If you want to play Pro guitar on Rock Band 3, your only option right now is Mad Catz’s 102-button Fender Mustang controller, which retails for $150 USD. Those who are willing to drop another C-note on Rock Band 3 gear will have a second option come March. Fender has announced that its Squier Stratocaster "guitar and controller" built specifically for Rock Band 3 will head to retail on March 1, 2011 for $280 USD.
Now, while that’s massively expensive for a game peripheral, the Squier Strat is very much a real, full-size electric guitar with amplifier and MIDI support. Considering that electric guitars often retail for many hundreds or even thousands of dollars, $280 starts to seem a little more enticing.
Are you planning on splurging on this electric beast, or are the simple joys of five colored buttons enough? Let us know in the comment section below.