Very Useful
I recently bought this item and am very satisfied with it for many reasons. For one it was much much easier and faster to type than it was with the on-screen keyboard. While this is attached to the controller (using either the clip for the Sixaxis or the Madcatz controller which are both includind in the package) all the buttons are accesible It is comfortable to use and hold (although it makes the controller a little heavier) when just typing. If you were trying to type while playing a game this would be very awkward. The best place to have put the keyboard would have been under the analog sticks which is why I gave it a 4 instead of a 5. One great feature about this is if you don't use the clip you can use it as a normal wireless keyboard that works with anything that is compatible with a keyboard and has a USB port like a computer or an Xbox 360.
Overall this is a great product and I would recomend it to anyone.
Works fine for me
I've had this mini keyboard for about 6 months now and it works consistently without incident. Granted I only use it with the web browser and to chat in RFOM. I just plugged it in and it worked. It does make the controller front heavy and I do get a bit nervous shaking off bullseye tags without feeling like I'm going to send it flying. Although, to date this hasn't happened. The size is a huge pro. My wife wouldn't stand for a full size keyboard in the living room. The only reason I am giving it four stars is that I wish it was bluetooth.
Fine mini-keyboard
(Preamble to my review: unlike the other reviewers I'm using it for my HTPC not a PS3)
Nice little find and fine for what it is: a mini thumb keyboard. Detected immediately in windows xp, good range (through walls at least ~20 feet; my apt's not big enough to test farther). Missing many keys that would be handy on a PC (eg ESC, ctrl, etc...) but they can apparently be scripted in with an external program. Keys are a little spongy, and missing the solid tactile feel of PDA thumb keyboards, but it d/n affect typing speed.
As another review noted, the receiver's red LED does flash (~1-2 Hz) but only when the kbd is in sleep mode. This could potentially be annoying, but you could just cover it up with some electrical tape. Another potential concern is the USB charging: if the battery runs out, you can't just the change batteries; you'll need to recharge. Not sure if it works while charging, but that sort of defeats the point.
Filling such a niche market, I wasn't expecting too much, but was pleasantly surprised, esp. for the entirely reasonable price.
Amazon.com Product Description
Unleash your inner rock legend with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Face off against guitar icon Slash, from Guns N' Roses, and others in insane boss battles featuring original tracks recorded exclusively for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Defeat opponents to achieve legendary status in head-to-head competition including the all-new Guitar Battle or share the glory with a friend in the new Co-op Career Mode. Realize a true rock concert experience with all new venues, incredible lighting effects, authentic instruments and sick character moves. And since rock is all about the music, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock features over 70 of the biggest and loudest songs ever compiled in a single game disc.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock features an array of game modes designed complement every player's preference and time considerations. In single player, take advantage of Quickplay functionality for spontaneous action when you only have a few minutes to spare for a fast play through of a song, or dive into Training and Career Modes when you want to concentrate of specific skills and song parts, or are ready to make your way to the top of the Rock & Roll game. Local multiplayer modes are just as diverse and include a cooperative Career Mode, Pro Face-Off and Face-Off, in which two Guitar Heroes conduct their own symphonies of destruction, and Battle Mode in which successful playing earns you powerups that can be used to disrupt the flow of opponent's play. A Legendary Set List Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock features a deep set list made up of some of the most iconic hits of rock history, mixed with a sampling of the most infectious rock tracks of recent years. Your game disc includes over 70 songs, evenly distributed throughout every corner and mode of the game. This includes a wealth songs that are unlocked as you play through single and multiplayer modes, those specific to boss battles encountered, tracks exclusively chosen for Co-op Career play and a large number of bonus songs, mostly purchasable using in-game money. The complete set list available with disc includes:
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Lots of Hype, Moderate Execution
As an big fan of the Guitar Hero games and owner of the previous three installments on the PSXII I was VERY excited for GH3. HOWEVER, after playing for a few days now I am very sad to say I'm rather disappointed as I have mixed feelings over GH3.
