MTV may not play many videos any more, but they do cover video games! Recently, an interesting article popped up at MTV.com, about the Guitar Hero/Rock Band rivalry. The article mainly discusses the issues that come about from incompatibility between each game's instruments. Clearly, some fans of rhythm games are getting tired of stacks of plastic instruments lying around. However, there may be hope yet. Konami's Rock Revolution will enter the fray this fall. While nothing has been promised, we certainly find this quote from Konami producer Keith Matejka intriguing:
Peripherals are expensive for the user and they are expensive to produce. The existing peripherals all deliver only a slightly different gameplay experience. Different teams have varying perspectives on what should be compatible with each game. I think all guitar- and drum-based games need to be compatible with each other to some level.
The implication, of course, is that Konami's instruments will work with Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. Is this the real deal, or just pulling the wool over our eyes? Considering the past track record of Konami's competitors, we don't see everyone getting along nicely in the future. But if it were to happen, I for one would buy Konami's game and instruments on day one. Goodness knows I could use the floor space!