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The next Dance Central launches September 2nd on Xbox One
So the Kinectless Xbox One has arrived, and you're now left wondering if the motion sensor from your launch-era system will ever be useful for more than starting games and taking orders from Aaron Paul. Thankfully, it should for at least a little while -- Harmonix has announced that Dance Central Spotlight will be available to download from the Xbox Store on September 2nd. The $10 rhythm title will include 10 core songs from big-name artists (the full list is below), with five extra tracks purchasable from the get-go. If you're a veteran from Dance Central's Xbox 360 days, any tunes you bought in the past will carry over to the Xbox One. We can't promise that your Kinect will get much more attention in the long run, but it's nice to have a reason to keep the once-standard peripheral attached for just a bit longer.
'Dance Central' returns to Xbox as a download-only game
Kinect may no longer be a mandatory part of the Xbox One experience, but there could still be an incentive to pick one up: Harmonix has just used Microsoft's E3 keynote to unveil Dance Central Spotlight, a revival of its long-serving rhythm game series. Apart from delivering the visual upgrades you'd expect with a new generation of hardware, the title promises more dance routines, a voice-triggered "practice that" mode and an expanded fitness mode that will give you a proper workout. While more details of the game mechanics have yet to come, Spotlight will be a download-only release when it arrives on the Xbox One in September.
Xbox One without Kinect is great for consumers, terrible for Kinect game developers
Sure, a $100 price drop on the Xbox One is great for us. First things first, it's less money to fork over for a new game console. Second, no Kinect, which means no all-seeing eye judging our tawdry lifestyle. But what if you're a Kinect game developer? What if you're, say, a member of the studio with the most successful third-party game franchise for Kinect, and you're in the middle of making an exclusive Disney game for it? Oh, great. Super great. - johntdrake (@johntdrake) May 13, 2014
Three new apps support console games from iOS
As if there aren't enough apps that supplement or promote console games, here are three more that have appeared recently. First up is Dragon Shout (free), the Skyrim-mapping app that was released a few weeks ago. It's quite handy, and players can use it to find almost anything in the vast and wonderful world of Skyrim. By the way, if you're a real Skyrim fan, check out our list of 5 apps for Skyrim. Harmonix has released Dance Central 2 Dance Cam (free), which works with Dance Central for Kinect to record players dancing in real life, and then turn that clip into a music video. It's not a port of Dance Central, but a fun bit of promotion. It comes with seven song clips you can dance to, if you don't have the full game around. Finally and as promised, Activision has released official apps for the Call of Duty Elite program, which let you check your CoD scores, standings, and messages from your iOS device. It's interesting to see how these developers have responded to iOS. Instead of porting terrible versions of high-definition games to Apple's devices, they've used iOS to promote their console titles and provide some extra functionality, which customers associate with the bigger brands. Yes, Dragon Shout is unofficial, but we assume the folks at Bethesda would shut if down if there was a problem.
The Engadget Show - 012: Omar Khan talks Android and teases Galaxy Tab, Harmonix shows off Rock Band 3 and Dance Central, and more!
Get ready humans, because we have an all new, amazing Engadget Show fresh out of the box (for the second time this month!). For your viewing pleasure, we sit down with Samsung CSO Omar Khan to get the inside scoop on everything from Galaxy S, Android strategies, whatever is happening with Bada, the upcoming Galaxy Tab, and much more. Next, we check in with Engadget investigative correspondent Rick Karr who scales a skyscraper to chat up the man tasked with improving New York City's data infrastructure for AT&T. Then, Josh and Paul welcome fellow editors Joanna Stern and Chris Ziegler for an unforgettable roundtable before inviting Harmonix to the stage to show off Rock Band 3 (featuring a cameo guitar performance by the inimitable Ross Miller) and their first Kinect title, Dance Central. Thrill as Josh and Ross bust a move to Lady Gaga and watch with envy as a bunch of audience members walk away with big time giveaways. If that's not enough, we also have a mind-bending set of live chiptunes music from Zen Albatross with visuals by invaderbacca that you do not want to miss. What are you waiting for? Watch it now! Hit up the stream after the break! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Joanna Stern, Chris Ziegler, Ross Miller Special guests: Omar Khan Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Michael Slavens Music by: Zen Albatross Visuals by: Invaderbacca Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Taped live at The Times Center Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 012 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 012 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
The Engadget Show Live! with Omar Khan, Rock Band 3, and more!
Keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 8:00 PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live, with Samsung CSO Omar Khan, Rick Karr, Rock Band 3! Nilay's on vacation, but Josh and Paul are on hand with Joanna Stern and Ross Miller, plus we'll have music from Zen Albatross and visuals from invaderbacca and much, much, more! You seriously don't want to miss it! Check out the live stream after the break!
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.%Gallery-95200%
