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YouTube Red's next originals include a 'Step Up' spinoff
YouTube just announced its second round of original series at VidCon 2016, and the biggest new series is a bit of a surprise. That would be Step Up, which will bring a "heart-pounding, sexy, music-filled and dramatic look at dancers in a contemporary performing arts school." Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan co-starred in the original movie (there have been five), and are among those listed as producers, and with the popularity of dance videos on YouTube it could be a good fit. Returning for second seasons are high profile originals Scare PewDiePie and Foursome, while the Smosh crew is bringing an as-yet untitled movie project.
ICYMI: Theater headset, robot plumbing snake and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124413{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124413, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124413{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124413").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A new visor headset that can be worn on the go yet replicate watching your favorite show in a movie theater is out for about $700. The only downside: Looking like you don't know how to wear headphones. MIT has a new microscope to show chemical processes in real-time video, on an atomic scale. Meanwhile your resident plumbing expert will want to know about the new laser-wielding robot snake from OC Robotics.
Meet the J-Pop 'idol' robot that dances and dresses up just for you
This robot is a better dancer than half of the Japanese pop idol groups it's trying to emulate. While we're not going to torture ourselves (or you) by deep-diving into the curious phenomenon of Japanese idol units, but these robots were designed for (more often than not, male) fans looking to have a performer that, according to IT Media Lab: "dances especially for me" and those that wanted to create "their own performance stage in their home." Ahem.
The making of Electric Zoo
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-343738{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-343738, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-343738{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-343738").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Electronic dance music is a multi-billion dollar industry that's taken over festival grounds across the world. At multi-stage events throughout the year, pounding beats are methodically synchronized with blistering lasers and fireworks that split the sky in neon hues. From fairytale-themed stages to sci-fi spectacles with 3D visuals, festival productions have been replicating the cinematic experience of Hollywood blockbusters for tens of thousands of fans. This year, we went behind-the-scenes at Electric Zoo, one of the biggest festivals on the east coast, for an exclusive peek at the people and the technology that bring dance music to life.
ICYMI: Drawing in VR, new space plane and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-30134{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-30134, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-30134{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-30134").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: SpaceX showed off the plan for its new Crew Dragon capsule to ferry astronauts between earth and the International Space Station, and it's gorgeous. A famous Disney animator is drawing in the virtual realm. And a new kind of piano has an updated, pinchable keyboard that creates all kinds of different sounds. Musicians, take note! (See what we did there?)
FKA twigs calls on Google Glass for dance tips in her latest music video
FKA twigs already has a reputation for using technology to make artistic statements in her music videos, and her latest takes this to its logical extreme. The two-minute #throughglass promo has twigs using Google Glass to seemingly influence a music video as it's being shot -- she looks for vogue dance tutorials to start things off, and switches to looking for anime-style eyes, gymnastics and "dominant krumping." She records some of the video from Glass' camera, too. The production is decidedly off the wall and probably won't have you rushing out to drop $1,500 just to emulate some slick moves, but it's proof that you can still look vaguely cool with a computer on your head.
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.
Bounden brings its dancing charm to Android next week
Following a short delay, developer Game Oven has revealed that Bounden will dance its way onto Android devices on July 3. Though Bounden prompts players to dance, it can't properly be described as a traditional rhythm game. Game Oven has worked in collaboration with dancers from the Dutch National Ballet to create a game which asks players to move their Android gadget up, down, and all around in a swirl of kinetic motion that either translates into graceful, fluid dance steps or hilariously off-tempo flailing. Text doesn't really do Bounden justice, so instead watch the above video from this year's Game Developer's Conference where our own Jess Conditt attempts to keep in step alongside designer Adriaan de Jongh. The Android incarnation of Bounden has yet to receive an official price point, but if Game Oven follows the same pricing scheme it used with the game's iOS counterpart, expect to pay $4 for your virtual dance card. [Image: Game Oven]
'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.
