Guitar Hero III PC

[metahacker]

anyone using this on their cab yet ?

how cab friendly is it?  can u operate all the menus etc with a mouse?
and it has gamepad support i'd imagine ?

[Organic Jerk]

I wanted to pick it up, but unfortunately the system requirements aren't very cab friendly for most of us here:

http://www.aspyr.com/product/game_specs/85

PC MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

    * Operating System: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista
    * CPU Processor: Intel Pentium D (Dual Core) 2.8GHZ or AMD Athlon 64 3500+
    * Memory: XP - 1 GB RAM, Vista – 2GB RAM
    * Hard Disk Space: 5.1 GB + 1GB Swap File
    * Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
    * Video Card: 3D Hardware Accelerator Card Required – 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible 128 MB Video Memory
    * Video Card (ATI): Radeon X800
    * Video Card (Nvidia): Geforce 7600
    * Media Required: 4X DVD-ROM drive
    * Windows XP/Vista compatible mouse and keyboard with latest drivers
    * Guitar Hero 3 Official PC Guitar Controller

This product does not support Windows 98/ME/2000/NT/XP x64/Vista x64.

MULTIPLAYER REQUIREMENTS:

    * Internet(TCP/IP) play supported
    * Internet play requires a broadband connection

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

    * Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHZ or AMD Athlon Dual Core 4400+
    * 256 MB 3D Hardware Accelerator Card
    * Video Card (ATI): Radeon HD 2600
    * Video Card (Nvidia): Geforce 8800 GT
    * 2 GB RAM

Notice: Some Mobile and Desktop 3D accelerator cards with the chipset listed here may not be compatible with the 3D acceleration features utilized by Guitar Hero 3. Please refer to your hardware manufacturer for 100% DirectX compatibility.

Notice: This game contains technology intended to prevent copying that may conflict with some disk and virtual disk drives.

SUPPORTED DESKTOP CHIPSETS:

ATI RADEON X800
ATI RADEON X1600
ATI RADEON X1800
ATI RADEON X1900
ATI RADEON X1950
ATI RADEON HD 2400
ATI RADEON HD 2600
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7600
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8400
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8500
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800

Seriously.... for a game that has a PS2 counterpart, you'd think there would be some more leeway in the system requirements. 

If Epic can program Unreal Tournament 2007 to reduce it's graphics prowess to work fluidly on my machine (and thats a hardcore game), you'd think a game with a huge audience like Guitar Hero III would have even more of a vested interest in doing the same (especially given the different PC specs for the casual gamers/rock lovers out there who would like to try this particular game)...

Sloppy Programming??

[fjl]

Yeah totally.

Although I'm making my cab so you can connect a home console system to it as well so this way people will be able to play Guitar Hero and all other console games. I'm even adding some shelves within the cab to hold all the systems.
 

[sac01]

I put it on my cab last week... i'm running a Athlon 64 3800 with a pretty good pci express graphics card.  It runs fine but i'm only using 800x600 low res/detail.  As far as menu navagation it's ok using the keys I have on my CP, but it dosn't recognize gamepads, just a keyboard for controls (which again is ok for most people's cab control panels) or the actual PC GH3 guitar OR the xbox 360's guitars also will work (explorer)


I also have Frets of Fire and Guitar Zero installed on the cab.  Both of these are alot more cab friendly and free dl's to boot!

[metahacker]

ok i just put GH3 PC on ... its pretty amazing.

I'm just wondering now what my options are for guitars?

i can use a 360 guitar? what do i need to connect it?

i've seen this
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360wirelessgamingreceiver/default.htm

but it seems i cant buy one of those les paul wireless without a copy of a game until 2008?

will one of the xbox360 guitars just plug in and work?

[Austin.Wolff]

Could always get a ps2/3 USB converter.

[metahacker]

well i just bought a 360 xplorer from ebay lets see if it works the same

[sac01]

The ps2 with usb adapters won't work on gh3 pc I don't think, since it's so picky on what controllers it will recognize.  I've been told the xbox360 guitars plug right into the pc and gh3 works with them perfectly.

[Howard_Casto]

Just buy a console version of the game.  Guitar hero isn't meant for a cab anyway.  You need a nice big screen to play on and since the controller is the guitar, putting one in a mame cab makes about as much sense as a wii in a star wars cockpit.    If you want to play guitar on the pc/cab then you download frets on fire and go to town.

[Organic Jerk]

Guitar hero isn't meant for a cab anyway.  You need a nice big screen to play on and since the controller is the guitar, putting one in a mame cab makes about as much sense as a wii in a star wars cockpit.   

  How do you figure? 