First off is the aesthetics looks; obviously Activision made a great effort to appeal to contemporary audiences and, from a marketing standpoint, this is very understandable. However, I feel as though the Guitar Hero franchise is now becoming a marketing tool for new bands and songs instead of following the formula of playing great songs both old and new. Granted there were many songs from the 1980s on back, but in many instances songs were from the past year or so; some were even being initially produced during production of Guitar Hero 3, which reinforces my theory.
To be fair, there were many songs I was very pleased to see make the final cut such as Welcome to the Jungle and La Grange. I'm a big classic rock fan and it was a blast playing Rock Ya Like a Hurricane. I would've chosen some different songs for say Aerosmith, Cream and The Who but you win some, ya lose some. I should also be fair in saying I did enjoy some of the contemporary works such as Priestess, I actually went out and bought their CD because I fell in love with the song they used... but that's where my love for the new songs end. They also butchered some songs, most notably The Devil Went Down to Georgia; I was skeptical at first because it's a fiddle song and my fears were confirmed as I noticed it became a death metal song. *le sigh*
Then there's the severe lack of diversity in the songs. It appears to be half death metal, half classic rock; almost all from primarily white bands. I've seen better diversity at a Trent Lott Christmas party. No Hendrix, no Stevie Wonder, no Michael Jackson, no Prince, no Rick James ("I'm Rick James!"), no Vandross, no nothing. Carlos Santana seemed to be the token minority group in the entire game, granted they did an excellent job doing Black Magic Woman and that one is probably my personal favorite to play.
The bonus songs, to me, were all worthless. It's almost all one genre; garage bands. Granted this is primarily the basis of the bonus songs in previous Guitar Hero games, however, at least Red Octane placed songs everyone could enjoy such as Dethklok and even Strong Bad. This time around, I did not find one bonus song I liked.
Then there's the layout; it's waay too contemporary for my taste. It seems to be marketed entirely to heavy metal, death metal and (dare I say) emo fans. Aside from glam rock character Izzy and Motown Xavier (which they only had one song contributing to) the characters, arenas and styles all reflected contemporary rock themes. The British Invasion is subtlety hinted although they use Weezer as an example when other songs would've personified this much better since Weezer is 30 years late. I just wish there would've been more balance between contemporary and classic. The only arena I liked was the prison, which I thought was nice.
I also thought way too much emphasis was placed on aesthetics than actual game play. The stages were beautifully done and some of the characters looked considerably better than before... but, then again, most of the time our focus is on the fret board and not what is in the background. It also made it very difficult to read points and, more importantly, star power. I had considerable trouble discerning my star power level given the new layout. The old layout from the first three installments was considerably easier to read on the fly.
Then there's the versus boss mode... which I think is the most worthless feature they included, which you are forced to do if you wish to proceed. Despite being a seasoned player, it took me several trial and error sessions to beat each boss especially the final boss Lou. It was literally a toss of the coin as half the time the boss would strike back and the other half he would not. Not to mention you have to cause the boss to fail before the music stops; you could have triple the points the boss has and still lose which is hardly how a guitar battle should be engaged. If anything, the battle should be based on points at the end of the song, which would've been great with The Devil Went Down to Georgia. I just wanted to rock dangit!!
The difficulty also seemed to be considerably off. I thought I'd start small on medium and played through the game. I noticed the first few songs were super easy, then towards it the end it got considerably harder than usual. Songs on medium seemed to be hard but without the orange button, especially on the last two genres. Particularly in the song One by Metallica, the song goes into a long solo of run-offs similar to hard if not expert songs on previous installments. While this made me a better player in the long run, it will deter casual players.
And perhaps it is just me but others and myself have noticed the screen appears smaller. I checked my screen settings and even put on widescreen mode to see what was the deal and, sure enough, the fret buttons and screen was condensed to allow the player to see the stage, characters and background better... which is kind of pointless since you're supposed to be focused on playing the game, not admiring the scenery. This made it REALLY hard to do harder songs since I had to scoot up to the screen and squint my eyes.
