Kinect Dance Central preview, or how we learned to stop caring and love the groove (video)

We're gonna level with you, internet at large, we jumped at the chance to be on camera for our hands-on with Dance Central for Xbox 360's Kinect. It's not because we think we're good dancers -- we don't -- but it was subsequently decided that a lack of shame was more fun. So let's get on with the details. Menu navigation was a little janky at times, but selection was a simple swipe from the extreme right to left of an arm's length. As we saw earlier, the game is a progression of dance riffs you have to emulate with the on-screen dancers. It took until the first chorus of MIA's "Galang" to really get a feel and comfort for the pace; by that point it was easy enough to keep an eye on future moves and correct past mistakes of similar grooves. Frankly, inherent embarrassment notwithstanding, it was very entertaining. Pictures below and video after the break -- and don't you worry, we'll be going back for seconds.

E3 2010 - Dance Central preview

[mosaicbrandon Posted Jun 15th 2010 12:54AM]

Please tell me we get to see Patel, Miller, or Topolsky dancing...

[Cam201040 Posted Jun 15th 2010 12:58AM]

@mosaicbrandon That...would...be...epic...

[kapanak Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:20AM]

@mosaicbrandon

Well, your wish for Miller came true...

[demenzia Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:20AM]

@mosaicbrandon

Very nice moves, Ross.

[Kamal Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:33AM]

@mosaicbrandon Next Engadget show featuring Na-- I mean Kinetic will have a dance-off between the editors.


I don't know for sure but wouldn't that be cool. :)

[Phucpholuc Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:34AM]

@mosaicbrandon

Holy crap. Getting this gear will automatically place you into the NGGL club!!!

[Jollybee Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:12AM]

@mosaicbrandon
I don't think "You can Do it" is not enough to boost his confidence v realization the internet going to see this video

[jjrp123 Posted Jun 15th 2010 9:01AM]

@mosaicbrandon at the same time!

[Mystictrust Posted Jun 15th 2010 12:55AM]

Topolsky will probably save his dance for The Engadget Show or Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon ;)

[Juan007 Posted Jun 15th 2010 12:57AM]

This game is great, I can learn hip-hop dance at home then hit the club for real and pick up some honies.

[acexl Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:21AM]

@Juan007 good luck with that!

[McDuckScrooged Posted Jun 15th 2010 3:45AM]

@Juan007 -- The problem is you will probably end up dancing like a woman.. Just dont go into the hip hop club shaking your booty, your likely to attract the wrong sort of person..

Mr Miller , again I havent laughed so hard in a long time, thank you that was incredibly entertaining

The problem is not you, its just very feminine dancing done by a guy, that just doubles the hilarity..

[max1001 Posted Jun 15th 2010 10:08AM]

@Juan007
While not also learn Kung Fu while you are at it in case you get into a fight in the club. lol.

[Odog4ever Posted Jun 15th 2010 12:02PM]

@McDuckScrooged

From what I remember from the MS press conference the dance routines are put together to closely resemble routines that are seen in the music videos for these songs. So if there is a female singer chances are the dance moves are a little more feminine. I'm pretty sure with over 600 dance move you have plenty of chances to more masculine dance moves. (coulda swore I saw a pelvic thrust move during the presser)

Wait. If your going to be all self conscious about this you need to stay far away from motion control games. Worrying about looking cool playing a video game is all kinds of weird don't you think?

[Pies Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:10PM]

@McDuckScrooged I expect your definition of dancing like a man is sitting in a corner, drinking yourself stupid and wishing you had the courage to hit the dancefloor.

[XciteMe Posted Jun 15th 2010 12:57AM]

Nothing I love more than seeing a white guy with Buddy Holly glasses shakin' his ass to some Pussycat Dolls or Beyonce. ;)

[Gregorian Posted Jun 15th 2010 12:59AM]

@XciteMe
All the Single Ladies, all the single ladies...

[Wesscoast Posted Jun 15th 2010 3:51AM]

@Gregorian

all the single bloggers, all the single bloggers...

[Wesscoast Posted Jun 15th 2010 4:45AM]

@XciteMe

Yeah, I think he actually did a great job... too bad the Menu system was designed by Microsoft, eg. a complete clusterf*ck, so his choice of music was basically ... random

[Ish260 Posted Jun 15th 2010 12:59AM]

Did anyone else seem to think the chick that demoed this game already knew all the moves and wasn't even following the game? Kinect has noticeable lag which to me seems to ruin the whole idea behind what they're trying to accomplish... I still LOL'd hard at the white guy dancing though :)

[FaultBat Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:10AM]

@Ish260 The advantage that rhythm games have is the ability o tolerate lag. There's not an on-screen avatar of yourself that I can see (unless that's it on the far right), and there is a pause in this game between your move ending and the 'FLAWLESS' showing up. So, even if the game 'sees' you as being behind the music, as long as it can anticipate it, it can still judge you correctly. It just hides the lag from you - similar to what music games are already doing to calibrate against audio lag.

