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Caption contest, video edition: Android gets its groove back
The Android mascot certainly gets around, there's no doubt about that -- but did you know it can also get down? Watch and learn. Tim: "And thus the talent portion of the Ms. Xperia Arc pageant proved to be far more interesting than the swimsuit competition." Darren: "First stop: Akihabara Mall. Next stop: Dancing with the Stars." Joe: "Fragmentation or no, our man can still krump with the best of them." Don: "And now, a preview of Android 3.2: Electric Boogaloo." Sam: "What version of Android is the person in the costume running?" Chris: "I call this next move the Force Close." Myriam: "Go-go gadget Android dance app?" Michael: "I've seen b-boys and b-girls, but never knew there were b-bots." Richard Lawler: "Chris Brown is making a quick comeback after today's Good Morning America blowup." Christopher: "Lady Gaga fires stylist following first mall appearance." Sean Hollister: "Look ma, no thumbs!" [Thanks, Anders]
SOCOM 4 lets you dance victoriously over your enemy's corpse
People will tell you they play games because they're "fun" or whatever, but since the advent of the tea-bag it's all about humiliation. What better way to humiliate an opponent than to dance, so full of life, over their dead, dead corpse? SOCOM 4: US Navy Seals knows what that new hotness is.
Does this look like a 'Dance Paradise' to you?
As certified screenshotologists from the School of Hard Knocks, we've been trained in the brutally honest art of just knowing from a single, static frame. And so, we just know by looking at this image that THQ's Dance Paradise is best avoided when it's released next Tuesday, February 15 for Kinect. Of course, if people just listened to us professional know-it-alls, then Just Dance wouldn't have happened like it did, and THQ wouldn't be trying to imitate that, and we wouldn't be writing this post, and what purpose would we serve, and ... You know? On second thought, it doesn't look that bad, and you've already played Dance Central to death, and you haven't bought a Kinect game in awhile, and you did drop $150 for it, and ... %Gallery-116331%
The Perfect Ten: The evolution of /dance
I recall when I was a wee... teenager and C+C Music Factory would blast through our Walkmans to demand that everybody (1) dance and (2) dance now. It was commanding, enthralling and extremely dorky, but the dance could not be denied. Dancing is in the soles of our souls as humans; we simply must boogie to a good beat. I'm not quite sure when or where dancing in MMOs became all the craze, but these days it seems as though every game (except the dour ones with bears, bears, bears) prides itself on a good set of /dance emotes. For some players, it's the perfect way to unwind after a long raid or chew up a bit of time while one waits for SgtCuddlyMonkey to return from his refreshing bio break. For others, it's a legitimate career path with a long and distinguished history of gyrating on top of mailboxes while annoyed postal recipients long for a day when a pelvis will not be gesturing at eye level. So this week, let's loosen up, let our hair down, and samba across the ballroom floor as we count down (up?) 10 incredible MMO dances.
Perfect World shows off new dance moves plus Forsaken World class video
The devs at Perfect World Entertainment are busy little bees, and today they've brought us a pair of videos to show off what's new in two of the company's flagship free-to-play titles. First up is Forsaken World's second dev diary video, and in it, PWE marketing director Jon Belliss shows off the fantasy epic's eight playable classes as well as the 14 secondary occupations that make up the job system. Not to be outdone is Perfect World International, and its upcoming Genesis expansion will be featuring the usual expansion suspects such as a new race, new classes, new zones, and more. In addition to all the new content, PWE is throwing some fluff into the mix via a slew of new character dance emotes that amp up the style and complexity of the game's existing moves. All of the game's original races will be able to perform the maneuvers, and many of them will be activated via special clothing sets. Check out the Forsaken World dev diary video and a sneak peek at a new Perfect World International dance after the cut.
Fallout: New Vegas becomes dance central with animation mod
Wow. Obsidian overlooked a dynamite opportunity to integrate Kinect into Fallout: New Vegas. But! This dance mod for the PC version, courtesy of creator "umpa," gets us halfway there. Now, Kinect hackers, take us all the way!
