full size, real 25 key keyboard instrument (uses all 25 keys in pro mode)
drums now include 3 cymbals by default and tracks require you to play cymbal vs. pad
optional pro mode guitars (seperate purchase) with extended notation
drop in and out at any time; change difficulty / instruments on the fly
you can now play as a 7 part band (3x vocals, bass, guitar, drums, keyboard)
career mode is more achievement based than “play lots of songs” based
one giant “world tour” split into lots of littler sub-tours
massively improved song filtering to support 2k+ track library
Known set list so far:
Dio – Rainbow in the Dark
Huey Lewis and the News – The Power of Love
Ida Maria – Oh My God
Jane’s Addiction – Been Caught Stealing
Jimi Hendrix – Crosstown Traffic
Joan Jett – I Love Rock and Roll
Juanes – Me Enamora
Metric – Combat Baby
Night Ranger – Sister Christian
Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train
Phoenix – Lasso
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
Rilo Kiley – Portions of Foxes
Smash Mouth – Walkin’ on the Sun
Spacehog – In the Meantime
Stone Temple Pilots – Plush
The Cure – Just Like Heaven
The Doors – Break On Through
The Vines – Get Free
The White Stripes – The Hardest Button to Button
Them Crooked Vultures – Dead End Friends
Whitesnake – Here I Go Again
I’m a bit torn. Sounds like you might need a new guitar for pro mode, and I’m kinda over buying hardware for RB. Keyboard looks cool, but agian, more plastic instruments is not what I need in my life.
It all does sound cool, but it also sounds like more hundreds of dollars of plastic instruments, which I’m just not sure I’m into anymore.
It sounds like you can use the older instruments with RB3, but you won’t be able to unlock all the newest pro-mode goodies (stringed Fender guitar, FTW). I see nothing wrong with the progress promised by this info.
Nothing wrong with it, but if I don’t want to buy the new hardware to take advantage of the new features it seems like mostly a huge track pack.
To be clear it sounds sweet, but I guess I’m just feeling a bit of peripheral fatigue. I’d prefer to buy software for the stuff I have now, rather than buying more hardware. The problem is compounded by the fact that there is no real way to trade in my old hardware toward the new stuff.
I think it’s Harmonix’s mission to bring everyone along slowly. You can’t go from where they started to real instruments in one step. What you’re talking about is probably Rock Band 6.
Although, the drums sound like they’re almost there with Pro mode in this one.
Also, did everyone note how the keyboard chart works in that video? You’re only seeing part of it at any one time, and it scrolls back and forth. That’s really clever.
Since the keyboard is the new instrument they are introducing, I’m guessing that the songs that ship with Rock Band 3 will probably all feature the keyboard.
The ability to drop in and out at any time, switch instruments, and difficulty on the fly is enough for a day one purchase for me.
Pro mode is intriguing, and the lack of video for it makes me think that’s still being heavily worked on. That’s going to be super hard to get right, trying to squeeze all that data in for 5 people at once.
Right, I was thinking about how the keyboard would work with existing DLC. Would be great to be able to play through the existing songs with a new instrument and it would help the decision to purchase the keyboard.
Well, since the current DLC doesn’t have the keyboard chart information, any additional changes they make to existing DLC would have to be downloaded. I suppose they could do something like what Apple did when they switched to DRM-free tunes, offer a fee to upgrade. Same goes for all the other instruments on Pro-mode. All that information just isn’t there for existing DLC, and would have to be added by someone for each song. That’s a lot of work.
It’d probably be worth it for Harmonix to put a team to work on that though. I figure that the chances that people would pay a fee to upgrade tunes that they’ve already bought are pretty good. Seems like a safe bet that it would be a worthy investment for them to make.
I know I’d be willing to pay to upgrade a lot of my existing songs.
I don’t know about that. There is over buying plastic instruments for yet another version of Guitar Hero (Detachable sides to the guitar? The players have stats? woohoo… not) and for Rock Band 3 (keyboards! Pro mode which I’ll never be good enough to play!).
RB3 really innovates and makes me at least consider getting some of the new instruments. For GH, I’d content to buy the disk and use what I already have. However, I’m not, in fact, planning to buy the next GH at all.
