"Rock Band 4" instruments may not be easily found on store shelves during the game's release this fall.
The overwhelming response to the game has exceeded Harmonix's expectations. Due to the high demand from both retailers and consumers, the video game publishing company warns and encourages fans to pre-order.
"The response to our announcement of Rock Band 4 has been incredible," Steve Janiak, CEO of Harmonix, told IGN.
"And as a result, demand from both retailers and consumers for product has exceeded our expectations. [Thus], we're encouraging fans to sign up to be alerted when pre-orders go live, which we expect to happen in the coming weeks."
Pre-orders for the "Rock Band 4" instruments has not yet gone live, but Janiak announced that it will happen in the coming weeks. Fans can sign up in their official website to get a notification when it goes live.
Janiak confirmed that they are doing everything they can to meet the demands. Although, he admitted that the realities of manufacturing does not guarantee hardware for everyone during the game's initial release.
Old guitars and drums can still be used as "Rock Band 4" instruments, with backwards compatibility, since both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 used different wireless controller communication protocols than their predecessors.
"Rock Band 4" instruments have been upgraded. The game boasts of improved guitar, drums and microphone. The frets of the new guitar are reportedly quieter and as well as its strum bar, which felt stiffer but "in a good way" since it no longer makes a clicking sound.
Harmonix Product Manager Daniel Sussman said that improvements were there. Harmonix and Mad Catz, who is co-publishing the game, will also offer a separate new Cymbals Kit and extra kick pedals.
The microphone is reportedly made with better quality than its previous models. There are higher gains which allow players to sing with moderate loudness and still be accurate. Moreover, there are higher thresholds for the microphones which allow players to sing their hearts out without destroying the device.