• A game that's better played standing up
• A game that's you can pick up and play with very little interest in story (Come over, choose a song, rock out, and leave)
• Has colorful and high-contrast eye catching graphics that give you the most visual bang for your buck in a short amount of time
• Doesn't have alot of complicated menus or dialogues that require you to stop for long periods to consider/read
• Has awesome peripherals that rival an arcade experience (eg:light guns, boxing gloves, fishing reel, fire hose, dance pad )

Seems to me like Guitar Hero was made specifically using most of the concepts that make arcade games great.

It even feels natural enough in the consoles at the game stores...

Of course a bigger screen is cooler, but isnt that true of most every game that's interactive in that way?(Light guns, etc).. It's not like there's a visual need for a screen bigger than 27" because the game is very intense and keeps your attention easily. 

The only reason we have the image of people rocking out in living rooms in our heads is because it was released on home consoles.  If DDR came out on consoles first, no doubt that a home experience would be your first image associated with it, and the thought of dancing around on some metal monstrosity (with breathing room limited to the actual machine which can leave you worried about hitting the guy RIGHT next to you if you swing your arms) in an crowded arcade would seem weird.

[Circo]

Just buy a console version of the game.  Guitar hero isn't meant for a cab anyway.  You need a nice big screen to play on and since the controller is the guitar, putting one in a mame cab makes about as much sense as a wii in a star wars cockpit.    If you want to play guitar on the pc/cab then you download frets on fire and go to town.

I have had GH on my cab since it first came out.  I have an older ATI TV Wonder Pro card that has pretty much 0 latency and through that is a PS2.  It's perfect as my cab can be very loud and has a 27" screen.  The monitor is at a perfect level and it get's more play than any other game.

[rgw20014life]

I am using GH3 PC on my cab right now and use Joy2key to use a rock band stratocaster with it. Everything works perfect, whammying, star power activation; its pretty cool and convienent when others are using the main television the 360 is hooked up to. Oh also the reason it has higher requirements is because the PC version is based on the 360 version. Its too bad for cabs with lower end hardware (especially the video card) but I would have been dissapointed if they went the EA route and released the PS2 based version of there games on PC when a 360 based version is perfectly capable of running on PC.

[sac01]

I'm gonna have to disagree with Howard on this one as well... I'm getting a guitar to use on the cab, I have a 33" monitor on it, and standing up with the screen at that height just makes sense... And with GH3, FOF, and Guitar Zero, that's 3 games that I can run on the Cabinet with the guitar.

[Organic Jerk]

Oh also the reason it has higher requirements is because the PC version is based on the 360 version. Its too bad for cabs with lower end hardware (especially the video card) but I would have been dissapointed if they went the EA route and released the PS2 based version of there games on PC when a 360 based version is perfectly capable of running on PC.

I know, but that's part of my point.  They could have programmed it to be able to tune it from PS2 standards to 360 standards and anywhere in between.  Thats what I was saying about UT2007... it can go from being all shader-work to all texture-work, and noone's  the wiser.

The 360 got it's own version... the PS2 got it's own version.. couldn't the PC get the same respect instead of being tacked with a crappy hog of a port?

From the reviews I've read, it has slow downs even on the Recommended system settings...

[Howard_Casto]

Ahh I see the problem in logic here.... I keep hearing "I use A guitar on my cab."  The problem comes with co-op guys.  Two grown men scrunching in front of a puny tv that has wooden partitions on the side blocking your view and a foot deep control panel that makes you stand too far back to see the notes well is the problem.  It'd probably work fine in single player, but that kind of takes the fun away from guitar hero. 

[Organic Jerk]

Ahh I see the problem in logic here.... I keep hearing "I use A guitar on my cab."  The problem comes with co-op guys.  Two grown men scrunching in front of a puny tv that has wooden partitions on the side blocking your view and a foot deep control panel that makes you stand too far back to see the notes well is the problem.  It'd probably work fine in single player, but that kind of takes the fun away from guitar hero. 

Well I would imagine if you plan on playing things like DDR, Guitar Hero, or Light Gun games on your cab then you have to plan accordingly.  If the 27 inch TV is so deeply entrenched that the sides can be called "partitions" and you can't see it from a few feet to the side, then I would say that's a flaw in the cab's design.

I've been to many a dark arcade where 4 (or more) people will be around 2 intense players on a mid-sized fighting cab and everyone has a good enough view to scream and shout when someone doles out a 60 hit combo...

[rgw20014life]

Oh also the reason it has higher requirements is because the PC version is based on the 360 version. Its too bad for cabs with lower end hardware (especially the video card) but I would have been dissapointed if they went the EA route and released the PS2 based version of there games on PC when a 360 based version is perfectly capable of running on PC.

