EA quiet on Rock Band pricing

By Robert Purchese Published 5 April, 2007

Can't confirm USD 300 rumour.

Electronic Arts was unable to confirm to Eurogamer this afternoon that Rock Band and a full set of peripherals would set us back a whopping USD 300 when the game launches later this year.

It was speaking in the aftermath of US retailer Gamestop.com providing a price list for each of the rhythm-action game's "instruments".

According to this, the drum set would be USD 80, the microphone USD 40, and the guitar either wired for USD 60 or wireless for USD 80.

Add to that a copy of the game at USD 60 and the fact you'll need two guitars - one for rhythm, one for bass - and things start getting very expensive.

But there remains a faint glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel, as it has been thrown around the Internet that we'll be able to use our existing Guitar Hero peripherals in Rock Band, either from the Xbox 360 or PS2 versions.

However, staff from developer Harmonix have responded to this on the Rock Band forums and say its something still being looked at, despite what was said yesterday - as are new features on the guitars themselves.

Rock Band is due out on Xbox 360 and PS3 this winter, or at the beginning of November if Gamestop turns out to be right.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • lennon #1 5 years ago

    Ouch!

  • neilka #2 5 years ago

    So expect it to require a mortgage by the time it arrives in the UK.

  • Tonka #3 5 years ago

    Justuse your guiteras from GH and mics from SingStar. Admit it. You all have them

  • Fab4 #4 5 years ago

    300$??? Think of all the actual music you could legally download for that...oh...wait a mo...what was I thinking!? ;) :)

  • asphaltcowboy #5 5 years ago

    Hmmm!

    Well £65 is a lot for a guitar and GH2... not sure I'll be able to afford ~£150!

  • JSD124 #6 5 years ago

    I only picked up GH2 because I saw it for cheap. I wouldn't even have payed full price for that.

  • Toothball #7 5 years ago

    I'm wondering whether they'll be able to make the Xbox instruments wireless this time round. If, so I'll have to get another set of guitars.

  • MrChuckles #8 5 years ago

    Surely the AI plays the rest of the game while you play either the guitar, drums, singing etc...

    So to play it by yourself costs the same as just getting Guitar Hero. If your mates want to play, let them buy their own instruments ;-)

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #9 5 years ago

    @MrChuckles

    Exactly - isn't the idea that you all form a band on-line? So who's going to be buying all their own instruments? I'm hoping my brother and I can jam over Xbox Live when it's released, but I figure a guitar and mic each and that'll probably do...

  • Pedrolot #10 5 years ago

    A fitting price, for an expensive machine....

  • dbeamish #11 5 years ago

    $300=£300 - we all know that..

    TBH I am going to hope its good with just 1 guitar and a mic.
    If other people want to play they can buy their own bloody controllers ;)

  • FunkyRenegade #12 5 years ago

    I'll just grab a drumkit and the game, i've already got the Guitar Hero guitar so I'll be good for two players :)

  • trevd72 #13 5 years ago

    when is samba de amigo going to be released on the wii......thats this big question

  • Cuke #14 5 years ago

    As others have said already on this thread, surely the point is you buy the game plus one of the controllers and then offline the game plays the other parts and online you find other people to fill the gaps.

    I can't imagine all four control options will come bundled with the game as that'd be insanely expensive, although eventualy getting all four for some fun at parties will be an attractive option for those who have deep pockets...

  • Hunam #15 5 years ago

    /chokes on dr.pepper
    /dies

  • jellyhead #16 5 years ago

    Samba De Amigo on the Wii would make me buy one!
    I still drag the DC out for some Samba fun now and then.
    Heh, got the official Samba maracas set and game for £45 too. \0/

  • rhinoxious #17 5 years ago

    Not surprising really, specialised peripherals are always expensive,

    Steel Battalion anyone?

  • Gurgeh #18 5 years ago

    "Nyko's PS3 Play Adaptor, which was announced in January and promised support of PlayStation 2 guitar controllers—meaning proper Guitar Hero I & II play on the PLAYSTATION 3—has been put on indefinite hold... Citing "limitations in the PlayStation 3 hardware" the company says it has been "prevented from releasing this product with support for Guitar Hero."

    ... which probably means no PS2 GH guitars on the PS3 unless Sony have an adaptor of their own in the works.

  • crazyhorse174 #19 5 years ago

    Wouldn't it just be easier to join a real band???

  • Clive_Dunn #20 5 years ago

    Wyld Stallions !

  • TheUnionFrag #21 5 years ago

    Why not just get a genuine Les Paul? It's probably cheaper . . .

  • Redeye #22 5 years ago

    'Wouldn't it just be easier to join a real band???'

    Common sense FTW!

  • jellyhead #23 5 years ago

    Nah, in a real band you'd meet real girls at gigs and stuff.
    We're gamers, women scare us. ;)

  • LetsGo #24 5 years ago

    But Jellyhead - this game comes up with 'blow up' girl groupies.

    But on the price, is anyone actully shocked? Makes sense to me....

  • PlugMonkey #25 5 years ago

    I bet you all any money that the GH guitars turn out to be not compatible with this game at all...

    Red Octane aren't involved in this project as far as I can see, and they own the patent on the guitars... Plus can you really see EA saying "nooo, we don't want to rake in bucketloads of lovely cash selling our own peripherals... We'll let the rival title have all that money to themselves"

    By this logic, every game would come with its own custom peripheral so the publishers could rake in extra cash. I would imagine that if they can possibly, possibly tap into the enormous market of GH guitar owners, they jolly well will be very much doing so.

  • TeamQJ #26 5 years ago

    we hope that the report on the guitar hero II peripheral compatibility with this game turns out to be true. as much as the game is going to be great, the rather steep price might disappoint some fans..

    http://www.qj.net/EA-mum-on-Rock-Band-pe...

  • matt__jon #27 5 years ago

    For that amount of money, why not start a REAL BAND? Or at least play a real instrument.

  • davisorle #28 5 years ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • retman_07 #29 5 years ago

    If anyone wants to know: $300 is £150

  • tenma #30 5 years ago

    milk it!

    milk it good!

  • SuperBas #31 5 years ago

    I don't think you're supposed to buy all controllers, just one, and stick with it.

  • SomaticSense #32 5 years ago

    $300?? What the FUCK!?!?!?!?!?

    And you just know that will equate to around £300 when it's released over here, going on past history of things in the gaming world being released here.

    Seriously, why not just buy the real instruments and make a proper rock band for fucks sake. At least then you have the potential to make good money if you make it, instead of burning 300 notes on a game.