Harmonix has a chart showing instrument compatibility with all Rock Band and Guitar Hero games. Briefly:
XBOX: Beatles guitars will work on all RB/GH games except GH 2 and III. Beatles drums will work on all RB/GH games.
PS3: Beatles guitars will work on all RB/GH games except GH 3 and Aerosmith. Beatles drums will work on all RB/GH games.
Wii: Beatles guitars and drums will work on all Rock Band games, but not Guitar Hero games.
Thanks.
Starting today, you can try out the game at a Best Buy near you.
I am aware, but the game guitar (my only experience being with the GHIII Les Paul) feels all wrong in that orientation, because it’s designed to be played right-handed. (Of course, my actual guitar is also designed to be played right-handed, and I flip that one over. But it’s a big unwieldy cheap-ass acoustic, so the weight keeps it centered.)
–Cliffy
I have asked my wife to ask Santa to bring me that game for Christmas, but I hope I get it early, because I see that it will work on XBox 360 Pro, and I have that console (bought it for my grandson when he comes to visit me)!
Wonder how many other senior citizens will be rockin’ out to the sounds of the Fabs?
I just hope I have the “grey cells” left to learn how to play it! 
I went to the YouTube tutorials, but really couldn’t “grasp” the tragedy of the game.
Q
It’s relatively simple, Quasimodem.
For guitars and drums it’s essentially the same process. You have a vertical bar on the screen and colored blocks slide down it. When they reach the line at the bottom you press the same colored button. For singing you try to match your voice to the singer (or offset it by octaves).
That’s the principle even though it’s dressed up to be more complicated than that. And obviously the colored blocks approximately correspond to beats and notes so that it contributes to the feeling of playing the song.
Rock Band’s guitars are truly ambidexterous. Wander over to a Gamestop and check it out, they got used ones for $25, generally. In fact, there’s achievements for playing certain songs lefty in TB:RB.
Quasi? It’s like playing Simon. Remember Simon? It’d flash lights, and you’d tap the sequence back? Same thing, only you try to do it as the sequence happens. Enjoy!
I am sure I will, E-Sabbath, and Just Some Guy!
And I DO remember Simon, E-S! 
I get this magazine called Game Informer, and this month, it’s all about them!
God, am I glad they have transcended the generations!
Heh!
My wife is gonna be sooooo pissed!
When I’m not on WoW, I’ll be on Rock Band Beatles!
(Don’t tell her I said that, kk?)
Quasi
There’s some very good tutorials in the game, too. Start off on guitar on easy, then go for your normal instrument, drums, once you get the hang of guitar, I’d say. If you really like it, get a mike stand, you can sing and play at the same time.
Yellow Submarine’s dreamscape is apparently awesome. If you get your buttocks to a Best Buy, they seem to have demos running. Sadly, often the instruments are broken.
If you want to give the game a real try, go to a Gamestop, though, tell them you want to pre-order, but you’re not sure how it works, and ask them if they have a Rock Band that they can show you how it works. Being teenagers, if it’s not a busy time, they’ll probably think it’s awesome an older gentleman wants to learn to play, and set up a tutorial for you.
No guarantee it’ll work, but it might.
Thanks, Kids.
Really looking forward to playing the game and the suggestion to go to GameStop is a great one! That way, at least I won’t be coming into the game “cold”.
Only thing I regret is the cost of the guitars. Guess I could start with a used one and then upgrade later?
Also, am I correct that the game “scores” you on singing by recognizing the key & pitch?
Thanks
Qusi
Well, I thought you were a drummer at heart, Quasi. Not going to go for the whole package? That’s a drum set, a microphone and stand, a guitar, and the game.
Never played a RB game before – how well would this work as a single player game for a guy with just a GH guitar? Would it be basically no different than, say, GH3?
I’m super excited for this, although I hope so much that “Help!” gets released very soon. Easily my favorite Beatles song, and I bet it would so much fun to play.
I know some people are complaining about some of the more popular songs not being in the game, but you gotta trust Harmonix. Unlike Activision/Neversoft (the makers of all Guitar Hero games from number 3 and onward), Harmonix really tries hard to put out the best game. So they would much rather put in a song that more fun to play than one that’s more popular. Just look at Rock Band 2. There’s a lot of songs that are really fun to play but get skimmed over at a party because no one’s heard of them.
Yeap, pretty much. I normally play Rock Band by myself with just a guitar. Although I’m not sure the the GH controller is compatible.
I’ve got this on pre-order, and I cannot wait to try my hand at Ringo’s drumming. Especially some of the more interesting songs like “Polythene Pam” or “Tomorrow Never Knows”.
Plus, I can’t wait to scream out “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!!” at the end of “Helter Skelter”.
And I’ll go on the record that songs like “Yesterday”, “Eleanor Rigby”, and “Penny Lane” wouldn’t be well suited to RB - each one of them is completely lacking at least one of the basic instruments, although “Penny Lane” would be fun to play on bass.
But until they come out with “Chamber Quartet: Beatles” and little plastic violas, “Eleanor Rigby” is a one-man show.
enalzi, According to the chart up-thread, it is.
No Happiness is a Warm Gun?
Oh well, I can’t afford it anyway.
I don’t have a next gen system, but I want one only for this game. I was disappointed, reading the list, that there wasn’t more Rubber Soul (my all-time #1 favorite album) … but then I was happy when I saw that it could be downloaded later.
If anyone feels like buying me the system and the game, I’ll accept donations. 
I AM primarily a drummer, E, but I am waiting on my Social Security Disability to kick in and am having to watch every penny, otherwise I would go for the whole “kit” and kaboodle. The game and a used guitar is gonna be it for me (for now. :))
Thanks
Quasi
Well, here’s the trick. The Rock Band 2 instruments are fully compatable with The Beatles: Rock Band. Rock Band 2 is available pretty much everywhere for $99, these days.
http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71887
(Gamestop’s sold out, but may have it in stores.)
So you can get the Rock Band 2 package, and the Beatles standalone, and save a bit of cash.
Or just a used guitar and the Beatles game (New Beatles guitars will be $99 each.)
Used drums are, ah… not reccomended, they tend to have too much wear on them. Odds are good one pad will not function. And this is a really good drumming game.
(Rock Band 1 drums will work, but are comparatively horrid.)