Rumor: Activision behind Rock Band PS3 peripheral compatibility patch delay?

Yesterday, we brought you news of an impending PlayStation 3 Rock Band controller compatability patch, by way of Harmonix. The headline read: “PS3 Rock Band getting controller compatibility patch today.” Well, yesterday’s “today” has come and gone, and PlayStation 3 owners longing to finally be able to use their wireless Gibson Guitar Hero III controllers with Harmonix’s game are still waiting.

A trusted source has told Destructoid that the patch has indeed been submitted to Sony for approval, and (as promised) should have been available yesterday. What’s the hold up? According to our source, Activision has actively attempted to block the release of the patch, even bringing their lawyers into the fray. While the obvious plan is for the patch to be available as soon as possible (it was announced yesterday, after all), until this is all worked out behind closed doors, PS3 shredders may be waiting a little longer.

Harmonix has been very clear that they’re interested in an open standard for these peripherals, an idea clearly not shared by their competition. (The Rock Band Stratocaster guitar peripheral does not work with Activision’s Guitar Hero on any platform; Guitar Hero controllers currently DO work with with Rock Band on the Xbox 360, but not on the PS3).  We’ve pinged Activision for comment, and we’ll update with information as we get it.