Xbox 360

We first learned of Kinect Star Wars with a teaser trailer at E3 2011 and have been waiting eagerly since for the game to finally debut. April 3 marks the day we can begin to harness the interactive Jedi Force at home.

This new behind-the-scenes video from Xbox gives us a closer look at what we can expect in becoming part of the virtual Star Wars universe. Begin the game as a Padawan with Yoda serving as your Jedi Master. Move through the game by duking it out in podraces, as the pilot of a starfighter, intimidating enemies such as a Rancor monster, and partaking in the very essential Star Wars character dance-offs.

You can preorder Kinect Star Wars now for $50. In the meantime, make like those Stormtroopers and practice your best high-snap dance moves.

The family binging events are over, so now it's time to talk resolutions and fighting off some of that bulge you may have picked up during the holiday season. Good news is there are plenty of ways to burn some calories without spending half an afternoon in the gym. Fire up your favorite gaming console and pop in one of these titles that will have you working up a sweat in no time.

1. Your Shape Fitness Evolved ($34) — Working with the Xbox 360 and Kinect sensor, this game provides a personalized fitness program based on your skill level, but the Kinect actually senses where your joints are to give you proper form tips while you're playing. Add in special martial arts and weight loss classes led by actual celebrity trainers, and you have yourself a pretty amazing fitness game that really isn't a game at all.
2. The Fight: Lights Out ($20) — I like The Fight (which works in conjunction with the PlayStation Move), and in comparison to other fitness specific video games it doesn't feel like a workout; it just feels like fun.
3. Get Fit With Mel B ($) — Another PlayStation Move title, Get Fit With Mel B seems like it would be a good alternative to the gym; mostly cause Mel B is ripped, and if this helps her stay fit, it's gotta work for me, right?
4. Just Dance 2 ($34) — Like DDR before it, the Wii-compatible Just Dance 2 lets you work up a sweat with some awesome moves, and sing along to popular music. It doesn't get any better than that!
5. EA Sports Active 2 ($45) — I'm already a big fan of the EA Sports Active titles, so pairing it with the Kinect system is sure to give me an even better, more engaging workout experience.

It's the holiday season, and we're getting in the spirit with our third annual 15 Days of Holiday Giveaways! Every day for the first 15 days of December, one of the PopSugar Network sites — plus our sister sites PopSugar Shop, Fashionologie, and ShopStyle — will feature a new fabulous giveaway.

For our 12th day of holiday giveaways, we are giving away two Xbox 360 prize packages filled with an Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Holiday Bundle, an Xbox LIVE 12-month Gold Membership, and four games: Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports: Season Two, Forza Motorsport 4, and Kinect: Disneyland Adventures. There are two chances to win this ultimate Xbox 360 prize package, enter now!

This giveaway has ended.

After you enter our giveaway above, don't forget to enter BuzzSugar's giveaway of a year of movie tickets for you and a friend from MovieTickets.com, BellaSugar's giveaway of $2,000 to Saks Fifth Avenue, and Fashionologie's giveaway of a $1,000 shopping spree to Theory. Good luck and happy holidays!

This Tuesday a major change (for the better) takes place on Xbox Live. With a revamp of the dashboard and the addition of media content partners, Microsoft hopes to turn the Xbox into the living room's primary entertainment hub. The free upgrade will push to all Xbox Live accounts Dec. 6, opening the gate to a larger world of media applications to be released in waves.

The initial media partners released alongside the software updates are Today from MSNBC, Epix, and changes to the Netflix and Hulu Plus dashboards. Look for other well-known partners and apps including TMZ, Verizon FiOS TV, Vevo, Vudu, and YouTube (finally!) to hit Xbox Live later this month. As with Hulu Plus and Netflix, many of these programming options will require a paid subscription.

The addition of a smartphone remote and voice-controlled Bing search bring an extra dash of competitive technology to Xbox. The Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone syncs to the larger onscreen console display and searches across the program partners for content, updates social statuses, and does something as basic as fast-forwarding through a movie. Kinect owners can also choose to speak their search queries and navigate the entire dashboard through voice.

Check out a gallery of images highlighting Xbox Live's new features and sleek dashboard here.

If you spend hours perfecting the moves of Dance Central for Xbox Kinect, know that you're not alone. The craze has spread to the world of high fashion. French label Lanvin took a cheeky turn to promote its upcoming Fall/Winter 2011 collection, by filming models dancing to Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me" from the perspective of the Kinect. Check out the fabulous fashion folk, including singer Karen Elson and designer Alber Elbaz up their Kinect cred. The important question is, what level of difficulty are they on?

It's the height of bikini season — are you ready to hit the beach? Well, we're here to help you fight your way fit! We're giving away the new mixed martial arts fitness game UFC Personal Trainer and an Xbox 360 Kinect. The game, designed to burn calories and build endurance, was created in conjunction with official UFC Trainers and input from the National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM). You can kick, punch, and game your way into shape. To enter to win, just follow FitSugar on Twitter. Then tweet at us what you're looking to tone with the Kinect workout. Don't forget the hashtag!

• First, follow FitSugar on Twitter
• Then tell us what you are looking to tone with the UFC Personal Trainer Game on your Xbox Kinect by tweeting at us. Include the following message and hashtag to qualify: "Hey @FitSugar I'm excited to tone my _________ with the UFC Personal Trainer game." http://bit.ly/oRL277 #FitUFCGiveaway

To be eligible, you must be a Twitter user following FitSugar, but hurry — the giveaway ends on July 25! Check out the full list of rules here, and start tweeting!

Yesterday's Microsoft E3 press briefing gave us a look at what's to come in the next year for Xbox, and I gotta say — it's looking pretty good, folks. Though the presentation brought a ton of new titles (but very little launch dates), there were some standout games that I can't wait to see more of. Check out which ones below, then tell me your favorites in the comments!

• Tomb Raider — This new look at the series takes us back to Lara Croft's origin — when she was just 21 years old, fighting her way through a mysterious island. The demo looked really intense and sometimes even a little bit frightening.
• Kinect Star Wars — I perked up when I heard the Star Wars theme music playing during the presentation for this new title. I'm hoping LucasFilm does what it does best to help Kinect Star Wars take off — produce some awesome accessories to go along with it. Hello, light saber!

See the rest of my list after the jump.