Sony has worked out a deal with the developers of major music-based videogames to ensure their controllers will have a “basic level” of compatibility across all titles released for the PlayStation 3.
In a message posted on the PlayStation Blog, SCEA Director of Publisher Relations Michael Shorrock said Sony has been working with Neversoft, Activision, Harmonix and Konami over the past several months to ensure that guitar and drum controllers on the PlayStation 3 have “a basic level of gameplay compatibility” regardless of the title for which they were originally designed. “For the most part, this means that the titles with musical peripherals will work with the other’s software,” he explained. “A few specific examples include: Guitar Hero: World Tour’s guitars and drums will work with Rock Band 2 and Konami’s Rock Revolution software.”
“And yes, you guessed it, Rock Band 2’s guitar and drum set will work with Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Revolution,” he continued, for people who somehow manage to miss the point. “Conversely, Rock Revolution’s drum set will work with both Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2. In addition, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 will both support the SingStar microphones.”
Shorrock added that Sony was still working on compatibility issues between the current Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles, and said the company hoped to have an announcement shortly.
“Of course each of these great games have their own specific cool features that may not be compatible with other controllers, but this is our first big step in bringing a level of compatibility to music games that is sure to benefit PlayStation 3 consumers,” he said.
Compatibility between music game controllers may not be of Earth-shattering importance on the surface, but the fact that neither Microsoft nor Nintendo have confirmed the same capabilities in their versions of the games adds up to another feather in Sony’s cap. The state of ferocious competition between the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 makes even the smallest edge immensely valuable, and the wild popularity of music games means this could turn into a big advantage for Sony if Microsoft fails to respond in a timely fashion.
via: Joystiq
