690. Then add tax.

[Joigga]

well huskie i have good news for you! hee is an interview G4 had with Alex Rigupolous


Harmonix filled our inboxes with a double-shot of PR love this morning regarding some concerns people have had over Rock Band.

On the broken strum bars:

As sometimes happens when new products first go into manufacturing, we discovered an imperfection with the strum bar in an early production run of guitars that were shipped at launch. We want to inform you that we have since identified and fixed the issue in all subsequent production runs of the guitars.

If you are experiencing a problem with your guitar or any of your other Rock Band instruments, simply visit the customer support website and we will send a replacement immediately. Harmonix is dedicated to creating 100% customer satisfaction and to those of you who've encountered any hardware issues, we are sorry for the hassle.

We're glad to hear that the problem has been fixed and this will hopefully be behind us soon.


On a less informative note (but it's nice to know they realize it and care), they have addressed the problem with the PS3 version of the game not supporting the Guitar Hero III guitar.

Some of you have contacted us about the PS3 edition of Rock Band--from issues with guitar compatibility to frustration that stand-alone guitars and drums for Rock Band have not yet hit stores. Please know that these issues have our full attention. We are listening and we read everything that is posted on our forums. We are committed to providing the best play experience possible and working hard to ensure that we solve these problems as soon as possible. We promise to keep you updated and, in the meantime, we thank you for your patience.

That's all well and good, Harmonix, but maybe you can hurry up and release the standalone guitars so people can actually play the bass on the PS3 without having to purchase two $170 bundles. We still love you, though!

[Daesania]

well for one you can still save some money on the 360.
elite model is actually 450.00(and has 2 games w/ it for the holidays)
The wireless adapte is indeed a rip but you can use any wireless bridge and you can find a perfectly fine one for 40 bucks.
live is only 50 through the actual service and you can still find 13 month sub cards for 40 on amazon and ebay at times.
450+40+40 is only 530 bucks

however I understand family financial burdens but I'm just saying it isn't that bad. I also recommend a canon over a fujifilm(though admittedly i work for canon and am a bit biased).

Still, 530 is still far out of my price range. I'd still take me til summer to save up that much.

Yeah well if you can recommend a Canon with a 10x optical zoom or an SLR for 150 bucks, then please show me?

[logicalnoise]

Still, 530 is still far out of my price range. I'd still take me til summer to save up that much.

Yeah well if you can recommend a Canon with a 10x optical zoom or an SLR for 150 bucks, then please show me?

with the frame your looking at I don't see how 10x will in fact be all that beneficial. The S700 doesn't have image stabilization which is a huge necessity at that that zoom range. Canon has 3 cameras at that price range with 4x optical zoom and image stabilization.
Plus every review I've seen of the s700 states it's slow clunky and has some serious button layout and GUI design issues. Where as the powershot line has a very easy to use and customize GUI, their quick, have good battery lives and overall just have better and more features. Again I know I'm already biased but I paid 200 for a SD400 2 years ago and haven't regretted it. just my few points. It's your buy and if you need the zoom that bad more power to ya.

[Daesania]

Edit: took it to PMs to not further derail.

[FallenAce]

Ahh, the good old days...

I'm taking a risk and importing the game, so even if (or when) something does break I cant get a replacement. I need to read up on electronics and do some modding me thinks.
When you get to that point, let me know and I'll be happy to help you. I'm an experienced solderer and have been repairing small electronics for a long time. This is a simple switch and/or magnet function, from what I've read, so it'll be an easy fix.

[Huskie]

You have to realize that the best interest for the entire family needs to be taken into account. Instead of dumping almost two bills into this one item that may have a higher chance of being defective, those two bills can be dumped into more gifts to be sitting under the tree.
So true. You understood why I had to make this decision.

IF (capitalized) this happened to be one of those games that wouldn't sell out, thus making it available easily, AND reports of the quality of the instruments have much improved, THEN I would have rode this out with a wait and see attitude.

But as you can see, this is not the case. Reports are still coming in that replacement instruments are failing.
How could the production line be any different for the PS2 if the replacements, that are being sent out today, are failing? I can not see how the PS2 line would be any different. IMO, it's too close to release for something to change here. Another issue is compatibility with the GH1 and GH2 controllers which we don't know anything about. In fact, we know very little about this PS2 release.

Put this all together with a game that is in short supply has to be pre-ordered and I come up with too many unknown variables to make for a great Christmas or a lousy one. I prefer the happy Christmas in my house with lots of gifts for the children that we'll enjoy without any additional frustration.


well huskie i have good news for you! hee is an interview G4 had with Alex Rigupolous

Quote:
"Harmonix filled our inboxes with a double-shot of PR love this morning regarding some concerns people have had over Rock Band.

On the broken strum bars:

As sometimes happens when new products first go into manufacturing, we discovered an imperfection with the strum bar in an early production run of guitars that were shipped at launch. We want to inform you that we have since identified and fixed the issue in all subsequent production runs of the guitars."
I saw that and it is good news but that doesn't explain why the replacements being sent out now are failing? Also, there is no mention of the other issues ... overdrive, drum pads, drum kick, etc.


Tell ya what Huskie, since I am getting it for xmas... If mine is decent, i'll let ya know :) Could always be a late xmas gift :)

Thank you Daesania for being the PS2 test dummy :) I'll be watching for your review after it's released.
And you are correct about it being a late Christmas gift.

[shoombabi]

The issue I have with your whole situation is that it's not like you buy it, hope that it's not broken, and if it is, you're screwed.

Firstly, there's a lot of entertainment to be gained on all the instruments. Even if one "breaks" you can pick up one of the other two in the meantime. As far as guitar goes, my strum bar broke after about 5 hours on expert play, I imagine the breaking point even for an old model is a little bit longer than that when playing fairly slower songs. Also, Guitar Hero controllers for the 360 run for about $40. This is what I used to finish my career mode, and I still prefer it to the stratocaster sometimes.

Besides, you have a 60 day warranty, which, beyond the initial surge of requests, EA has been fairly on top of. Without a major delay, it should take only 3-5 days to get you your new guitar / drums.

[JB4GDI]

Yeah, but even the drums are suspect. Plus, depending on the age of the kids, a broken guitar on xmas day might be devastating. I remember when I was a kid and something broke in my hands, I always originally thought it was my fault and cried (I was like, aged 4 - 7) because I was worried I would get in trouble. Someone then proceeded to assure me that it wasn't my fault and I felt better, but no one wants their kid crying on xmas day. Some of this equipment is breaking within hours, if not minutes, of play.

That's a good point. For the most part, the drums do seem solid (my pedal just broke but it was after 3 weeks of heavy, near-nonstop abuse, but the pads are still super-precise), but I can see those guitar issues going bad on Christmas day.

I know there's not a lot of time left, but if I was a parent buying the game for the kids I'd probably do the following: If I could get rid of the kids for a few hours, I would open the game, abuse the guitar and drums, and if they held up for those few hours, repackage it all. If there were any problems, I would do the warranty thing and get one back before Christmas.

I know that would take a lot of effort, but if I was those kids, I'd have like the greatest Christmas ever.

-Jaime

[Vengeance]

who cares about the insturments you can always use a Guitar Hero 2 or 3 guitar and fix the bass pedal with some tape and super glue (just me it works me and my friend had to do that for the bass pedal)