I know, but that's part of my point.  They could have programmed it to be able to tune it from PS2 standards to 360 standards and anywhere in between.  Thats what I was saying about UT2007... it can go from being all shader-work to all texture-work, and noone's  the wiser.

The 360 got it's own version... the PS2 got it's own version.. couldn't the PC get the same respect instead of being tacked with a crappy hog of a port?

From the reviews I've read, it has slow downs even on the Recommended system settings...

I see what you mean and yeah its true. There really is no details settings to speak of. Its high, low, remove crowds/ physics and no middle ground at all. Its pretty much all or nothing. The more graphics/physics/sound options the better. An example of a game with tons of options is Crysis. (Even though LOW/OFF on everything still makes the game chop up and will make it look like ass to boot. Call of Duty 4 with everthing maxed out runs better. )

[Circo]

Ahh I see the problem in logic here.... I keep hearing "I use A guitar on my cab."  The problem comes with co-op guys.  Two grown men scrunching in front of a puny tv that has wooden partitions on the side blocking your view and a foot deep control panel that makes you stand too far back to see the notes well is the problem.  It'd probably work fine in single player, but that kind of takes the fun away from guitar hero. 

Well, my 27" cab has worked just fine for multiplayer with 5-10 people standing all around watching.  Would probably be an issue for a 19" or something small like that.  If you had a cocktail I wouldn't recommend it.  But I think 27" is a fairly popular size for mame cabs.  So those folks should be able to have alot of fun with it.  I will stay away from the pc and stick with my ps2 though.

[FrizzleFried]

Just played it on the PC...and I am utterly disappointed.  It's going on ebay shortly.  Complete garbage next to the console versions.  Pathetically bad.  Boo...

[metahacker]

Just buy a console version of the game.  Guitar hero isn't meant for a cab anyway.  You need a nice big screen to play on and since the controller is the guitar, putting one in a mame cab makes about as much sense as a wii in a star wars cockpit.    If you want to play guitar on the pc/cab then you download frets on fire and go to town.

2 words.

[Barry Barcrest]

3 words

[fjl]

So then Guitar hero wasn't the first guitar based game?

[crummy]

So then Guitar hero wasn't the first guitar based game?

No. Guitar Freaks had three frets, and is seen in some arcades, especially in Japan. The music was similar to what you might find on DDR.

[metahacker]

well, im happy to say that i just got 2 xbox 360 guitars set up on my cab with GH3 PC.  talk about fun.....

there is something 'funny' about the pc port though.. i dont know if they are using some strange XBOX360 on WIN32/DirectX library to port it or what...  but i have to turn the settings down on my 3.6GHz e6750 core2duo w/ 7600gs.... i think you need a 8-series with at least 3ghz c2d if you want to play it most 'properly'

great game on a cab....but i duno ... very aggressive hw requirements.  seems rather GPU bound on my machine.

gonna try overclocking the 7600gs, we'll see if i can get the crowd back =)

if not it may be time to get a 8600 GT....

EDIT: strange seems some people have lag and some dont...some people with lesser systems claim to have it working fine..  reviews have complained about lag as well tho....
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/puzzle/guitarheroiii/show_msgs.php?topic_id=m-1-39620564&pid=943274

[metahacker]

well a few more mhz and crowd is back =)

yeah, so bottom line, you basically need 7600GT + C2D to play this game properly.  otherwise it's gonna suk real bad on yer cab.

[Necro]

Yeah, the requirements on this are horrendous.  I have a decent PC and it's playing like total crap.  Turning off the crowd and physics barely helps also - it turns it into a SLIGHTLY better looking FoF.

[btp2k2]

It got a terrible score in PC Gamer (who normally have a geek boner for the GH series).

nothing more than a horrib console port.

[metahacker]

well i ended up changing my NVidia 7600GS to a 8600GTS (because of this game )

and i can say this much ... GH3 is by far the most played game on my cab now   just plain and simple it rules.

(having a killer sound system in the cab helps.)

I'm looking forward to trying this V1.1 update.  Supposedly it fixes a lot of misc things. 

The GH3 PC port could be better... but the game still rules on a good machine.  I mean good as in C2D / NVidia 8-series / etc

[SirPoonga]

well i just bought a 360 xplorer from ebay lets see if it works the same

I feel sorry for you.  The 360 xplorer sucks.  The GH3 wireless Les Paul is MUCH better.  You can use the wireless on the PC using the microsoft wireless adaptor.

I heard from a couple of my friends with PS3s that the PS3 version of the GH3 controller sucks.  One got rid of GH# in favor of Rock Band.