By Kris Graft
The launch of the multi-peripheral Activision game Guitar Hero World Tour has encountered an apparent hitch.
Activision's customer support website lists various problems that users have had with the game's music instrument peripherals, ranging from malfunctioning microphones to drum sensitivity issues.
The latter problem was widespread enough for Activision customer support to issue a fix for the issue.
The company said it believes drum issues are "limited to ones in the earlier manufacturing stages," and that the problem is likely "isolated." Regardless, Activision said it would be "stepping our efforts to randomly test our drum kit controllers so customers can be assured they work properly."
The publisher said it would be sending a "tuning kit" to afflicted gamers that would allow them to adust drum sensitivity. One user described the kit as a USB MIDI device.
Drum heads for Guitar Hero World Tour are pressure sensitive, allowing players to play softly or more aggressively to achieve different volumes.
Prior to Activision's tuning kit fix, customer service simply said drum sensitivity issues should be dealt with by "hitting the drum pad a little softer or harder."
Do-it-yourself fixes that have appeared on Guitar Hero community forums include cardboard rigging, masking tape fixes and even re-soldering wiring.
Other instrument complaints related to the game include faulty strum bars, which were a common problem with the guitars used in rival rhythm game, Rock Band when it launched last year.
