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peripherals
Mad Catz Launch Porta-Drums For Rock Band
Posted by Stuart Houghton at 5:20 AM on September 24, 2008
Anyone who co-habits with a non-gamer - be they partner, parent or pissed off flatmate - will have had the "Why is this shit in front of the TV" conversation.
Rock Band takes this to new levels of lounge clutter - the drum kit in particular is a real carpet-hog, It's even worse if you have to lug it across town to your bandmates' place.
Purveyors of kerwality peripherals Mad Catz have a possible solution - this portable Drum Kit is basically just the 'skins' from the drum pads that you can lay on any surface you like. It's not going to feel as satisfying as thwacking the real thing, but with the included drum pedal and 'noise-reduction' sticks you might avoid another tidying up argument for a mere $59.
Portable Rock Band drum kit rids your living room of clutter [Dvice via ChipChick via SlipperyBrick]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
LordAdam\Purplesfinx
Posted September 24, 2008 10:39 AM
Cool idea. This very moment I'm sitting in a boring university class, scared that my car parked outside is going to be broken into and my drum set stolen, or my guitars damaged after going over one too many speedhumps.
...Or that I'll get ticket inspected. I was 5 cents short.
Though, personally, I would rather something that didn't require a perfectly high table to play on. Something thinner than the original drums but more (and more easily) collapsible would be good. These seem impractical, especially considering how hard it is to play flat (not angled towards you) drums.
Also, my ideal drum set would have an attachable pedal. Still removable, but it wouldn't flop around everywhere when I move the damn thing.
Oh. Also wireless if possible. And a PS3 version.
Still, at least it's a start, and it'll drive competition.
Benjammn
Posted 6:02 AM 24/9/08
If they are sturdy, these could work for making your own drum sets by using either practice pads or real drums. It has its applications, but I personally wouldn't use these pads as is.
Benjammn
Yonderboy
Posted 6:01 AM 24/9/08
@vid3oman64:
My mate isn't the least bit flat, thank you.
Hubba hubba.
Yonderboy
ZeeBeeEss
Posted 5:57 AM 24/9/08
I gambled and got the Madcatz bass guitar and was surprised at how awesome it was.
If they are actually on a quality kick, this would be great for those that don't the room for the wireless drum kit. Though, it might take away from the "drum kit" experience a little.
ZeeBeeEss
Xiatter
Posted 5:57 AM 24/9/08
Forget the drumset. I just want that NES controller knockoff by itself.
Xiatter
vunna
Posted 5:47 AM 24/9/08
This could be the worst idea I have even seen. Stupid design on the foot pedal (looks like it should be used to inflate an air mattress) meets the high standards at Mad Catz. That's a perfect combination for a fail-tastic time.
vunna
BallPtPenTheif
Posted 5:46 AM 24/9/08
now buying rock band might actually be a possibility. i loved Guitar Hero but I draw the line at having to explain to my wife why a giant plastic drum toy is sitting in the middle of the living room.
BallPtPenTheif
vunna
Posted 5:45 AM 24/9/08
@Oyako: It would be better to move that to rely on a Mad Cats product.
vunna
BeetMkr10
Posted 5:45 AM 24/9/08
Wow, I would totally get these. When they go on sale in like a month or two though, because there's no way I'm paying retail for those. Great idea though!
BeetMkr10
armchairnixon
Posted 5:44 AM 24/9/08
I love how the controller in the middle looks like an NES controller. Nice touch.
armchairnixon
Archaenon
Posted 5:41 AM 24/9/08
It...doesn't look real for some reason.
Archaenon
Devdan
Posted 5:41 AM 24/9/08
The brand name says it all.
Devdan
Mister_Jack
Posted 5:38 AM 24/9/08
Or you could just wait for the fold up Guitar Hero drum kit which is probably only about ten bucks more.
Mister_Jack
Nesagwa
Posted 5:37 AM 24/9/08
The only think I can think of for this is that you could take it and put it on a frame with adjustable stands.
Dunno.
Nesagwa
Oyako
Posted 5:36 AM 24/9/08
I would actually be able to make great use of this. my rock band drum kit has been sitting in my closet since launch because the one time I tried to use them the downstairs neighbor came bitching up a storm.
These would be perfect.
Oyako
BruzeWayne
Posted 5:35 AM 24/9/08
Fuck that bass pedal.
and why is everything plugged into a black wii controller?
wait, is that the new motion controller for the 360?!
no.
no it isn't.
BruzeWayne
ShaggyB
Posted 5:32 AM 24/9/08
lol too expensive. for a bit more you can just have the whole thing.
ShaggyB
The Folding Chair Security Intern
Posted 5:30 AM 24/9/08
There you go, DDR kids. Happy?
The Folding Chair Security Intern
evetssteve
Posted 5:28 AM 24/9/08
Seems a little shifty to me!
evetssteve
DarkHavoc99
Posted 5:28 AM 24/9/08
Play in the car?
