I will not purchase ANY product from ANY company that will not allow open use of their musical controllers for other games. Until Activision allows the open use of the guitar hero controllers for other games I will no longer support them by purchasing ANY Activision product. To block the use their musical controllers is bad form. To make the consumer pay extra for a Patch that allows compatibility is unacceptable. To hold up ANY patch that would allow compatibility because you would like to be paid a licensing fee is unacceptable. MAKE ALL MUSICAL CONTROLLER PERIPHERALS UNIVERSALLY COMPATIBLE Harmonix statement : "Two weeks ago, Harmonix created a software patch for the Sony PlayStation 3 version of Rock Band that allowed for guitar compatibility and support for third party peripherals, including enabling use of Activision\'s Guitar Hero III controller with Rock Band. The compatibility patch was submitted, approved and had been scheduled for release by Sony on Tuesday, December 4. Unfortunately, Activision objected to the release of the compatibility patch. The patch remains with Sony, but we have been told that it will unfortunately not be released due to Activision\'s continued objection. [emphasis added] "As is the case with the Microsoft Xbox 360, we believe that Sony PlayStation 3 users should be able to use the peripheral of their choice with Rock Band. We sincerely hope that Activision will reverse its decision and allow release of the compatibility patch and further, that Activision will allow Guitar Hero III to support Rock Band guitar controllers as well. We welcome all third party developers who wish to support our controllers and will provide any required support in order for them to do so. "We believe that when consumers have choice, everyone wins. Harmonix and MTV Games hope that Activision and others in the industry will also adopt this philosophy." Activisions Response: To Music Gaming Fans: The recent announcement by MTV Games/Viacom\'s Harmonix division that Activision is blocking Sony from releasing a patch and their plea to enable Rock Band software to work with Guitar Hero hardware paints a very misleading picture. In fact, Harmonix and its parent company MTV Games/Viacom recently declined Activision\'s offer to reach an agreement that would allow the use of Guitar Hero guitar controllers with Rock Band. We have been and remain open to discussions with Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom about the use of our technology in Rock Band. Unfortunately for Rock Band users, in this case Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom are unwilling to discuss an agreement with Activision. Activision\'s top priority is to provide consumers with a seamless marriage of best-in-class hardware and software. We are focusing our efforts on innovating hardware and software that are designed to work together, work flawlessly and provide an enjoyable gaming experience. Best regards, Activision

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