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Guitar Hero 3 Controller Problems

Guitar Hero is a game which puts you right into the action of fronting your own rock band. The game allows you to follow along with rock and pop music using a controller which is shaped like a guitar. The 3rd iteration of the game, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, was released on October 28, 2007 to rave reviews. However, since the game's release there have been problems with the guitar controller that came with the game.

Controller
- The controller packaged with the game was a new guitar controller. It was about 3 feet long with four buttons on the "neck" of the guitar that corresponded to colors which the game uses as "notes." On the base of the guitar was a bar that can be moved up and down to simulate strumming of the strings. Finally, there was a whammy bar used to create distortion on some of the longer notes that are played.
Detachable Neck and Buttons
- The main source of trouble with the controller was the detachable neck. To package the controller more easily, the game makers sent the controller in two pieces, the neck and the guitar base. These pieces needed to be attached for the game to be played. Many players found that once the neck was attached and the game started, the buttons on the neck itself were only registering about 80% of the time.
  The four buttons themselves also posed a problem. Often, they would become stuck and the note would be unable to be played until the buttons themselves were fixed.
Strum Bar
- The strum bar posed a problem when it was used too much. Often, players would just strum in one direction (either up or down) while playing the game. This caused the strum bar to wear out in that direction and not recognize the notes being played. When that happened, the only way to hit the notes was to strum in the other direction.
Whammy Bar
- The whammy bar on the controllers allows you to position it in a comfortable place to play the game. Over time, the whammy bar became loose and no longer stayed in an "up" position, which made it impossible for players to use it unless they continually held it up, which was extremely uncomfortable for players and rendered the whammy bar unusable.
Fixes
- The best fix for a broken controller is to take it back to where you purchased it and ask for a replacement. They store will most likely test it, but if the controller is truly broken, you should have no problem exchanging it. If you want to fix it yourself, you can try, but you may not be able to exchange it once you open it.

Wii Games