I hope that's not the final guitar

[skyehill]

I've been reading the press impressions of Rock Band, and they all love the game. But pretty much all of them say the same thing: the guitar controller STINKS. Flush buttons might make the guitar look more "real" and less like a toy, but it also is making it hard for people to know where they are on the neck of the guitar. I hope to god they fix this, even if that means it looks more like a toy. Several previewers also stated that the guitar felt cheap. We have 4 months to release, so I hope the most important peripheral (at least to me) gets fixed.

[Jimmik]

I don't think it could be that bad. If you ever lose your fingering just reach one further to the left or right of where the green or orange button should be and if you cant push it down you know that you're too far. I don't see how big of a problem it could be, but I haven't used the new guitars

[Brock_Landers]

Agreed. I was quite surprised that the guitars supposedly felt lightweight.. considering they're larger and all// or perhaps they meant lightweight in relation to it's size?

maybe they could have small ridges coming up between each button.. small enough that you can still slide your fingers over them easily enough.. but big enough that you can still feel the boundries of each fret? Without playing it it's hard to pinpoint the exact problem and how to rectify it.. but it does sound like there's some issues, sadly

[ThePaska]

I think that might have been the only complaint with the game so far, that there were a few problems with the guitar. Most reviews just chalked it up to the guitar still being a prototype and not the final version of the guitar.

I wouldn't be worried, I assume they know the complaints and will fix them, and I don't think it could be that easy to lose your spot on the neck, like any new controller it just requires a little playing to get used to it then it should feel as comfortable as anything.

The guitar controller looks great, and realistic, I hope they don't change the buttons, I think having the color on the side of the neck is good enough, people shouldn't have too much trouble with the final version of it.

[FunkaTrunk]

I love the way it is. Trust me, you'll get used to it real quick.

[TheRocker]

I love the way it is. Trust me, you'll get used to it real quick.

Yeah i will get used to it

[StartSomething]

Glad to hear that

[Eman311]

Who has to look at the fret buttons when they play gh 1 or 2?

i don't and i think it looks awesome........maybe they said it feels lightweight because of how much bigger it is than a gh controller, yet is about the same weight wise. There cant be that much more to the controller than w/e was added for the 5 way switch

[Brock_Landers]

Remember that these complaints are coming from experienced GH players.. and while I don't doubt that we'd "get used to it" imagine how much tougher the learning curve would be for people completely new to the game

Don't wanna scare all the noobs off

[Eman311]

Remember that these complaints are coming from experienced GH players.. and while I don't doubt that we'd "get used to it" imagine how much tougher the learning curve would be for people completely new to the game

Don't wanna scare all the noobs off
if they're noobs they would suck no matter what guitar they used :p

[ThePaska]

I guess flush buttons could be a little hard to use, but they really shouldn't be. You should be able to know where you are on the neck of the guitar, your hand almost never has to move that far. I guess one solution would be to raise the buttons slightly, or put a little bump on them similar to the yellow button on the GH guitar so that your fingers can find them more easily.

[nothin2lose07]

It doesn't really matter to me, as long as they have the 3rd fret marked, I will know where I am. Also the 3rd fret should be marked where the new solo frets are. Other than that, the guitar looks awesome. And if you don't like it, there is always GH2 Guitar you can use.

[mobhit101]

Yea this also kind of concerns me. The ONLY complaint that I've heard is these issues with the guitar. I hope not having Red Octane any more doesn't affect the quality in the controllers. I'm sure it'll all be fine. I just can't wait to get my own paws on them! ;)

[Sonofmogh]

It can't be THAT bad. I think the guitar looks amazing and I'm sure I'll get used to it...also, if ur really having trouble you can always use the xplorer guitar...assuming you've got xbox 360 and assuming you've bought GHII!

[Sonofmogh]

also, the colors are marked on the side of the guitar so as u look down at the Guitar you can see them.

[Emo_Reaper]

Yea, I personally love the way the new guitars are and I doubt noobs would care.

