What’s the boys over at Harmonix doing? They’re doing what every armchair designer suggested doing after the launch of the original Guitar Hero – getting the whole band involved. EA is publishing, and MTV is helping fund it and line up musical acts.

Expected in stores for the year-end holidays, the Electronic Arts game (no price set) for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 will be played with four instrument-based video game controllers: two guitars (lead and bass), a drum kit and a microphone….

Online connectivity is a key to the game. The developers envision additional songs for online purchase beyond those in the retail version. And players need not be together to jam. “You could have one guitarist in Germany and another one in Texas, a drummer in New York and a singer from somewhere else, and they can play together online,” EA’s David DeMartini says.

But that’s not the most bewildering part of the article – that would be this bit of news about the original Guitar Hero license.

A version of the game for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is in stores on Tuesday ($90), and Hands-On Mobile today is expected to announce a cellphone version.

Shitty sound, tiny screen, and a cell phone number pad as a rhythm game input device? Sign me up!

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