Rock Band ditches peripherals

Rock Band is back, but this time there's not a plastic guitar in sight.

Developer Harmonix has ditched the accessories in favour of a return to the control pad, according to a reveal earlier today from G4. The new arcade version of the game will also support the 3,700 strong back catalogue of existing Rock Band tracks.

Rock Band Blitz, which will focus more on arcade thrills than musical authenticity, will be available on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live sometime in the summer.