PS3 Controller Compatibility Routine Patch

[FakeNBake]

it is obvious that without the 1.21 gigawatts needed to achieve time travel that the technical posts in this thread are misplaced...

eargerly awaiting the patch...THANKS HARMONIX!

[SoulScreme]

One thing that all this analysis of the controller compatibility is missing is something very simple: however a guitar controller works when it is hooked up, the game must first recognize it as a guitar controller.

Despite mapping its buttons to standard SIXAXIS buttons, the Les Paul is recognized by GH3 as a guitar controller. Want proof? Plug in one Les Paul and start a co-op career. The very first screen allows you to select who's playing the game with the Les Paul and who's playing it with the SIXAXIS.

So the GH3 software recognizes and distinguishes it from a standard SIXAXIS controller.

In Rock Band, something that parallels that is at work: the game knows what's a Strat, what's the drum kit, and what's a SIXAXIS.

But when you plug in the Les Paul, Rock Band sees it as a SIXAXIS.

That, to me, is what puts the hardware compatibility issue solely at Red Octane's feet: their own game can distinguish that it is a guitar controller, but it looks like a SIXAXIS to the PS3 in every other situation. That speaks of a proprietary scheme for peripheral recognition that they implemented fully only within their own game.

That's most likely untrue. You see, USB devices have a device ID. I'm sure that GH3 is simply reading the device ID and saying, "Yep, that's a Les Paul." I'm also fairly sure that is all that Rock Band is doing as well after the patch.

[jimbronie]

does anyone know if the patch is available anyway else besides online? i wonder how they will patch rock banders who are not online.

[DesiredFX]

That's most likely untrue. You see, USB devices have a device ID. I'm sure that GH3 is simply reading the device ID and saying, "Yep, that's a Les Paul." I'm also fairly sure that is all that Rock Band is doing as well after the patch.

Even if it was that simple, it was still made proprietary, because the rest of the system recognizes it as a SIXAXIS, not a guitar controller that works like a SIXAXIS. Even if all they needed to do to make it compatible was release a string of digits, it's apparent they didn't do that.

In fact, the PS3 doesn't completely recognize it as a SIXAXIS, either, because it would then be compatible with PS2 GH games played on the PS3.

I also have a tendency to want to put this at Red Octane's feet because it's not the first time we've seen an issue with the controllers being proprietary: a flying V wireless controller that worked with GH required an adapter to work with GH2...but the original GH SG worked just fine with GH2...

[eVan_Diesel]

does anyone know if the patch is available anyway else besides online? i wonder how they will patch rock banders who are not online.

That's the silliest thing I've ever read.

[DesiredFX]

does anyone know if the patch is available anyway else besides online? i wonder how they will patch rock banders who are not online.

Sony makes system patches available from the Web. I'm sure if someone requests it, Harmonix will do the same.

[Nate Finch]

does anyone know if the patch is available anyway else besides online? i wonder how they will patch rock banders who are not online.

I don't believe there's any other way to get it. In this generation of consoles, you're losing a LOT by not being online, and I think most developers assume you're going to be able to get updates online.

[thrdeye]

Uh, that doesn't make any sense. This is a patch to the Rock Band software. No amount of patching to that will affect Guitar Hero 3 in any way.

I don't really care about GH3. I guess I was just thinking that if this patch is changing the way guitars communicate with the PS3, then there might be hope for 1 and 2. But, I'd say you're right

[thrdeye]

That's the silliest thing I've ever read.

Not everyone has the internets, you know.

[Nate Finch]

I don't really care about GH3. I guess I was just thinking that if this patch is changing the way guitars communicate with the PS3, then there might be hope for 1 and 2. But, I'd say you're right

Yeah, unfortunately. It is likely just changing how the Rock Band software deals with information sent by the guitar. It won't affect the rest of the PS3 at all and it won't change the guitars themselves at all, and thus won't change the experience in GH3.