Rock Band's Xbox 360 USB Hub is a Failure says journalist [Archive]

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Zeus

10-30-2007, 04:01 PM

Journalist Ben Kuchera has indicated that the Rock Band Xbox 360 USB hub is a disaster. There is one major flaw with the product, that is the fact that the USB hub plugs into the wall. This now makes the PS3 version the most attractive according to Kuchera.

We've known for a long time now that the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band will come with a wired guitar, and that presents a problem for the 360's two front USB ports. There simply aren't enough. 1UP has just received the final, production USB hub that will come with the game, and let me explain why the PlayStation 3 version is now the most attractive.

The USB hub plugs into the wall

Okay, this is more like one major flaw, but I wanted to be really clear on why this is terrible. The market for a $170 bundle of rhythm game instruments includes some hardcore gamers, and we need our plugs. I had to do some creative wiring simply to add an HDMI switcher to my entertainment center, and I'm scared that if I add yet another power strip we'll be dealing with a fire hazard-type situation. Gamers simply don't need anything else that has to have a power source.

News Source: <A href="http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/10/30/rock-stars-xbox-360-usb-hub-fail" target="_blank">Arstechnica</a>

XxBigP123xX

10-30-2007, 04:04 PM

it uses one of those big black boxes? wow. geuss ps3 would be the way to go if you have a 60 or 80gb with the 4 usb ports.

SkynetworX

10-30-2007, 04:05 PM

Why PS3? Why not Wii? Cheaper and completely wireless.

pezjono

10-30-2007, 04:06 PM

I do admit, the less power, the better.
But to call it a failure is just stupid.
Yes, the PS3 looks to be the better one.

mikeveli20

10-30-2007, 04:06 PM

Last I heard they weren't releasing it for Wii, at least not until next year but I don't think an official announcement has been made yet.

whackawookie

10-30-2007, 04:15 PM

so with the rockband on the ps3 ps3 owners are screwed atleast newly purchased 40gig model owners are. Rock band comes with a usb hub for the 360 because harmonix knew of the needed usb port but the 40gig model was announced later on to support only 2 usb slots that means there 2 shy for the game and 1 shy for the kit and the game doesnt come with a hub. The usb hub has to distribute enough power to supply each instrument and it isnt going to get that from the single usb slot, more power is needed whether its from the instruments themselves or the hub. Lets see what happens when 40gig owners have to buy there own hub and pick up one that is self powered only to find out the hardway that they to will need an ac powered hub. besides that though the hub is that small white spot on the floor the big black part is ofcourse the ac end :/

VGed666

10-30-2007, 04:17 PM

Last I heard they weren't releasing it for Wii, at least not until next year but I don't think an official announcement has been made yet.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/777/777553p1.html

daps83777

10-30-2007, 04:18 PM

if a usb hub comes out for the PS3 version you would expect it to have to be powered off of something other than the usb port as well. just as whackawookie said.

also it sounds like the wii version is coming out but they plan on using the wiimote or some wii accessories in some way. which kinda makes it sound like the wii version could differ in some ways from the other versions of the game. which would be cool. because in the ign article the guy says
We will, at some time, bring Rock Band to every [important] platform," Rigopulos said. He added that Harmonix would optimize future versions of Rock Band to fit the strengths of the platform. "I think the Wiimote is something that holds enormous promise.

Scorpion3

10-30-2007, 04:20 PM

it uses one of those big black boxes? wow. geuss ps3 would be the way to go if you have a 60 or 80gb with the 4 usb ports.

Actually, any USB Hub can work with the 360, as long as it's self powered of course. Right now I've got a 4 Port USB Hub in the back of my 360 so I now technically have 6 USB Ports with 4 able to write to the HDD. If you ask me, the 5 dollars plus the 400 I payed for the 360, pretty cheap compared to the 600 I'd need to pay to get that many USB ports for the PS3, and then I'm still short 2 ports. But of course, like Whackawookie said, it wouldn't work for Rock Band.

