PC players helped hold the spirit of Guitar Hero and Rock Band alive by applications like Clone Hero. The reward for this heroic effort? The return of Les Paul guitar controllers, courtesy of CRKD. We acquired the Blueberry Burst Professional Version controller not too long ago, and after a number of lengthy nights of rocking out, the nostalgia is at an all-time excessive.
The CRKD Les Paul vary is up towards some stiff competitors to earn a spot on our greatest PC controller shopping for information, however primarily based on my first impressions, it has each shot of dethroning our present selection, the PDP Riffmaster, when our full evaluation is prepared. Whether or not you are rocking out in Fortnite Pageant, Clone Hero, YARG, or enjoying old-school Guitar Hero video games, this controller works in all of those video games throughout a number of platforms.
Guitar Hero and Rock Band had been an enormous a part of my teen years, serving to type my musical pursuits and without end exposing me to new artists that I nonetheless hear to right this moment, akin to Alice in Chains, Religion No Extra, Blue Öyster Cult, Avenged Sevenfold, and lots of extra. It was unhappy to see the franchises slowly die out, however the market was oversaturated, and it was considerably of an inevitability.
In its absence, I’ve primarily turned to Clone Hero to fill the void. Even with the return of Fortnite Pageant, Clone Hero stays one of the best different thanks to the sheer wealth of group content material accessible and its compatibility with a number of guitars and devices.
I initially performed utilizing my outdated black Les Paul from Guitar Hero 3, solely there was substantial enter delay, which has since been attributed to the PS3 receiver when it’s plugged right into a PC. I then moved over to the Guitar Hero 5 controller, which I was ready to seize from eBay alongside the Xbox 360 adaptor wanted to make it work.
Regardless of working fairly effectively, I would have to use extra software program to make sure the inputs labored appropriately, which was removed from preferrred. It felt like there was a spot in the marketplace for new controllers, however it wasn’t till Fortnite Pageant launched that this turned a actuality.
I moved on to the PDP Riffmaster very not too long ago, and from an enter and design entrance, it was a serious enchancment over the outdated GH guitars, however it nonetheless required extra software program to work with Clone Hero, and sure inputs did not work totally or with out nauseatingly lengthy workarounds.
That is the place my preliminary time with the CRKD Les Paul Blueberry Burst Professional Version has been very completely different. Upon connecting the guitar to my PC, it just labored. Whether or not I was enjoying Clone Hero or Fortnite Pageant, the controller would not require any extra software program or workarounds and works as anticipated.
It is introduced again reminiscences of enjoying the OG Guitar Hero video games, the place you can just plug in a guitar or wi-fi adaptor and be enjoying in a matter of seconds.
The appear and feel of this guitar controller is so acquainted, though it is stuffed with fashionable options like mechanical button switches, reactive RGB, a Corridor Impact strum bar, and haptic suggestions.
Regardless of this, there’s a sense of simplicity to how this controller works and appears, and it’s straightforward for me to get misplaced in my gameplay and neglect that I’m enjoying on a controller launched in 2025 and never one that’s a long time outdated. CRKD hasn’t tried to reinvent the wheel right here, and my expertise enjoying with the Bluberry Burst Professional Version has been higher for it.
We’ll be doing much more rocking out with this guitar quickly, and my colleague can be writing the total evaluation, however my preliminary time spent enjoying with the Blueberry Burst Professional Version has been very optimistic.
It is nice to see instrument controllers making a comeback, and with RedOctane not too long ago resurfacing, it is actually beginning to really feel like 2007 all over once more.
If you’d like to pre-order this controller, the CRKD Les Paul Blueberry Burst is at present accessible for $134.99 / £129.99 for the Xbox and PC model, and $125.99 / £119.99 for the multi-platform model.