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Dance Central VR has always been about the moves. After all, that’s the entire purpose of the game. Unlike other dancing games (Just Dance, we’re looking at you), Dance Central uses the Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest to make it feel like your virtual avatar is actually dancing thanks to the advanced tracking provided for your head and hands.
This latest update for both Quest and Rift versions of the game adds in another key feature that players have been clamoring for: a fitness tracker.
Anyone who has played the game knows how tiring it can be after just a few songs. Moving to the rhythms and beats of each song takes a lot of work, and you’ll be sweating like crazy in no time flat.
That’s why the addition of a fitness tracker in-game is so important to not only the game’s success but also for the players that are looking to get more than good dance moves from the title.
Unveiled via the Harmonix Music Systems’ YouTube channel, Dance Central VR’s latest update can be found on your virtual smartphone within the game (see above image). Within the fitness tracker “app” you’ll find ways to track your daily, weekly, monthly, and overall calorie burn while dancing.
Harmonix even breaks down which songs burned the most calories for you, as well as the stats for the last played song.
Obviously, without proper medical-grade equipment, these measurements are simple estimations based on height, weight and a few other factors that Harmonix has figured into the equation. Even still, though, having the ability to even estimate calories burned is a huge win for the best virtual dance game you can buy.
New NPC Challenges, Too
In addition to the fitness tracker, players can now unlock NPC players to further challenge their high scores and dance moves. Miss Aubrey, Emilia, Hart, Oblio, and Mo will now text you on your in-game smartphone and offer challenges to try and beat their high scores. Don’t take these challenges lightly though; these are some seriously tough AI-based NPCs that know how to dance.
Dance Central is one of the many fantastic VR titles that Harmonix makes and, as the full name Harmonix Music Systems suggests, are all music-based titles. Each offers a very different gaming experience, but Dance Central and Audica are the two to look for if you’re looking to get a good workout from your play experience.
Dance Central has been regularly updated with fresh songs for players to enjoy, many of which have been free updates but the company also offers a DLC store with additional songs that can be purchased. You can find the entire list of songs on the website here.
Audica has also been getting some serious love lately, with a significant number of song additions since the game went into Early Access on Steam a few months ago. What started out as just 10 songs has quickly blossomed into two dozen or so and seems to continually grow as it approaches version 1.0.
It’s also slated for release on PlayStation VR (PSVR) this Fall, so PSVR players, be on the lookout for this amazing rhythm shooter when it lands.