Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that they will begin shipping individual instrument peripherals for Rock Band to U.S. stores beginning on February 12. The companies will also deliver a stand-alone wireless guitar for all versions of Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3 and PS2).
With standalone instruments, players can expand the Rock Band experience by competing in play modes such as Microphone vs. Microphone, Drum vs. Drum and Guitar vs. Guitar. With these instrument-based “versus� modes, gamers can battle against each other in “Score Duel� mode for the high score, or in the “Tug-O-War� mode in which giving the best performance is key. These “versus� modes can be played locally or online and work with all Rock Band downloaded song tracks. In order to play downloadable content for head-to-head matches all players must own the same downloadable track.
In addition, gamers will be able to buy a new wireless guitar to round out their Rock Band Special Edition Bundle. The Rock Band Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller will ship April 1 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PS2 and carry an MSRP of $59.99. And no, just because it ships April 1 doesn’t mean this is an April Fool’s joke. It’s not the right time for that right now, is it?
The standalone Rock Band Drum Kit will ship Feb. 12 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PS2 and retail for $79.99.