I consider myself a hardcore Rock Band/Guitar Hero player. It’s gotten so bad that it’s the only game I play all week. I haven’t even removed the shrink wrap from my copy of GTAIV.

But apparently, there are players out there that are more hardcore than I am. These are the players who actually build minature stages to really simulate the feel of performing for an audience. For these guys a riser or an elevated stage is not enough, lighting effects are an important part of the whole illusion.

PDP’s Rock Band Stage Kit is a great peripheral for these uber-serious gamers. It’s a great device that combines a compact LED lighting system, strobe effects and fog effects in one machine. The Stage Kit attaches to the Xbox 360 through a USB port and this enables it to interact with in-game performances. The folks at PDP actually collaborated with Harmonix to program actual in-game cues to both Rock Band and Rock Band 2. This means more accurate rendition of effects to the music and your performance, a big improvement or poor sound sensors that other solutions provide.

Space constraints in my house prevents me from getting this but I salute the Rock Band player who has the deep pockets and the space to really take advantage of thise gizmo.