Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band Guitars NOT compatible!

[Destructor]

Via 1UP:

Starting with the release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (a few weeks ahead of Rock Band's November 20 date), gamers will have to make a choice about which rock star-imitating title to align with -- or pony up double the money to participate in both experiences. The companies involved are shaping the impending musical battle to be a one-or-the-other affair for gamers, with a hush-hush mentality falling over guitar compatibility between the two games with almost identical gameplay interfaces.

If you purchase Rock Band, you cannot use that controller in Guitar Hero III -- technically, players can navigate the menus but actual gameplay is completely broken -- and we've heard there are absolutely no plans for Red Octane, Neversoft and Activision to release a patch implementing support after launch. On the flip side, if you purchase Guitar Hero III's bundle, there's a very good chance you cannot use that controller in Rock Band. We don't have the Guitar Hero III peripheral on-hand to provide absolute confirmation, but no one would confirm support to 1UP -- we asked both sides for confirmation of a simple yes or no to compatibility -- so it makes sense.

Of random note - if you have the 360 Explorer that came with Guitar Hero 2, you WILL be able to use that in both GH3 and RB. Go figure. All I know is that this is gonna get expensive if you want to buy both games, and if you don't own GH2 already.

[JCC]

Bad decision by both companies, and both will lose game sales because of it. I think it will hurt Rock Band more than GH3.

[EngineNo9]

They're probably saying that because if you could just use the Rock Band guitar (which you have to buy if you want the game this year) then you would just wait and buy the non-bundled version of Guitar Hero 3.  At least that's what I would do if I planned on buying those games. 

[javahead]

More likely they could not afford/justify the cost of a license to have cross-compatible guitars

People will join one of two camps and be happy more than not.

[Knightshade Dragon]

This doesn't make any sense whatsoever.  I need to talk to my various reps about this...

[disarm]

This doesn't make any sense whatsoever.  I need to talk to my various reps about this...

definitely doesn't make sense right now...and it really should be cleared up regardless of how the two companies want to compete with each other.  personally, i can't see why the basic functions of the guitars wouldn't be cross-compatible.  it seems like the button presses should just register like any other controller, at least for the wired versions...who knows what kind of protocol they use for wireless.  i have a hard time believing that they would have coded something into the software and built game-specific guitars, yet somehow kept the GH2 Xplorer functional for both games though.  it just seems a little odd to me...

in any case, my current plan is to pick up GH3 on sunday and use my two Xplorer controllers to enjoy the game.  when i get around to picking up Rock Band, i'll probably buy the full kit because it really is the best deal, and the extra fret buttons that don't require you to strum notes seem like a pretty significant addition.  there's definitely no way i'm buying all-new controllers for both games.

[shaggydoug]

If you read the article, Harmonix really seems to be accusing Red Octane of not following "open standards".  Red Octane has no comment.

To me...it just seems like a lot of bad blood between the two.

- shaggy

[Ralph-Wiggum]

In an interview I read a few weeks ago, someone at Harmonix stated that their guitars would follow the compatibility guidelines (?) set up for any third party guitar. If that is still true then it sounds like it's Red Octane that is the one responsible for the incompatibility between the two games.

[Scott]

Didn't Harmonix do Guitar Hero I and 2?  Why would there be bad blood?

[disarm]

Didn't Harmonix do Guitar Hero I and 2?  Why would there be bad blood?

Harmonix switched to making Rock Band, and the guys at Neversoft were given the responsibility of making GH3.  the 'bad blood' stems from the two being direct competitors, with Harmonix putting Rock Band up against the latest game in the series they created and have now left behind.

[Canuck]

I guess you kids will have to buy two ridiculous looking plastic guitars rather than one.  Shame what it takes to look like a dork these days.

[Chaz]

The 1up article isn't necessarily the last word on this.  There's a thread about it on the Rock Band boards, and according to IGN, the GH3 guitar does work on Rock Band.

