PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller to Debut in April

PDP generated a bit of buzz recently when it announced that it would be reviving the peripheral-enabled music rhythm genre with a wireless guitar controller for current gen consoles. That resurrection is coming in the form of the Riffmaster.

The product aligns with an impending update for Fortnite Festival, which would allow Harmonix’s music rhythm game embedded within Epic’s ever-expanding battle royale title to be played like the all but abandoned genre once dominated by Guitar Hero and Rock Band. But the Riffmaster won’t be confined to Epic’s free-to-play game. The Riffmaster will also be compatible with Rock Band 4 /Rock Band Rivals, the only surviving music rhythm game of its kind that is accessible on modern consoles (PC excluded).

In a press release, PDP Senior Director of Product Marketing Michael Lai had the following to say:

“At last, the wait is over… it’s time for gamers to rock on! Rhythm-action gaming is experiencing more than a renaissance – it is being redefined! Every aspect of the RIFFMASTER design is informed by PDP’s rich heritage in rhythm-based gaming, including a nod to the past with backwards compatibility. We cannot wait for fans to have their first jam session!”

PDP’s new peripheral stands out from its influential predecessors by including an analog stick on the backside of the guitar as well as a 3.5mm audio jack. Additionally, the product touts a 36-hour battery life, an ambidextrous design and a foldable fretboard.

The two variants of PDP’s Riffmaster went up for pre-order on Amazon (PlayStation/ Xbox & PC) and GameStop (PlayStation/ Xbox & PC) today with a price tag of $129.99 and an April 30th release date. However, both digital storefronts quickly sold out of their currently allocated stock. We are unsure of when either store will be restocking the highly-demanded units.

Hopefully stock shortages are a non-issue come the end of April because the wireless guitar controller market has been a madhouse for years now, with secondhand prices reaching absurd heights. One can hope that a steady supply of PDP’s Riffmaster will bring those used prices back down to a more manageable level.

We’ll be monitoring how effectively PDP’s efforts, as well as Fortnite Festival, bring this once thriving community of digital fantasy musicians back to life.