OFFICIAL COMPATIBILITY STATEMENT FROM EA: xb360/PS3

[yupsolo]

QUESTION
Rock Band Compatibility Statement
Answer
We've stated many times that Rock Band supports an open standard. What does that mean? It means that Rock Band supports the same system that drives a basic PS3 or Xbox 360 controller or peripheral.

If your controller or peripheral doesn't work with Rock Band, it is because the manufacturer doesn't support the standard controller configuration. In other words, if a peripheral or controller doesn't work with Rock Band, then the manufacturer has done something to prevent it from working with Rock Band by changing how the device "talks" to either a PS3 or Xbox 360.

If any controller or peripheral manufacturer wants their product to work with Rock Band, we promise to work with them to create a patch or adapter to make it work.

We also want you to know that we are working to get stand-alone Rock Band Guitars, Drums and Microphones to the market as soon as possible. In addition to rounding out the band with a second guitar, Rock Band supports guitar vs. guitar, drum vs. drum and vocal vs. vocal modes.

We want you to enjoy Rock Band and have set up a superior customer service program. If you have any concerns about Rock Band, please visit: http://support.ea.com/rockband


http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=rFAWdsRi&p_faqid=18428

[Gamemakerman]

Yet the GH3 Les Poul reacts as a Sixaxis controller in Rock Band from what i have read, so its infact supporting that standard Rock Band is using, but stil wont work. I am beginning to love the fact that Harmonix/EA just blames Red Octane for everything, even when their answer can be questioned :D

[yupsolo]

it seems that a PS2 guit+pelican controller will work....

[blue_dragonzero]

Yet the GH3 Les Poul reacts as a Sixaxis controller in Rock Band from what i have read, so its infact supporting that standard Rock Band is using, but stil wont work. I am beginning to love the fact that Harmonix/EA just blames Red Octane for everything, even when their answer can be questioned :D

No that means that it would work as a mic, not a guitar.

[Gamemakerman]

No that means that it would work as a mic, not a guitar.

You can use the SixAxis as a guitar as far as i know, like the 360 pad on the 360 version. I just think it comes down to how its mapped on the controller as that is what Harmonix has done for the Ropck Band guitar, if you read the response.

In the end it could be a question of drivers, but that whould render the statement of an "open platform" useless.

[FlyinWhee]

On consoles, what we call "Drivers" have to be preloaded in the software - basically the software must be made to recognize the specific USB device type. As such, IF the new Guitar Hero controller for PS3 uses a proprietary driver - for whatever reason - Rock Band does NOT have that driver included, for obvious reasons.

So what the statement meant is that the Rock Band peripherals are using the same driver as the standard controllers, they're just remapped to fit the peripheral.

[cromartie90000]

You can use the SixAxis as a guitar as far as i know

Yeah you can my friend did it, you use the trigger buttons and the bumpers and one or two of the colored letter buttons. You get achievements it.

[kiralucifel]

But if Rock Band uses really the standart, le ps3 sixaxis would work for every instrument, but it's not (although it works on GH3).... and I don't think ps3 sixaxis are not made for ps3 standart...

[PinkFloyd]

But if Rock Band uses really the standart, le ps3 sixaxis would work for every instrument, but it's not (although it works on GH3).... and I don't think ps3 sixaxis are not made for ps3 standart...

Rock Band identifies each instrument as such. I believe it's done by sending a signal as if the right analog stick is held in a certain position. For instance, the drums have the rightstick-signal locked in (x,y axis notation) +23,-14 and the guitars in -12,+56.

[kiralucifel]

Okay.... that's it's recognized....
so it would be easy for any third party maker to create a kind of box that gives the proper signal to use Sixaxis or GH3 guitar

[espher]

Bumping because I considering this necessary reading for the drama crowd.

[djroberts]

Can you please then explain why Rock Band sees the Les Paul as a standard controller but not as a "Guitar". I don't think guitars are part of the open standard. If you did support the open standard, I'd be able to play with my SIXAXIS controller like I can on Guitar Hero III.

Please clarify, your statement doesn't help.

[oddroot]

as far as i've read the sixaxis does not work as an instrument at all for the PS3... I haven't heard whether or not the xbox can use one of their controllers as an instrument though (drums/bass/lead guitar).

[MF-PO'd]

So much for their 'open standard' crutch if the Sixaxis doesn't even work. I feel like Harmonix is blatantly lying to my face with that line, so I hope they can clarify that for me so I understand why the Sixaxis isn't considered standard.

