Rockers show off Guitar Hero's velocity-sensitive drum kits
by Ross Miller 
{ May 24th 2008 at 12:30PM }
The above Guitar Hero World Tour (the official GHIV title) video shows off the new drum set through testimonial from a few rockers – namely, Red Hot Chili Pepper's Chad Smith, Blink 182's Travis Barker and The Police's Stewart Copeland, all of whom are featured prominently (especially Copeland) on Rock Band and a pretty good sign they'll be on World Tour, too.
One interesting detail gleaned from the video is that the drum kit is sensitive to velocity, meaning it can register how hard or soft you hit the pads. We're not shown any gameplay footage so we're not 100% sure how that'll translate to the virtual drumming. All we know is that we can't tell our friends this detail. It's taken us months to teach them not to bang on the set loud enough to wake neighbors six miles away.
[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
One interesting detail gleaned from the video is that the drum kit is sensitive to velocity, meaning it can register how hard or soft you hit the pads. We're not shown any gameplay footage so we're not 100% sure how that'll translate to the virtual drumming. All we know is that we can't tell our friends this detail. It's taken us months to teach them not to bang on the set loud enough to wake neighbors six miles away.
[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Fernando Rocker @ May 24th 2008 12:35PM
Oh noes... clearly Rock Band is doomed...
copa @ May 24th 2008 12:41PM
Nope, but they clearly are implementing concepts that can be used to make Rock Band better.
Harmonix has always been the better game design company, while Red Octane has always had the better hardware team.
copa @ May 24th 2008 12:56PM
Also, here's a good article showing the impact that Harmonix is having on the music industry:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24797855/
Phi Nguyen @ May 24th 2008 2:29PM
Why's Will Ferrell playing drums?!?! LOL. I kid.
Helloimbob @ May 24th 2008 4:02PM
"while Red Octane has always had the better hardware team."
Even with the design for the shitty Les Paul that brakes every ten seconds?
They better make GHIV peripherals actually work PROPERLY!
Anyway, I just spent £150 with a free 2100 M$ Points on Rock Band so I'm definitely not buying this.
ncxcstud @ May 24th 2008 12:40PM
Looks pretty cool. Being wireless is a big plus in my book..
JerJer @ May 24th 2008 12:41PM
here comes the hype train.
it's all marketing form here until release.
song list is everything as we al learned from guitar hero 3 (gag).
treqie @ May 24th 2008 12:47PM
I hope the hihats doesn't break easily..
TWiNKiE @ May 25th 2008 2:55PM
Well assuming you don't obnoxiously slam the hi hats with the stick, then it should hold together.
It's velocity sensetive, so you shouldn't have to hit it that hard, unlike RB.
basscase @ May 25th 2008 8:49PM
you don't need to wail on real high hats for them to be heard, so I bet these will be similar. The crash cymbal, on the other hand, gets wailed on regularly.
I'm sure they will make sure that the set is durable enough for harder-than-average playing.
FSK405K @ May 24th 2008 12:49PM
Good wired drums with weekly music additions, or great wireless drums with crap music additions?
Roto13 @ May 24th 2008 1:06PM
Wow, you know what songs are going to be released every week for the entirety of Guitar Hero IV's life six months before the game is even released! It must be awesome to be psychic.
NoHitHair @ May 24th 2008 1:35PM
Roto:
It's something called a "trend" - when a subject has a history of doing X then they're more likely to do X in the future than Y.
I know, difficult concept. Try to keep up.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ May 24th 2008 1:37PM
Well, to be fair, we were promised consistant DLC releases, more than any other Xbox 360 game, as Guitar Hero II hit 360. Most of those DLC packs were ports from GH1.
Then we were promised the same, but better, for Guitar Hero III on 360 and PS3. They "knew" where they screwed up last time and will totally rectify the situation. Look how that turned out as GHIII DLC is winding down (was it EVER wound up?) with GH: Aerosmith's release.
You can't blame him for assuming GHIV is going to screw up DLC in comparison to Rock band. After all, GHIV hasn't even mentioned DLC outside of the custom song creation tool... which is missing vocals. VOCALS! After all, Harmonix said what they were going to do with Rock Band and did something entirely unique in concept to activision, they fucking did it.