Lastly, there's the loading time. It is considerably longer than before due to the large emphasis on backgrounds, characters and animations instead of gameplay. For previous Guitar Hero fans this will prove to be cumbersome as you will be tempted to hit the green button thinking the game is waiting for your input when, in reality, it's still loading.
However, there are some pros. I really enjoyed the co-op career mode since I typically play Guitar Hero games with friends and this allows us to move towards an attainable goal.
All in all, Guitar Hero III could've been done a LOT better. Activision and the four million contributing companies with rock intros strayed heavily from the formula and will disillusion many long-term fans. I strongly recommend you rent this first and try Guitar Hero 2 if you really want it; the second installment is much better executed with all the features you'll really need with a diverse soundtrack.
I Was Too Quick To Judge. This Game Rocks!!
As the wife of the above, I had to edit my review of this game after playing it for a couple of weeks now. I LOVE it. I hated it at first and was really frustrated at the gameplay. I wasn't sure I liked the battle modes or the song list. Also, being new to the "Guitar Hero" games probably didn't help. With the help of my son I figured out the gameplay and I am now on hard. I think if I could figure out where the orange fret is I'd do better. The songs become more real as you progress through the levels as more notes are given.
BUT, this game rocks after I gave it some more time. It's my favorite of all the games now and I can't stop playing it. The battle mode is great and gives you more incentive to work harder. My son and I battled it out one night and we had a great time. He obviously won but it was time well spent together. It's not often there are video games that everyone can play regardless of age. All of my kids love the "Guitar Hero" games.
My husband and I started a band in the Co-Op Career mode and made it through Easy. We ended up buying the "Guitar Hero II" bundle for another guitar. I wish there was a way to get a wired guitar without having to buy the bundle.
I really don't care about the graphics since you can't see them while you are playing. But as I was watching my kids play I realized the character is really playing all the notes to the song. The attention to details like that really impressed me. I loved the new girl, Casey, as she was sexy without looking stupid.
I really don't like the flashing lights that pop up in some of the gameplay as I have epilepsy. Not enough to cause a seizure, but I did find myself twitching some. It's distracting and hard to find notes because you are blinded by the lights. I wasn't sure I liked the songs as I'm probably the wrong gender and demograhic, but they started to grow on me.
I really didn't give this game a chance when I first reviewed it. If you aren't sure you like it, give it some time. I'm glad I did.
overdone, strained sequel
This latest installment of Guitar Hero tries too hard to outdo the previous versions. The interface is hard to read (meter, multiplier, etc...). They pop distracting balloons right over incoming notes after you hit so many notes in a row, and sometimes that's enough to make me fail a note. Some songs are so-so, were overplayed on the radio or don't sound like I expected them to. It's like the RIAA chose the songs.
Finally it plays quite differently from previous versions of GH with the introduction of "boss song battles" to unlock the next group of songs. You have to "attack" the character playing against you by tilting the guitar. Unappealing and Lame. I'm not a 12-year old. Booo! Buy the others, avoid this one.
Great Grips!!! Poor adhesive
These grips are the best i have ever used with my PS/3 controller.
They offer all the extra grip you need and are very comfortable.
No slip!!!
The only negative is the adhesive, it is very weak and should be allowed to cure at least 1 hour before use.
I will buy these again and again!
But will also use some Gorilla Grip or Super Glue as the adhesive!
DS3 Rocket Grips GOOD STUFF they're cool
Here is a multiple review on the silicone skin, rocket grip pads, L2 & R2 extensions and the DS3 controller in Red.
I had purchased this silicone Skin and the Rocket Grips (adhesive pads) for my two controllers. 1 the regular black DS3 and the newly RED DS3 controller. I needed something as hands sweating during game play was bothersome. The skins are most like the controller with some grip on the sides, I also recognized another style that had more nipple beads around where you hold. I opted for this one and I like it very much- definitely a better hold or grip and is more comfortable during longer game play.
