Huang, co-founder of Red Octane and parent of the Guitar Hero franchise, went so far as to predict that this generation would be the last to own physical media. In five or 10 years, he said, everything would be digital download-based.

Moore — current head of EA Sports and former overseer of all things Xbox — agreed for the most part. He said that the console model of video games (where you get one complete game on a disc for $US60) was a “burning platform.” As in, do you stand on a burning platform and face certain death or jump into the waters of digital distribution and face probably death?

Clearly, you want the digital distribution. Right?

Despite Moore and Huang’s faith in the future of digital distribution, however, both developers are releasing three to four disc-based games on console a year. Complete with plastic peripherals which cost even more money to manufacture than video game software, mind you.

Huang explained Red Octane’s Activision’s motivation behind ubiquitous releases as accessibility. “We need to give [our users] channels to access additional content,” he said. Not everybody is ready for the DLC revolution, apparently, so they have to keep putting out physical media for the next five to 10 years. Or however long it takes for my physical-media-dependent generation to die out and accept digital everything.

Young had a slightly different take on the digital future. He would, because he develops games almost exclusively for the iPhone like Rolando and Eliminate. Young said episodic content doesn’t work because you can’t chop a complete game into tiny pieces. Rather, said Young, game makers should be looking at ways to monetize usage. To him, this means making a game that’s free to play and then finding ways to trick you into microtransactions. Like shelling out for extremely nerdy clothing for your virtual avatar in a free-to-play role-playing game.

It all comes down to the fact that the video games industry is risk-averse. If console makers believe that the next generation of gamer won’t shell out for $US60 for a disc that gets scratched up eventually anyway, then we can expect the next iteration of console to not have a disc tray. And when that happens, maybe we can all stop shelling out for plastic guitars and a new copy of what’s essentially the same football game every year.

We have learned that certain drum kit controllers manufactured for Guitar Hero World Tour have sensitivity issues. We believe that these controllers are limited to ones in the earlier manufacturing stages. While we believe that this was an isolated manufacturing issue, we are stepping our efforts to randomly test our drum kit controllers so customers can be assured they work properly. In the event any consumers do experience problems with their drum kit controllers associated with sensitivity issues, Activision will soon be offering a drum tuning kit that will enable players to fully optimise their drums.

That was part of an official statement from Activision, posted on Red Octane’s customer support site. The statement then goes on to instruct players on what to do should their instruments be faulty or missing.

Our goal would be to immediately address any hardware issues Guitar Hero World Tour players have with the game. Consumers should visit the Activision Publishing customer support website at www.activision.com/support website or call 310 255-2050 in the U.S. where a customer care representative will assist them. Activision is fully committed to the highest quality manufacturing standards, and to satisfying every Guitar Hero World Tour fan so they can enjoy the best musical gaming experience ever created.

Good luck with that!

One PS3 gamer on IGN’s boards says:

I went and started the drum trainer just to get a feel for the drums. I noticed right off the bat that the red pad only registered that I was hitting it softly even when I hit it hard. So when I got to the trainer about hitting certain accent notes harder I failed out every time, even if I hit the pad with all my might.

And a 360 player:

“Just picked up the full band version for 360, at first there was a problem with the pads registering, and the red pad just completely died a minute ago… Out of the box less than 3 hours…”

Activision has noticed the chatter and put up a sticky on its Guitar Hero boards directing perturbed gamers to customer support, and step-by-step advises them to make sure the instruments have batteries, are powered on and bound, that cables are completely attached and that the drum pedal is on a flat surface. It also suggests swapping your cymbals, if one doesn’t register, to see if it’s the cymbal pad or the kit overall. It ends with information on how to get a warranty replacement from Red Octane, and that’s not a good sign.

Haven’t seen much complaint with the other peripherals although one left-handed reader wrote to say that downstrum on the guitar seems to be an issue with his and a friend’s set. Instrument interchangeability has me strongly leaning toward buying this kit. Let’s hope this is either overblown or there’s a good explanation for all this in the works.

