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For long-suffering Rock Band fans who've spent years contending with skyrocketing eBay prices for the beloved rhythm game's instrument controllers, relief is finally in sight: a new guitar is set to launch this spring.
The Riffmaster wireless guitar controller is on the way in spring 2024 from peripheral maker PDP, as announced through IGN. This controller will come in Xbox and PlayStation-specific variations, and both will feature an ambidextrous design, headphone jack, and advertised battery life of 36 hours. There's no word on pricing yet, but the controller will be fully compatible with Rock Band 4, and PDP says it has "anticipated compatibility" with Fortnite, whenever Fortnite Festival guitar controller support finally launches.
The box for the PlayStation version notes that it's compatible with PC as well, and it's likely to be the same for the Xbox controller. While there's no official version of Rock Band on PC, fan games like Clone Hero offer alternatives with loads of community-created songs, and it would be good to see that fandom get a new controller option, too.
PDPis the same company that partnered with Harmonix for the last batch of official instruments, which were released alongside Rock Band 4's Rivals expansion back in 2016. Rock Band 4 was continually supported with DLC until just this month, and with no new controllers being manufactured, prices on those instruments have been skyrocketing on secondhand marketplaces over the past several years. At launch, you could buy a brand-new Rock Band 4 guitar for $130 USD, and that included the game. In 2024, you can expect to spend upwards of $200 for a single used guitar controller on eBay.
There's one caveat to all this excitement in the Rock Band fandom, though admittedly it's a matter of personal taste. PDP's new guitar is, indeed, in the Rock Band style, which means it has a 'membrane' strum bar that can feel mushy as you're picking notes. Some rhythm game fans - myself included - prefer the Guitar Hero-style strum bar that clicks to give you a more precise indication of your timing. There are mods to give original Rock Band controllers that clicky feel, so here's hoping they'll work with this new model, too. Either way, it's about time Rock Band fans finally get a new option.
The best rhythm games are timeless.
