Report: Band Hero To Feature Drum Peripheral

Activision's upcoming Nintendo DS music game title Band Hero will come bundled not only with a guitar grip peripheral, but also a rubberized silicon drum grip that slips over a DS Lite's buttons. According to a report from consumer weblog Kotaku, the new peripheral is aimed at making gameplay feel more drum-like than just utilizing the touch screen. David Nathanielsz, the game's executive producer, told the site the drum sleeve provides a "push-back, bounce-back feel" -- and avoids player blisters from "banging on that d-pad." The Vicarious Visions-developed Band Hero, which launches this fall, supports four players via local wireless. The peripheral is not compatible with the new DSi hardware, however -- it doesn't fit. Previous Guitar Hero games on DS have also featured tailored peripherals designed to make the experience more closely resemble the home console version, such as a guitar grip accessory and pick-shaped stylus.