I was more looking forward to the Rocket Grips as I had myself tinkered around with different adhesive pads but could not get a good enough cut out design that would work well. That and the padding was not comformative. However, these rocket Grips are. They went on very easily and do hold up. I have big hands so I do like the beef up on the controller, I just hope that the adhesive holds up as it seems it will- just make sure your controller is clean before adapting. I give these as well 5 stars as they do help with sweat. Giving a different texture than polished plastic.
I was in a store and seen these L2 & R2 extensions- these things are awesome, they change around the feel of the controller and help keep your fingers on the buttons as they have an extended concave feel. Good buy as they are cheap and removable / attachable if you don't want them on- to take off and put on won't break them. A must buy if your into racing games. I did see on amazon another kit with the buttons with a brushed steel faceplate for the controller- thought that was cool.
Finally the new Red controller, after a long decision of whether to get the blue or the red- laugh. I decided on the red- these controllers are in fact lighter than the regular black and do not have the same rumble or vibration. I don't know if this is how they make them all now or what but there is for sure a difference.
don't waste your money
great idea, poor application. The adhesive barely holds this on the controller. Save your money and buy some eGrip material.
Become a legend
In comparison with the guitar icon Slash and others in insane boss battles of original tracks recorded exclusively for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
online or offline party Rock
Defeat opponents to achieve legendary status in head to head competition including the all new guitar battle or share the glory with a friend in the new cooperative career mode.
Immersive experience Concerts
To experience a rock concert with all new venues, incredible lighting effects, authentic instruments and movements of temperament.
Incredible Soundtrack
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock features over 70 songs, the largest and most powerful ever assembled in one game! rock songs such as: Welcome to the Jungle, You Rock Like a Hurricane Sabotage, Suck My Kiss, Cherub Rock and Mississippi Queen.
Guitar Hero WIRELESS Paul Guitar Controller The
Strap on your Guitar Hero Les Paul Wireless Guitar Controller, power and Crank It Up! Personalize your guitar with new interchangeable covers available for the Les Paul guitar only (additional walls sold separately).
Guitar Features:
Amazon.com
Product Description
The third game from the Guitar Hero series is going to rock your face off. You will channel your inner guitar god as you thrash your way through all sorts of venues. In addition to standard Guitar Hero features you know and adore, this game has all kinds of killer new options such as the new multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a bevy of exclusive unlockable content, and authentic rock venues. The expanded online multiplayer game modes will also allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true legendary rock status. Best of all, check out the new songs! Fresh downloadable content will be offered on multiple platforms, and players can now shred to a set list from many of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. Featured hits include:
Amazon.com Product Description
Unleash your inner rock legend with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Face off against guitar icon Slash, from Guns N' Roses, and others in insane boss battles featuring original tracks recorded exclusively for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Defeat opponents to achieve legendary status in head-to-head competition including the all-new Guitar Battle or share the glory with a friend in the new Co-op Career Mode. Realize a true rock concert experience with all new venues, incredible lighting effects, authentic instruments and sick character moves. Rock to over 70 of the biggest and loudest songs ever compiled in a single game disc, with nearly as many also available for download online. And finally, with the Les Paul Gibson replica wireless guitar controller included with the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock bundle, do all this with untethered freedom.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock features an array of game modes designed complement every player's preference and time considerations. In single player, take advantage of Quickplay functionality for spontaneous action when you only have a few minutes to spare for a fast play through of a song, or dive into Training and Career Modes when you want to concentrate of specific skills and song parts, or are ready to make your way to the top of the Rock & Roll game. Multiplayer modes are just as diverse and include a cooperative Career Mode, Pro Face-Off and Face-Off, in which two Guitar Heroes conduct their own symphonies of destruction, and Battle Mode in which successful playing earns you powerups that can be used to disrupt the flow of opponent's play. A Legendary Set List Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock features a deep set list made up of some of the most iconic hits of rock history, mixed with a sampling of the most infectious rock tracks of recent years. Your game disc includes over 70 songs, evenly distributed throughout every corner and mode of the game. This includes a wealth songs that are unlocked as you play through single and multiplayer modes, those specific to boss battles encountered, tracks exclusively chosen for Co-op Career play and a large number of bonus songs, mostly purchasable using in-game money. Players on the PlayStation 3 platform can also download additional songs via PlayStation Network, nearly doubling the list of songs initially available. The complete set list available with disc includes:
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Amazon.com
Product Description
The third game from the Guitar Hero series is going to rock your face off. You will channel your inner guitar god as you thrash your way through all sorts of venues. In addition to standard Guitar Hero features you know and adore, this game has all kinds of killer new options such as the new multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a bevy of exclusive unlockable content, and authentic rock venues. The expanded online multiplayer game modes will also allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true legendary rock status. Best of all, check out the new songs! Fresh downloadable content will be offered on multiple platforms, and players can now shred to a set list from many of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. Featured hits include:
Activision didn't pull through very well GH3 could have been much better.
