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Dance Central 3's SmartGlass app, full track list detailed
Dance Central 3 will be the first Xbox 360 game to support SmartGlass functionality, using Microsoft's tablet and smartphone connectivity to allow people to queue up new tracks for themselves or their friends. The "Party Time DJ" app allows someone using an iOS, Android, or Windows Phone 8 device to create playlists or simply select the next song in "Party Time" mode, Harmonix revealed to Engadget.Other functionality includes queuing up DLC to buy on the Xbox, changing difficulty, or tracking calories burned and progress toward weekly goals. Despite being tied to the new SmartGlass tech, the functions here, of facilitating DLC purchasing and tracking in-game progress, seem similar to those in the Facebook Rock Band World app.The app will not be available in time for tomorrow's launch; Harmonix did not provide a specific time, though Engadget speculates it will be close to Windows 8's October 26 launch. What Harmonix has provided, however, is Dance Central 3's full track list, which can be found after the break.
Hands-on with the first SmartGlass app, Dance Central 3's Party Time DJ
Since getting outed just head of Microsoft's big reveal, Xbox 360's SmartGlass has been under wraps. When Xbox Live VP Marc Whitten officially introduced SmartGlass soon after at E3 2012, we learned a teensy bit more -- tablets and smartphones (Android, Windows Phone 8, and iOS, even) would get second-screen functionality via an upcoming free application -- and got some hands-on time with it. That application has yet to launch, but Dance Central 3's SmartGlass functionality is already here. Well, almost here -- the game becomes publicly available tomorrow, and the app won't launch for a few weeks still -- but we got our hands on Dance Central 3's SmartGlass companion app a bit early at a New York City review event last week. Being the first SmartGlass application to launch has its advantages, such as setting the bar. By no means is Dance Central 3's SmartGlass application a thorough, necessary accompaniment (for a game that already requires Kinect, that's probably a good choice), but it does add some neat side fun for friends waiting in the wings to get their respective grooves on. "Party Time DJ" allows friends -- employing their iOS, Droid, or WP8 tablet/smartphone, via the Xbox SmartGlass app -- to queue up the next song in the game's neverending "Party Time" mode, or create a playlist. They can also queue downloadable tracks to the Xbox 360 (which thankfully requires approval on the 360 prior to purchase), or swap difficulty settings. Sadly, though the opportunity for real-time griefing presents itself rather clearly here, developer Harmonix chose not to allow song-swapping or difficulty changes mid-song. "Because it would kill them," Harmonix rep Nick Chester told us.%Gallery-168336%