DarkHavoc99
evetssteve
Posted 5:27 AM 24/9/08
Im not to sure about this either@Oscar_Explosion:
evetssteve
vid3oman64
Posted 5:26 AM 24/9/08
Flatmate? Your origins are showing, Stuart.
Anyway, this seems like a cool idea. Probably won't work anywhere near as well as the full periferal and probably won't sell.
vid3oman64
Oscar_Explosion
Posted 5:24 AM 24/9/08
lol wut?
Oscar_Explosion
ChibiKyKiske
Posted 6:23 AM 24/9/08
i can see potential for this (you could set each pad on a real drum set or something crazy like that), but i'm more curious as to when the mad catz cymbals will be released for the official set... i'm hankerin' for them...
ChibiKyKiske
atarashii_123
Posted 6:16 AM 24/9/08
I'm skeptical. Bet they slide around even worse than a soft DDR pad.
atarashii_123
terraziracer
Posted 6:44 AM 24/9/08
@atarashii_123: actually, they have a rubberized grip underneath and stayed very still the entire time i played with them. it's definitely nice to have this set, especially if you don't have the room for the official drum set.
terraziracer
Oyako
Posted 6:39 AM 24/9/08
@vunna: I hate your words of truth.
Oyako
skrame ☆
Posted 6:32 AM 24/9/08
@vid3oman64: It is a cool idea. I just don't see how it will be comfortable to use these either on the lap or on the floor.
If I had four kids, they would have new hats and I would have new drums.
Skrame jr., quit moving around! Drum solo!
skrame ☆
skrame ☆
Posted 6:29 AM 24/9/08
@Oscar_Explosion: Good comment there, chief. I'm glad that insightful thought was brought to the top of the page.
/will leave a more on-topic comment next to a more on-topic comment
skrame ☆
Tamachan87
Posted 7:04 AM 24/9/08
Wouldn't some kind of epic bongo set have been a better choice? That thing may be more portable then the original set, but you still have to set all that up somewhere.
Tamachan87
dae_giovanni
Posted 7:01 AM 24/9/08
@DukeOfPwn: ...probably a bad idea? lol!
dae_giovanni
ViRiS
Posted 6:59 AM 24/9/08
Why on earth would you buy a flimsily looking thing like that?
ViRiS
DukeOfPwn
Posted 6:56 AM 24/9/08
There could be pretty creative uses of this. If you harnessed San Fransisco's free internet, playing a game of Rock Band online inside of a moving car...
Probably a bad idea to do that, but I'm just saying, THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES!
DukeOfPwn
RichMeisterMan
Posted 6:54 AM 24/9/08
I wish those awesome pad designs were on the actual drums, or something like that was used to indicate color as opposed to the crappy boring rings.
RichMeisterMan
HELLSRIDER
Posted 6:51 AM 24/9/08
looks cool
HELLSRIDER
proplasticgeetar
Posted 6:48 AM 24/9/08
Now I'm just waiting for the MadCatz fold up guitar.
proplasticgeetar
Benguin
Posted 7:27 AM 24/9/08
I'm interested. I've got a long vacation coming up and as much as I want to bring Rock Band along there's no way I'm packing up those drums.
Benguin
robocop_is_bleeding
Posted 7:44 AM 24/9/08
I'm going to get a set a sew them into a pair of overalls.
Then I shall be the Hambone Hero!
robocop_is_bleeding
thefais
Posted 8:09 AM 24/9/08
Not bad at all. PROVIDED they have good hit detection and don't slide around. I don't have a table in front of my TV, so this is largely impractical for me.
thefais
TuxBobble
Posted 8:09 AM 24/9/08
It would be nice, but I doubt I'd be into them. Much rather get the real thing...
TuxBobble
El_Timba
Posted 7:56 AM 24/9/08
...and what, dare I say, will I lay them on before thwacking commences?
El_Timba
GearsOfWar12
Posted 9:15 AM 24/9/08
Dont trust mad catz. Their controllers suck, so most likely this will too :-/
GearsOfWar12
Knoxximus (XBL/PSN)
Posted 11:05 AM 24/9/08
@Xiatter: Here here!
Knoxximus (XBL/PSN)
ArtemusWolfwood
Posted 9:03 AM 24/9/08
Yyyeah, I'm going with ill-developed concept here. Knowing MadCatz, they probably won't last too far past a couple of months, and you run the risk of denting the hell out of whatever you do decide to set them on. Having the actual drum kit sitting in front of you just...feels right, y'know? Flatmates (or roommates in general) aside, of course.
ArtemusWolfwood
SmF3
Posted 5:30 AM 24/9/08
To be honest, that is a very good idea and I think this was very well thought of. This way you can place the pads anyway that suits you best. No complaints for something that's so handy and portable. Quite nice IMO.
SmF3
Pitchswitch
Posted 5:30 AM 24/9/08
The only thing I care about is the quality of the kick pedal. The end.
Pitchswitch
shittorainbow
Posted 5:54 AM 24/9/08
i never had a mad catz controller that worked normal before, maybe this will be normal? No... it don't even look normal.
shittorainbow