Telstra has revealed the addition of almost one million new mobile services in the six months to December 2011, but Sensis revenues plummeted 24 percent in 12 months.
So! It’s pretend playing! Doesn’t mean we can’t inject a bit more realism into the Guitar Hero experience. Along come Logitech with a deluxe level wireless controller for your rock-god gaming.
Released for the PS2 and PS3 versions of the game, Logitech’s wireless controller for Guitar Hero invokes the following series of exclamations and comments when first revealed.
Firstly a simple “Whoa!!!” as the fully wooden neck and ‘piano black’ poly-urethane body, studded with phillips head screws, emerges from the packaging.
Then it is the heft that takes centre stage, “Gosh!”, this Logitech controller truly feels like a real guitar, and with the colour coding of the fret buttons and neck slider kept to a minimum the illusion is maintained.
Further on presentation, the Logitech controller includes an authentic looking head and metal tuning pegs that actually turn.
Turning our attention back to the body, game buttons are worked into the guitar theme in an improved fashion over the original controllers.
The ‘Start’ button is the Bridge, whilst the Whammy Bar (with adjustable sensitivity switch) is also incorporated into the Bridge.
The all important ‘Star Power’ button is located close to the Strum bar and takes the form of a black plastic looking pickup. Out of the box, this Star Power option is a little more awkward to locate, than on the original World Tour model. Still the accelerometer driven option still works a treat, lifting the neck dramatically during a song will still kick in double point’s period.
The pale maple wood of the neck and head contrast pleasingly with the dark brown and black of the rest of the guitar. Even the slim line USB Blu-tooth pickup and its pulsing green light are professionally designed.
Once the sturdy strap (with metal adjuster) is thrown over the shoulder, it is time to test out the game-play of this beauty.
As expected, the quality of this controller shines through, with a noticeable reduction in ‘clicking’ both on the fret buttons and the strum bar, this is very welcome.
What wasn’t so welcome was the rather sharpish edge where the white maple meets the dark wood below the fret buttons. Initially this was a little uncomfortable to the left hand, requiring a slight adjustment to play-style. No other testers complained of this however, so it may just affect the more pudgy-of-hand, and even then only for a short time.
The PlayStation button, which can also double as a menu navigator, whilst smooth, was a little less responsive than desired.
The final comment usually elicited from a group of onlookers, is the obvious “How Much?” and when told AU$400, there is an audible intake of air.
But just because, for that kind of money, you could get a REAL guitar, amp and maybe a lesson or two, that is no reason not to consider this premium controller for the Guitar Hero mad folk of the household, those people that are too busy fine-tuning their colour coded button timing skills to learn how to play a REAL instrument.
And it looks like Logitech are about to give the Xbox 360 a little controller love as well. See the video below.
David Bass
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