Free Mass Effect 3 DLC out next week

BioWare is continuing to add to March's well-received space role-playing game Mass Effect 3. Microsoft's director of Xbox Live programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb announced today on his blog that a free Mass Effect 3 multiplayer expansion titled Earth will arrive on Xbox Live on July 17.

No further information is available surrounding the content, but previous multiplayer expansions for Mass Effect 3--Resurgence and Rebellion--launched on all platforms, and added new maps, weapons, and characters.

Launching today on Xbox Live in the United States is Kinect PlayFit, a free download that was the subject of a rumor in May. The application aggregates and tracks the calories gamers burn as they play a range of games, including Dance Central 2 and Kinect Star Wars. Kinect PlayFit allows users to view personal statistics over time and track progress on leaderboards. The app launches in other regions later this week.