Also, the 1up article has been updated with a disclaimer saying basically "This is all speculation based on the Rock Band guitar not working on GH3, and we're really not sure if anything about the GH3 guitar not working on RB is true."

[shaggydoug]

I guess you kids will have to buy two ridiculous looking plastic guitars rather than one.  Shame what it takes to look like a dork these days.

Hey!  I resemble that remark!

- shaggy

[semiconscious]

I guess you kids will have to buy two ridiculous looking plastic guitars rather than one.  Shame what it takes to look like a dork these days.

just... plain... nasty... ...

[Canuck]

I guess you kids will have to buy two ridiculous looking plastic guitars rather than one.  Shame what it takes to look like a dork these days.

Hey!  I resemble that remark!

- shaggy

lol

well played.

[Larraque]

This makes no sense. Can someone verify my assumptions here:

Guitar Hero 3 controller - not compatable with Rock Band
Guitar Hero 3 controller - compatable with Guitar Hero 2 

Guitar Hero 2 controller - Compatable with Rock Band
Guitar Hero 2 controller - compatable with Guitar Hero 3

Rock Band Guitar Controller - Compatable with Guitar Hero 2
Rock Band Guitar Controller - Not compatable with Guitar Hero 3

Again. This makes no sense whatsoever.

If Guitar Hero 3's controller is compatable with Guitar Hero 2, and Guitar Hero 2's controller is compatable with GH3, then it stands to reason that they've followed the proper standard. And if GH2's controller works with Rock Band and Rock Band's controller works with GH2, then they followed the standard. If both of those work, it seems pretty unlikely that GH3's controller won't work for Rock Band.

But really, it's all fucking button presses on a controller. On PS2, you could use the guitar hero controller (not well) for other games. To over-simplify things, you press a button and it sends a signal to the system and the game processed that signal. Down-A = Green, Down-B = Blue, Down-C = Yellow, and so on. Or whatever color. I don't care.

For a game like Guitar Hero 3, to ensure incompatability with controllers, it sounds to me like you would need to purposefully re-write the controller compatability piece. Chances seem quite good that for Rock Band, they didn't completely re-write the underlying objects for the controller piece. If they did, they're just giving themselves extra work.

Take the guitar class objects from GH2, take the microphone class objects from Singstar, write new drum class objects = interface interoperability. Again, dumbing it down a lot here. It's kind of like taking the Unreal engine and using it for a different game.  Some modifications are needed, but the same basic game is there.

To summarize - GH3's controller not working for Rock Band is bullshit. If this is true, then someone screwed up, plain and simple, and probably on purpose.

[Larraque]

For the record, I was planning on buying GH3 with Guitar next week for my 360 (I have GH2 on my PS2) and Rock Band Nov 20th.

GH3 has now lost a sale, solely because of this rumor. I'll now be waiting for GH3 until after Rock Band comes out so I can be 100% sure that there is no incompatability. If it turns out that the controller truly isn't compatable, then I will probably never buy GH3. With rock band bundle missing a 2nd guitar, I'll end up buying a 3rd party controller for my rock band needs.

[Harkonis]

Everything that I had read prior to this news stated that RB guitars will work with GH2 and Rockband.  GH3 guitars will work with RB and GH2 and GH3.  They intentionally made RB work with GH3 guitars I thought, but GH3 makers are being selfish and greedy and won't allow RB guitars to work with GH3.  this right?

[dback99]

Sweet mother im confused.  I thought that if I bought a GH3 guitar for the PS3, it wouldn't work with Guitar Hero, or GH Rocks the 80's.  So the GH3 guitar AND the RB guitar would work with the previous GH games on the PS3?

-dback

[wonderpug]

Everything that I had read prior to this news stated that RB guitars will work with GH2 and Rockband.  GH3 guitars will work with RB and GH2 and GH3.  They intentionally made RB work with GH3 guitars I thought, but GH3 makers are being selfish and greedy and won't allow RB guitars to work with GH3.  this right?

