RUMOUR: Rock Band pricing details

PALGN News | Wallets everywhere scream in anguish.

According to Tweak Town Gamer, a retail source has leaked the pricing details for Harmonix's Rock Band, which saw release in the US and the UK (as a timed Xbox 360 exclusive) on 22 December 2007 and 23 May 2008 respectively, but still languishes unreleased on our shores.

If this rumoured pricing is accurate, the news is bad, albeit unsurprising. The retail source has stated that the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 release will be sold in multiple components at retail, and that Australian gamers are looking at forking out:

$119.95 AUD for the game
$159.95 AUD for the Drums peripheral
$99.95 AUD for the Guitar peripheral (if purchased separately)
Or $269.95 AUD for a peripheral pack comprising of Drums, a Guitar, and a Microphone

EA remained mum on the subject of Rock Band pricing when contacted, but did state that an official announcement should be forthcoming within the week.

Related Rock Band Content

A Queen-sized Rock Band update
16 Oct, 2009 R.I.P. vocal chords.

Latest Pearl Jam album to hit Rock Band
02 Aug, 2009 Iconic rockers set for DLC release this September.

Country Music track pack for Rock Band
13 May, 2009 You gotta know when to hold ‘em.

Page12 Next

34 Comments

shiraj

3 years ago

I will get guitar hero world tour with all the peripherals and then get just the game for rock band -

ittekimasu

3 years ago

oh DEAR GOD NO!

especially not since RB2 gear is superior

inigel

3 years ago

I'm gonna get Rock Band. Finally I can rock out to AC/DC!

'Cause learning real guitar is for losers!

Buttmouth

3 years ago

Predicting zero instrument sales, a small amount of Aussie sales and a small spike
in US PS3 sales (I'm importing, how bout you?)

FAIL.

Spugster wrote

Sorry, am I missing something here? I'm pretty sure EB Games has had this information up for a while...

$119.95 Game
$289.95 Instrument Bundle
$109.95 Wireless Guitar

Nice catch. Perhaps this entire thread is just a viral marketing ploy...

döppelgangbang

3 years ago

I cant stand it how game publishers treat us as if we're in a vacuum.

And its not just EA either. All have fallen at the mercy of multi region release shedules.

Are we really too stupid to know that this can be imported cheaper and the imminent sequel, with peripherals is just around the bend.

<3 Harmonix but...

Eyce

3 years ago

Actually people, I wouldn't start complaining about those Drums and Guitar Prices.

Those are actually pretty f**king good compared to importing each instrument off eBay.

Cheapest I've seen a Drum Set go on eBay brand new was $180 AUD inc. Postage.

Guitars, those go for around $120 on eBay inc. Postage.

Game cost, yeah, that's f**king us over alright.

---

Another note- PS3 users with Les Pauls rejoice:
http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77842

trainwreck

3 years ago

seriously, what the hell? guitar hero world tour looks better then rock band 2 let alone rock band 1. why would anyone get a year old game when there are better newer guitar hero game for cheaper?

trainwreck

3 years ago

rock bands guitar and drums were reported to have lots of problems, being cheap plastic and snapping easily, they are meant to fix all that in rock band 2 but we probably wont get that til next century, guitar hero world tour kicks butt

Krazy-Koala

3 years ago

When Rock Band was first announced, I was very excited.

We are big Guitar Hero and Singstar fans in our house, so something combining the two (and adding drums), by a company with Harmonix track record was potentially the perfect game.

That was then.
There is no way they are gonna get my money now.

1) They make us wait over a year to release it here.

2) When they do release it, they give us last years hardware and last years hardware, insulting us again. Not only a year late, but the old crap.

3) They charge us a fortune in comparison with the US market.
And don't even try to use the cost of shipping them Australia as a justification.
The damn thing is made in China. I would imagine that the cost of shipping the units to the US or to Australia from China are pretty similar.

In comparison, Guitar Hero World Tour is shipping to all regions at about the same time. It is still expensive, but at least it is the current technology, not the old cast off.

I refuse to support Harmonix / EA in this gigantic insult to Australian gamers.
I truly hope that Guitar Hero turns out to be the better product and outsells them this time around (hopefully they will have improved from the horror that was GH3)

Even if Rock band is the better game, it is dead to me now.

No game is that good. No matter how much I love the idea of Rock Band, After this sort of treatment, I can easily resist the temptation.
I don't allow anyone to bend me over and take me like that.

I hope the rest of Australia has the good sense to tell them to shove it.
PALGN could start by giving them minimum exposure regarding this release. After all, it's not as if you would be reviewing the latest version of the software. Why review something thats a year old and now obsolete?

Buttmouth

3 years ago

Eyce wrote

Another note- PS3 users with Les Pauls rejoice:
http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77842

Les Paul compatibility is good news for true.

