Mad Catz launches porta-drums for Rock Band

Can you velcro them to your pants?
Can you velcro them to your pants?

The folks at Mad Catz have sympathy for any Rock Band enthusiastist who's tired of hearing their non-gaming significant other, parent or roomate say, "What's all this friggin' crap in the living room all the time?"

And they've come up with a solution: portable drum pads that can be placed pretty much anywhere - a coffee table, a chair- and neatly tucked away in a closet or drawer when rocking out is over.

Designed to withstand over 1 million strikes (we have no idea how many songs that comes out to, but it sounds like a lot), the durable rubber construction ensures the drumheads will outlast your frenetic bashing. (Well, unless you're, like, super-gonzo or something.)

Featuring an ultra-thin navigation panel for easy in-game setup, a pair of soft-tip two-piece replacement drumsticks and a remote kick drum pedal, everything you need to play drums is included. Easy to assemble and play and even easier to fold away for quick storage.

Pretty soon, we'll be able to rock out to Rock Band on the train, or on a bus, or in a plane, or while eating Green Eggs & Ham.

Granted, they might not feel as authentic as bashing the real thing - the original Rock Band drums pads don't exactly come close - but they will save you some arguments, and that's worth the price of $59.00US.

For more information, visit the official Mad Catz website.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.