[Brock_Landers]

It doesn't really matter to me, as long as they have the 3rd fret marked, I will know where I am. Also the 3rd fret should be marked where the new solo frets are. Other than that, the guitar looks awesome. And if you don't like it, there is always GH2 Guitar you can use.

Well it may matter to you then, since the pictures that we've seen so far the third fret's aren't marked.. and others have said that they don't want a ridge in the middle of the button either as it irritates their fingers, so the ridge may not be coming back...

Still, I think if you put small ridges on both sides of the buttons, that may help people when they over/underextend along the fretboard

As for colors.. looking down at the buttons should be the very last thing you resort to doing when it comes to fixing your hand position. There should be safegaurds in place before you get to the stage where you've gotta take your eyes off the screen.

[nothin2lose07]

Well it may matter to you then, since the pictures that we've seen so far the third fret's aren't marked.. and others have said that they don't want a ridge in the middle of the button either as it irritates their fingers, so the ridge may not be coming back...

Still, I think if you put small ridges on both sides of the buttons, that may help people when they over/underextend along the fretboard

As for colors.. looking down at the buttons should be the very last thing you resort to doing when it comes to fixing your hand position. There should be safegaurds in place before you get to the stage where you've gotta take your eyes off the screen.

I guess it's not a big deal. I have never looked down to see where my hands were on the guitar. It probably won't be as big of a deal as people are making it. They will get use to it, as I will too. Has the ridge ever irritated anyone? I find it useful, but I guess most people don't.

[hmxsean]

RE- The guitar feeling lightweight and the strumming being weird.

Yeah there were the prototypes out there and the thing with prototypes is they never feel as polished as the final product. We've been testing the crud out of them here and have sent along a long list of needs for the final version (which will be awesome.)

[PurpleHaze]

Yeah there were the prototypes out there and the thing with prototypes is they never feel as polished as the final product. We've been testing the crud out of them here and have sent along a long list of needs for the final version (which will be awesome.)I have faith in Harmonix, but my only concern would be that a number of articles have said that you're intending to do a software fix for the problem of hitting pause accidentally, and that would imply to me that the hardware of the guitar is pretty finalized at this point.

[Coldplayer]

I absolutly love the look of the guitars! They look like my real guitar at home!! All the buttons and everything else, it's there. I'm absolutly in love with the RockBand guitar.

[Kaboobi]

I have faith in Harmonix, but my only concern would be that a number of articles have said that you're intending to do a software fix for the problem of hitting pause accidentally, and that would imply to me that the hardware of the guitar is pretty finalized at this point.

That implies that they're trying to keep the same shape as a Strat rather than move the buttons around so that it's not a Strat anymore.

[PurpleHaze]

That implies that they're trying to keep the same shape as a Strat rather than move the buttons around so that it's not a Strat anymore.Moving the buttons doesn't mean they have to change the shape of the guitar. I just found it an odd decision, it would obviously be preferable to have a hardware fix, such as moving the buttons so it doesn't happen in the first place. Therefore, the fact that they're falling back on a software fix, where the button has to be held down longer to pause, does suggest that at least that aspect of the guitar is now too final to change.

[FunkaTrunk]

Bah! I'm a lefty, so I'll have no trouble hitting the pause button accidently. When you hit the wammy bar, just hold your ring and pinky fingers with you thumb, and use your index and middle fingers to move it up and down. Or just stick your thumb out like your hand is a gun, and use your index and middle fingers.

[skyehill]

I love the way it is. Trust me, you'll get used to it real quick.

Yeah, I don't think I'm going to trust someone that's never used it. I do, however, trust the previewers that loved GH1 and 2 who are now saying the guitar for RB is flawed. Hopefully the complaints are addressed during the 4 months before the release of the game.

[skyehill]

RE- The guitar feeling lightweight and the strumming being weird.

Yeah there were the prototypes out there and the thing with prototypes is they never feel as polished as the final product. We've been testing the crud out of them here and have sent along a long list of needs for the final version (which will be awesome.)


Good to hear, Sean. Your presence on this forum is much appreciated.

