NBA Baller Beats announced for Kinect

Microsoft's Kinect packs some impressive technology, but it hasn't found a breakout game in its releases so far. It's been a tough nut for third-parties to crack, but Majesco and HB Studios have opted to try something a little different: a rhythm/sports hybrid that uses a real basketball as a prop.

You'll be dribbling an actual basketball to the beat as the Kinect tracks your movements and sounds. The game will unlock new songs, difficulty levels, and trading cards and posters showing NBA players. It will sport a single-player mode, tutorial "Move School," and multiplayer for up to 8 players. The soundtrack includes tracks from Kanye West, Run DMC, Gorillaz, Them Crooked Vultures, Common, and Tiesto, among others. Majesco will show off the game at E3, and then basketball camps over the summer, before launching it this fall.

Joystiq reports that the game comes with its own basketball. Generally Microsoft has been reluctant to allow props to be used during Kinect games; maybe with Baller Beats, the company is starting to change its mind.

"NBA Baller Beats introduces an unprecedented way to experience basketball through a video game like never before," said Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton. "Our innovative play mechanic combined with Kinect technology puts the ball in players' hands, tracking both full-body gameplay and ball movement, so players are going to have to get up and actually play basketball to get in the game. Ballers and fans alike will love this game."