Xbox 360 wireless mic sold separately this fall for $50

by Ben Gilbert { Jun 23rd 2009 at 12:30PM }

We're having a hard time wrapping our heads around this one, so do us a favor and bear with us while we put our heads down and power through. Microsoft is releasing a wireless microphone this fall meant to be used with "your favorite Xbox 360 music games," a list that includes: Lips, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Rock Band 2, Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Lips: Number One Hits, and The Beatles: Rock Band.

We know, we know -- you're asking yourself, "Why would Microsoft release more peripherals? Just to add extra confusion to the Joystiq instrument compatibility matrix?" According to Microsoft, the mics are meant to assist in your living room rockstar efforts, and will retail this fall for an "estimated retail price" of $50. Meanwhile, the promise of Lips mics working in Rock Band 2 has yet to arrive and an asterisk in Microsoft's press release from earlier today indicates that these new mics won't work either without a title update. Does that mean we'll finally see the allowance of Lips' mics in RB2 when these new mics ship in the fall?

Tags: guitar-hero, guitar-hero-metallica, high-school-musical, lips, microphone, microsoft, music, peripherals, rock-band, rock-band-2, the-beatles-rock-band

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

waynski1457 @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:38PM

I thought that all of the standard headsets worked as a mic for all of the games with a singing element (I happen to not own any of these, so please correct me if I'm wrong).

If this is the case, why not just build using the headset tech? Maybe even just plug it into the controller?

aggrazel @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:50PM

They do work, but they're not as sensitive.

Neuromancer @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:51PM

They do work in Rock Band but not very well.

oxymoronx420 @ Jun 23rd 2009 2:01PM

They don't work in games like Disney sing it, my kid was disappointed because she couldn't use the headset mic instead of the RB mic.

Ordeith @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:41PM

good, cuz the Lips mics are awesome...

I wonder if RB2 will also support the lighting efffects.

Leland Dantzler @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:42PM

Fantastic! I was wondering where I could toss aside $50 that I found in my couch this morning. At first I thought maybe Wii would have come out with another remarkably useless peripheral (come on, WiiCoffeeMaker!), but, alas, there was nothing...until this gem came along!

Thanks, Microsoft, for providing me with more ways to waste cash! =D

Jay Voorhees @ Jun 23rd 2009 1:51PM

It's called the WiiMakeCoffee, thank you very much.

HazyCloud @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:43PM

Rumor is that the RB2 patch with Gold Star tracking and Lips compat is hitting "this summer".

Mouthsmasher @ Jun 23rd 2009 2:18PM

I've been waiting a while for this patch. They announced it months ago (it seems), but I haven't heard anything since. I'd sure like to use my Lips mics with RB2 already...

gib @ Jun 23rd 2009 2:23PM

They promiced this in December. I am just hoping that HMX didn't scrap the RB2 compatibility completely. They have said they will work for BRB (Beatles: Rock Band, not Be Right Back), so I assume they are still adding them into a RB2 patch... Maybe... Hopefully...

cuteSAVAGE @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:45PM

Ao it is a different mic than the one that comes with Lips? Because you can buy Lips for $45 right now, and it comes with two microphones. On a related note, I just realized I'm buying Lips.

pibs @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:54PM

Same thing is on my mind. My advice is get the Lips bundle before they raise the price just because of the new mic support for different games.

cuteSAVAGE @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:54PM

ugh... So* $45US*

Deezul @ Jun 23rd 2009 1:57PM

I got the full version of Lips at Target for $25...

Mouthsmasher @ Jun 23rd 2009 2:21PM

I know, I can't believe they'll be charging $50 for a single mic. Right now the Walmart in town has a few copies of the Lips game and they're trying to clearance them out at $35 (which includes TWO mics and the game).

Jose @ Jun 23rd 2009 2:41PM

I'm with Mouthsmasher, I picked up the complete set @ Target for $37.

alienterrorist @ Jun 23rd 2009 3:04PM

yeah, it would just be smarter if you bye LIPS because it comes with 2 mics and a game. And come on, this looks EXACTLY the same is the LIPS mics except it has xbox 360 written on it(dont have lips yet so they might also say xbox 360 but I know i will get it for rock band and the beatles)

jchatland @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:45PM

I just bought Lips, hope they add the functionality......side note, I didnt realize Lips can use your own music.....awesome!

drinkdrink @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:49PM

Sony Europe sells a pair of wireless Singstar microphones for GBP 30.

Let's hope they bring them to the US, and Beatles Rock Band is compatible with them for the harmony parts.

Lunastra78 (PSN: lunastra78) @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:49PM

Maybe they've taken a cue from Nintendo and make a mic that actually sings for you if the game gets too difficult.

MLS @ Jun 23rd 2009 1:16PM

Don't all music games already have a no fail mode?

emirabal @ Jun 23rd 2009 1:47PM

Did not know that the wireless mics dont work on RB2, they work on RB1 so i would assume they work on RB2 but i guess i was wrong, DEAD WRONG....

juangrande386 @ Jun 23rd 2009 2:16PM

Hey its summer where the hell is the Lips mic patch for RB2. Also for $50 that mic better not need a 360 controller plugged in at the same time.

gib @ Jun 23rd 2009 2:25PM

Yeah! It's been two whole damn days! What the hell!

Deezul @ Jun 23rd 2009 3:12PM

Lips requires a controller. You can't naviagate with the Lips microphone. When Natal comes out, well, then Lips 3 might not need a controller...

genpacker @ Jun 23rd 2009 6:05PM

@ gib

He's referencing to the annoucement back in April that the Lips mics will work in RB in the summer. It'd be nice if they get it out before BRB unless they consider 9/9/09 to be in the summer, which it is in our hemisphere.

Matthew Perry @ Jun 23rd 2009 4:03PM

If this works with all Rock Band and Guitar Hero games, then I'll probably pick it up. I lose my GHWT mic and broke my RB2 mic.

Hafkie @ Jun 24th 2009 3:34PM

As of right now, it only works with GH:Metallica and GH: Smash Hits. Neversoft said they weren't going to patch World Tour, but it will be in GH5.

Harmonix said they were going to patch RB2 with Lips support and improved scoretracking, but that was a long time ago.

They need to release a 3 song DLC pack for a week or two so they can have one of their note-charting teams work on the patch!

Ah, who am I kidding, We'll never see a three-song week from Harmonix again. Anything less than 6 songs is underachieving for them.

Horace D. Brown @ Jun 23rd 2009 4:07PM

I picked up Lips yesterday for $12.48 @ Target.

DirtyHands @ Jun 23rd 2009 6:37PM

Me Too Horace

Destin @ Jun 24th 2009 11:19AM

Yup, $12.48 in SoCal on Tuesday. Scene It: Box Office Smash for $10, also. And, it looks like it might've been a good time to buy, since I really want to use the mics in RB2.

Levon @ Jun 23rd 2009 7:58PM

wow, what a joke! MS trying to rip off their customers once again with their hardware accessories. I just bought lips with two of these mics for $25 on clearance at Target, guess they're not as valuable as MS would like us to believe...

Larkspeed @ Jun 24th 2009 1:52AM

If these do turn out to be just lips mics sold separately you are going to see the Lips bundle with 2 mics go through the roof in price.

But that said you can guarantee that some smart person will be going out and buying put the cheap lips bundles and either selling them off when the price goes back up or splitting the mics out and selling those separately.