Guitar Hero III Controllers Give Gamers Grief, Standalone Guitars Possibly Coming Soon

Following the release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PC, PS2, PS3, Wii, X360) Sunday, many would-be rockers have cited problems with the new Les Paul guitar models across all platforms. As seen in the official Guitar Hero forum's thread for problems with the new guitars, many of the complaints stem from nonfunctional buttons or strum bars. Some posters believe the issues come from a faulty neck-to-body connection, as the new guitars feature removable necks that may not join to the body as tightly as necessary for the metal contacts on either piece to sustain a connection. Some owners of the Vicarious Visions-developed Wii version have cited sound issues with the game as well. Despite these problems, listings on the Toys "R" Us website indicate the standalone Les Paul wireless guitars may be available to purchase separately starting November 8, as they were not available to buy outside the bundle at the game's launch. Shacknews contacted RedOctane for comment on both issues, but has not yet received a response. It should be noted that the upcoming PC version of Guitar Hero III by Aspyr Media comes bundled with a wired Gibson Xplorer, which will presumably sidestep the problems attributed to the new wireless models when the game retails November 12.