This time last year, PDP was gearing up to launch its brand new Riffmaster guitar, and since it was the first officially licensed controller in years to bring back memories of Guitar Hero and Rock Band glory days, it proved to be very popular. I’ve been watching it go in and out of stock since its release, and I’ve regularly seen its price go above its $129.99 MSRP. I’ve been waiting for a discount to arrive, and it finally has.
Today, you can get the Riffmaster Guitar controller for $109.99 at Best Buy, giving you a nice $20 saving on a popular gaming peripheral. Although I’m seeing this price at Best Buy and Amazon, I don’t expect it to last long at either retailer. The PS5 version at Amazon has already run out of stock, and even if supplies last at other retailers, the discount itself is probably not long for this world. This discount also applies to the Xbox Series X and PC versions of the controller so, regardless of your platform, you can make the most of this deal.
If you’re looking for the best PS5 controller for compatible rhythm games like Fortnite Festival, you don’t exactly have much choice. One of the reasons this controller is so popular is because of the fact it has no officially licensed competition outside of the older controllers for Rock Band IV. Since support for these controllers arrived in Fortnite Festival, the Riffmaster has been a true hot-ticket item.
Should you buy the PDP Riffmaster controller?
You really don’t have much choice if you’re in the market for a Guitar controller these days. When I previewed the PDP Riffmaster controller before its release, I half expected it to be met with a bunch of imitators from other controller brands who saw how popular it was and wanted a chunk of PDP’s cash. Since then, however, PDP has been acquired by Turtle Beach, so that takes one big potential competitor off the board.
Even if it is the only real choice on the shelves today, you’re getting a great option here in the Riffmaster. It doesn’t quite have the traditional Guitar Hero feel for me, especially in its strumming bar, which is a bit less tactile than in the video game axes of old.
Small gripes aside, I love the innovations PDP made with the Riffmaster, particularly in terms of quality of life. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can wire up a pair of headphones or use a gaming headset to keep chatting to friends. It can fold up at the neck to store away more easily or take on the go. It has a thumbstick on its back to help you navigate menus with ease, and swappable faceplates in case you want to customize (although I haven’t heard much about this feature being supported by PDP since last year.)
Either way, there’s no way to enhance your rhythm game experience quite like using a guitar controller. If you’ve had this on your wishlist for a while, I wouldn’t wait around.
To dig deeper, check out the best PC controllers, the best Xbox Series X controllers, and the best racing wheels for PC.