Before this news, the knowledge was: Harmonix played nice with standards so that GH2 guitars will work with RB, 3rd party guitars will have every opportunity to work with RB, and it's in Red Octane's hands whether the GH3 guitar will work with RB.

Now, if you trust IGN and 1up, the rumors are:
GH3 guitars DO work on Rock Band sans wah/reverb/etc effects

RB guitars do NOT work on GH3 and it's Neversoft/Red Octane/Activision's fault

Sweet mother im confused.  I thought that if I bought a GH3 guitar for the PS3, it wouldn't work with Guitar Hero, or GH Rocks the 80's.  So the GH3 guitar AND the RB guitar would work with the previous GH games on the PS3?

The PS3 is a different story.  I don't have a link, but I'm pretty sure the PS3 GH3 guitar will not work with the PS2 games.  I remember this being more of a Sony thing, so I would guess that PS3 RB guitars will not work on PS2 versions of GHI, GHII, or GH80s.  I don't know for sure, though, and this is getting way too confusing.

[Scott]

From reading more about the 360, it looks like GH3's wireless controller will work on GH2 and Rock Band.  I'm assuming Rock Band will have a 'bass track' or something similar so four people can get into the game (2 guitars, drums, vocals?)

[disarm]

a repost of some information i first put in the Rock Band thread...sums up the situation pretty well...

IGN has posted an article where they tested compatibility of the various guitar controllers and games.  the results are interesting...here's what they found...

• 360 GH2 Xplorer works with GH2, GH3 and Rock Band...but it lacks the special 'guitar effects' capabilities of the Rock Band Stratocaster
• GH3 Les Paul works with all three games, but once again can't activate Rock Band effects
• GH3 Les Paul will not work when trying to play GH2 on the PS3 using backward compatibility
• 360 Rock Band Strat does not work at all with either GH2 or GH3
• PS3 Rock Band Strat has not yet been tested with GH2 or GH3

another interesting discovery...

• During 'jam' sections of Rock Band tracks, where you can press any buttons to boost your score, you can play the Strat without strumming...you have to strum each note for them to register with the Xplorer or Les Paul

they also asked both Activision/RedOctane and Harmonix to comment on compatibility issues.  Activision declined to comment until they had time to prepare an official statement.  Harmonix had the following to say...

Harmonix develops and bases all of our games, guitars and other peripherals on open standards established by platform manufacturers such as Microsoft and Sony. Rock Band is no exception and supports an open controller standard. Guitar controllers are like any other standard game controllers--the controller sends a signal back to the game depending on the buttons you push. If a third party game controller is based on open standards, then it should work with Rock Band as well. If certain controllers do not work with Rock Band, questions about those controllers should be directed to the peripheral manufacturer. In addition, we welcome any 3rd party software that wishes to support Rock Band guitars. If a 3rd party guitar / music game does not support the Rock Band guitar controller, questions regarding this should be directed to the game manufacturer.

The official Rock Band guitars and peripherals are custom designed to help players to blur the line between playing a game and being in a band. Harmonix has modeled the guitar on a Fender Stratocaster and engineered the strum bar so it feels like you are playing a real guitar. We have ten fret buttons--5 on the top and 5 on the bottom---and have even built in a five-way effects switch that interacts with the game. Obviously the players have a choice, but we truly feel that once they play Rock Band with the Stratocaster, they will not want to use any other guitar controller.

i think that statement from Harmonix is pretty interesting considering that their controller is the one that isn't cross-compatible.  that doesn't mean it's their fault though...

From reading more about the 360, it looks like GH3's wireless controller will work on GH2 and Rock Band.  I'm assuming Rock Band will have a 'bass track' or something similar so four people can get into the game (2 guitars, drums, vocals?)

that is correct.

[leo8877]

I am looking in the GH3 manual and it says that Activision expressly prohibits the use of the guitar hero control with any other game, FWIW.