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.
