Dance Dash: VR Full-Body Tracking’s Next Greatest Hit
Full-body tracking (FBT) is single-handedly the coolest way to elevate any VR experience. It brings VR to the next level of immersion in a way no other accessory can. The collection of VR games that support FBT is small, but growing steadily, and if you’ve been paying attention to games on the market with FBT support like we have, you may have noticed a little game called Dance Dash enter the market. Quietly released in September this year, Dance Dash may just be VR FBT’s biggest game yet.
What is Dance Dash?
Developed by Rebuff Reality, Dance Dash is a fully dedicated full-body tracking VR rhythm game where you move your entire body to the beat of the music. Arcade rhythm gamers will rejoice in discovering that Dance Dash’s gameplay is almost exactly identical to good ol’ DanceRush Stardom, except just in VR form. It’s got all the slides, shuffles, and stomps every DanceRush fan would love. But Dance Dash builds upon that basis even further by adding unique hand beats you can slap, punch, or hit on top of all the feet beats.
Playing Dance Dash with AXIS
We’ve been having a blast testing out Dance Dash with AXIS trackers. It’s seriously been some of the most fun we’ve had playing FBT games. It works like a dream with just 4 AXIS nodes and was super easy to setup and get going. You will definitely work up a sweat playing Dance Dash, but hey, it’s a fun workout! The additional element of dodging traps and obstacles has been a thrill and adds a bit of challenge, even for rhythm game vets. It was extremely satisfying hitting the beats, even if we weren’t necessarily nailing it every time. We love how the game allows for lots of freestyling, so you can mix up your performances and always serve. Performance-wise, it runs totally fine, and we definitely dig the stylized anime graphics. Disclaimer: We weren’t paid by Rebuff Reality to say any of this; we genuinely believe this game deserves your utmost attention.
If you want to try out Dance Dash for yourselves, we highly recommend getting full-body trackers like AXIS for the best experience. AXIS (Active XR Interface System) offers exceptional performance for VR FBT enthusiasts with its untethered plug-and-play FBT system, especially in games like Dance Dash. Offering up to 4 hours of wireless freedom before a quick recharge, AXIS ensures precise motion capture and responsiveness, so you’ll never miss a beat. Its user-friendly design simplifies setup, emphasizing convenience without compromising functionality. With wireless charging, dust, and water resistance, AXIS guarantees durability and hands-free management. Boasting 16 interchangeable nodes and 9 degrees of freedom, it strikes a perfect balance between accessibility and advanced features. When playing Dance Dash, we highly suggest playing in a well-lit room with a clear playspace for the most optimal tracking.
What Makes Dance Dash So Great?
Rebuff Reality made a smart decision to release its beatmap editor and downloadable custom maps right off the bat. Once more people get onboard the Dance Dash boat, we expect to see a wealth of custom maps and mods in no time. Just like Beat Saber, Dance Dash will more than likely develop its own active community dedicated to creating custom beatmaps to the hottest songs and driven by user-generated content. And did we mention that Dance Dash is getting its own native avatar system? So, you’ll be able to play and embody anything you’d like to be, whether it be a cute anime girl or a realistic cybernetic robot!
Having just released in early access a few months ago, Dance Dash is still very much in its infancy, but it won’t be long before it blows up in popularity. Dance Dash feels like a breath of fresh air in the VR rhythm and fitness genre, which has been mostly dominated by Beat Saber ever since its conception. Beat Saber has been the most popular VR rhythm game for a reason, it’s one of VR’s best games and is just plain fun with ridiculous replayability. But we must admit that it’s starting to grow a bit stale. Even with mods to make the game more interactive like FeetSaber, we’ve needed a game to breathe new life into the genre for a while now. And that’s exactly where Dance Dash comes in. Dance Dash feels like a natural evolution to Beat Saber; adding feet movement in conjunction to arms and hands. It’s familiar enough for existing fans to gravitate towards, but also novel enough to feel like a fresh new challenge. Plus, it has that same addictive appeal. A few years down the road, it may even be on par with Beat Saber itself. The bottom line is that Dance Dash has serious potential to carve its niche in the VR FBT community.
Dance Dash has all the ingredients it needs to succeed, and we personally cannot wait to see it evolve in the future. As the devs continue to iron out a few wrinkles and improve performance issues, Dance Dash is on track to become a staple for all VR FBT users. Coupled with full-body trackers like AXIS, it’s never been easier to get into FBT gaming. So, what are you waiting for? Get your groove on!
Dance Dash is available for purchase on Steam, Meta Store, and Viveport. Participate in their Winter Bash challenge from December 7th to 31st to win some cool prizes!
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