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PS2 to PS3 Guitar Hero Adapter Rescues Otherwise Non-Functional Guitars

Here's some great news...that possibly comes a few months too late. TAC has released an adapter that will make your PS2 Guitar Hero controllers compatible with PS3 versions of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Running $19.99, the company promises the adapter makes guitars "100% compatible" for use, supporting: regular PS2 controllers, Red Octane's and Activision's SG Controller, the Kramer Wireless, Nyko's PS2 Frontman guitar, the DreamGear Shredster, all React PS2 guitar controllers and all Psyclone PS2 guitar controllers. While the $20 sticker price is a bit steep to make this purchase a no-brainer, many of us have been sitting on otherwise useless PS2 guitars. So we'll just label this a good thing and call it a day. You can buy one here, hit the jump for the full details.

DUST OFF YOUR FAVORITE PS2 GUITAR CONTROLLERS! THE ANT COMMANDOS' PLAYSTATION® 2 TO PLAYSTATION® 3 ADAPTER IS NOW AVAILABLE TO REVITALIZE YOUR PS2 GUITAR HERO CONTROLLERS

TAC's Universal Adapter Is The First On The Market That is 100% Compatible With Guitar HeroT 3 & Rock BandT Features

April 28, 2008 - Ontario, CA- The Ant Commandos (TAC), a leading provider of innovative wireless video game music peripherals and accessories, announced today its universal PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 adapter for guitar and game controllers is now available at retail for an SRP of $19.99.

This is great news for Guitar Hero and Rock Band fans as they can protect their investment in PS2 guitar controllers and revitalize them for Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band for PS3. Gamers will no longer have to throw away all of the valuable PS2 hardware they have accumulated over the years. The new PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 adapter enables all PS2 controllers, such as PS2 Guitar Hero guitars, to be utilized on
the PlayStation 3. Unlike previous attempts from other companies, TAC's universal adapter is 100% compatible with all of the popular guitar controllers on the market, and is engineered to function
perfectly with every feature in the Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band games for PS3.
"When consumers purchase a PS2 to PS3 adapter for their favorite PS3 games, they expect everything to be compatible. It is devastating for a player to discover that certain game features such as hammer on,
hammer off don't work with other adapters on the market," said Jesse Manwill, Senior Manager, Product Management at TAC. "The great thing about the new TAC universal adapter is that we take into account every feature that players love in Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band for PS3, and ensure that every gamer can have an enjoyable experience with their video game peripherals. We spent an incalculable amount of engineering and testing time with almost all guitar controllers in the market to make sure it is compatible."

The new TAC universal adapter is guaranteed to work on all of TAC's PS2 guitar controllers. The adapter is also compatible with regular PS2 controllers, Red Octane's and Activision's SG Controller, the Kramer Wireless, Nyko's PS2 Frontman guitar, the DreamGear Shredster, all React PS2 guitar controllers and all Psyclone PS2 guitar controllers, along with many other brands. Additionally, the TAC adapter features
a Power On Indicator LED, Easy Plug-N-Play installation, and supports multiple PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 adapters. The Universal PS2 to PS3 adapter is available now.

12:40 PM on Mon Apr 28 2008
By Mark Wilson
9,277 views
49 comments

Comments

  • I call BS until it has been demoed

  • Something like this would be great, you know, if it exists.

  • Fan-fucktin-tastic news.
    As a European I managed to buy a copy of Rock Band really cheap for the PS3, all I need now is a cheap guitar,and this makes it all the easier to find.

    Rock Band for me, and all in all it shouldn't cost me more than hundred euros, at the very most.
    Brilliant stuff.

  • Image of jayntampa jayntampa at 12:50 PM on 04/28/08 *

    You know, you post this ... and, suddenly I'm thinking: omg! I CAN get a PS2 to PS3 adapter to use my PS2 Saturn pad on the PS3 for fighting games! I bet it'll work with the Beatmania controller, too ...

    Sometime's obvious things just don't click, you know? Well, I'm off to eBay to find one of the USB do-hickeys ... and, this is still great news.

  • Will I be able to play my PS2 Guitar Hero games on my PS3 with this contoller? Or does this only let you use the PS2 contoller for the PS3 games?

  • If it works as they claim that would be so fantastic. i hate the wireless controllers but for ps3 i have no choice :(

  • I bought two PS2 to PS3 adapters over a year ago, promising they would work on GH1 and GH2. They "worked" but if you pressed down the fret button it wouldn't register on the screen unless you strummed. It doesn't sound that bad but it made it really hard to play. Also it was almost impossible to go through the menu with those converted guitars. I don't believe this thing until I see it for myself.

