Suddenly the "battle of the bands"
just got a lot more interesting.
Yesterday's long-awaited announcement that music
game Rock Band will finally be released in Australia on November 7 will give
competitor Activision Blizzard, publisher of the Guitar Hero series, significant
pause for thought.
Today Electronic Arts confirmed pricing for
Rock Band peripherals and the "Instrument Pack" which features a drum
kit, guitar and microphone is $250 on all formats - significantly cheaper than
Guitar Hero World Tour, which is released on November 12 in Australia.
The "Complete Band" bundle for
World Tour, featuring a drum kit, guitar and microphone, costs $330 on PS3 and
Xbox 360, $320 on Wii and $300 on PS2, so gamers can save up to $80 by choosing
Rock Band instead of Guitar Hero World Tour.
However, many Rock Band players have
complained that the game's peripherals are poorly built, suffering from
problems such as snapped drum pedals and broken guitar strums, and sequel Rock
Band 2, which has already been released in the US, has superior instruments
with additional features.
Sony and Microsoft are working with the
developers of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games to ensure that peripherals
are cross-compatible.
Full pricing information for the various Rock
Band packages is below.
PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2
Instrument Pack + Software Bundle RRP
$249.99***
Instrument Pack (excluding Software) RRP
$199.99
Standalone Drums + Software Bundle RRP
$179.99***
Standalone Guitar + Software Bundle RRP
$139.99***
Standalone Drums RRP $129.99
PS3 Software RRP $99.99
Standalone Guitar RRP $89.99
PS2 Software RRP $69.99
PS2 Song Pack 1 RRP 39.99
Xbox 360
Instrument Pack + Software Bundle RRP
$249.99***
Instrument Pack (excluding Software) RRP
$199.99
Standalone Drums + Software Bundle RRP
$179.99***
Standalone Guitar + Software Bundle RRP
$139.99***
Standalone Drums RRP $129.99
360 Software RRP $99.99
Standalone Guitar RRP $89.99
Wii
Instrument Pack + Software Bundle RRP
$249.99***
Instrument Pack (excluding Software) RRP
$199.99
Standalone Drums + Software Bundle RRP
$179.99***
Standalone Guitar + Software Bundle RRP
$139.99***
Standalone Drums RRP $129.99
Wii Software RRP $89.99
Standalone Guitar RRP $89.99
Wii Song Pack 1 RRP 39.99
*** Bundle offer and price may differ according
to retailer