Knight Marquise @ May 25th 2008 11:27AM
@nohithair,
Actually it's not called a trened, it's called pulling FUD out of your ass due to a particular bias.
"Good" wired drums? Hello? They're complete shit, and everyone other then a RB fanboy admits it.
Difficult concept? Not hardly.
NvizioN @ May 25th 2008 2:16PM
What makes you think that the updates are gonna be bad?
jsn @ May 24th 2008 12:51PM
looking at the way the stalks on those cymbals shake when he's hitting them even lightly, those things will crumble under the abuse they'll take from regular users.
Also, the velocity sensitive stuff is just another gimmick. Going by that video it's just used for the creat a song and free style stuff, but doesn't really do anything in actual gameplay.
Bluebrake @ May 24th 2008 1:07PM
Velocity sensitivity is never a gimmick. It's pretty much the most important feature in any virtual instrument. It instantly transforms the experience into something 10 times more authentic, whether it's "needed" for a particular application or not.
jsn @ May 24th 2008 1:36PM
We're not talking virutal instruments, we're talking game experience. Going by that trailer, the velocity sensitivity isn't going to be a factor in the in-game experience. ie, there aren't going to be sections in songs where you have to control your velocity. It'll be something you can play with in the free style modes and in the "create-a-song" "toy", but nothing more than that. If that turns out to be true then their marketing of velocity sensitivity is just a gimmick. We shall see.
Bluebrake @ May 24th 2008 2:54PM
It doesn't matter if you'll "have" to do it (and I haven't seen any proof of that -- my guess is it'll factor in on higher difficulties). What matters is that the sounds the game produces will respond much better. It will make it far more immersive.
Shagittarius @ May 24th 2008 8:14PM
I understand what your saying JSN and I believe your correct I'm sure the velocity stuff will be left out of the real set list or it will be really cheaply implemented IE just a simply volume difference. Theres no way to claim 'Master Tracks' and have the velocity matter in game unless they just do like I said a stupid volume increase.
JSN is on the right track.
elmersglue @ May 24th 2008 8:34PM
even if the velocity sensitive stuff isn't implemented in actual gameplay...it'll still be awesome to have in a freestyle mode. I'd probably end up playing freestyle mode more than I would play the game itself.
Having a mini electric drum set hooked up to a home surround sound system that I can mess around with for a fraction of the price a normal electric drumset would be? Fuckkk yeah!
Lekko @ May 25th 2008 6:23PM
I can already imagine the frustration from failing out of a song for playing it too softly or too hard.
Cool in theory, but imagine having to not only nail notes, but try to nail velocity. That's really going to be kinda tough unless it is only high/low and not a gradient.
Hala Madrid!! @ May 24th 2008 1:00PM
Is Travis Barker a playable character?
playwhutyalike @ May 24th 2008 1:03PM
Where is the cowbell?
vdeogmer @ May 27th 2008 12:48AM
You have to get a prescription for it. Do you have a fever?
McWeen @ May 24th 2008 1:04PM
It looks nice but after the issues my neighbors have had with the rock band pedal breaking from regular use I worry how this set will hold up durability wise.
Noshino @ May 24th 2008 1:24PM
Like mentioned above, Red Octane has a better hardware team while Harmonix has a better software team (most likely due to the fact that most of the people in there are in the music business)
Anyway, the fact that there is competition in this genre means that they will do their best to impress.
Bluebrake @ May 24th 2008 1:05PM
Looks like it's a much superior product. I might wait for this.
The real question is whether the sets will be compatible with both products. Either side would be completely insane to think they can draw customers away from the competitor if they have to rebuy all that shit. Little plastic guitars are one thing... *nobody*'s going to have two giant $100 drum sets in their living room.
ill trooper @ May 24th 2008 1:33PM
There's no 'question' at all: Of course they won't be compatible.
Autopsy15 @ May 24th 2008 2:29PM
Think about it. The Guitar Hero drums have six buttons (2 cybols, 3 pads, and bass drum.) Rock Band drums have 5 buttons (4 pads, and bass drum.) Theirs pretty much no way they would work together.