Modern dance with drones is confusingly beautiful
Dancers with weird costumes? Check. Trippy sci-fi music? Check. Drones with pyramids on top... wait, what? The Eleven Play dance troupe in Japan has integrated quadrotors into its performances, starting with synchronized moves choreographed to the dancers. The flying 'bots soon take over the show, though, chasing the humans off the stage. Then it's all drones, flying in coordination to a Tron-like geometric light show. It's all quite wonderful (see the video below), even if we don't know exactly what it all means -- something something dehumanization of modern technology?
Bounden is an iPhone dancing game that gets better when you hold hands
You met on Tinder, you romanced on Snapchat, and now your smartphone can also help you to get physical. (No, not in that way, pervert.) An iPhone game called Bounden has just arrived at the App Store and it's designed (in partnership with a ballet company, no less) to instruct you on how to make beautiful shapes with another person. As demonstrated in the video below, you both hold onto the phone and then try to move some gyro-responsive dots around the screen. Get it right, and you end up with some nice twirls, a high score and a partner for life. All for $4.
Science learns which male dance moves the ladies like
We're not here to tell you folks how to get down in the club, but if you're a guy wanting to get noticed (in a good way) by the opposite sex the next time you're at the discotheque, listen up. Researchers at Northumbria University conducted a study to find out exactly what kind of gyrations draw in the ladies, and the keys to greatness on the dance floor may surprise you: an actively moving neck, head and torso and a fast moving right knee. Weird, right?
Two-player ballet with iOS, Android game Bounden
This is "the most elegant" Bounden dance routine that took place at GDC, according to Game Oven designer Adriaan de Jongh and producer Eline Muijres. Sure, they may say that to every person who grabs the other half of de Jongh's iPhone, but it still feels special. Bounden is a two-player game that uses a smartphone gyroscope to make players dance together. A reticle takes center stage on the phone screen, perched on top of a sphere. That sphere spins, bringing around lines of circles that have to match up with the reticle – with two players holding opposite ends of the phone, that means moving together in smooth, complex ballet moves. Bounden is made in collaboration with the Junior Company of the Dutch National Ballet – actual, professional dancers helped craft its moves, and it shows in the game's inherent grace. Take a look at some making-of videos here. Game Oven is committed to building mobile games that encourage physical interaction, as its previous titles (Fingle, Bam fu) demonstrate. The studio describes Bounden as a mix of Twister and ballet. Bounden is due out on May 21 for iOS and Android phones (not tablets, because that would be terribly inelegant). [Images: Joystiq, Game Oven]
Study: Dance games help bladder control, urinary incontinence
Dance games can help you burn off calories, lose unwanted weight, tone your muscles and teach you some sweet moves to bust out at the next wedding you're invited to. According to a study published in Neurology and Urodynamics, they can also help women with urinary incontinence. Slap that on the next Just Dance game, Ubisoft. Canadian and Swiss researchers wrote that 24 women over the age of 65 experienced a "greater decrease in daily urine leakage than for the usual program (improvement in effectiveness) as well as no dropouts from the program and a higher weekly participation rate (increase in compliance)" over the course of 12 weeks. The researchers did not specify which game was used in the study, and the game itself isn't as crucial to the results as the fact that the participants were engaged in a physical activity. That being said, a Zumba game is more cost effective than a Zumba membership enrollment, and we'd dare say that dancing games can be pretty fun. Maybe that's why participants kept ... well, participating.
Honda's HEARBO robot can separate and locate four sound sources at once (video)
Robots are already adept at all manner of things, from hunting to feeling, but over at Honda's Research Institute, one team is focused on an ability bots aren't so hot at yet -- hearing. Puny humans can quickly deduce the direction of a sound and assess its significance, while also ignoring unimportant background noise. Honda is trying to replicate these traits with HEARBO, a robot with eight microphones hidden in its head. Using its HARK software system, HEARBO can distinguish between and locate the position of up to four unique sound sources simultaneously to within one degree of accuracy. It can also filter out din generated by its own 17 motors with a method called "ego-noise suppression." HEARBO's sound localization skills are shown in the first video below, while the second proves it can beat match, dance poorly, and isolate voice commands when music is playing and motors are whirring. The overall goal of Honda's efforts is to generally advance intelligent speech and sound recognition technology. We can't help but wonder, however, if bots will just end up using it to pinpoint our screams when the inevitable occurs.
