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What the hell is "VidRhythm"? It's really best if you don't know. But given that Harmonix is asking for $2 for their latest creation, I know many will not simply download the app on good faith, so I'll try to detail as much as I can without spoiling it.

"VidRhythm" is a music video creator for those who don't have the first clue about video editing. It asks that you select a song (the app comes with 20 pre-loaded) and a theme, ranging from cats to colors to "Dance Central." Then you're tasked with recording all of the sound for that tune. Generally this is no more than six or seven sounds, recorded through your iOS camera, complete with video. The process, starting from scratch to finished music video, takes as little as three minutes.

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Tags harmonix, vidrhythm

Microsoft was certainly pushing the Kinect this morning. Beyond announcing a number of new Kinect-only titles, the company also exposed how some of the biggest core games in the Xbox 360 line-up will utilize the motion-sensing technology. Microsoft also announced "Kinect Fun Labs," a new dashboard feature that finally realizes many of the Kinect capabilities that the company had previously mentioned prior to the hardware's launch.

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Tags bioware, crytek, dance central, dance central 2, double fine, fable, fable: the journey, Ghost Recon, harmonix, lionhead studios, mass effect, mass effect 3, microsoft game studios, ryse, sesame street: once upon a monster, tom clancy's ghost recon future soldier, ubisoft

Yesterday's surprise news that Activision would be canceling any future "Guitar Hero" projects didn't exactly bode well for the already-flagging rhythm game genre. In terms of competition, it seems the only major player still standing in the genre is Harmonix, the developer behind the "Rock Band" franchise (which was formally owned by MTV parent company, Viacom). The news has certainly made people wonder whether "Rock Band" was destined for the same star-crossed fate. The company released a statement today to clarify where things stand.

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Tags activision, guitar hero, harmonix, rock band

That "Rock Band" music catalog just keeps getting bigger and bigger. There are more than 2,000 downloadable songs now, and more coming every week. Next week's bunch is pretty exciting too: Harmonix announced via press release that, starting Monday, February 1, "Rock Band" fans will be able to download and play their way through the classic Clash album, "London Calling."

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Tags harmonix, rock band, rock band 3

Back in November, Viacom (which owns MTV and, predictably, MTV Multiplayer) announced that it it would be looking to sell Harmonix. The Boston-based game developer was first acquired by Viacom in September 2006 and went on to release nine titles as a part of MTV Games. That relationship ended today as Viacom announced that Harmonix had been purchased by Columbus Nova, an investment firm which manages "over $10.0 billion of assets through its own funds and affiliated portfolio companies."

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Tags harmonix

If Rihanna's "Pon de Replay" left you wanting more from her in "Dance Central," this is your lucky day because she's also made "Disturbia" available for the Kinect title this week, along with tracks from Blur and Janet Jackson. She joins previous DLC contributors Ne-Yo and Lady Gaga in the "DC" marketplace, where Sean Paul and The Black Eyed Peas have also put themselves up for sale.

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Tags dance central, harmonix, mtv games, rihanna

"Dance Central" wouldn't be much of a modern music game if it didn't make a few tracks available as DLC, and with "Dance Central 2" still in early pre-production, the elite dancers of the gaming world are going to need to make their first Kinect experience last. Ne-Yo, Lady Sovereign and Sean Paul have decided to join Lady Gaga and M.I.A. by taking the lead and putting out the title's first DLC tracks, which are now available at 240 MS Points each.

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Tags dance central, harmonix, kinect, mtv games

Have you graduated through all of the "Rock Band" difficulty levels and need something a little more demanding to challenge your fingers? Well, Fender has decided to blur the line between instrument and music game controller once and for all and devise a new Squier guitar that serves as a fully functional instrument while plugged into an amp or a game console. And best off all for aspiring musician/gamers, it requires you to actually play the music, so your skills will translate from "Rock Band 3" directly to the stage.

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Tags fender, harmonix, mtv games, rock band, rock band 3

"Dance Central" may only just now be coming out, but Harmonix sounds like they're totally prepared to cash in on a sequel if they're called upon to do so. After Kinect users get through shaking their hips to Lady Gaga, M.I.A. and Rihanna, they may want a few more options, and though DLC is definitely in the cards, "Dance Central 2" is also lurking behind the scenes in the earliest of stages.

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Tags dance central, dance central 2, harmonix, kinect, mtv games

"Rock Band 3" launches tomorrow, so many of the reporters here have been polling celebrities to determine which of them has the ability to take on Dio's "Rainbow In The Dark" on Expert (among other feats). We expect bands like "All Time Low" to have experience with the "Rock Band" franchise, but every once in a while we get someone that we never would've guessed is a fan of the series. Surprise fan of the day? None other than Martha Stewart.

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Tags harmonix, rock band, rock band 3, Video