CES 2009: Drum Rocker - A Premium Rock Band Drum Set From Ion

Chris Ford — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:30:00 GMT

I told you about the fancy entry-level electronic drum set from Roland the other day, but if you're looking for something even a little more affordable, then you will probably want to check out the Drum Rocker drum set from Ion. It's the Rock Band drum set that grows with your playing ability.

The Ion is probably the most robust Rock band or Guitar Hero World Tour drum set out there. It has a better all metal kick pedal, a better rack and to extra cymbals. But the cool thing is that if you add an electronic drum module, it can become a fully-functioning electronic drum kit. It isn't going to be as good as a Roland Drum set, but at over half the cost of the cheapest Roland set, it might be the right choice for budding drummers on a budget.

Drum Rocker from ION, $299. Check it out at DrumRocker.com

JamLegend Brings Free, Rock Band-Style Gaming Online (Beta Code Here!)

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:04:00 GMT

So you and the kids have already mastered every level on Rock Band 2, and you're too broke to fork over for the added experience of Guitar Hero World Tour. The new private-beta online game JamLegend may be just the motivation you need to keep on rocking in the... OK, bad wordplay avoided there, but facts is facts: This awesome little rhythmic rocker, which you play through your PC, aims to bring a Rock Band/Guitar Hero-style experience to the Web, free, via a continually expanding set list and a massive multiplayer element. And did we mention that it's, like, free? Yeah.

Admittedly, the gameplay in JamLegend -- in which you tap your keyboard instead of strumming or hitting a virtual instrument -- takes some getting used to, but there are varying modes of playability (we've not yet made it past "easy") and an insane number of songs on which to hone your chops. Especially awesome is JamLegend's community element, in which you can compete against other shredders in real time and work your way up the leaderboards.

Obviously, being in beta, JamLegend still has tons of room for advancement, but again, it's free, and with everything from support for Rock Band hardware to expansion into other virtual instruments (keyboard "guitar" is currently all that's offered) on the table, we're psyched to see how far it'll go.

In the meantime, we're also psyched to hear what you and yours think: Sign up for the beta via this special invite code, and rock out with us in the comments once you've had a chance to play JamLegend for yourself. [A hearty "Rock on!" to Gear Crave for the tip.]

droolicious : guitar hero world tour

CES 2009: Drum Rocker - A Premium Rock Band Drum Set From Ion

JamLegend Brings Free, Rock Band-Style Gaming Online (Beta Code Here!)