Choreographing a humanoid robot's dance routine is as easy as click and pull
You may not be able to build an HRP-4C fembot in your average garage, but the programming would practically take care of itself -- not only does the AIST humanoid sing using off-the-shelf Yamaha Vocaloid software, its dance moves are click-and-drag, too. Roboticist Dr. Kazuhito Yokoi gave IEEE Spectrum an inside look at the HRP-4C's motion trajectory software, which works much like 3D animation tools: you position the limbs where you want them to start and when you want them to end up using keyframes, and the software takes care of the rest. The system's intelligent enough to generate a 6.7 second sequence from just eight keyframes, and it compensates for hazardous instructions, too -- if your haphazard choreography would tip her over or send limbs flying, it'll automatically adjust her moves. See how it works in a video after the break and hit up our source link for the full interview.
HRP-4C dances and sings her way into the Uncanny Valley (video)
AIST's HRP-4C fashion robot has dramatically improved since we first saw "her" strut her stuff on the runway. She's so mesmerizing in fact, that we bet you'll barely notice the quartet of scantily clad dancers around her. Watch her tear it down in a pair of videos after the break. Shame about the man-hands.
Microsoft celebrates Windows Phone 7 RTM with funeral parade for BlackBerry and iPhone (update: Thriller video!)
The iPhone's dead, long live the Windows Phone. That must be the genius proclamation that incited Microsoft to celebrate Windows Phone 7 reaching RTM status with the incomprehensible procession you see above. An elaborate parade, replete with hearses and black capes, was organized last week to denote the passing of the BlackBerry and iPhone into the land of unwanted gadgets. We'd say this is done in poor taste, but we don't enjoy stating the obvious. We will, however, enjoy the fallout from this poorly judged stunt. See our favorite image after the break and lots more at the source. Update: Apparently the team also engaged in a Thriller dance. Words are failing us, so just hop on past the break and mash play.
Featureless avatars help scientists dominate the dancefloor
Scientists. If we didn't know better, we'd think they were messing with us all the time. But we know they're usually there to help, which is the only reason we've watched this video (after the break) 27 times this afternoon. Apparently Northumbria University researchers motion-captured a bunch of dudes dancing really hard, then mapped their movements to these fun models -- devoid of any popped collars, Ed Hardy vests, or Gucci bling to keep things scientifically pure -- then asked 35 women to rate the dancing on attractiveness. Turns out the left wrist, right knee, head, and trunk are most important parts to shake if you're a dude trying to catch the most feminine eyes in da club. Seems like those parts communicate a man's "reproductive quality" the most effectively. Now excuse us -- we've got a lot of work to do before Happy Hour rolls around.
Dance! It's Your Stage gets crunk on XBLA Sept. 8
"Plants versus what now?" is what you'll be saying on September 8 when XBLA plays host to Dance! It's Your Stage, a port of a German Wii game developed by Sproing. According to the dev's website, you'll "practice 20 unique choreographies and dance your way up from the Street Stage all the way to the TV Studio" all under the watchful eye of Detlef D! Soost, who's basically like our favorite German dancer/choreographer. So you can keep your wonderful, wonderful game, PopCap. We plan on being a little busy dropping $10 for a reason to dust off our DDR mats and churn out some dance butter. (That's something the kids are saying now, right? Churning out dance butter? That's a thing, we're pretty sure.) Click here for a sneak peek that's sure to get your dance milk solidifying.
Konami's 'DanceMasters' grooves Kinect-style
DanceMasters, Konami's Kinect dancing game, has a more Konami-like name for its European release: Dance Evolution. And very DDR-like music, if the trailer is any indication. We hope, for everyone's sake, that this works out better than the last time Konami tried to compete with a Harmonix game.