I originally bought a PS2 just to play guitar hero 1. And it was quite ground breaking. I then followed it up and bought GH2 and Rock the 80's. GH2 was a big improvement over the first, and 80's is the exact same engine as 2, just with different songs and graphic overlays.
Now, I was expecting quite a bit for GH3 but I don't think I was expecting anything over the top of what is possible. And here start all my issues with GH3:
1. Sony added bluetooth to the PS3 which was an amazing idea. There was NO need to add a wireless dongle. There is wireless built into the PS3 for a reason, USE IT! A wireless dongle for PS2 would be understandable. But common activision, there is NO excuse for the dongle.
2. The implementation of the GH3 controller with the PS3 is below standards. You CANNOT turn on the PS3 with the controller like you can the sixaxis.
3. People have been waiting for a guitar controller for the PS3 so they can play the old GH's on the system. Here is the controller everyone has been waiting for, but sorry... this controller doesn't work with anything but GH3. GH I, II, and rock the 80's still have no way to play on a PS3 even though sony added backwards compatability for legacy games.
4. Why couldn't they model the guitar after a sixaxis? They could have made the guitar run just like a sixaxis which in turn would create a seamless integration with the PS3 like it should be. The 5 colored buttons could stay the way they are right now, the two bottom triggers on the sixaxis are pressure sensitive and could have been used for the wammy bar. The built in motion sensor could be the 'star power' trigger, and there is still many more buttons left over. There is no need for such a poorly integrated controller.
5. The overall timing of the game feels 'off'. I've calibrated and still the game doesn't feel right.
6. In practice mode, your calibration doesn't work. So if you calibrate your TV with lets say 50ms, in practice mode it's always at 0ms no matter what. In the high ms (80+) you will not be able to hit one note properly. Go try it and see for yourself.
7. There are some great songs on here, but there is way more filler than the good stuff. I've already beat the game on expert, and I got excited for maybe 4 or 5 songs the entire way through. Mostly it was "lets get this over so I can move on" type songs.
8. The guitar runs on 2 AA batteries. Again, if this was modeled after the sixaxis like it should have been, it would have been a simple usb cord to charge the guitar. Yeah I know it's just 2 batteries, but I still feel the developers were lazy putting this package together.
There are positives, the removable neck is great, the guitar feels solid, removable face plate, updated graphics (720P), downloadable content in the future. But I still feel let down with this one. Let the flaming begin ;)
Still fun despite various annoyances
I was a little worried when I ordered this game based on some of the complaints I'd been reading. Having received it and spent several hours playing, I find that the complaints are basically valid but not as big a deal as some might have one believe. Here are my thoughts:
* The song list ranges from worthless to classic. They're trying to please too many different people and should probably consider releasing separate games in specific genres going forward. I love the classic rock and '80s metal tracks, but a lot of the others don't do anything for me. I'm sure that plenty of younger gamers have the opposite reaction. Also, the fact that a few of the songs can only be played in multiplayer mode is extremely annoying.
* The gameplay is indeed much harder than in previous games. Aside from the fact that Easy still uses only 3 fret buttons and Medium uses 4, each difficulty level is roughly equivalent to the next highest level in the earlier games.
* The fact that the controller isn't compatible with the earlier games still blows my mind. This is shocking and inexcusable! What were they thinking?
