Unlock Your Sound with the PDP Riffmaster Guitar for Xbox

We periodically hear a clamor for games like Guitar Hero and even Rock Band to experience a comeback. While I am completely in favor of that (the more, the merrier, to be honest!), let’s not overlook what we already have – the vibrant and DLC-rich Rock Band 4, along with the newly introduced Fortnite Festival.

The issue hasn’t really been a lack of games to enjoy, but rather a shortage of modern peripherals available on the market. Used guitars have skyrocketed to ludicrous prices over the last few years, and it wasn’t until 2024 that PDP finally revealed something fresh for us to enjoy in the form of the Riffmaster Wireless Guitar for both Xbox and PlayStation.

As someone who has consistently played Rock Band 4 numerous times over the past decade, I’ve been eagerly trying to get my hands on a review unit ever since the Riffmaster was announced, aiming to test it out for the Pure Xbox community. Now, at last, I’m thrilled to share that I’ve had a fantastic experience with it!

Right off the bat, you can notice several quality-of-life enhancements with the Riffmaster. It comes in a surprisingly compact box because of its ability to fold in half – the neck of the guitar includes a small toggle that allows you to snap it into (or out of) place when needed, which is great for storage. You can also see the Xbox-style buttons for the guide, ‘Menu’, ‘View’, and ‘Take hold’, as well as a d-pad and even a thumbstick on the neck.

The pairing process is quite different from the current Rock Band 4 guitar as well. This time, there’s a small wireless dongle that must be plugged into your console to connect with the Riffmaster. The two devices quickly recognize each other within seconds, and the dongle can also be used on PC, opening up many more possibilities. PDP even went the extra mile by designing the guitar with a removable faceplate, which reveals a hidden compartment where you can store the wireless dongle for easy access. Very cool!

In terms of functionality, the Riffmaster feels mostly similar to the existing Rock Band 4 guitar, particularly featuring a non-clicky strum bar and buttons. Everyone has their own preferences for gear like this, but personally, I find the quieter design more enjoyable (although it seems there are third-party attachments available that add a ‘clicky’ sound if that’s your preference). Beyond that, everything is pretty much as you’d expect – the Riffmaster has a remarkably premium feel to it, and it looks the part as well.

The fret buttons, in particular, offer a really nice texture, and you can truly notice the difference when transitioning back to the more budget-friendly Rock Band 4 Stratocaster. The shape of the guitar feels incredibly comfortable as it fits perfectly in your hands; I play both standing and sitting, and it accommodates both scenarios excellently. One minor complaint is that the tilt function on the Riffmaster isn’t very sensitive, making it slightly more challenging to trigger “Overdrive” compared to earlier models, and the button relocation feels a bit awkward to access. Hardcore gamers might find this frustrating, but for me, it hasn’t been a major issue.

There are also some added cool features to consider when diving into the actual games. In Rock Band 4, the Riffmaster effectively performs just like the current Rock Band 4 guitar, but with two significant upgrades. The first is a built-in battery that reportedly provides up to 36 hours of playtime before needing a recharge (via USB-C), and I can honestly say that after roughly 20 hours of testing, I haven’t had to charge it yet.

Eliminating the necessity for AA batteries is a huge plus, as is the ability to plug headphones directly into the Riffmaster’s headphone jack. This grants you much greater freedom than having to connect headphones to a second controller, and generally, it functions very well. I say “generally” because some of my Razer headphones cause occasional audio interference when used with the Riffmaster (it particularly dislikes the cable), but all the others I’ve tried have worked perfectly. It is so nice to be able to move around freely with headphones on!

Outside of Rock Band 4, there’s also Fortnite Festival which is definitely worth checking out. For those unaware, it’s developed by the same team behind Ro