I couldn’t be more excited for PDP’s new Guitar Hero-like PS5 controller

I can’t believe I might start playing Fortnite

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It’s been a big week for controller brand PDP. Not only did its Victrix Pro BFG Xbox Series X gamepad get a February release window, but the brand has also just revealed that it’ll be making the very first guitar controller for PS5 and Xbox Series X.

That’s right - if you’ve been at all nostalgic for the bygone era of heading to a friend’s house to jam out together on Guitar Hero or Rockband, it’s time to get excited about reliving those days. Fortnite Festival launched in December of 2023, adding to the ever-expanding Fortnite-verse, and it looks as though it’ll introduce some exciting additions to ourbest PS5 controllerlist.

PDP’s new controller, called the RIFFMASTER Wireless Guitar, is a Guitar Hero-like accessory that officially works with Rock Band 4, but has “anticipated compatibility” with Fortnite Festival when controller support is added. Hilariously, Rock Band 4 is a 2015 game originally launched on PS4 and Xbox One in the same year as Guitar Hero Live, the last entry that franchise has seen.

Get ready to rock! Introducing the RIFFMASTER Wireless Guitars for Xbox and PlayStation. Be one of 1st to play this Spring by entering our giveaway via the link in our bio. Winners will be selected 3/1. 🎸🎮⁰⁰#playpdp #RIFFMASTER #rockband4 #PlayStation #xbox pic.twitter.com/Og5su60Ef1January 31, 2024

Rock Band and Guitar Hero had some truly great peripherals, but PDP seems to have found ways to improve on them. For starters, it has a wireless connection and a battery life that lasts 36 hours - even most of thebest PC controllerscould never.

It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a joystick on the guitar’s neck to help you navigate in-game menus and console UI, and folds down at the base of the neck so you can take it on the go or store it away neatly.

If you’re anything like me, you probably have a couple of Guitar Hero controllers sitting around that are nice to look at but are functionally useless because their USB dongles have gone missing. The new PDP RIFFMASTER has a slot under its removable faceplate to hold and protect your USB dongle.

Annoyingly, the price and release date are to be determined, although we know it should hit the shelves at some point in the Spring. The fact it’s officially licensed for both PS5 and as anXbox Series X controlleris no short of a miracle but isn’t all that surprising when PDP managed the same feat for theVictrix Pro BFG, our top pick for PS5 which is available forpre-order on Xbox now.

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Honestly, I couldn’t be more excited about this. In the last few days before this news broke, I was thinking of writing a retrospective feature all about why Guitar Hero Guitars are some of my favorite gaming controllers of all time. While that type of rhythm game has seemed dead in the water for years, Fortnite Festival and a new licensed controller may say otherwise.

Will we see a revival of rock-based rhythm games? Could we get modern-day remasters of classics like Guitar Hero 3? Famously, this was a difficult genre forActivisionto maintain, not least because paying for music licensing probably cost an arm and a leg.

Fortnite Festival does seem promising, especially seeing asEpic Gamesacquired the old developer of the Rockband games, Harmonic. WithMicrosoftfinally completing its purchase ofActivision Blizzard, however, might this be an exciting new dawn for both franchises?

Looking for more situational controllers to use in simulation games? Grab thebest joysticks, thebest racing wheels for PC, and thebest Xbox steering wheels.

Ever since playing Journey at the age of 15, I’ve been desperate to cover video games for a living. After graduating from Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in Journalism, I contributed to the Scottish Games Network and completed an Editorial Internship over at Expert Reviews. Besides that, I’ve been managing my ownYouTube channeland Podcast for the last 7 years. It’s been a long road, but all that experience somehow landed me a dream job covering gaming hardware. I’m a self-confessing PlayStation fanboy, but my experience covering the larger business and developer side of the whole industry has given me a strong knowledge of all platforms. When I’m not testing out every peripheral I can get my hands on, I’m probably either playing tennis or dissecting game design for an upcoming video essay. Now, I better stop myself here before I get talking about my favourite games like HUNT: Showdown, Dishonored, and Towerfall Ascension.Location: UK Remote

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