RedOctane X-Plorer Controller

Publishers Activision and RedOctane released the RedOctane X-Plorer Controller bundled with Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360, some bundles of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, or available separately. This same controller was also bundled with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the personal computer (PC) and Macintosh. The Xbox 360 controller works with the PC using a driver with Windows (XP SP2 or Vista only). The case for the game disc and manual of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the PC called the controller the Guitar Hero 3 Official PC Guitar Controller.

The RedOctane X-Plorer Controller for these games is based on the Gibson Explorer, a type of electric guitar. It is also the only guitar controller officially supported by Aspyr Media (developer of the PC and Macintosh releases).^[1] The guitar controller plugs into the Xbox 360 via the USB ports. The PC and Macintosh releases have the same software limitation of two local players at a time. The guitar's cord uses the break away cord connection,^[2] like controllers of the original Xbox console.

The controller includes two input connections:

Xbox 360 accessories, like on the Xbox 360 controller^[3]
RJ14 connector, to be used for an Effects pedal add-on that was never released^[4]

The insides of the guitar show a few interesting things:

The RJ14 connector only uses two of the possible four wires (seen on Model number: 95065)
There are two jumpers (JP1 and JP2) that are labeled on the circuit board, but are unused (seen on Model number: 95065)
The strum bar is a rocker switch using three wired for connectivity (seen on Model number: 95065)

When the controller is connected to a Windows Vista or Windows XP PC, it shows up as a game controller.^[5] This allows you to see button presses and the tilt sensors. Currently, only one tilt sensor is used by the Guitar Hero games.

References

↑ Bergfeld, Carlos (2007-11-07). "Wireless 360 Guitar Hero III Controller Compatible with PC Version". Shacknews. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
↑ "The "X" Difference". GameFAQs. 2001-11-27. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
↑ McLain, Alex. "Xbox 360 Accessories - Controller Evolved". Xbox.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
↑ Kollar, Philip (2007-04-02). "Guitar Hero 2 Manual Confirms Effects Pedal". 1up.com. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
↑ "Guitar Hero 3 for PC". 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-07-12.

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