Cats want games too. If your cat wants to get into some gaming action, now they can thanks to the CatBox 360. When your cat steps into the automatic litter box, a new game is activated and a random music track begins. Colored indicators scroll down the LCD screen like in Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

When the cat’s paws scratch across the litter, it triggers the notes, and every time your cat “answers nature’s call” in the litter box, the game enters a bonus multiplier mode for extra points. Some tunes include: Cat Scratch Fever, Stray Cat Strut, and of course, Cool for Cats. The makers of the game warn that a handful of cats have started “doing their business” whenever they hear music playing, so be careful when you use your stereo. You may have a clean up waiting for you. No price or release date yet. Don’t hold your breath…Or do hold your breath since your cat won’t be able to stop playing.

Colorware isn’t content to just make your PSP’s and Nintendo DS look awesome. Now they want to spruce up your Guitar Hero axe. I have to say, it looks pretty awesome.

The service is available for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. New users can score one for as little as $198, while current thrashers can send their guitar in and get it colorized for as little as $99. If you are on a budget, don’t even go look at the eye candy, because you won’t be able to help yourself.

Anyone who has played Rock Band with a group of friends knows what fun the game can be. When it originally launched the game was only available for Xbox 360 and the PS3. EA confirmed in January that a Wii version would turn up sooner a later.

The official launch date for the Wii version of Rock Band was announced today. The game will hit store shelves on June 22, 2008 at a MSRP of $169.99. The Wii version will be launched in the familiar special edition bundle that comes with the guitar, drums, mic, and software.

Everyone loves Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but let’s face it, the out of the box instruments they give you won’t make you feel like a Rock God. Here’s your chance to get a beautifully handpainted guitar worthy of a real rocker. These limited edition art guitars are individually painted with familiar logos and imagery from several popular rock bands.

Make no mistake, these aren’t just cheap paint jobs, the images are embedded under a protective coating, so you won’t scratch them off while playing Barracuda for the 1000th time. Which is probably why it will cost you $399. ArtGuitar takes a real wood Peavey AG RiffMaster controller, then adds the rock art from various artists like KISS, Lynyrd Skynrd, Ozzy Osbourne and Pantera. At the moment, the controllers are only available for the PS2, but hopefully they’ll get around to Xbox 360 and PS3 versions soon.

You might have heard about the bizarre Guitar Hero lawsuit from Gibson against Activision. They’re claiming that Guitar Hero titles violate one of their patents. Now they have suddenly seemingly gone ballistic, suing everyone in site. Wal-Mart, Target, GameStop, Amazon, Toys ‘R’ Us and Kmart.

They want the game off the shelves. I guess they don’t like making money. Gibson says that it took “this action reluctantly, but is required to protect its intellectual property.” Retailers will only say “we aren’t commenting,”.

Nyko is shipping the first third-party Wii Guitar Hero controller. Nerds and wannabe rockers everywhere can celebrate. Turns out it’s in the shape of a Telecaster. Just like the official guitar/controller, the Wiimote slips inside of it.

It will cost you about $50, which is about $10 cheaper than the Activision Les Paul. The white version includes black and pink pickguards, the blonde edition comes with black and white.

DS owners will love this. Guitar antics are not just for those stay-at-home consoles anymore. According to Video Games Zone, the upcoming Guitar Hero on Tour title can be enjoyed with this Guitar Grip.

It might have four buttons instead of five, but who cares! You’ll be rocking out with your DS by holding the DS upright and tapping the buttons of the peripheral in the GBA slot. You can strum the touchscreen for the pickin’. It may not be a full sized Gibson, but hey it’s portable rockin’ at your fingertips. Of course, strumming on a portable of this size may make you look more like Tiny Tim then Slash.

Gibson Guitar Corp. is accusing Activision of violating one of their patents with the popular Guitar Hero series of video games. The patent in question is owned by Gibson since 1999 and involves a system that would let a musician “virtually” participate in a pre-recorded concert while wearing a head-mounted 3D display with speakers. The music played on the instrument would then be recorded on a separate track and available for playback with the rest of the tracks to simulate playing in a concert.

