Although retailers appreciate the amount of business music games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band bring in, they present logistical problems when dealing with hundreds of thousands of units.

According to reports, retailers have been lashing out against instrument peripherals for consoles due to the amount of space they take up on their shelves. Less shelf space means less product and less product means less revenue.

One company, XS Games is taking a different approach. They developed a small peripheral that attaches to the Wiimote for their Wii version of their new music game, PopStar Guitar. The PS2 version will ship as software only, but will be compatible with all existing PS2 guitar peripherals. The game is expected to release later this month.

Wal-Mart was reportedly pleased at this approach as it means they can fit more product onto the shelves during the busy shopping season leading up to the Holidays. We think this only further emphasizes the need for full compatibility between instruments.

Source

You know those 20 tracks that you were promised when you got  Rock Band 2? They've been announced today. As you probably saw coming, none of the tracks are from the most widely known bands on earth, but they're free, and perhaps they're awesome! Here's the list:

• The 88 - "Sons and Daughters"
• Authority Zero - "No Regrets"
• Between the Buried and Me - "Prequel To The Sequel"
• The Cab - "Bounce"
• The Chevelles - "Get It On"
• The Cocktail Slippers - "Give It To Me"
• Dealership - "Database Corrupted"
• Endeverafter - "I Wanna Be Your Man"
• The Ghost Hounds - "Ashes To Fire"
• Hollywood Undead - "Young" * Kutless - "The Feeling"
• The Len Price 3 - "If I Ain't Got You"
• Lesley Roy - "I'm Gone, I'm Going"
• Opiate for the Masses - "Burn You Down"
• Semi-Precious Weapons - "Magnetic Baby"
• Shaimus - "Like a Fool"
• Thenewno2" - Crazy Tuesday"
• Tickle Me Pink - "The Time Is Wrong"
• Underoath - "Desperate Times, Desperate Measures"
• X Japan - "I.V."

You'll be able to download them on November 4th using the secret code on your Rock Band 2 instruction manual.

The most interesting tracks to me are Between The Buried and Me's entry, because it has an accordion break and the track from The 88. In my former life as the Worst Rock Journalist in The World (tm), I discovered The 88! And so, my influence on Rock Band DLC continues. There's video proof under the cut.