In the latest OXM Podcast, Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos confirms that the Xbox 360 guitars for Rock Band are wired in the bundles. There will be wired and wireless versions available for the Xbox 360, but once again, the retail bundles will come with a wired guitar. The PS3 guitars are all wireless. The Xbox 360 bundle will also come with a USB hub for all the peripherals to plug into. On both the Xbox 360 and PS3 version the microphone and drum kit will be wired. Rigopulos says, "The cost of wireless technology on the Microsoft side is higher and to be able to offer those bundles at a price point that would be reasonable for consumers it was necessary ... on the 360 side we are also bundling a hub."

And no, there is no official price yet. It's starting to look like the $20 difference between the Xbox 360 wired and wireless guitar we reported after receiving an internal Game Crazy memo is holding up. So, that's that, the Xbox 360 bundle of Rock Band has a wired guitar and you'll get a little hub to plug everything in. Now comes the question if Microsoft will loosen their grip on the cost of licensing the proprietary wireless tech if the PS3 version of Rock Band sells stronger (comparatively given its lower install base) due to its wireless advantage. In the end, we don't blame Harmonix/EA/MTV for this wired issue -- although it was shady of them to hide it this long -- we're more upset that the consumer is going to get an inferior product due to an obnoxious licensing issue. It's deja vu all over again.

DIY Xbox 360 Red Eye of Death Fix Developed
Kit and instructions go on sale for the X-Clamp technique.
by Gerry Block
September 7, 2007 - Microsoft finally did the right thing when it recently extended Xbox 360 warranties to address the well publicized Red Eye of Death phenomena. As a consequence of the move however, Microsoft's repair facilities are apparently swamped and turn around times for broken consoles have leaped from two to six weeks or more. That's a long time to go without a console, but now it would appear that there are other options, and by other options we mean fixing the 360 yourself.

A technique known as the X-Clamp fix has been in circulation for some time now. Originators of the process lay the blame for the 360's hardware failure on the metal clamp that holds the heat sink over the CPU and GPU on the 360's motherboard. Composed of too soft a metal, the clamp is apparently not strong enough to ensure that motherboard doesn't bend when hot. Excessive bending will eventually break a solder connection between the GPU and motherboard, which causes the Red Eye of Death failure.

The X-Clamp fix addresses the problem by replacing the factory clamp with new screws and spring metal washers. Various guides have been on the net for a while, but the technique has not been commonly adopted due to the hassle of matching non-standard screws and getting exactly the right clearance organized. Recently, however, some German engineers got together and have launched a $15 kit that includes just the right screws and washers to perform the procedure perfectly. Their site, X-Clamp-Fix.com, offers directions and the logic of the process. A YouTube video of the install is also out.



Peeps not terribly comfortable cracking consoles open may want to let Microsoft do the dirty work, but for those who've already modded their 360s or otherwise voided the warranty, an attempt at a DIY fix is probably better than just letting a bricked console sit around.