Summary
- Hyperkin has opened pre-orders for the Hyper Strummer, a new guitar controller for the Nintendo Wii.
- Many have criticized Hyperkin for releasing something so outdated, even accusing it of repurposing old stock.
- Hyperkin has responded by denying those claims and assuring detractors there’s a market for the revived peripheral.
It’s been almost a year since the launch of Fortnite Festival inspired the return of the guitar controller. PDP released the Riffmaster, a guitar controller compatible with Fortnite‘s rhythm game and other newer Rock Band and Guitar Hero titles on modern consoles. 12 months later, Hyperkin has joined the fun, except its own modern guitar controller isn’t compatible with new consoles since it only works with the Wii.
Unable to contain its excitement, Hyperkin kicked off 2025 by revealing and opening pre-orders for the Hyper Strummer on New Year’s Day. Upon first glance, many might have assumed it to be a cheaper competitor to the Riffmaster, something there’s surprisingly little of almost one year on from its release. That’s not what the Hyper Strummer is. It’s a tweaked version of the Hyperkin guitar controller that was released during Nintendo‘s Wii era.
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A new era of guitar controllers has begun.
If you’re scracthing your head wondering why a company would sell new guitar controllers for the Wii in 2025, you’re not alone. The replies to its reveal on Twitter are evenly split between people wanting to know who asked for this, and others accusing Hyperkin of repackaging old stock and claiming it to be new.
Hyperkin Has Released A New Guitar Controller For Nintendo Wii
Most Appear To Either Be Angry, Upset, Or Both About It, Though
There has been so much backlash that Hyperkin has issued a statement. Hyperkin admits that even though it used the same mold as it did to create guitar controllers in 2009, that’s where the similarities begin and end. It denies that the guitars are leftover stock it stumbled upon in a warehouse and assures those who might be interested in buying one that even though the controllers might look the same, all of the internal components are new and far better than the ones inside the guitars it sold 15 years ago.
The replies to Hyperkin’s follow-up aren’t any better despite those assurances. The statement notes that the Hyper Strummer is intended to give those who want a guitar controller in 2025 a cheaper entry point. The thing is, that only applies to those who still have a functioning Wii which naturally only has older Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles, and obviously doesn’t support Fortnite Festival.
CRKD’s alternative released at the end of 2024 appears to be a far more popular alternative. Inspired by the Guitar Hero World Tour DS controller, and created by some of the people who worked on it, the five-fret NEO S controller is a guitar alternative that fits in the palm of your hand and costs just $60.
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Hyperkin Hyper Strummer Wii Guitar Controller
It’s 2025 and Hyperkin has released a new controller for the Nintendo Wii. A guitar controller that’s compatible with all of the Rock Band and Guitar Hero titles released on the Wii aside from the original Rock Band.
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NEO S Purple Wave 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition
CRKD has added a Purple Wave controller to its NEO S collection, and this one is a little different from the others in the range. It comes with a five-fret accessory that can be used to play Fortnite Festival and other rhythm-based games.