And thinking about it, the 40GB uses the 65nm processors which use less power, so less power with even one instrument may mean that you'll have to buy a USB hub even for a game like Guitar Hero 3.

dennis872007

10-30-2007, 04:29 PM

Actually, any USB Hub can work with the 360, as long as it's self powered of course. Right now I've got a 4 Port USB Hub in the back of my 360 so I now technically have 6 USB Ports with 4 able to write to the HDD. If you ask me, the 5 dollars plus the 400 I payed for the 360, pretty cheap compared to the 600 I'd need to pay to get that many USB ports for the PS3, and then I'm still short 2 ports. But of course, like Whackawookie said, it wouldn't work for Rock Band.

what are you talking about? how do you know your hub will work for the game. and if a hub for 5 dollars works on the 360 then it can work on the ps3

daps83777

10-30-2007, 04:31 PM

what are you talking about? how do you know your hub will work for the game. and if a hub for 5 dollars works on the 360 then it can work on the ps3

well like he said you could use those hubs, crap you could use a hub on the PS2. but you still have the same issue. it needs to be a self powered hub i believe. so it still requires an external power source is what he was saying.

maxRus

10-30-2007, 04:32 PM

I dont understand My 360 has 4 Usb ports, if the controller is not wireless whats the problem again? did the person in that article look in the back of his 360 to find 2 more ports?? does rockband use a wireless dongle?

dennis872007

10-30-2007, 04:39 PM

xllzerollx

10-30-2007, 05:10 PM

its not their foult, thank ms for being greedy with the wireless licences is it?
and for the ps3 you can be sure they will have bluetooth in 2008 when they start selling the guitars and all.
they said it themselves, not enough time to make it

I dont understand My 360 has 4 Usb ports, if the controller is not wireless whats the problem again? did the person in that article look in the back of his 360 to find 2 more ports?? does rockband use a wireless dongle?

you are right
usb mic, usb guitar, usb drums, wireless adapter, thats 4
i dont see a problem with that

whackawookie

10-30-2007, 05:19 PM

its not their foult, thank ms for being greedy with the wireless licences is it?
and for the ps3 you can be sure they will have bluetooth in 2008 when they start selling the guitars and all.
they said it themselves, not enough time to make it

you are right
usb mic, usb guitar, usb drums, wireless adapter, thats 4
i dont see a problem with that

has nothing to do with ms and there wireless licensing, this has been squashed as a reason the second harmonix decided to make the ps3 version dongle enabled. if they added a dongle on the 360 then thats there own ir signal and no fee.

russcarr

10-30-2007, 05:33 PM

if they added a dongle on the 360 then thats there own ir signal and no fee.

so why didn't they do that then? :confused:

bobbydavro

10-30-2007, 05:55 PM

I'm sorry but what a load of absolute fucking shite this article is..I mean we're talking about adding a tiny extra thing to a console so you can plug in some peripherals.. The console already has the biggest bastard psu known to man and we're adding a USB splitter big deal!!

No one moans about the usb splitter for singstar.

whackawookie

10-30-2007, 06:04 PM

so why didn't they do that then? :confused:

very good question. maybe they'll answer that in an interview when it gets closer to launch.

pangbulle

10-30-2007, 06:31 PM

it plugs into the wall? so what? how the hell can it be a problem, really

"OH ****, THIS LAMP PLUGS INTO THE WALL! -OMG MAJOR FLAW"

10-30-2007, 06:33 PM

pezjono

10-30-2007, 11:22 PM

it plugs into the wall? so what? how the hell can it be a problem, really

"OH ****, THIS LAMP PLUGS INTO THE WALL! -OMG MAJOR FLAW"

That made me lol :D

redsquirrell

10-31-2007, 03:11 AM

christ thats annoying.

I think they are gonna shoot themselves in the foot by delaying/not releasing on the wii because GH3 is doing great on the wii at the mo.

whackawookie

10-31-2007, 07:16 AM

christ thats annoying.

I think they are gonna shoot themselves in the foot by delaying/not releasing on the wii because GH3 is doing great on the wii at the mo.

this journalist has no business commenting on any sort of technology if he is downing a usb hub that requires a power source in order to fully power 4 additional usb devices. Whats his other option making the usb devices either ac or battery powered? moron

dennis872007

10-31-2007, 11:03 AM

doesnt the PS3 use about 6 trillion more watts than the 360 anyway, so the power drain rubbish would be irrelevent.

who really gives a toss anyway? mindless fanboy fodder.

"omgwtf your version of the game sucks, it needs a USB hubz lol"

jeez get over it!

i doubt that since the 360 fan are on most of the time. plus the new ps3 uses less watts than the older models.

borbeatss

10-31-2007, 12:40 PM

Scorpion3

10-31-2007, 04:18 PM

well like he said you could use those hubs, crap you could use a hub on the PS2. but you still have the same issue. it needs to be a self powered hub i believe. so it still requires an external power source is what he was saying.

Exactly, I was basically just stating to the PS3 fanboy above that the matter of adding more USB ports to a console for controllers, HDDs (In the sense of the 360 and PS3), or whatnot isn't hard by any means. The bottom line is that the 360, though this guy says the Hub is a failure, gets a free USB hub, that's good news in my eyes no matter how sucky it could have been.