October for battle of the plastic bands as Guitar Hero Live gets a release date

So October is officially the month of the first plastic instrument battle of the generation. Guitar Hero Live will launch on the 20th in North America with the EU catching up on the 23rd. That's a whole two weeks after Rock Band 4's release on October 6th so Harmonix will have a slight head start.

Pricing has also been confirmed with Guitar Hero Live at an affordable £84.99 on Amazon for a copy of the game and one of the all-new guitars. This is the same across last and current gen machines so no nabbing a cheaper copy if you're still on Xbox 360 or PS3. The US pricing is set at $99 and Amazon US is offering a bundle with two guitars for $149.99.

This compares favourably to Rock Band 4 which will set you back £109.99 with one guitar and a whopping £219.99 for the 'Band in a Box' that includes the game, wireless guitar, mic and drumkit. Keep in mind that Rock Band 4 will work with some previous peripherals while you'll need Guitar Hero's new guitar controller for the disc to function as more than just a shiny coaster.

Activision has also announced an Avenged Sevenfold preorder bonus for Guitar Hero Live that'll give you exclusive shows, music and, err, 'custom note highways' if you decide to buy early. Check out the trailer below to see more of the constantly updated Guitar Hero TV network that means you'll never run out of new song-based RSI ever again.

Get caught up on the rest of E3 2015 – and there's a lot of it – with our hub page.

Louise Blain

Louise Blain is a journalist and broadcaster specialising in gaming, technology, and entertainment. She is the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s monthly Sound of Gaming show and has a weekly consumer tech slot on BBC Radio Scotland. She can also be found on BBC Radio 4, BBC Five Live, Netflix UK's YouTube Channel, and on The Evolution of Horror podcast. As well as her work on GamesRadar, Louise writes for NME, T3, and TechRadar. When she’s not working, you can probably find her watching horror movies or playing an Assassin’s Creed game and getting distracted by Photo Mode. 

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