Just Dance 2 track list released, will grow with DLC
Ubisoft is (indirectly) giving us a mid-Gamescom dance party, by releasing the track list for Just Dance 2. And since we can't read the words "Junior Senior - Move Your Feet" without rushing to YouTube, you all get a musical interlude after the break. And also the track list. And also a trailer. In addition to the 44 listed tracks, the press release confirms that we'll be able to Just Download even more music "from an expanding catalogue of new hits using WiiWare." Ubisoft didn't mention price, or how frequently this DLC would arrive. Try not to worry about that while you're listening to that Junior Senior song, though.%Gallery-99783%
NASA's Athlete Mars rover does a little dance, gets down tonight (video)
Its been a few years since we last checked in on NASA's All Terrain Hex Limbed Extra Terrestrial Explorer rover -- aka, Athlete. Now a half-scale working prototype standing 15 feet tall, weighing 2.5 tons (about 2,300 kg), and capable of a 1.25 mph (2 kmph) top speed has been set loose for testing by its Jet Propulsion Laboratory creators. Its first task, set to begin next month in Arizona, will be to complete a test circuit of at least 25 miles (about 40 km) in two weeks under its own power. Failing that, we hear Woz is looking for a dance partner. See what we mean in the video of Athlete demonstrating a flare for cargo transport after the break.
DDR coming to PS3 this fall with YouTube and Move support
Do those feet of yours remember how to dance? Or, rather, how to flail about in four directions in accordance with a brightly colored song chart? We hope so, as you'll soon be charged with arrow-stepping once again when DanceDanceRevolution arrives on PS3 later this fall. Yes, it's just called DanceDanceRevolution. Apparently, no extemporaneous "Mixes" or "Maxes" or "SuperNOVAs," or even spaces, were required this time around. This version of DDR -- the series' first outing on the PS3, no less -- includes some form of Move support, meaning dancers will have to move their arms in rhythm while simultaneously moving their legs, similar to the Wiimote controls of DDR Hottest Party. Also, using the PlayStation Eye, players can record their best routines and throw it on Facebook and YouTube using the console's Video Editor and Uploader. These videos are going to be absolutely thrilling, and we, for one, cannot wait to see your totally sweet moves.
Braid reimagined as interpretive dance performance
The Chaparral High School Alumni Theatre troupe of Parker, Colorado recently turned to a fairly unconventional source of inspiration for its summer project: A staged interpretive dance performance based on Jonathan Blow's time-bending indie darling, Braid.
ESRB reveals unannounced Dance Central tracks by warning about lyrics
The ESRB, in its noble quest to protect young ears from potentially offensive songs that were on the radio twenty years ago, has inadvertently revealed some unannounced Dance Central tracks. The ratings board identified several problematic lyrics, which Siliconera matched with their origin songs (warning: we're about to reproduce the offensive lyrics!) "Did your girl's butt" and "You're bound to get shot" can be found in Craig Mack's "Flava In Your Ear," "Meet him at the door with nothin' on" comes from Christina Milian's "Dip It Low," and, best of all, "Body is soft, makin' me wanna squish her" means that Wreckx-N-Effect's "Rump Shaker" is in the game (yessssssss). Other cited lyrics that Siliconera didn't identify include "The interior like suicide wrist red" (from Snoop Dogg's previously announced "Drop It Like It's Hot") and "Remove your underwear," which we can't quite identify either. We Googled it, but ... yeah.
Cisco TelePresence enables intercontinental dance practice at the oddest hours
Never mind the time difference -- these kids are dedicated. Young dancers in Shanghai and New York are currently training hard in order to perform in "The Red Thread" later this month in both NY and CT, but rather than going by the beat of their own drums, the two groups are collaborating over a few oceans and quite a few miles. Turns out, Cisco's TelePresence is good for more than just linking up discombobulated teams in 24, and it has enabled the dancers to begin preparing for their big day from opposite ends of the world. Now, when's that real-time voice translation update scheduled for?
Nao robots get together to get down, put a ring on it (video)
We've seen evidence of the Nao robots' dancing capabilities in the past, but this gigantic group of them cutting the rug together is off-the-charts impressive. Check out the video below, plus a very special video we made just for you. Because we love you. [Thanks, Axel]
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%
