Xbox 360 Showcase: Hands-On with DJ Hero

One of the highlights of the event was Activision's intriguing Guitar Hero spin-off, DJ Hero. For the first time, we were able to get our hands on the game's groovy turntable peripheral.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

The turntable controller contains a trio of colored 'stream' buttons, an effects dial and a crossfader. These controls are used in conjunction for mixing, sampling and adding scratch patterns to tracks. As with Guitar Hero, the emphasis is on scoring as many points as possible.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

The peripheral also boasts a hidden panel that contains a suite of traditional Xbox buttons. This means you don't have to use your Xbox controller once the game has loaded up (something that Lips suffered from).

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

Here's my rather poor attempt at looking pimp-tacular. Sorry. (Note: the real DJ turntable on the left gives a good sense of scale.)

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

Thankfully, Activision has gone to pains to ensure that the game is accessible to turntable novices (i.e. -- pretty much all of us). Players will be able to adjust the complexity of the controls to suit their know-how.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

It's definitely a step-up from Guitar Hero's plastic offerings, isn't it? With its sleek vinyl finish and smooth rotating wireless deck, it almost feels like a real piece of kit.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

Hands on with DJ Hero.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

A DJ Hero representative shows the gaming press how it's done.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

The in-game interface will be familiar to anyone who has played Guitar Hero, with a similar colored scroll bar.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

Just like Guitar Hero, DJ Hero will feature a swag of multi-player modes, including co-op and DJ vs. DJ.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

DJ Hero's tracklist contains over 100 songs, including chart-topping hits from David Bowie, KRS, Beastie Boys, Gorillaz, N.E.R.D and 50 Cent. World renowned DJs will also make cameos in the game, such as Grand Master Flash (AKA Joseph Saddler), pictured here.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

The background effects are a lot trippier than Guitar Hero's. At one point the camera zoomed in from a bird's-eye-view to an extreme close up of the turntable, with the screen spinning around all the while. We needed to have a sit down.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

DJ Hero 'DJ & DJ' co-op mode.

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night

DJ Hero will be available on 1st October for an RRP of $179.95 (USD $119.99).

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DJ Hero, Up Close

Tech Pros by Day, DJs by Night