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Product: FrontMan Wireless Guitar Controller Manufacturer: Nyko Technologies Retail Price: $59.99 US Date of Availability: Now Available
Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar: You’re overzealously ripping through the guitar solo of your favorite track from Guitar Hero II when all of a sudden you hear a loud bang. Your PlayStation 2, which use to stand vertical, now lies horizontal after crashing to the ground. At this point, three things run through your head: first, you curse at the fact you just blew your chance at achieving 100% on the song; second, you cringe at the thought that your Guitar Hero II disc might have been scratched during the fall; and three, you wonder why you don’t have a wireless guitar controller so none of this would have happened in the first place. That’s where Nyko enters the stage, with its new FrontMan Wireless Guitar Controller. No more wires, no more constraints, no more worries.
A few inches longer than the Gibson SG Controller that comes with the bundled version of Guitar Hero II, the FrontMan Wireless Guitar Controller is an equally attractive accessory whose angular design is clearly modeled after the Gibson Explorer. The base of the guitar is black with a red colored plate adorning the surface surrounding the strum bar. The neck of the guitar, where the fret buttons lie, is a dark shade of brown while the head of the guitar is the same shade of black as its base. While most of the buttons and bars on the FrontMan Wireless Guitar Controller mimic the design of the Gibson SG Controller, there are some nuances to note. For instance, the fret buttons on the FrontMan are not only more rounded, they have a noticeable tactile difference as well. The fret buttons are stiffer and require a little more effort to press, effort that might cost you a note here and there as you become accustomed to it. Both the strum and whammy bars project a centimeter or two further and the whammy bar is a little more rigid, decidedly so when swiveling it into position. The FrontMan also has three buttons on the base of the guitar, as opposed to two, the third being a “link” button to establish wireless connectivity. Other than that, the tilt function remains in tact and the adjustable shoulder strap is essentially the same. The coup de grace of the FrontMan Guitar Controller is the fact its wireless. It comes with three AA batteries (Energizer, no cheapies here), offering up to 80 hours of continuous play, and a receiver matching the red and black color of the guitar that plugs into the controller port of your PlayStation 2. The FrontMan also supports rechargeable batteries and comes with a USB cable that you can use to plug the controller in to recharge such batteries. The FrontMan is effective up to 25 feet away from the receiver so you can really pour your heart and soul into a song without worrying about yanking your PlayStation 2 off the shelf. So let’s get down to brass tax, should the FrontMan Wireless Guitar be your controller of choice? The fact it’s wireless is reason enough, but then again RedOctane, the makers of Guitar Hero II, have their own official Gibson SG Wireless Guitar so the FrontMan isn’t exactly the first to arrive at the party. Both wireless controllers retail for $59.99 USD but the FrontMan does have a slight advantage with the inclusion of the USB cable to recharge batteries. Other than that, it basically boils down to aesthetics and tactile feedback. The FrontMan is a slick looking accessory but if you’re used to the playing with the Gibson SG controller, you will notice the fret buttons are a little stiffer and the whammy bar a little more rigid. Personally, I prefer the loose feel of the Gibson SG but if you can appreciate the subtle differences the FrontMan offers, I don’t see why you shouldn’t consider it a front-runner in your search for a wireless guitar controller.
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