Guitar Hero DS peripheral unveiled

Activision has revealed details of the first DS instalment in the Guitar Hero series.

IGN is reporting that Guitar Hero: On Tour will come with a special input device, as Vicarious Visions hinted just over six months ago.

Called the Guitar Grip, it will plug into the handheld's GBA slot. The DS is held vertically and your hand slides into a special strap. There's a stylus pick for strumming strings on the touch screen, and you press the fret buttons on the Guitar Grip at the same time. The microphone will also come into play.

"We figured that attaching a full-size guitar or even a mini-guitar would be too awkward to play on the road," said VV boss Karthik Bala. "Hence the design of the more compact Guitar Grip, which gives you the tactile sense of the fret buttons with the touch screen depicting the strings of the guitar."

There will be career, competitive and co-op modes, and new power-ups exclusive to On Tour. You might have to put out fires caused by pyrotechnics by blowing into the mic, or sign autographs on the touch screen to see off adoring fans sent your way by your rival. More than 20 licensed songs are promised from the likes of Nirvana, OK Go and No Doubt. There will be six characters to choose from, including two brand new ones.

Guitar Hero: On Tour is down for a summer release in the US, with a European date yet to be announced.