  • Dude, I hope this is true...I've been holding out on GH3 and RockBand for PS3 b/c I had a perfectly good setup on my PS2.

    I'll easily drop the $20, and pick up a used PS3 GH3 disc.

  • Ok, so I know this is specifically designed for 'Guitar Freaks'... but will it work for 'Dance Freaks' like me?

    So far, I haven't seen a single adapter that works with the Cobalt Flux controllers I have. I've seen other people's attempts at building their own CBOX's that basically replace the brains that CF provided, but I don't want to have to build SIX of them (2 for each pad for each console - 360, PS3, Wii), as that becomes pricey to slice/solder up 6 dedicated controllers.

    If anyone knows of one that works, please point me at it. I tried that Pelican POS adapter that promised it worked with everything. Factoid, it doesn't.

    I, too, call BS until demoed.

  • good, cause I just bought an extra rock band guitar!

    whatever happened to that whole activision vs. harmonix thing anyway?

  • So can I use PS2 dance pads on my PS3 now?

  • The question I have is will it allow you to play the PS2 Guitar Heroes? I know I am not the only one with the older games that would like to play them on their PS3.

  • @demonknightinuyasha: On the opposite end, someone's complaining about their wired controller.

    Not everyone is ever happy, ever.

  • Wait, so this will work with regular PS2 controllers? If so, I'm tempted to get one just so i don't have to use the R2 and L2 triggers on the SIXAXIS. I swear Sony must have looked at all the design prototypes and decided to go with the least ergonomic and useful choice. Those things fucking suck.

  • I want to get rid of my wired controllers. Can I use a PS3 GHIII controller to play PS2 GH1,2&80s?

  • It says In Stock on thier store.
    [store.theantcommandos.com]


  • Wow, this is absolutely fantastic, although I'd definitely like to hear if it makes the PS2 GH games playable-- if it does I suspect they're going to sell very, VERY many of these.

    The fact they don't mention the possibility of the PS2 games in the otherwise glowing press release does make me think it won't work-- you'd think they'd be shouting from the mountaintops as I think that's the holy grail of PS2 backwards compatibility...

  • @ShockTerminal: Hrrm, only mentions GH1 for PS2, so yeah, that seems bad for what people REALLY want in an adapter. (isn't GH1 the one that generally "just works" on any adapter, before Red Octane started cracking down on unlicensed 3rd party controllers?)

  • Okay, I have to ask... will this in any way help you use GH3(PS3) guitars with Rockband(PS3)?

  • finally!

  • Actually a GH1 PS2 to Rock Band PS3 adapter would be ideal for me, because those are exactly the guitars I own.

  • Well I just bought one $25.00 w shipping

    and I am willing to do a test for our Kotaku-ites if the Great Kotaku Gods in the tower let me do a review.

    PS I have never been great with Hammer-ons/off but I do only have GH PS2 guitars and can tell if these are BS.

  • sweet idea... but nearly $20 shipping to Canada? WTF?

  • OMFG WTF LOL FTW ANAPHYLACTIC!!!

    And by that, I mean to say this is the most awesome news I've heard in a while... This turns the tables and officially makes the PS3 version of rock band better than the 360 one, because a lot more people have the PS2 GH games than the 360 ones...

    @SageofAnacostia: You can do that already with the pelican adapter...

  • I hope this is possible

  • @Rodimus

    I just ordered two for the GF games. But I've had to keep my PS2 in the Game rack for DDR.

    Will test with my Cobalt Fluxes when it turns up. Only downside is that I am a Standard Mode kind of player. I might miss response time issues---but if they can survive GH-necessary response times......DDR shouldn't be too hard.

  • I paid for mine April 14th, should be arriving soon. Much rather buy this and use my old wired guitar for GH 3 and Rock Band, instead of buying a guitar that only works with a certain game, or the $60 Nyko one. Seems like you're paying $40 for it to be wireless and have an effects switch. I love my red PS2 Gibson.

  • I've been waiting to see if this actually works. I tried to find it on their website the other day and couldn't. I need another RB guitar, have an old ps2 GH one, so this is perfect. Beats buying a new RB guitar, who needs the solo buttons for bass anyways?

