One of the most anticipated games for the Sony PS3, Sony PS2, and Microsoft Xbox 360 is MTV Games and Harmonix' Rock Band, and since we know you're all waiting for its release, we've got good news for you. Harmonix has announced that the game has gone gold and is currently in final production. From the looks of it, Rock Band's Special Edition Bundle for the Xbox 360 and the Sony PS3 will meet its announced November 20 release date, while the PS2 version's Special Edition Bundle is still slated for a December 18 release.

After much anticipation and speculations, Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3) is finally ready to (rock and) roll this November, and the instruments are tagged with what they're worth. Harmonix producer Daniel Sussman sat down with GameSpot to discuss what's in store for aspiring rock stars.

It'll take around US$ 200 to purchase all of Rock Band's peripherals and set up the ultimate gig with your pals, which is why compatibility of previously owned third-party controllers with the game is quite welcome.

Fortunately, as Sussman said, guitar models that follow open-controller standards of the Xbox 360 and PS3 should work. The official Stratocaster made for Rock Band hosts a plethora of bonus features, but Harmonix made sure that those who prefer other guitar controllers can enjoy too.

Xbox 360 peripherals are wired, but the console only has three USB ports. To make up for it, "the Xbox 360 Rock Band Special Edition bundle will include a USB hub," Sussman commented. Other than that limitation, no problems surfaced when devs had to come up with wireless instruments. Sussman told GameSpot:

The most challenging thing with the drums was satisfying different people's playing styles. We had to plan for people who hit lightly and people who wail on our drum set. Personally, I'm very satisfied with where we ended up.

Now that we're shaking our rockin' boots in excitement, what's next after Rock Band reaches households? Looks like we can keep our fingers crossed for premium-quality instruments and PC-compatible drum sets, because Sussman didn't deny the possibility of these hitting the market.

At the moment, online sessions don't allow bandmates to hear their vocalist; there's no word if this will change soon. Recording performances doesn't seem to be a feature that will appear in the near future neither, as Sussman believes that "the magic of the performance really happens outside of the game, in the living room with the people playing the game." His suggestion: buy a video camera.

 

As the old engineering saying goes "If it ain't broken, it doesn't have enough accessories!" With that in mind, we bring up Pelican's latest product for the Xbox 360's growing fleet of cooling fans. This unit, dubbed the Air Flo 360, draws energy for its two fans via the 360's USB ports, which should be a safer alternative in light of recent electrical problems users may have experienced with the Nyko Intercooler 360.

Now, for the guys moaning "We don't need another cooler!" We also make mention of another interesting feature. The kit also carries a connection hub, which includes output options such as composite, s-video, component, and VGA. It also comes with pass-throughs for the Ethernet jack, optical, and stereo, as well as a 4-port USB hub.

In a nutshell, while we may not all agree with the USB-powered cooling fans, this new cooler provides 360 users with a means of bypassing the expensive official cables included with the kit, and allowing them to use more generic VGA cables. That, and it makes it easier for travelling gamers to set up shop wherever they go with a one-size-fits all adapter. The Pelican Air Flo Cooler will sell for USD $ 29.99 in retail, and is expected to come out lat in Q1 2007. As we're on the subject of adaptable 360 components...

It's only a few more days before both the Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 launch, and while we've already talked about all possible aspects to these competing consoles, from graphics power to gaming lineups, we thought we'd round out the discussions with a comparison of their hardware.

Jason Chen over at Gizmodo recently posted this video regarding the USB charge cables for the PS3's SIXAXIS and Xbox 360's standard controller, and they've pointed out that the PS3's cable's a scant five feet long - one foot short of the viewing distance most Optometrists recommend.

Remember that both controllers are designed to be wireless, so these cables are only to be used for playing with a drained battery - that goes without saying that we cringe at the thought of playing that close to an HDTV screen. On a side note, Jason says you can theoretically plug the PS3's USB cable into laptop's port, a USB hub, or an Xbox 360 - we liked the last idea best.

Has this ever happened to you? You've been playing games on your Xbox 360 for 15 straight hours inside a humid and closed room. You don't feel the pangs of hunger, but instead you're more motivated now to finish this game. Then you smell something funny. It smells like somebody's burning toast. You jump up from your seat and take a look at the the console. Whew! Good thing it wasn't the Xbox 360 burning. Overusing any kind of electrical machinery, under certain conditions, will cause it to overheat and flame on.

Paranoia really gets to gamers sometimes, even in real life. Placing it in front of the freezer or window won't help- it just may damage your console. To take care of such concerns you need a cooler. It's a device that cools down the machine while you're using it. In this case, you need a cooler for your Xbox 360. Somebody pointed us to a site that will be selling one soon. The device is called the Gamexpert Xbox 360 Cooler King.

It's supposed to be more than just a cooler so don't tag it as a XCM 360 Air Cooler copycat. The Gamexpert product has an internal fan that reduces the heat produced by your console ensuring that you can play longer and safer. It also gives you the option to connect VGA and S-VHS cables for HD gaming and digital surround sound. Lastly, use other controllers and upload files to the Hard Drive as well through the USB hub. It's easy to install eventhough you're not a technical person. It's a "plug in and go" kind of device. It seems nice, but we'll have to wait until this comes out to know if it really works well.

It's available online for £29.99 or roughly $56 US bucks.