* The controller does have some issues -- it occasionally misses notes and the star power sensor is way too sensitive. If, like me, you're mainly interested in just jamming along to fun tunes, it's not really a big deal. If your goal is to beat every song on Expert level, it might drive you crazy. I've found that playing while sitting down helps, but of course that's not as fun as rockin' around the room. (Note to those complaining about lack of Bluetooth -- bear in mind that the bluetooth guitar will probably cost an extra $50. The RF works fine - just hit the dongle button and then the P button on the controller. You might need to fiddle with it if it doesn't set the guitar up as controller #1 though.)
* If you have lag problems, try putting the TV into Game Mode (most newer HD sets have this). That cuts out most of the image processing in the TV and may solve the problem. I went through the GH calibration on my Toshiba DLP set and it reported 0 ms lag. I haven't had any lag problems at all.
* A couple of song download packs are now available, but they're on the expensive side for only 3 songs per pack.
That all said, it's still Guitar Hero and basically the same idea as the earlier games. The fun songs are still fun and it's still worth playing. It's just not at the level of quality that it could have been.
Great game but much harder
First off let me just say that this is a great game. I was a little concerned when it switched from Harmonix to Neversoft, but they have stayed true to what guitar hero is all about. Mechanics of the game is the same and the game play is very fun as usual.
This however is not for the faint hearted. The song list is great (mostly original artists and not cover bands like the last 2 games) but they are very fast paced and particulary "shredders" where you feel your arm is about to fall off. I play on hard and expert. You shouldn't have any problems and if you are new to guitar hero I recommend on starting out easy/medium due to the difficultly level being anti-upped in guitar hero 3. "One" in particular is the song title by Metallica which is a very hard song to beat and this would be for those who have played guitar hero before and want a significant challenge.
What's interesting is that they have added what's called "battle mode" which instead of star power, you get battle power. So when you activate your "battle power" (same as activating star power) you are able to distract your opponent but cutting a string, flipping his guitar to lefty, making him hit the whammy bar, upping the difficult (hard to expert) and doubling the notes. This is a very fun addition and adds to the party game experience while adding challenge too.
As far as the guitar it's self, I had no problem hooking it (bluetooth and the PS3 version using a dongle). Just hit the button on the dongle then the PS button on the controller. The strum bar does not click as much and it is slightly longer than the previous models making strumming easier. The buttons and neck seem sturdier and les paul design is classic with inter-changable face plates. The guitar is significantly heavier (but not heavy where it hurts the neck) so you don't feel like you're going to break it while rocking out to the songs. Online play is great and I haven't had any problems so far with lag time/delays. I would highly recommend this to has played guitar hero before and to people who want to start playing (just start out on medium trust me).
Why can't they email the code for free?
Why can't they email the code for free instead of charging money to ship a useless piece of paper? It's fine that some people may choose to waste a tree by wanting this delivered to them but in the end it is simply a code that could easily be electronically delivered and Amazon has these facilities else they could not be selling MP3s etc. It may be handier to give as a gift in physical form too but for the rest of us, I think paying to deliver this is like buying a box filled with air and packing peanuts. It just wastes everyone's time including the mail courier.
The idea itself is great so 5 stars for the product and there are lots of great games online to buy. One other thing that bothers me though is the fact that the denominations of $20 and $50 can never be equally divided into the costs of the games so the house always wins. This means Sony will always have your change even if you buy a game for $19.99 they will have your 1 cent, which is plenty when you calculate the number of other people's 1 cent in there too. Just something to think about.
Interesting
There is this guy selling it for double the price, but the other seller (coso systems) offers the card for only a few dollars more than the face value.
If you live outside the US this is the way to go. People from Latin America, Europe, Asia... go for it. It's worth it!
Perfect!
i don't understand why everybody is complaining about this product. i bought 3 of the $20 cards for $20 each!! this is absolutely perfect for anyone overseas whose credit card doesn't work or if you just can't obtain a credit card. i would advise anyone to buy this.