Eyce wrote

Actually people, I wouldn't start complaining about those Drums and Guitar Prices.

Why wouldn't we complain about old, dodgy gear that's priced too high (according to rumours) and one
of the most absurd and insulting delay times I can remember.

They've got a bad rep round these parts. I'll complain in every thread I can until
they can go back in time and fix it.

FAIL.

Krazy-Koala wrote

After all, it's not as if you would be reviewing the latest version of the software. Why review something thats a year old and now obsolete?

Good point. In fact, great post.

Spugster

3 years ago

Sorry, am I missing something here? I'm pretty sure EB Games has had this information up for a while...

$119.95 Game
$289.95 Instrument Bundle
$109.95 Wireless Guitar

ppjim3

3 years ago

Regardless of the price RB destroys GH3 in every single way. I very much doubt GH4 will be as good as RB and nowhere near RB2. It's a shame the RB franchise got off to such a horrible start in PAL regions (for such stupid reasons!) when the actual game is absolutely amazing.

bladerunner_97

3 years ago

I hope all those peripherals are the superior RB2 ones, and not the originals, as the new ones are much much better..
Drums: Velocity Sensitive, Larger, Quieter
Guitar: Less Clicky Buttons, Lag Calibrator, Wireless

Dropbear

3 years ago

Interestingly enough, I saw two PS3 bundles of Rock Band (Probably the US version) for $300 each at my local GameTraders. Obviously, they couldn't be bothered waiting anymore.

Now that Guitar Hero 4 is coming out at roughly the same time, I couldn't give a damn about RB.

rufati

3 years ago

Dropbear wrote

Now that Guitar Hero 4 is coming out at roughly the same time, I couldn't give a damn about RB.

Agreed.

ppjim3 wrote

Regardless of the price RB destroys GH3 in every single way.

Having played RB, I disagree. It's basically GH2 with drums and vocals. GH3 is doing the same thing by evolving into GHWT. The only saving grace of both the games will be the price of their respective bundles.

I guess like most people down under, I'll be getting the better bundle, and purchasing the other game separately. At the moment, the better bundle looks to be GHWT for me =D

jomonjin

3 years ago

Totally agree on most points (except that I preferred GH3 to GH2 and prefer the RB2 setlist to the GH:WT

but on everything else... totally agree.

They ain't getting my money. At least, not until RB2 is released. Damn them.

Benza

3 years ago

Eh, I'm just completly over Rockband. **** it.

renegadesx

3 years ago

Beats the apparent "confirmed" price of $520

http://xboxoz360gamer.com/2008/08/16/rock-band-australian-pricing-official-confirmation-of-sky-high-520/

Lord Haart

3 years ago

^That's like spraying Supa-Clean over a Nuclear wasteland and declaring it clean. Those prices are still such a big joke that if I had a sense of humour regarding EA any more, I'd have choked to death long ago.

And yes, I'm not the kind to get angry and death threat anyone for this absurd exploitation of a market. But I will certainly find it quite funny if some of those EA suits literally choke on the money they earn from this.

----

Actually, I think that I might buy the $270 pack, and pay only in 10c pieces. That'll teach 'em. Or better yet, just make my own damn instruments - I doubt it's really that hard or expensive. I study mechatronics, I should have the know-how by now.

Mr Waffle

3 years ago

It took me a moment to realise what was wrong with the pricing... I thought the bundle sounded cheap compared to GH:WT... until I realised it didn't include the game. OUCH.

RhysDeschain

3 years ago

I don't care 'bout Rock Band no more.
GH4 has Tool! Nothing can beat that, except maybe Led Zeppelin.
Or Led Zeppelin and Tool playing a Pink Floyd cover.

Sin Ogaris

3 years ago

This just in, while Australia may be the World's largest island, apparantly it's not too big to be bent over by EA/Harmonix and given a ripe old rogering. This news and more, tonight at 7.

el_rezzo

3 years ago

Won't be paying those prices, will be picking up the game itself once I can find a used copy for under $50 at most. Hopefully Big W has a great deal on GHWT like they did with GH3, I'm expecting to pay $300 flat with all the competition at launch. Looking forward to November.

Shorty

3 years ago

This is similar to the pricing shown in a Kotaku article a while back.

http://kotaku.com/5030323/we-hope-this-australian-rock-band-pricing-isnt-real-yet-fear-it-is

The article does suggest that the game will be here next month and that EA will make an official announcement this week. The pricing's not going to be any worse, but it's still pretty brutal considering the UK/Euro instrument pack price has gone down to ~AU$240 converted. I think EA would be wise to make a similar "adjustment" here.

Page12 Next

View as forum topic

Add Comment