Caption Contest: Eric Schmidt does 'Gangnam Style' with PSY
Did you honestly think Eric Schmidt went all the way to Seoul just to launch the Nexus 7 for South Korea, hang out with Samsung's JK Shin and moan about the patent war with Apple? Of course not. The Google chairman also found some time to learn the legendary "invisible horse" dance with PSY, the charismatic oppa in the Korean chart-topper Gangnam Style. While Google Korea was happy to supply a few photos, the only video we could dig up was a surprisingly short one hosted by Daum -- it's embedded right after the break. Brian: "Man, not being the CEO of a multinational corporation sure is hard work." Terrence: "I see you are a fellow disciple of the Carlton Banks school of dance." Don: "Gangnam Style, 2012-2012." Billy: "This song is really about the time I set my socks on fire. I see you still have yours. One moment." Edgar: "Hm... I think we forgot the horse." Richard Lai: "OK Eric, now let's do the elevator scene." Dan: "Doenjang Girls, would you like to buy a Nexus 7? It's wayyy more expensive than a latté." Darren: "Soooo glad this guy put this video on YouTube and not Vimeo. $$$$$$$$" Jon Fingas: "Oppan Google sty-- no, even I can't go that far."
Insert Coin: Shimi iPhone robot is ready to dance its way out of the lab, into your heart
As soon as we saw Georgia Tech's Shimi, we wanted to how many sleepless nights we'd have to spend waiting for one to proudly display on our desk. And really that's the whole idea behind the iPhone-enabled dancing robot: bringing some sophisticated robotic concepts to the consumer, in an adorable little package. Now the wall-eyed "first musically intelligent robotic speaker dock" has hit Kickstarter, ready to dance its way into reality. When finished, Shimi will feature six-watt speakers on either side of its face and five motors that allow it to dance and turn its head to the best position for optimal listening. Shimi does the latter via facial recognition software, tracking you around the room. The 'bot can also respond to verbal requests like "look at me," and "play Justin Bieber" (their suggestion, not ours). In the future, its creators will be offering up apps for gaming, telepresence and the like, as well as an SDK for developers. The Kickstarter page has a decidedly lofty $100,000 goal to hit by October 10th. Pledge $129 or more, and you get a Shimi of your very own. Check out a video of the 'bot and its creators after the break.
Stop-motion music video relies on OpenOffice and Excel, finds formula for success (video)
It's already considered a grind to produce stop-motion video -- imagine creating a clip using the spreadsheet app that many dread seeing at work every morning. Joe Penna, better known to the internet as Mystery Guitar Man, isn't afraid. He and his team recorded a performance against a greenscreen, gave the video a mosaic look in After Effects and proceeded to recreate 730 of the frames in OpenOffice (and occasionally Excel)... by hand. We don't want to know how long it took Penna and crew to wrap up their work, but the result is probably the liveliest you'll ever get out of an app meant for invoices and corporate expenses. The fully produced video is above; click past the story break if you want to smash illusions and see how the pixelated rumba came to be.
Ubisoft announces Just Dance 4
Get ready to do some more dancing in Ubi's uber popular dance series. Ubisoft is bringing out Just Dance 4 this fall, as announced at their E3 press conference in LA today.As you can imagine, there will be more dancing. Ubisoft promises lots of new tracks, new modes including a Battle Mode, standalone play, and something called a Puppet Master mode. The game will be out in October, both on the Wii and the Wii U.
Mists of Pandaria Beta: Male and female pandaren dances are live
Rejoice! Pandaren dances are in. I won't take up your time -- just watch. The male pandaren are doing some variation of the Party Rock Anthem dance (maybe?), and the female pandaren is distinctly the caramelldansen meme. Very well animated, as usual. What do you guys think? It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