Activision’s Guitar Hero does have a similar premise, however it’s played on a “pretend” plastic guitar and is a game where the player tries to mimic notes in concert represented on the monitor by graphical musicians in a concert. Activision is disputing the claim that they infringe upon Gibson’s patent and is asking the federal court to provide an official ruling.

Last week we told you about how Activision was having some issues with turnaround time for the Guitar Hero III: Legends of rock discs for the Wii. The turnaround time was so bad that they are adding a refund to the list of solutions for the sound issues found with the original game discs. You might remember, the first batch of Guitar Hero III discs for the Wii only included stereo sound, as opposed to Dolby. Apparently Activision is taking 3-4 weeks to get new discs out to users. This sucks because you have to send them your old disc before they’ll send you a new one. Here are the details:

Activision and Nintendo re-mastered the game and will provide a replacement disc to consumers with Dolby digital surround sound. If you want a full refund instead of a replacement disc, you can download their refund form, which outlines the refund requirements.

This news should make both Guitar Hero fans and Aerosmith fans very happy. Activision announced plans to base an installment in the Guitar Hero series around America’s best selling hard rock band Aerosmith. The new title is scheduled for a June release and will be available for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and PS2.

Players will be able to play as the band’s guitarists Joe Perry, Brad Whitford and bassist Tom Hamilton. Just like other versions of the hit game, players will progress from an unknown band to rock legends, this time following the story of the band, with some Aerosmith concerts and venues. Interestingly, Activision has promised Aerosmith’s extensive back catalog, as well as other songs from other artists that inspired the group.

First there was the pocket guitar app that turned your iPhone into a guitar, now the iAno iPhone app that turns your cellphone into a piano. It won’t be long before iPhone users will be able to meet up in their mother’s basements and play an actual gig. Check out the video after the jump..

iAno will install on Jailbroken iPhones and basically gives you a fully functioning multitouch piano in the form of a four-octave keyboard. The arrow keys at the top are used to navigate. It was developed by one Mr Aardvark, who gave it polyphonic sound that allows five key presses to be heard simultaneously. He plans on updating iAno with a complete 88-key keyboard, and other cool features. So whether you want to be the next Elton John or Barry Manillow, carry your piano with you.

Some Guitar Hero III owners for the Wii have been stuck in mono for months now, after a problem with some of the games. At long lat Activision is finally ready to start issuing replacement discs.

According to some end-users, Activision is now sending out pre-paid envelopes, so customers have to ship back their faulty GH III disc and wait “3 to 4 weeks” before getting the new, stereo-enabled one for free. I hear ya, fans. That sucks! Some of you can’t live without your favorite game for that long.

I guess if you want Guitar Hero on the go or if you are a Leprechaun wanting to play the game in your size, you are in luck my friends. This miniature version was created by Basic Fun, and it looks like they got Activision’s approval. It’s called the “Guitar Hero Carabiner,” and it will make it’s debut next week at the International Toy Fair in New York.

It measures in at only 7.75 long and 3 inches wide, though the neck can fold down to cut its length in half. The carabiner also has the ability to dangle from your bag or backpack, in case your pocket real estate is already full with a DS and the like.

When Guitar Hero and Rockband aren’t enough to satisfy your poser urges to emulate rock stars, this guitar will fill some sort of void in your life. It’s a 3/4-scale electric guitar that connects to your iPod or other MP3 players, allowing you to play along to the music thanks to the built-in 4-inch amplifier/speaker.

The guitar has a solid basswood body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. A truss rod allows you to adjust string action for easier chording. It also has precision machine heads and a single-coil pickup, volume control knob, and a standard 1/4″ output so it can be plugged into a standard amplifier if you like. For $199.95 you get a guitar strap, digital tuner, cables, plectrum, and carrying case. Includes a 9-volt battery that supposedly gives you six hours of operation.

Let’s face it, Guitar Hero is not nearly enough for some would be Rock stars out there. To them, everything needs to have the ability to be plucked, strummed and otherwise abused musically. And the air guitar only gets you so far before people start avoiding you like the plague. This is for those people.

The PocketGuitar is a virtual guitar for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It was developed as a Google Code project by Shinya Kasatani. You can also use the songs on your iPod for those long guitar sessions. Apparently, it’s very easy to install. Now you’ll have a whole new way to annoy those around you, while getting your guitar action on.