[bart2712]

no, on 360 if you turn on a standard controller it looks for a mic, and u cant use a standard controller for instruments, only for the mic.

[Bluvox]

Let's get something straight - I'm not a programmer anymore, although I do dabble in it from time to time.

Every button combination/possibility needs to be programmed - thus if it's a "guitar peripheral" and has the drivers for them, and you want to be able to use a controller as a guitar as well, the logic would look like this -

if device = guitar
{ fret button + strum = note }
else if device = controller
{ button = note }

And for every possibility you have to program the possibility and make the game a lot bulkier with more possibilities for bugs to show up. This is the classic Windows/PC issue - each possibility makes things more difficult to program and cause more issues and bugs.

What Harmonix is saying is that they are looking for the "instrument controller" for the instrument - the game is supposed to be a party game, not just something you can plug in the controller for. They want you to get the full experience of being in a band, not just get some achievements and say "beat it, so what". If the PS3 Les Paul is programmed as a 6-axis only, and not as a "guitar peripheral", then the Les Paul is not built to the standard to determine that the controller is a guitar. This is not something that Harmonix could program for - remember that GH3 only came out a few weeks before Rock Band, that is NOT enough time to adjust for a new peripheral.

End result - if you want to play Rock Band, get a controller you know works with it. Even though I have GH3 for the 360, I still got the special edition, granted it was more for the drums than the guitar, but I haven't used my Les Paul save for bass since Tuesday.

At least it doesn't recognize it as a guitar but since it isn't recognized as a RED OCTANE guitar it won't let you play... wait, that's GH3. Wonder if they are getting the pressure about the Strat not working in GH3 that Harmonix is getting from this?

[TuRDMaN]

Pretty much every PC game in existence lets you maps controls however you see fit. If Harmonix let you play with a regular SIXAXIS (or 3rd party guitar as would be the case with most people) and map the buttons to correspond to the correct frets, there would be no problems. And just for the record, the PS2 guitars identify themselves by holding the analog stick to the right (if memory serves correctly). They were made for games created by Harmonix. If this is not the "open standard" that Harmonix used for Rock Band, why did they change it?

[MF-PO'd]

Let's get something straight - I'm not a programmer anymore, although I do dabble in it from time to time.

Every button combination/possibility needs to be programmed - thus if it's a "guitar peripheral" and has the drivers for them, and you want to be able to use a controller as a guitar as well, the logic would look like this -

if device = guitar
{ fret button + strum = note }
else if device = controller
{ button = note }

And for every possibility you have to program the possibility and make the game a lot bulkier with more possibilities for bugs to show up. This is the classic Windows/PC issue - each possibility makes things more difficult to program and cause more issues and bugs.

What Harmonix is saying is that they are looking for the "instrument controller" for the instrument - the game is supposed to be a party game, not just something you can plug in the controller for. They want you to get the full experience of being in a band, not just get some achievements and say "beat it, so what". If the PS3 Les Paul is programmed as a 6-axis only, and not as a "guitar peripheral", then the Les Paul is not built to the standard to determine that the controller is a guitar. This is not something that Harmonix could program for - remember that GH3 only came out a few weeks before Rock Band, that is NOT enough time to adjust for a new peripheral.

End result - if you want to play Rock Band, get a controller you know works with it. Even though I have GH3 for the 360, I still got the special edition, granted it was more for the drums than the guitar, but I haven't used my Les Paul save for bass since Tuesday.

At least it doesn't recognize it as a guitar but since it isn't recognized as a RED OCTANE guitar it won't let you play... wait, that's GH3. Wonder if they are getting the pressure about the Strat not working in GH3 that Harmonix is getting from this?

I don't think it's Harmonix' position to say that it's a party game only and not accept an individual controller. Are they rejecting me an individual player in that case? Why is the standalone PS3 game for sale? I don't know how you even have an individual experience with that product let alone the party experience.

If the LP is programmed like a Sixaxis, why not allow the game to accept that, and then both controllers would work? It's not like the Sixaxis is some 3rd party controller that nobody has. I don't even know how they get away with not allowing it.

As for the Strat not working in GH3, I think the reason there is no pressure on Red Octane for that is because everyone knew ahead of time it would not work. There were no expectations set that it would work. Also, there is no inequality issue there where it works on one system and not on the other.

[Blue_Murder]

Ok, if that's true. Anyone tried to plug the Rock Band guitar with Guitar Hero Rock The 80s running on PS3?