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Dance Pads Buying Guide

Dance pads, also known as dance mats  or dance platforms,  are flat electronic game controllers used for games that require dancing or stepping with your feet.  Dance pads are divided into several square panels for the player to stand on, with each panel corresponding to a specific direction or action in the game. Some dance pads also have extra features, like buttons that light up or buttons outside of the main stepping area that make game play easier--i.e. "start" and "select."  Check out some of the information below to decide what type of dance pad will work best for you and your gaming system. 

Types of Pads

Soft :

  • These pads are made of plastic and are the thinnest and cheapest of all the varieties.
  • They are good for beginners, or people who use them infrequently. If they are used vigorously or often, they tend to wrinkle and bunch up during gameplay.
  • They aren't as durable as some of the other pads, which also tailors them to light game play.
  • Some soft pads contain stiff foam inserts  to provide more stability and durability. The inserts usually ship in pieces that you put together with dovetail joints and then slide into the dance pad, which zips closed around them.
  • Certain foam pads  have raised plastic sections under the directional buttons so that the player can more easily feel them and stay centred on the pad itself.
  • Popular soft pad manufacturers include: Konami,  RedOctane,  Intec  and Naki International.  Nintendo  also makes a specific type of soft pad called the Action Pad. 

Hard :

  • Hard pads are usually made with wood or metal to add durability.
  • They have a raised metal bar on the back that the player can use during gameplay for added stability.
  • Arcade machines use durable metal pads that are designed for heavy use, but other hard pads can be purchased for home use with certain video game systems.
  • Hard dance pads are considerably more expensive and harder to store.
  • Popular manufacturers of hard pads include DDRgame,  Cobalt Flux, MyMyBox  and Brown Box. 

Systems That Use Them

The following systems use dance pads fro games like Dance Dance Revolution  and In the Groove. 

Related Guides

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Rhythm Games

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PC Video Game Controllers

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