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The PS3 version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock includes a wireless Les Paul.

(Credit: Buy.com)

It's a great day to be a PlayStation 3 owner: Buy.com has the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle for just $18.67, plus $3.99 for shipping.

The package includes a Les Paul wireless guitar controller, meaning you don't have to worry about tripping over a cord while, um, getting your Slash on.

The game itself features 70-plus tracks from the likes of Aerosmith, Heart, Guns N' Roses, and the Rolling Stones.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, GameSpot's review of Legends of Rock praises it for having "the best tracklist of any Guitar Hero game to date."

I've never really been into the whole Guitar Hero scene, but for 20 bucks I'd almost certainly grab this bundle--if I owned a PS3. Alas, the Xbox 360 version still runs around $50.

I realize there's a fairly small audience for this deal, so check back later--I might just have something with more universal appeal.

In the meantime...rock on!

(Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive)

Do you feel like you need one more music game for the holidays? It's getting pretty strained, isn't it, between The Beatles: Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero, and now this very family-friendly-oriented spin on Harmonix' franchise, Lego Rock Band. Taking two gaming hits--games based on Lego, and Rock Band--and combining them sounds like a slam dunk, but how does this all work out? We played it and have our thoughts.

Good news: you won't need new instruments. Lego Rock Band uses the same drum/mic/guitar compatibility system that's finally starting to become an industry norm. The other fun thing about Lego Rock Band is its weird, whimsical settings and sense of humor. All the Lego games, from Indiana Jones to Star Wars, have shared a Charlie Chaplin-ish winking humor with frequently cute/bizarre overtones, and the rock "battles" aboard pirate ships and other settings makes for music videos worth watching in the background. Other than that, it's standard Rock Band stuff. The game is developed by TT Games, the group responsible for all the other Lego titles, so it feels consistently similar to what you might be expecting, except with a Rock Band engine attached.

Lego Rock Band gallery

Bad news: 45 included tracks span pop and mainstream, and the game will also access the online catalog of Rock Band DLC tracks--but only ones that are considered family-friendly. That means some songs won't make the import cut. The censorship is annoying, but the Lego versions of rock stars almost make it worth it. ... Read more

Start your own Fab Four with The Beatles: Rock Band.

(Credit: Target)

If you're a fan of A) music, B) The Beatles, C) Rock Band, or D) looking silly (I kid, I kid), you've no doubt had your eye on the recently released Beatles Rock Band bundle.

It normally sells for $159.99, but Amazon is offering The Beatles: Rock Band Value Edition for $99.99 shipped. It's available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

The bundle includes the game itself, natch, along with three "instruments": guitar, drum set, and microphone. You can optionally add two more microphones and sing three-part harmonies, which sounds pretty cool.

However, much as I love the Beatles (who doesn't?), I don't really get into games like this. Of course, they obviously have their audience, and GameSpot positively loved The Beatles: Rock Band.

Walk into any Best Buy, Target, or the like, and you'll pay full retail price for this bundle. Shop online and you may be able to find it for as low as $130. Needless to say, $99.99 is a mighty sweet deal. Definitely worth considering as the holidays grow near.

(Credit: glidemagazine.com)

Did you like The Beatles: Rock Band? Are you ready for more? It seems like all you'll have to do is wait until next year, according to Roger Daltry, for The Who. "The game, yeah, yeah, they're going to be doing a Who one next year. There is one planned," says Daltry in an interview with The Republican, a most unlikely source for a bombshell of a gaming announcement like this one.

Tommy isn't exactly The Yellow Submarine as far as family appeal goes, but The Who, like the Beatles, are a classic rock band legend with a large (but not nearly as big as The Beatles) catalog of great music. They also have a great relationship with MTV and Harmonix, having released DLC for Rock Band as well as headlining an E3 Rock Band concert in Los Angeles a few years back, which yours truly attended. It seems like a slam-dunk, except in terms of sales. While The Beatles: Rock Band has performed well, this type of thin-slicing of music games by genre and performer will only serve to micro-monetize an already declining music game industry.

Still, The Who have a visual style (including classic rock operas and films) that's arresting, a necessary prerequisite to match the design of The Beatles: Rock Band and set it above games like, oh, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.

Are all bands eventually destined to get their own music games? Is this the future of the music industry flashing before our eyes?

(Source: Mass Live via Kotaku)

If you haven't heard of The Wooden Birds, maybe you know Andrew Kenny from his other band The American Analog Set. Or perhaps Matt Pond from Matt Pond PA?

If you haven't heard of any of these guys, well, you have some catching up to do on your indie rock. The new quartet stopped by the CBS Interactive studios to share some thoughts and tunes from their new LP "Magnolia." The lineup features Andrew Kenny on lead vocals and guitar; Leslie Sisson on vocals; Sean Haskins on drums; and, unexpectedly, Matt Pond on guitar.

Check out the exclusive interview and performance, then visit the band's artist page on Last.fm if you'd like to hear more.

The Stage-Gig video-game amp.

