All due to wireless protocol
Those who plan to play Rock Band 4 on Xbox One with their instruments from Xbox 360 will have to pay a bit for the privilege. As it turns out, the standalone Rock Band 4 disc will cost $80 instead of $60. That price hike is thanks to a wireless adapter.
Mad Catz, who is publishing the game as well as manufacturing peripherals, opened up pre-orders on its site today. The Xbox One version comes bundles with the Legacy Game Controller Adapter. This device appears necessary because Microsoft changed the wireless protocol for its controllers in the transition from Xbox 360 to Xbox One.
PS4 users won’t encounter the same difficulties. For them, legacy instruments will automatically work without requiring any additional hardware. Thus, the game’s price is the standard $60.
That additional cost doesn’t factor into the Rock Band 4 bundles that are already available for pre-order. As we learned at E3, the full package (game, guitar, microphone, and drums) runs $249.99. Just the game with one guitar costs $129.99.
Harmonix and Mad Catz have released a chart of exactly what instruments will work for Rock Band 4. Notably missing is the Ion drumset, which is the most realistic (and expensive) kit.
Accompanying the adapter news is the announcement of ten more songs on the Rock Band 4 track list. Some Cake and Mighty Mighty Bosstones might help offset the bummer for Xbox One owners that they’re out an extra Jackson.
Rock Band 4 – Xbox One – Game & Legacy Game Controller Adapter – NA [Mad Catz]
- .38 Special — “Caught Up In You”
- Arctic Monkeys — “Arabella”
- The Both — “Milwaukee”
- Cake — “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”
- Little Big Town — “Little White Church”
- Lucius — “Turn It Around”
- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones — “The Impression That I Get”
- The Protomen — “Light Up The Night”
- Soundgarden — “Superunknown”
- Tijuana Sweetheart — “Pistol Whipped”
