Our friends at PS3 Fanboy recently had a chance to try out the guitar equivalent of the ION Drum Rocker: Starpex's premium (i.e. not plastic) guitar controller, which more or less looks like a gutted Fender Stratocaster. Their verdict is that the Starpex plays very well, but the $180 price tag is likely to turn off more than a few people. Bonus points for being fully compatible with both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but no word on an Xbox 360 version. The Starpex will be available for PlayStation 3 and PS2 rockers, with a Wii version reportedly on the way later.

Although no official details about the PS3 wireless keypad's pricing or launch date (beyond "late November") have been released, Amazon.com is shedding a little light on the situation. The online retailer currently has the peripheral listed at $49.99 with a ship date of Nov. 30.

Although the date may be a placeholder, an Amazon representative informs us, "Pricing details come from our vendors. So that is the price that Sony gave us." Once again, Sony hasn't made any official statements about pricing, but retailers seem to be getting some details.

A recent poll on PS3 Fanboy showed that 46% of responders would pay no more than $20. Only 4% of participants would actually pay the current listed price for the peripheral.

Remember when Neversoft's Brian Bright allegedly told G4 that a new peripheral was coming to Guitar Hero World Tour, and G4 speculated it would, in fact, be a keyboard? We had a chance to talk to the very same Brian Bright who told us that "a keyboard controller deserves to be introduced with its own game. This is something we're thinking about." B-b-b-but what about all the keyboard section in the song creator? Bright says, "there are reasons why we haven't included a keyboard controller." He elaborates that not all of the songs have keyboard parts so, "adding a keyboard controller would either have limited our choices, or the players."

... so Keyboard Hero: Billy Joel confirmed? Check out the full interview for more on World Tour's song creation system.

Building on reports of an impending Xbox 360 price cut, which allegedly will drop the Arcade SKU below Wii to $199, comes the reemergence of Microsoft's elusive motion controller, now rumored to be included with the Xbox 360 Arcade this holiday. A source "close to Microsoft's marketing department" detailed the bundle to X3F, claiming the new Arcade system will feature a 512MB memory card (in place of a hard drive), the New Xbox Experience pre-loaded and a motion controller, along with a few compatible minigames developed by Rare.

The motion controller supposedly will be sold separately as well, in a package that includes even more minigames. The controller is said to be compatible with all versions of Xbox 360. So how 'bout it, Nintendo -- you gonna trump this by tacking on HD?

G4 claims to have gotten "the hot word" on a new Guitar Hero World Tour peripheral from Neversoft's Brian Bright who "wouldn't go into detail about what it will be," though he apparently said the new peripheral was "specifically for the game's Studio mode."

We've reached out to Activision for some kind of comment or confirmation; however, until then, speculation seems to be the name of the game. G4 is guessing keyboard, which is all well and good. And who knows, it may well be a keyboard. We're not oracles here. But as long as we're just guessing, why not guess a little bigger, y'know? That's why we're happy to announce Joystiq's official guess for the rumored new Guitar Hero World Tour peripherpal: keytar.

We know what you're thinking: Gawd, another Wii Wheel? But this one actually does something, we promise. Now, why anyone would jump to purchase a $100 peripheral for a $250 console is the real question that needs answering. (Cough, cough.) But if you truly believe that force feedback is necessary to impress your non-gaming friends the next time they come over, then by all means, check out Logitech's "Speed Force Wireless" Wii wheel when it goes on sale in November. (Warning: Not guaranteed to protect against blue shells.)

Our biggest problem with Sony's AIBO robotic dog was that, well ... it wasn't fake enough! Though it wasn't able to soil the floor, you could still touch it or (perish the thought!) pick it up. So it's with great interest that we bring you news of EyePet, a "responsive virtual pet who reacts to your every move" brought to you by our friends at SCEE. All you need is a PlayStation Eye camera, a PlayStation 3, and the ability to love.

"EyePet gives you all the lovable benefits and interaction of a real-life pet without tearing up your sofa or making a mess on the rug," says the totally understated press release. With a late 2009 release date, that gives you just enough time to forget all about that real miniature monkey thing you had when you were a kid. Video footage of your new best friend can be found after the break.

Gallery: EyePet

At its Leipzig Games Convention press conference today, Sony unveiled a wireless keypad peripheral that attaches to the top of the PlayStation 3 controller (presumably into the mini-USB port). The keypad also features a "touchpad mode" for mouse input. Pricing was not revealed, but the device will be released in 8 different languages.

It's worth noting that MadCatz released an attachable thumbpad for PS3 in April 2007.

Update: Added official keypad images (see gallery below). Does this thing double as a codpiece?

PlayStation.Blog clarifies that the Wireless Kepad includes a mode that turns the key area into a touchpad, allowing users to control an on-screen cursor with their fingertips, tapping to activate a link. The keypad also features two short-cut buttons, enabling quick access to the XMB's "Friends" icon and the "Message Box." The pad also can be paired with other Bluetooth devices (e.g., a smart phone) and will be released in late November.

SCE London was on hand at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival to show off two new EyeToy games that take advantage of a newfound ability to track specific colors and – as excited as we are about EyeToy: Pom-Pom Party (we don't know what it is) – it's EyeToy: Hero that we're really here to talk about. You see, the first-person game not only comes with a "real toy sword," it promises 1:1 swordplay with that sword by tracking its fluorescent-green foam.

