Music based games are very hot right now with Guitar Hero and Rock Band selling tons of copies and playable digital tracks for the games often outselling their strictly music counterparts on iTunes. With the great proliferation of mobile phones capable of gaming music games are also migrating to mobile phones.

The latest music game for mobile phones is from Activision and is called Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass. The game features the same music gameplay we know and love form Guitar Hero with some interesting additions. Activision says in all there is more than 25 hours of play for the game.

Music games are huge right now and the popularity of the games has music labels and bands rushing to get their tracks into games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Another big market for music games is for aftermarket controllers to replace the generally junky ones that ship with titles like Rock Band.

Perhaps the coolest guitar controller ever for the PS2 and PS3 consoles has been announced by Peak Products. The controller is called the Starpex and it offers complete functionality in both Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The Starpex is made from real wood by a leading maker of real guitars and has lots of optimization for serious gaming.

Some guy from Michigan spotted this sweet looking guitar at his local Wal-Mart so he snapped a pic. It’s a mysterious new controller for Guitar Hero for the Wii called the Rage. It may or may not be all the Rage.

No one seems to know anything about it and there’s nothing on Google either, which seems a bit odd since it looks so sweet and all. According to the box, it’s super realistic and this baby even has light-up LEDs on the fretboard. The $54.78 price tag isn’t all that awesome, but it’s different if you’re looking for a new fake guitar.

For those of you who have been doing their best to play bass on Guitar Hero or Rock Band, this is what you want. The other guitars aren’t bass guitars. We told you about Ant Commano’s Double Range Guitar in May.

Now they’ve released this wireless PS2/PS3 bass guitar as they actually care about the bass player. You still won’t be able to double-strum using two fingers like other versions, but it’s a nice looking bass that you can have for $69. With all the money you’ve invested in Guitar Hero and Rock Band, maybe it’s time to buy the real deal?

Most of you have heard the rumors about a touchpad on the new guitar, well now we get to see it for real. IGN previewed the new gear, and they say that the strip will be used for notes during sustains, tapping to play notes, and interfacing with the new music creator.

Interestingly, the guitar is larger than those that have come before it. Back to the drums. They’re pressure sensitive, with a plain jane mic, and the music creation software is apparently very awesome. Sadly, you can’t record vocals for songs though. The Wii version of the game will have all of the same features, which is good news for Wii owners.

Rock on brotha! Toys ‘R’ Us gave us a first glimpse at the latest way to be a rock god on the go. It’s priced at $179.99 and the limited edition Nintendo DS Guitar Hero Bundle includes the game, Guitar Grip, and a two-toned silver & black DS Lite with Guitar Hero logo. (You know, so that even when your DS is not in use, you’re branded and can spot other wannabes)

It will be available on June 29. Chalk up yet another variation on Nintendo’s handheld. Did someone go a little approval crazy regarding colors and themes this season, or are they themselves too busy rocking out?

I’m sure everyone and their imaginary roadie wishes the Guitar Hero guitar played more like a real instrument. Forget the fact that you don’t have any talent.(If you’re like me anyway) Instead of just dreaming about it, Dave actually made it happen. He converted a Wii Guitar Hero axe into a full-fledged MIDI controller. No, really. There’s a 5-pin jack down there that makes it official.

Now it can play two octaves of an eight note scale at time, alter the keys and octaves, change tonal modes, use the whammy bar to bend the pitch and generally rock out far more effectively. My only gripe is that if you are going to go through the trouble, you should at least improve on the look of the fugly stock guitar while you’re at it. This isn’t an easy mod, but if you think you’re up for it, hit the link.

Here’s the latest in a long line of air guitar products, the Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker. This is the moment that geeks and wannabes have been waiting for. The Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker is finally available in major retailers. The Jada Toys’ device, showcased at CES, will give you a miniature guitar amplifier, a sensor-laden belt buckle, an assortment of pics and an Air Cartridge, which packs “ten signature guitar riffs” ranging in skill from one to five.

Once you have completed the first phase of your latest endeavor, (making an ass of your middle-aged self) you can look forward to Phase two, which is you buying “encore packs” that will include themed belt buckles and new Air Cartridges. Those will be arriving later this summer for $14.99 each.

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.

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.