Game accessory maker Mad Catz has announced that it has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with MTV to produce instrument controllers for Rock Band.
Mad Catz says that its controllers, including guitars, drums, and microphones, will start to ship in the first half of this year.
The company doesn't say how its instrument controllers will differ from Harmonix's first-party devices. But in general, aftermarket game controllers either add features or cut the price down. Mad Catz says that its guitars will come in both wired and wireless flavors. Harmonix has yet to ship the latter.
My experiences with Mad Catz devices are limited to using some of their Dreamcast controllers back in the day, and I found them to be pretty much universally terrible. But educate me, readers: Has Mad Catz equipment raised its standards of quality in the ensuing years? Should we be looking forward to more feature-rich controllers that will replace our current Rock Band gear? Or will these most likely be cheaper versions that lower the barrier of entry?
Interesting, also, that Harmonix is actively participating in this by licensing their technology. We've known for a while that they have wanted to get all possible peripherals working with the game, but I didn't imagine that would extend to actively seeking out other manufacturers to provide drum sets and wireless guitars.
It's certainly the opposite of Activision's strategy with Guitar Hero.
From: http://blog.wired.com/
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