You can use the sword to block enemy attacks, light your way in dark areas, and of course to attack. You'll even have to hide your sword behind your back in those dark areas if you want to avoid detection. Clever! The technology may sound like magic, but it's not without its limitations. Compared to Nintendo's new Wii MotionPlus upgrade, the 1:1 EyeToy tech is limited to two dimensions, has difficulty picking up subtle movements, and probably won't work in the dim light of your parent's basement. You can hit up some more pics and a full rundown of the presentation by clicking on that Source link.

[Via Engadget]

There's a part of us that wants to compare The Ant Commandos' Illuminated Drumsticks to one of those ridiculously absurd Wiimote attachments; however, there's something stopping us. It's just ... it's just ... these are drumsticks that glow when you hit them on the drum pad. Come on, that's awesome!

At $20 the price is a bit silly, but then again, so is the whole concept. We're sure that under the right chemical conditioning these things will add a whole new level of glee to drumming. There's a horrible video after the break to see how it works.

[Via GayGamer]

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently had a little chit-chat with the Wall Street Journal, letting it know that his company's plethora of purchasable peripherals polluting shelves could possibly slow down. The WSJ points out that Nintendo recently unveiled the Wii Motion Plus and Wii Speak to go with its other pieces of plastic, ready to fill a landfill near you, like Wii Fit, Wii Zapper and the Wii Wheel. Iwata states that the accessories the company originally had planned for the Wii are all out now, but that doesn't mean it's going to stop ... it just currently doesn't have plans to release many more.

Iwata also covers some other items briefly, saying that the company plans to offer the Wii Motion Plus "for as little as possible." Considering it'll be necessary for games like Wii Sports Resort and the absurd amount of money the company is currently making, that seems like a reasonable thing to do.

[Via Edge]

Are you one of the dozens and dozens of British citizens that wants a Wii Balance Board to play games like Skate It! or Rayman: Raving Rabbids TV Party, but also doesn't want to pay extra for the included Wii Fit game? Well you're in luck! According to a recent Amazon listing, the Njoy G-Board Balance Board will only set you back £64.99 -- a full five pounds less than the £69.99 Wii Fit package. And who needs Wii Fit's virtual personal trainer when you can look down at the G-Board's stylish LCD weight display to see just how unfit you really are?

Seriously, the one advantage Njoy's Board might have over the Wii Fit bundle is availability -- as of this writing, the game's short supply has inflated the package price to £102.99 and up on Amazon's marketplace. Penny-pinching balancers can look for their G-Board's on Sept. 12.

[Via Engadget]

In an effort to create more realistic fake instruments, Logitech is partnering with Activision on a line of "premium" peripherals for the latter's upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour. Multiple products are in development, although Logitech would not comment on exactly what they are, confirming only that the first of them will hit this year. Given that it already has the market cornered on USB microphones (nearly every music game's mic is made by Logitech) we're guessing all educated-like that guitars and drums are the core of the lineup. Also, while this news is obviously geared toward hyping World Tour, we're looking into potential Rock Band compatibility for the products.

The peripherals are being designed to work with every platform Guitar Hero World Tour is launching on, specifically PS3, 360, Wii, and PS2. Logitech gaming devices VP Bruce Lancaster likens this move to the one the company made with steering wheels for Gran Turismo, saying, "A few years ago, Logitech refined the consumer steering wheel market with high-end controllers that enhance racing games. Now we are looking forward to elevating the market for premium music-based video game controllers in a similar fashion." Here's hoping that one of the "premium" drumkit features is a steel kick pedal like the one used by our house band, the Blueberry Muffintops. What would you like to see?

Now that E3 is over and the secret's out, middleware maker and Wii MotionPlus co-developer AiLive is openly touting what its LiveMove 2 toolset is capable of when paired with Nintendo's upcoming add-on. The above video is meant to encourage developers to adopt LiveMove 2 for creating their MotionPlus-enabled games (they can use all the help they can get, considering they didn't find out about the Wii remote upgrade until we did) but, more than anything, it's encouraging us to dream of a 1:1 lightsaber fighting game.

We bring that up because a good chunk of the video is devoted to showing one of AiLive's staff playing around with a "laser sword," demonstrating how it captures every subtle movement of the remote – the footage even shows how an on-screen "dummy" can be clocked with the sword's hilt. Impressive stuff, and we desperately hope LucasArts is taking notice.

In a lengthy interview with GameDaily BIZ, Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos offered his thoughts on air drumming – the preferred form of percussive input in Nintendo's Wii Music, skillfully demonstrated above by a professional – and explained why Harmonix felt the need for an actual drum peripheral on the Wii. After considering using the Wiimote in an air drumming capacity, Rigopulos says, "We backed away from it because we found that the tactile element of actually hitting a surface when you're drumming is a fairly critical part to the visceral feel of actually playing drums." So, with air drumming, you're missing "a critical element ... in the experience."

Not much of a surprise coming from the head of a company currently shipping a giant, plastic drum kit, sure, but we were surprised to learn air drumming was ever even under consideration at Chez Harmonix.