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Let's rave over TAC's Illuminated Drumsticks
There's a part of us that wants to compare The Ant Commandos' Illuminated Drumsticks to one of those ridiculously absurd Wiimote attachments; however, there's something stopping us. It's just ... it's just ... these are drumsticks that glow when you hit them on the drum pad. Come on, that's awesome!At $20 the price is a bit silly, but then again, so is the whole concept. We're sure that under the right chemical conditioning these things will add a whole new level of glee to drumming. There's a horrible video after the break to see how it works.[Via GayGamer]
PS2 to PS3 converter bridges the Rock Band / Guitar Hero divide
It doesn't look like Activision and Harmonix are ever going to make nice and implement broad hardware compatibility for Rock Band and Guitar Hero controllers, but if you've got a sizable investment in PS2 gear, The Ant Commandos' new converter might let you ignore all the nastiness and keep rockin' anyway. TAC's Universal PS2-to-PS3 Converter is compatible with PS3 Rock Band and PS2 / PS3 GHIII, and it works with basically every PS2 axe you can think of, wired and wireless. Not bad for just $20, but c'mon, guys, let's just make this stuff work for real, alright?
The Ant Commandos announce new music gear
As games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero continue to gobble up market and mind share, it's a safe bet you're going to continue to see more manufacturers trying to one-up the originals with their own take on the fake instruments. To that end, longtime guitar crafter The Ant Commandos is back with a new line-up of gear coming this spring.First are two new wireless products, The Widow Maker Wireless Bass Guitar and The Double Range Guitar, compatible with Rock Band and Guitar Hero 1, 2 and 3 for the PS2 and PS3. Also this season, look for a wireless Rock Band mic (we're still trying to find out for which platforms) and illuminated drumsticks from the company. Most intriguing though is a new listed guitar feature called FreedomClip, "a special belt clip that allows for strap-free play." Will this finally allow us to pull off the fabled ZZ Top guitar spin? We're ashamed to admit it ... but we called TAC's PR firm to confirm that it indeed will. Guess we'll be adding another guitar to our increasingly crowded living room.Check out the gear with descriptions from TAC in the gallery below.%Gallery-20522%
Activision sues to protect Guitar Hero investment
Activision is protecting the intellectual property of their $100 million Red Octane acquisition with great fury and righteous fervor befitting a corporation. Activision is suing former Guitar Hero series producer, brand manager, hardware member, Red Octane's PR firm, and, for a second time, peripheral manufacturer The Ant Commandos.Brendan Sinclair over at Gamespot does a good job laying out the very intricate plot of this future courtroom drama -- although it'll probably all be settled out of court, just like the last round of Activision v. The Ant Commandos. The over-simplified version of it is that some of the major people behind Guitar Hero II left Red Octane and began their own company, teaming up with The Ant Commandos. Of course, this means that these people leave with all the intimate knowledge that made Guitar Hero a success, making Activision's $100 million purchase lose some value. Harmonix was the soul, but Red Octane was the brain of Guitar Hero ... and some major functions of the brain just left for another body. Not just any body either, but the direct competitor.This situation is almost as strange as Marvel waging superhero wars with Cryptic Studios over City of Heroes and then offering the company the chance to create the Marvel MMO. At the moment, everyone involved in the Activision super-terrific-happy-lawyer-overtime-case is keeping their mouth shut.
New 10 fret button Guitar Hero controller announced
The Ant Commandos announced a new 10 fret button, flying V Guitar Hero controller for the PS2 over the weekend. The new axe features five additional buttons at the bottom of the neck for rockin' solos in addition to the normal five fret buttons (maybe the extra buttons are meant to distinguish this bad boy from the official controllers, keeping them out of legal hot water ... hmmm). The wired version costs $50 and a wireless version goes for $60 (same as the official wireless guitars); both will be available for purchase at the company's website November 1st. We're guessing this guy is the only rocker good enough to benefit from the added buttons, though. Orange hammer-ons are scary.
The Ant Commandos counter RedOctane and Activision lawsuit
The lawsuits are beginning to fly in the battle between The Ant Commandos (TAC), who design and manufacture gaming peripherals and RedOctane, publisher of Guitar Hero and subsidiary of Activision.Activision threw out the first volley when they sued TAC for "unfair competition, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, unfair and deceptive trade practices, false advertising, unjust enrichment and more." Now TAC has filed a counter suit claiming that Activision and RedOctane "copied the identifiable trade dress of the [guitar] controller from its developer and part owner of TAC, Topway Electrical Appliance, Co."The photo you see at top is the "Magical Guitar," which according to TAC was designed in 1999 for Konami's GuitarFreak. TAC claims between 2001 and 2004 that representatives from RedOctane, including the CEO and top sales manager at the time, visited the Topway factory where the "Magical Guitar" was being produced asking questions regarding its design. TAC also claims that between 2002 and 2004, RedOctane "purchased several hundred of the Magical Guitars from Topway prior to producing the [SG] controllers themselves." In 2005 RedOctane produced the Guitar Hero SG controller -- if the picture submitted as evidence in the lawsuit holds up in court, the only obvious identifiable design difference between the SG controller and the "Magical Guitar" is the missing whammy bar. However, TAC and Topway do not have a U.S. patent on the "Magical Guitar" controller.In addition to the suit, TAC has filed for an injunction asking Activision and RedOctane from infringing on the "trade dress" developed by Topway and separating the Guitar Hero bundle to allow for fair competition. Currently, the SG controller is bundled with Guitar Hero. RedOctane did not return requests for comment. Full press release after the break.See also: RedOctane rocks the courthouse
RedOctane rocks the courthouse
In a spectacular display of canine cannibalism, RedOctane and its new parent company, Activision, last month set their army of attack lawyers on a company called "The Ant Commandos". Much like the RedOctane that existed before the Guitar Hero franchise became mildly popular, the latter company produces unlicensed, musically inclined controllers. These include bongo drums, guitars (wireless versions, natch), dance pads and a weird "Soccer Arena" mat which isn't really musical but will likely tie your legs into a knot just the same.According to the Gamespot report, RedOctane and Activision feel that TAC's guitar controllers are guilty of "unfair competition, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, unfair and deceptive trade practices, false advertising, unjust enrichment and more." One can only assume that the "more" part involves some sort of violence against defenseless puppies. Along with the similar packaging and advertising, even the quality of TAC's product is called into question. The lawyers argue that TAC's claim of 100% compatibility with Guitar Hero is false, as the tilt function necessary to activate Star Power is apparently not very consistent in their line of guitars. Getting sued for printing a lie is one thing, but to be dragged in front of a judge indirectly because your product might be a bit rubbish? Now that's music to our ears.