Autopsy15 @ May 24th 2008 2:30PM
There's*
Ender @ May 24th 2008 1:09PM
Yeah I hope these ones are quieter than the Rockstar ones. I live in a dorm room so when we go on drunken Rockstar binges my friends always try to hit the freakin drums as hard as they can and wake up my neighbors.
TehMuff1nM4n @ May 24th 2008 1:14PM
Anyone else notice Travis Barker in the mo-cap suit?
Boss battles again?
HolyChachi @ May 24th 2008 1:26PM
What Travis Barker was in a mo-cap suit!?!? I didnt notice, because IM BLIND..... :[
thank you capt. obvious
HolyChachi @ May 24th 2008 1:28PM
Anyways, the rhcp drummer looks just like will ferrel. I think that everytime I see him....i cant be the only one.
Shagittarius @ May 24th 2008 2:04PM
My girlfriend and I have always thought this also. I wonder if they both own stars and stripes thongs.
Hashbrown Hunter @ May 24th 2008 2:26PM
I honestly wouldn't be surprised
Ross Miller @ May 24th 2008 4:26PM
My father swears they are the same person. He says that they've never been seen together at the same time. Even when RHCP came to SNL, he swears the two weren't on stage together at the end.
ill trooper @ May 24th 2008 1:29PM
I've enjoyed playing the 'drums' in RockBand but I have wished they were velocity-sensitive, so I'm into these. I just saw on Kotaku that the price for the GH:WT set is $189. Frankly, I don't see how they're going to offer a quality wireless drum kit like this appears to be, the guitar, and a mic for that price; seems too low for me to believe. Unless they're following in the footsteps of the console manufacturers, and taking a hit on hardware and relying on DLC for the long-term returns.
Of course, that was the 'gamestop' pre-order price, so who knows if that's final...
jsn @ May 24th 2008 1:40PM
I think the actual bundle will be $199. Also, if you notice how the stalks that the cymbals are on move and shake from the moderate contact he's making, those things will never stand up to the beating users will put on them. Redoctane has a history of making great peripherals, but that doesn't mean they're going to deliver every time. This is a vastly different product than they've done before. It'll be interesting to see just how good it is.
Dave @ May 24th 2008 1:42PM
I'm sorry, but I don't know how anyone could say that Rock Band drums are better than these. End of story. I'm SO glad I waited off on Rock Band.
jsn @ May 24th 2008 1:51PM
They look "nice" but wait until they're out to make proclamations about just how good they really are.
wes @ May 24th 2008 8:30PM
I would probably buy this for the drums if they kept the rock band 4 pad layout AND THEN added cymbals.Because with this all drum fills will be on 2 pads 3 if you count the snare....fun fun...
LordMinogue @ May 24th 2008 1:34PM
How about a stereo to usb cable that relays the signal from an actual electric guitar to the 360, and a piece of software that helps you tune and play that real guitar?
Dave @ May 24th 2008 1:42PM
AND THE INSTRUMENTS ARE ALL WIRELESS. That's definitely the shittiest thing about Rock Band. Get over it guys. Guitar Hero has had over a year to fix things that Rock Band did wrong.
Hey Apples @ May 24th 2008 4:37PM
How is wireless a worthwhile or useful thing for drums?
With a guitar you're going to be carrying it around and moving it... wireless makes sense.
Drum set... huge and stationary.
Dave @ May 24th 2008 6:34PM
It's nice not to have all the wires to worry about. It's the year 2008, wires should be a thing of the past.
Mixmoff @ Jun 2nd 2008 9:48AM
IMHO there's no reason for wireless drums.
When you're working a 4 piece band, the last thing you want is another instrument unnecessarily dependent on batteries. You've already got to worry about the guitar or bass crapping out midsong... now the drums too?
ronald.raygun @ May 24th 2008 1:44PM
hmm looks interesting. they're implimenting things i would have liked to see in rockband like the create your own track stuff. and the silenced drum pads with the velocity sensitive will definately be cool on playing.
Not to mention stewart copeland is a bad ass drummer.