(Credit: Altec Lansing)

With the popularity of music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero continuing to climb, there's no surprise that companies outside of video game development are trying to make a few extra bucks on those titles.

Thus it its that on Tuesday, Altec Lansing announced the Stage-Gig amplified speaker. The accessory is designed to work with Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and DJ Hero. According to the company, the amp puts out 40 watts of power. It works with any current gaming console.

Altec Lansing believes gamers who play popular music games want better sound. The company said that with the help of the Stage-Gig's 6.5-inch woofer, gamers should be able to achieve that. The amp can also be easily transported, thanks to a "grab and go" handle. It features a volume knob and RCA outputs for extra speakers.

Whether gamers really want an amp to help them improve the sound of their gaming guitars is up for debate. The video game industry is littered with accessories that didn't quite attract the kind of appeal companies had hoped for.

Altec Lansing's Stage-Gig hits store shelves in early November for $99.95.

Rock Band for iPhone does a nice job recreating the look of the original, if not the feel.

Rock Band's biggest disappointment: When you play vocals, you don't get to sing.

Rock Band. For iPhone and iPod Touch. Right now in the App Store for $9.99.

Just thought I'd cut right to the crucial information, as hard-core fans of the console mega-hit probably don't need to hear anything more. "Rock Band? iPhone? Ten bucks? Sweet!"

Everyone else should listen up before plunking down that sawbuck. EA's official, real-deal port brings the jamfest to the iPhone in style, with gorgeous visuals, great songs, and some solid multiplayer action.

Unfortunately, compromises abound. The songs are great, but you get only 20 of them (and 5 are locked). You can buy more right inside the game (at 99 cents for a two-pack), but I'm still disappointed by the small selection.

As for multiplayer, you can jam with up to three other players, just like in the real Rock Band--but only over Bluetooth. That's inconvenient, to say the least. Why no support for Internet multiplayer like in Tap Tap Revenge 3?

My main disappoint lies with the vocal aspect of the game: there isn't one. Granted, you can choose to play vocals, just like you can guitar, bass, and drums, but you don't actually sing--you just tap pedals on the left side of the screen.

The other three modes shoehorn four buttons into the bottom of the screen, which makes for some fairly cramped (and cramp-inducing) mashing. A wide-screen option would seem logical, but it's nowhere to be found.

Finally, while $9.99 may seem like a reasonable price for an officially licensed Rock Band game with officially licensed songs, it's steep for an iPhone game.

And fans of the genre will be quick to point out that Tap Tap Revenge 3 costs just 99 cents.

On the other hand, that game limits you to one "instrument" and three "strings," so it's not quite as challenging. Rock Band definitely puts your tapping skills to the test with fun and familiar tunes. But I'd say it barely scores a 7 when it should go up to 11.

Episode 53 of the Digital City, where we explore Netbook gaming, thanks to the Nivida Ion and HP's Mini 311; the thin-is-in designs of the new Dell Adamo and Sony X-series; T-Mobile and Microsoft's Sidekick problems; and Scott's Forza 3 obsession.

Plus, a quick sneak-peek of Rock Band for iPhone and -- just in time for Halloween -- tech celebrity jack-lantern carvings.

Related links:
>>Netbook gaming arrives: HP's Mini 311
>>Dell teases with new Adamo shots
>>Sony's pencil-thin X-series laptop
>>Forza 3 hands-on: Never underestimate the power of a British accent
>>Halloween special! Tech guy jack-o-lanterns!

>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!

The availability of instant digital downloads from services like iTunes, Amazon, or Netflix has made it convenient for me watch TV shows on my time, without the commercials. Isn't it obvious? I choose when to watch a show and I save about 15 minutes worth of useless advertising.

(Credit: TV.com)

Similarly, one might use a DVR to record shows and watch them at a later time, with the liberty of fast-forwarding through ads. Although there are those who don't mind commercials, most would probably skip them. So it's not surprising that TiVo reported "nearly all of the television shows that won 2009 Emmys showed higher levels of ad-skipping than the averages for their respective genres." The one exception: "30 Rock."

NBC broadcasts commercials during "30 Rock" that have tactfully cast its very own Tina Fey, resulting in a fluid show-to-commercial transition. I've seen Bravo use a similar strategy, placing a micro clip of the show in between commercials, forcing me to sit through ads while I wait to see NeNe and Kim in another wig-pulling, stiletto chucking cat fight ("The Real Housewives" is my guilty pleasure).

This report seems silly--would anyone sit through commercials if they didn't have to? Some ads are just nonsense (one more Ped-Egg commercial and I might throw up). Even when I watch live TV, I switch to mute, or load Facebook and Twitter to kill time. Nielsen has confirmed that others share my habit, as it found that a fair amount of people are watching TV and surfing the Net simultaneously.

TiVo's report isn't a shock to me, and perhaps networks and advertisers will take it as a hint: it's time to consider new marketing techniques. Better yet, get rid of commercials altogether!

Until then, those of you who watch live television and would like to skip through commercials might want to check out GeekSugar's "How to: Skip ads with a standard remote control."