Can’t get any extra Rock Band accessories? Neither can anyone else. Harmonix is releasing stand-alone instruments sometime this year, but third-party companies have also had their eye on the lucrative peripherals. Now Mad Catz, one of the most well-known third-party companies for video game accessories, has signed a deal with Harmonix and MTV to do just that.

The multi-year deal covers guitars, drum sets, and microphones, and apparently Mad Catz is looking to make both wireless and wired versions of these instruments. They expect that the first set of controllers will hit stores during the first half of this year.

It’s hard to get too excited about this. On the one hand, it will be nice to have readily available instruments for the game, since they are nonexistent now, and there’s no guarantee that the Harmonix accessories are going to be readily available even after they’re released. On the other hand, I’ve never been much of a fan of third-party controllers, and Mad Catz’s reputation is kind of hit-or-miss. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if these will be worth buying, but I’d say you’re better off waiting for the licensed Harmonix peripherals. Just my opinion.