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The Xbox One release of Rock Band 4 will cost $20 more than the PS4 release, due to Microsoft’s console requiring an adapter to support older peripherals.
Harmonix has confirmed that with the addition of the adapter, the Xbox One edition will cost $80/70.The adapter will come packed with every standalone copy of the game, allowing players to plug-in Xbox 360 guitars and drum sets upon release in October.
PS4 copies will remain at the standard $60/50 price, as the version will support existing controllers without requiring an adapter of any sort.
Along with the pricing details, Harmonix has released an early list of compatible peripherals:
UPDATE: Mad Catz has contacted MCV to contest the headline’s use of the word increase” and to point out that it is making zero cost on the Xbox peripheral adapter. It also stresses that it is the only upcoming music game to offer backwards compatibility with older hardware.
We’ve said since the announcement of Rock Band 4 that owners of Xbox One who want to use Xbox 360 hardware will need an adapter,” a spokesperson said. No company in the history of games has decided to do such an undertaking before, working with a first party to make previous generation peripherals compatible with new gen systems. It’s a massive and very technical undertaking and shows how much we value and respect our community.
Mad Catz and Harmonix are not making any profit at all on this adapter. If you happen to have older generation hardware and wish to save money on purchasing the new hardware. The fact is that on Xbox One, the only technically possible way gamers can use their Xbox 360 hardware is through the use of an adapter.
I absolutely believe that offering gamers choice and a chance to use older generation hardware (which was a significant investment back in the day) is a great thing, something that no one else is doing and should be celebrated by the gaming community.
We’re very sorry that we cannot afford to give away the adapter for free but obviously a significant cost is involved in the manufacture of the hardware. We are offering gamers a chance to avoid buying all new instrument hardware for those who already have a collection and that we offer the lowest barrier of entry for any music game of this generation.”