[kindmortal]

Sorry to say that i really dont care about the guitar. I want the drums, because i have xbox live, so if any one wants to join my band, let me know.

[mobhit101]

RE- The guitar feeling lightweight and the strumming being weird.

Yeah there were the prototypes out there and the thing with prototypes is they never feel as polished as the final product. We've been testing the crud out of them here and have sent along a long list of needs for the final version (which will be awesome.)

Awesome. Very good to hear. Well then that pretty much crushes any doubts that I previously had. On a side note, the guitar does look really REALLY sick! I mean that thing is sexy and I can't wait to touch it!

[Zietes]

For all the people whining about the colored frets. If it really bothers you THAT much then get sharpies of each color and color them -.-;; Or get paint or something. It'll ruin your awesome Rockband Guitar but atleast it'll get you to stop the whining.

[sporkBrigade]

Moving the buttons doesn't mean they have to change the shape of the guitar. I just found it an odd decision, it would obviously be preferable to have a hardware fix, such as moving the buttons so it doesn't happen in the first place. Therefore, the fact that they're falling back on a software fix, where the button has to be held down longer to pause, does suggest that at least that aspect of the guitar is now too final to change.

It's not just the shape or outline of the guitar that makes it a strat. The buttons and everything else all play a part in making this replica feel authentic, so yes, moving the buttons would effect that. A software fix is much more effective then moving the buttons anyway, so I'm all for it. As impossible as it seems, I have people pause the game on my Xplorer, so a software fix is overdue.

Kaboobi's real point remains the same. The article referenced was only talking about the pausing issue, and didn't say anything about the guitar's weight/fret buttons/strum bar. Just because they want to keep the buttons in the same place doesn't mean the guitar is final, so don't read too much into it.

[Brock_Landers]

For all the people whining about the colored frets. If it really bothers you THAT much then get sharpies of each color and color them -.-;; Or get paint or something. It'll ruin your awesome Rockband Guitar but atleast it'll get you to stop the whining.

Is anyone actually complaining about that? I must have missed it :D

[Apples]

I own two Xplorers. When it was announced that Rock Band would effectively support the Xplorer, I was of the distinct opinion that there was NO way I would be purchasing another guitar.

Now, after seeing the features, the retooling, and the overall look I have had to re-think that opinion. It is a testament to the clever and savvy work of the design team that they can sell guitars to fans who are already "fully stocked" from GH2.


As I recall, the beta version Xplorers received less than stellar reviews pre-360 launch. It seems like they were able to get that controller version in a good spot prior to release, I would expect the same of Rock Band.

[skyehill]

Is anyone actually complaining about that? I must have missed it :D


No, no one was complaining about the colors. Reading comprehension ftl

The concern was that the flush buttons wouldn't be easy to identify without looking at them. And I trust people that have played the game far more than people that are simply looking at a picture of it saying ITS AWESOME. I'm sure Sean will fill us in, either via the forum or in future previews on gaming sites, what the final guitar is like. If I have faith in anything, its in Harmonix. They've given me nothing but gaming greatness since Frequency.

[sa_nick]

Whenever I loose my placing on the frets I donut look down at the guitar neck or feel for the yellow fret, I just keep looking at the TV. The fret board shows you what button your pushing, it's much easier to look at that (which your pretty much already doing anyway) and adjust your fingers that way.

As far as the layout of the guitar goes I love it. I've never accidentally pushed the pause button but a few of my friends have, I think a software fix is the best solution to this problem not only because it'll keep the Strats features intact but might also help weed out people who pause the game to take a break when going for high scores.

The weight of it... Hmm, I think it should be heavier than the GH controllers that's for sure. I'm not gonna be mega upset if it's about the same though.

[Edward_Ghoul]

if they're noobs they would suck no matter what guitar they used :p

Hahaha true.
Sounds like there may be some time to get used to it, but I don't think it could be that bad.

[newwaytodie]

Colors aren't even important... Frequency didn't have colors, or even a linear design like GH. Flush buttons? If anything that would make it easier to play. Sliding your hand into position for power chords was less than natural in GH.