[mosaicbrandon Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:24AM]

@FaultBat great explanation, thanks!

[Billy Gun Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:03AM]

Kinect will be fun.. I want to fight with Lord Vader, make a River Rush.. Can MS do a game that I can Knock out Mike Tyson?

[musicssound Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:06AM]

Nice Dr.Strangelove reference. Fits too the sight of you guys dancing on video may produce a doomsday shroud!

[JS Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:19AM]

I can't watch the video because it has a song from MIA who supported the terrorist group LTTE which was trying to kill me. The LTTE, which is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the suicide vest, has carried out more suicide bombings of civilian targets than Al Qaeda and Hamas combined.

[kaliq17 Posted Jun 15th 2010 3:49AM]

@JS = O i never knew that! sorry to hear about your unfortunate situation!

[onlysublime Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:20AM]

LOLOLOLOL further proof that white guys can't dance. woah! he's freestyling... well, sort of..

[Mystictrust Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:23AM]

@onlysublime Gonna be some hilarious youtube videos out there :)

[zilti Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:11AM]

@onlysublime no racism please.

[sizzle Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:23AM]

@onlysublime http://www.dustycrates.com/images/umad_kinect.jpg

[rmorgens28 Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:26AM]

who cares about the Kinect or any of this stuff. Ballmer and the MS are on an extended deathwatch. terminal illness with a long slow death.

[Ralven Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:36AM]

@rmorgens28 wow troll alert we got a fanboy here, let the flaming begin.

[Gregorian Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:42AM]

@rmorgens28

Now... Ballmer demoing Dance Central...
"Puttin' on the Ritz"

[jakatak4 Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:44AM]

Did anyone else thing this was no big deal? How much can we do with this other than dance. I have to tell you that my 4 hour stunts of FPS games is not going to go well with my arms always straight out with a gun. Not sure I really care about this and especially from Microsoft. They definitely are living on borrowed time.

[chrisrottan Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:57AM]

@jakatak4
Your opinions matters none.
Seriously, if you're going to troll, then at least do it right.
The whole point to this dancing game is to hmmm you know, DANCE!
Please go troll at gizmodo.

[jakatak4 Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:24AM]

@chrisrottan my opinion matters enough for you to take the time to reply. The video was not about dancing. It was about the technology. Try reading more than one tech blog and you'd know that everyone is talking about this new product that MS is releasing.

So do me a favor. If you want to make ignorant comments then go troll over at Digg.com. There are plenty of frustrated 19 year old boys you can play with.

[Fez Posted Jun 15th 2010 3:24AM]

@jakatak4 No no, it is quite a big deal. Please don't go and troll anywhere. Just stop it!

:)

[Mjguira Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:46AM]

lmao! I love it!

[theaussiepunk Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:56AM]

@Mjguira
Exactly. Go Ross, it's your birthday. I'm 32 and white, I can't dance anywhere near as well as he can lol

[Raeglatem Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:47AM]

Props for doing it... and sadly, i still do not in any way want to be involved with kinect. or the 360. Or that game for that matter.

[nabberuk Posted Jun 15th 2010 6:50AM]

@Raeglatem

good for you.

[snowrid3r Posted Jun 15th 2010 1:52AM]

Work It Girl!

[neeko18 Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:01AM]

this will be the new rockband or guitar hero party game. Drunk 20something and 30somethings having dance offs. i can see my new years party being a hit already.

[unorapido Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:16AM]

I watched the M$ presentation, and it looks like it allows a lot of very cool things. Yes you could learn to dance, it is also good anaerobic exercise, they also had Tai'Chi in the fitness program, live video, movies, music, chat as well as a lot of other things. I though it was pretty neat that the Kinect system and the Xbox could do what they can do with the camera motion sensors wireless etc totally control free.

[n2neee Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:18AM]

unless they get some gun games or virtual fighting games in this, project natal is well... natal.

i see what you did there.. Kinect lol

who the hell has enough room for this?
why the hell did he pick a girls song?!!!?!?

[Tohe Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:43AM]

Whoa Ross knows how to shake it!
Talk about gettin' down n' dirty.

[CoDy Posted Jun 15th 2010 2:52AM]

HAHAHAHA!

[supermanjason Posted Jun 15th 2010 3:07AM]

they of put a blu-ray drive in with new 360 at least they put wifi in .instead of charging stupid money still not going to get one stick with my ps3 i have my old xbox 360 brake down 5 times

[supermanjason Posted Jun 15th 2010 3:08AM]

they should of put a blu-ray drive in with new 360 at least they put wifi in .instead of charging stupid money still not going to get one stick with my ps3 i have had my old xbox 360 brake down 5 times

[The Joker Posted Jun 15th 2010 3:09AM]

If they don't release this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zEQhhaJsU4

As DLC I'll cut myself. I wanna rock out HARD to this song ^_^