Update: Reader Steven C. relates similar problems with the Wii version. He says his drumpads wouldn’t register hits in freestyle mode, which shows you how hard you strike them. He has returned three sets in all. On the last one, one of the pads would set off other pads, sometimes turning on star power (which is supposed to come on when you crash both cymbals.) “Compressed version. Game is very fun, drums are buggy enough to negatively affect gameplay,” says Steven.

Update II: Seems there are compatibility problems when using World Tour instruments on the PS3 version of Rock Band 2. See thread started here

Drum Topic on Guitar Hero Official Forums
Guitar Hero Customer Support
Drum Topic on IGN Boards (also here)

It might be, as GameSpot requests didn’t bear informative fruit from RedOctane reps. You may just be buying the prestige of spending more money on trinkets you’ll likely rarely (or never) use. But hey, what’s a fifty between friends and the multi-billion dollar corporations who make our plastic junk?

Guitar Hero World Tour Deluxe Band Bundle [RedOctane via GameSpot]

Pricing wasn’t provided in the press release, which is after the jump, but if you happen to like Marilyn Manson, Flyleaf and AFI, you probably can’t go wrong. There’s also a very strong possibility that you’re wearing eyeliner right now, regardless of your gender.

ACTIVISION SET TO RELEASE TRACK PACK FOR GUITAR HERO® III: LEGENDS OF ROCK FEATURING DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS FROM INTERSCOPE RECORDS

SANTA MONICA, CA – August 5, 2008 – The distinctive chords of three hit artists from Interscope Records will soon take the stage in Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVID) Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock. The three-song Intercope Track Pack will let gamers further expand and customise their Guitar Hero playlists and experience a variety of new tunes on August 7.

The pack will include the heavy lyrics of Flyleaf’s “Tina,” the heartfelt track “Carcinogen Crush” from hardcore-punk turned goth band, AFI, as well as a remix of Marilyn Manson’s grinding, fast-paced “Putting Holes In Happiness” by Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The Interscope Track Pack, originally offered to purchasers of the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock soundtrack CD, will be available on August 7 for download on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock offers the ultimate rock experience with new wireless guitars, freshly added content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer modes allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true rock status as they riff through a star-studded soundtrack including master tracks by legendary artists such as Aerosmith, Guns ‘N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam, as well as original songs by guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is now available and is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information visit http://community.guitarhero.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Finally, Metallica is coming to Guitar Hero in a big way, with DLC being readied to release alongside their new album, Death Magnetic, which is guaranteed to completely make up for Saint Sinner…as if any album could actually contain such power.

By now I’m sure most of you are familiar with the seemingly odd transition of Guitar Hero from consoles to handhelds, namely the DS. When Guitar Hero: On Tour was announced a few months ago it left many of us scratching our heads wondering how they would pull it off. Even with the addition of pictures of the add-on peripheral it was still hard to imagine exactly what it would be like trying to play. I finally got my chance to check it out for myself a few days ago and despite former misgivings I actually found it quite fun.

The first thing I took a look at upon arriving was the “guitar grip” peripheral. It was a pretty sturdy little piece of a equipment that fits snugly into the GBA slot of the DS. The clear plastic cover is removable and the logo can be pulled out so you can customise the look of it. The strap is likewise customisable, no doubt providing plenty of opportunity for merchandising. As you may know, there are only four buttons in this iteration of the game and while some players may find this disconcerting, there is actually a good reason for it. With the DS literally strapped to your hand, it would make it impossible for you to be able to slide your hand to reach the fifth button. Then of course there is the space issue. After looking at it close up, it seems the addition of the fifth button would make it a bit crowded.

It’s not just about guitars. We’ll include a lot of other instruments, vocals. It will help us expand internationally. It’s the first game we’ve had in which we can use local content and local bands.

Ooh! I vote on guitar, bass, drums, Giant Axe Body Spray Bottle and vocals. Though I also wouldn’t scoff at a rebreakable guitar, implemented for extra Star Power. In all seriousness, the “local bands” idea is intriguing. I wonder how far they’ll actually flesh that one out.

Guitar Hero IV Branching Out [IGN via Maxconsole][image]

Pro Wrestlers Torn Between Love Of ‘Rock Band,’ Love Of ‘Guitar Hero’ [MTV Multiplayer]