Guitar Controllers Get Girly with Aly & AJ

By Geoff Duncan Published August 21, 2008

Rock and roll is often characterized as a boy’s sport, but even from its earliest days (Wanda Jackson, anyone?) the girls have been showing they can keep up with the boys just fine, thank you very much. But the same can’t be said of the still nascent music video game market, where both games and accessories have catered strongly to the predominantly-male video game crowd. So Performance Designed Products (PDP) teams up with teen pop star sisters Aly & AJ to create two new guitar controllers aimed especially at female gamers.

One guitar features a traditional body style with a pink-and-brown look, while the other is a pink-and-purple heart shape. The controllers can be used with Wii and PS2 consoles (sorry, PS3 and Xbox rockrgrrls!) and are compatible with Guitar Hero and Rock Band. PDP says it tested the designs with several hundred girls between the ages of 8 and 17, who rated the guitars based on theior graphics, colors, fret inlay, and headstock designs. One guitar is aimed at tweens ages 8 to 12, while the other targets older girls. (We’ll let you guess which is which.)

Recommended Videos

The Aly & AJ guitars should hit retailers in October with a suggested price of $69.99 each.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

How to get the Beamsmasher in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

A soldier shooting a beamshamsher in Black Ops 6.

There's a lot to learn when diving into the Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Besides finding the Pack-A-Punch machines, Wonder Weapons are probably the most sought-after secrets on Liberty Falls and Terminus. We already covered how to get the Jet Gun on Liberty Falls, but the Beamsmasher is just as tricky to find on Terminus. Here's a full step-by-step guide on building this wonderful weapon.

Gaming

Mac is getting another AAA game release with Cyberpunk 2077

Judy leans over a table in Cyberpunk 2077.

Another huge game is set to hit Macs soon. CD Projekt Red announced that Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which comes with the Phantom Liberty DLC, will be the latest AAA title to be playable on Apple Silicon.

CD Projekt Red didn't have a lot of information to share, but it's targeting a 2025 release and will support features like path tracing, which offers a similar effect as ray tracing, frame generation for increased frame rates, and built-in spatial audio. It'll be available on the Mac App Store and Steam. If you own a copy of the game for PC on Steam, it'll carry over to your Mac. The studio will have more details at a later date.

Gaming

How to get Double XP tokens in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Soldiers near a train in Black Ops 6.

Even with all the best tips and tricks, grinding your way through all the levels in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will take you a long time. Each level will take more and more XP to reach and can eventually feel like a chore, even if you swap over to Zombies mode. As has been the case for many entries now, Double XP tokens exist as a way to speed up the grind by doubling the amount of experience you earn for a set duration of time. Naturally, these are some of the most sought-after items in the game, but they're not so easy to come by. If you need a helpful XP boost while running games with your squad, here's every way you can get more Double XP tokens in Black Ops 6.
How to get Double XP tokens in Black Ops 6

There are a few ways to get Double XP tokens, but not all of them are free. We'll start with the ways you can earn them in-game before talking about the more costly options.
Prestige
Who deserves a Double XP token more than someone who has grinded all the way to level 55? Once you hit max level and opt to Prestige, you will get a one-hour Double XP token, which is the longest length they come in.
Follow Call of Duty's socials
The official Call of Duty X (formerly Twitter) account regularly posts opportunities to earn several Double XP tokens if you engage with the post. This is a quick and easy way to snag some free tokens.
Purchase the C.O.D.E. Endeavor Tracer Pack
Our first paid option is the extra DLC Endeavor Tracer Pack. Besides some cosmetics, you also get two Double XP tokens (one player and one weapon) that last an hour each.
Drinks and pizza
The two main brand promotions with Black Ops 6 this year are tied to Monster Energy and Little Caesars. Buying a marked can or purchasing a qualifying item will get you a small handful of rewards that include Double XP tokens.
Battle Pass
The Black Ops 6 battle pass isn't out at the time of this writing, but we do know that it will include Double XP tokens among its rewards. There will be both a free and paid version of the pass, but details about what can be unlocked in each version are not yet available. To be safe, we're assuming you will need to buy the pass to get these tokens.