Activision has announced today that they’ll be collaborating with peripheral maker Logitech to develop “premium instruments” that will be compatible with the upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour.
No peripheral details were given, but given that World Tour is a multi-instrument affair, it’s likely we’ll see guitar, drum, and microphone designs come from the Logitech camp. Instruments will be offered for all of the platforms that World Tour will grace (PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii), and will offer the advanced functionality for World Tour’s “advanced feature set.”
Harmonix and MTV Games’ have previously announced partnerships that will yield official third-party music peripherals for Rock Band, both with Mad Catz and ION for the high-end Drum Rocker. Expect to find a compatibility graphs and charts to hit the net this holiday; things are about to get complicated.
Activision Collaborates With Logitech to Develop Premium Instruments for Guitar Hero(R) World Tour
SANTA MONICA, Calif. and FREMONT, Calif., July 31, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVID) and Logitech International (SWX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced a collaboration to develop and market premium instrument controllers for Guitar Hero(R) World Tour, the latest installment of the world’s best-selling music-based video game franchise, which ships this fall for the Xbox 360(TM) video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system and Nintendo Wii(TM).
Logitech plans to offer premium instruments for each of these platforms, the first of which will be available later this year. Logitech’s products will be compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour’s advanced feature set, allowing players to elevate their Guitar Hero(R) jam sessions to full-fledged rock concerts.
“Logitech is the leading producer of peripheral devices and the company is widely considered to be the gold standard for innovation and quality peripheral products,” said Charles Huang, vice president business development for RedOctane. “With Logitech, we know we have found the right partner who can deliver top-quality premium hardware that consumers have come to expect from Guitar Hero.”
“As huge fans of Guitar Hero(R), we are very excited about the opportunity to bring the Logitech experience to the Guitar Hero franchise,” said Bruce Lancaster, vice president and general manager of Logitech’s gaming business. “A few years ago, Logitech refined the consumer steering wheel market with high-end controllers that enhance racing games. Now we are looking forward to elevating the market for premium music-based video game controllers in a similar fashion.”
Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system. The Wii(TM) version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit http://www.guitarhero.com.
