Those who are fond of the Guitar Hero series often have many things to say about the plastic peripherals that are packaged with the games. These things usually aren't all that good, and the ears of Logitech have picked this up, today announcing the Black Edition of its Wireless Guitar Controller that is compatible with the PlayStation 3 and 2 platforms.

The controller isn't a simple replacement. It is for "gamers who want to play like a rock star", and sports a wooden neck, a rosewood fret board, and metal frets, much like you'd expect on a decent real guitar.

The construction of the guitar controller is a uni body design, and follows the design principles of "real" guitars. The button noise is reduced by using "rubber dome technology" on the fret board controls, which is used on Logitech keyboards. The controller also has a touch-sensitive slider that was first introduced by the Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar controller.

Nick Angelucci, Product and Marketing Manager at Logitech Australia had the following to say about the controller:

Logitech’s new guitar controller delivers the same unparalleled Guitar Hero experience to an even broader group of gamers and at a great value. Everything about the Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller is premium – from the authentic wood material and flawless black finish, to the noise-dampening design of the strum bar and buttons, to the authentic accents provided by the metal frets.

The guitar controller has a range of ten metres, and promises "hundreds of hours" of battery life. It is licensed by Activision, which ensures complete compatibility with their entire suite of Guitar Hero games on the PlayStation 3 platform.

The controller should work with the other side of the musical fence, Rock Band as the Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar (on the PlayStation 3) works with Rock Band.

It will be available in Australia in June, and will retail at $399.95. At that price, you can get a real instrument, so it will be interesting to see if the idea of a "premium" third party guitar controller will be snapped up by the adoring public.