If you launched Rock Band 2 since Friday on an Xbox 360, you'd have noticed a mandatory patch before logging into Xbox Live. PS3 owners will also get the same patch soon, once it clears Sony certification. Here's what's new:
- Support for wireless microphones such as the ones that ship with Lips (a feature that was built-in to The Beatles: Rock Band)
- Guitar hammer-on and pull-off chords are easier to hit, an update also lifted from The Beatles game (single-note HOs/POs are not changed - just the chords are more forgiving!)
- Background downloading of songs from the in-game Music Store (previously you had to exit to the dashboard to queue multiple song downloads)
- Songs can be sorted by your star ratings - though apparently only after you play them again (stars earned pre-patch won't sort and may still appear as unplayed unless you beat your previous high score!)
- Drum fills and freestyle drumming now register velocity sensitivity with Ion Drum Kits
- The Extras menu has Audition Mode for the upcoming Rock Band Network open beta (you'll need a paid XNA Creators Club membership to upload tracks you build on your PC)


Leave a comment