  • @jasoncourt: no

    @manywaters: no. you see, the assholes at red octane changed the control scheme for gh3 on ps3 just so that harmonix couldn't make their guitars compatible!

    this is why guitar hero guitars work on rock band for ps2 & 360, because harmonix had a hand in making the original guitar heros for those consoles and therefore knew the control scheme for those consoles.

    harmonix didn't have a hand in making gh3, but since the control schemes had already been set for the ps2 & 360, red octane had to use the same control scheme it had used in the past on those consoles for gh3.

    if they had switched the control scheme on the 360 & ps2, it would have rendered everyone's guitars from the previous guitar hero games useless on gh3 and there would have been a huge fan backlash.

    however, the ps3 didn't have any previous guitar hero game on it, so red octane was free to change the control scheme in an attempt to thwart harmonix from making rock band compatible with their guitars.

    this attempt succeeded very well, as we all know. but this is why you won't be able to use the ps3 guitars for the ps2 versions and vice versa.

  • So one of the features is to "Enable the use of PS2 controller on PS3". Does this include rumble in games?

  • Just bought my.

    I live in Brazil, and I have only the game and the mic.

    You guys at Kotaku should charge the AD for them, I believe here in Brazil there will be a lot of people buying it because of your post.

    []'s

    Diego

  • 26 dollars shipping to France!
    Fuck that.

  • @AgainstOne:
    thanks for the breakdown...very frustrating situation (still)

  • Just ordered one, was planning on getting a Nyko Frontman but if this works and I can save 40 bucks then I'm all for it. I'm gonna love being able to play Rock Band on my old Gibson SG.

  • @jasoncourt and @AgainstOne:

    I just called and chatted with their tech support and they said that the GH3 PS# guitar controller is also compatible with rockband.

    I just ordered one. I'll tell u all how it goes if you want me to!

  • test

  • hey guys i just bought this sweet ps3 custom made guitar hero guitar cos my ps2 doesnt work with....ah crap

  • cool. if this works, that might bring me one step closer to breaking down and getting a ps3, oh wait the new ones have shit emulators, thats right.

    Yup, I'd just end up buying it for watching bluray movies then.

  • @johnnylineup: Harmonix made a patch to fix the issue and sent it to Sony. Activision blocked the patch from release. The end.

  • I, too, wonder if this can work with high-end DDR pads. Will someone at Kotaku confirm compatibility if it does in fact work?

  • will it let you play the ps2 or ps3 versions of these games on the ps3 with this adapter?

  • So, anyone want to make bets on how long it'll be until the games get patched to block this little device?

  • @Dave Silva: I bet never, since the device is set up to mimic the output of a normal controller. They wouldn't be able to block it without blocking their own controllers.

  • I am still waiting for a review from the people who did buy it, since the price is steep. I noticed that on eBay there are other Guitar Hero 2 to 3 converters too.I wonder if they work. I bet they do not work well, hence The Ant Commandos launching their own product. I hope it really does work. If so, I am buying the PlayStation 3 version of Guitar Hero 3.

  • It's just crazy that the idiots didn't realize that this is only marketable at a price close to that if it adapts TWO guitars. The whole point is to salvage the user's investment in last-gen guitars, though some will want it to reduce the lag added by the PS3 wireless guitar. This just makes old guitars way too expensive! I hope it also works as a DualShock 2 adapter and supports the guitars for the PS2 BC with at least the limited support Nyko eeked out, though that's barely even useful. This does nothing to "fix" the traditional problem with GH 1 & 2 on PS3.

  • Got mine today, tried it out of a few of the games I had lying around. Works flawlessly on Rock Band, which is awesome because I hate the shitty RB guitar. Annnnd that's about all it works on. The only other ones I tried it on were Rock the 80's and GH III for PS2, and I couldn't make it work on either of those. I'm pretty sure it will work fine on the PS3 version of GH III, but I don't have that yet. There's a note in the packaging with the compatibility info that says that PS2 games are not supported, which is crap because their website says it will work with GH I and III for PS2. Either way, I'm selling my PS2 copy of GHIII anyways to buy the PS3 version so it doesn't bother me that much. Much cheaper than buying a Nyko Frontman, which is what my alternate plan was.

    Oh and this was all with the red Gibson SG, but I doubt it makes a difference which guitar you use cause they all use the same control schemes.

  • @stuckintheivy:

    Thanks, good to know. That is unfortunate that it does not work for GH1 and 2 on the PS3. I wanted it for that. The questions remains as to whether it works for the PS3 version of GH3.

  • Comment on PS2 to PS3 Guitar Hero Adapter Rescues Otherwise Non-Functional Guitars I just got the adapter in yesterday. I bought it for the sole purpose of using my Street Fighter Anniversary Arcade Stick on the PS3. Tested Tekken 5DR Online, Street Fighter Alpha Anthology, Super Street Fighter II TURBO, Arcana Hearts, and Street Fighter II TURBO (psx) It worked well with no apparent lag on input. _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_messeng