It took quite a bit of time, but Harmonix has finally confirmed what many gamers had suspected for several months already – Rock Band 4 is indeed coming. After announcing that the title will be arriving on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, gamers were immediately informed that all of their existing plastic peripherals that they've used for past entries in the series would be compatible with the new game. That is to say, all of the faux instruments with the exception of the keyboard and Pro Guitar.

Harmonix informed eager fans that they keyboard peripheral that made its debut in Rock Band 3 will not be making the transition to Rock Band 4. According to the developer, this decision was made in order to focus on the core experience of the forthcoming title. That means that guitar, bass, drums and vocals will instead be taking the entirety of the spotlight this time around.

"Rock Band 4 will focus on the core experience and the roots of the franchise — guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. There will be no Pro Guitar or key support in Rock Band 4. We will continue to support 'Pro' mode for Drums."

Admittedly, focusing on the core instruments that brought the franchise its initial success makes a lot of sense. Given the main appeal of the Rock Band series has always been the four-person, living room-fueled sessions that players would jump into, so going back to basics is an understandable step for a studio that has taken on a self-proclaimed "indie" stature in recent months.

The removal of Pro Guitar support is also something that was not expected, but makes sense given the lack of consumers that currently own the supped up peripheral. Still, the Pro Drums will still be supported for those that were looking forward to bashing some rubber cymbals alongside their buddies.

What do you think of Rock Band 4 abandoning support for the keyboard and Pro Guitar peripherals?

Rock Band 4 is set to arrive in 2015 on Xbox One and PS4.

Source: Harmonix