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A dance pad, also known as a dance mat or dance platform, is a flat electronic game controller used for input in dance games. Most dance pads are divided into a 3×3 matrix of square panels for the player to stand on, with some or all of the panels corresponding to directions or actions within the game. Some dance pads also have extra buttons outside of the main stepping area, such as "Start" and "Select". Pairs of dance pads are often joined side-by-side for certain gameplay modes.

Popular arcade games such as Dance Dance Revolution and Pump It Up use large steel dance platforms connected to the arcade cabinet, whereas console versions usually use soft plastic pads. These home pads are specifically made for systems such as the GameCube, PlayStation, or Xbox, but can also be used in computer simulators such as StepMania through the use of special adapters.

Types of dance pads

  • "Soft" pads are thin and made of plastic. They generally cost $10-$20. They are good for a beginner's introduction to dance games, but they have a tendency to move around and wrinkle up during gameplay (unless "modded", such as by gluing or taping them to the top of a piece of plywood or the bottom of a transparent office chair mat). They are not usually durable and may wear out easily, but for light use they are quite fitting. Manufacturers of soft pads include Konami, RedOctane, Intec, MadKatz, and Naki International.
Some soft pads contain stiff foam inserts of the dense or hard varieties to provide more stability and durability. The inserts usually ship as three or six puzzle pieces (to allow for a smaller box) which fit together using a dovetail joint and slide into the dance pad, which then zips closed around the foam. Certain brands of foam pads put raised plastic sections under the directional buttons to allow them to be more easily felt by a player's feet, so as to help keep him centered on the pad. These pads generally cost between $40 and $100.
It is also possible to modify a pad by attaching it to a hard surface and optionally covering it with clear material; this can increase pad life and keep it from slipping around.
  • "Hard" pads are usually constructed with metal (and sometimes wood) for durability, and usually come with a raised bar behind the player. Arcade machines use very durable metal pads that are designed for heavy use. Other hard pads can be purchased for home use with a video game system; the prices can be around US$100 to $300 ($200-$600 for double pads)- $700 to $1000+ online. Manufacturers of hard pads include Cobalt Flux and RedOctane.

Problems are often encountered when attempting to use a PlayStation pad with a computer simulator. Most PlayStation-PC adapters will not register Up and Down, or Left and Right, simultaneously, although they are common "jumps" in dance games. This is because normal PlayStation games do not require such input, and because D-pads are not usually designed to physically permit such input. StepMania's website has a section concerning adapter compatibility*.

Purchasers of home pads should be aware of the number and arrangement of active arrow panels that are required by the game(s) they want to play. Although most commercial pads have four arrow panels (Dance Dance Revolution|DDR/In The Groove), some have five (Pump It Up), eight (UK), or nine (Technomotion).

Dance Dance Revolution has four arrow buttons on its 3×3 matrix: Up, Down, Left, and Right. Pump It Up has five: Up-Left, Up-Right, Center, Down-Left, and Down-Right. On Pump It Up's dance mat, the corner buttons are actually rectangles with length slightly larger than width.

Homebrew Pads

Not satisfied with the cost and/or reliability of factory assembled metal dance pads, many players construct their own dance pad. Using common materials (such as plywood, sheet metal, and plexiglass or lexan) found at local hardware stores, do-it-yourselfers are able to construct a pad that is often much more durable than factory built hard pads. Furthermore, the homebrew pads are easy to repair because they use common parts. Most homebrew pads must be wired up to an standard controller for the system it is being used for (GameCube, PlayStation, Xbox, or Computer), but some have custom electronics built from scratch. The most common design uses metal contacts to act as switches, but some novel ideas have been proposed, such as the use of optical, pressure, vibration, or proximity sensors.

One of the pioneers of homebrew pads is D. Gee, known on the internet as ddrhomepad. In November 2002, Gee created a free website that included simple and complete instructions with pictures on constructing your own Arcade style DDR dance pad. It is believed that hundreds if not thousands of people have used his website to bring the arcade experience into their homes. Another notable pioneer pad builder with a different design is Marcus Wu.

There is an ongoing forum topic in which thousands of do-it-yourselfers discuss homebrew pad design and share plans and pictures.

Many players who, at the immense amount of work needed for a homebrew metal pad, opt to modify their existing soft pads. Most of the time, players will take plywood sheets and staple it their soft pads. This effectively cures wrinkling and tearing of the pad and also saves time and money that would have been spent on larger, stronger pads.

See also

  • Power Pad - the original video game pressure mat

External links

Dance pads | Dance video games | PlayStation 2 peripherals | PlayStation 1 peripherals | Xbox peripherals | Gamecube peripherals | Game controllers

Tanzmatte | Tanssiohjain

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Dance pad".

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