On the plus side it should be entirely durable, which isn't true of any commercially-available dance mat that's cheaper than a Cobalt Flux. Even that probably needs repair from time to time if you use it heavily. (I haven't had to repair mine, but I don't play that much. Enough to kill everything else I tried though...)

By the way, when I got my CF it shipped with a special sheet of gridlike rubbery non-slip material that you were supposed to put under the pad if playing on a smooth surface such as a hardwood floor. Looked to me like this would probably work fine, so I wouldn't give up on the traditional pads just yet.

quen

cybereality

But if they actually designed it with the player in mind, I could see them including something that would make up for the time in between crossing the laser and hitting the floor. But lets get realistic and realize that won't happen.

The one thing this pad will be good for: Hands. The one thing this pad won't be good for: Mines.
And what? No bar? What about all the bar rapers out there ;)

Tiger-Fever

Then there is the fact this is ONLY for 4 direction games only, so that limits its use (its 4 directions, not 8. If your playing DDR and it asks you to step on 2 arrows at a time, the pad would register it as a diagonal instead)

Scazza

Torusan

The moderately nice of the crappy soft ones are about 40 dollars, and many people buy the nicest ones that run 200 dollars or more. If you're not paying more than 20 or 30 dollars for a pad, you're only buying a MadCatz. Good luck with that.

egyptiansushi

I was a big DDR player, bought decent soft pads to prectice with at home, and almost completely ruined my arcade game because of it. Because of the give of the soft pads, I was no longer used to stepping on something solid at the arcades and expended too much energy moving and stepping to pass harder songs that I could easily pass on soft pads at home. Also, not wearing shoes at home let my slide my feet a lot easier, something else I had become accustomed to.

So the heirarchy goes metal pads > these > soft pads > diaper bundle controllers. Get yourself a nice, cheap cut of linoleum from a tile store if you've got carpet. It's what breadancers do ;)

But, I agree, those protruding sensors will get broken if they are not put inside the casing. And two per corner would increase the step area considerably.

Johnny_Under

1) Cost... no way am I spending over $30 for a DDR "pad"
2) Will I know where to step if I can't see the lasers? It would be like playing Super Mario Bros with a controller that was all touchpad... it would suck.
3) The thing with the carpet. This thing should be usable for ANYONE if it fulfills the above two requirements

Ally-san

The pad is going to quite inconsistent in measuring your steps. You've got horizontal beams measuring up and down steps, and vertical beams measuing left and right steps, rather than identical square buttons for each foot. I can imagine a lot of scenarios where you stick out a heel or toe and just miss the laser.

Also, as Ninjafetus mentioned, the timing of this pad is going to be very different to that of the arcade, with no tactile feedback. These things are important when you start playing harder songs.

I actually remember seeing a concept for this on DDRUK.com a while back. I didn't really like the idea then, and I still have my doubts. There's nothing wrong with the arcade system.

mintsauce

Actually, I know a lot about DDR. Being a active player in the DDR community for years, I can see this being... very different from the standard game. Normal DDR requires very accurate timing, and there's a difference between putting your foot in a location and actually pressing to activate the button. Arcade DDR pads actually have 4 pressure sensors per arrow (one on each side). So, many people play by stepping on the inside edges of the arrow. (less movement = ability to handle faster arrows). This pad would require you to 'step' so that you break the beam going across the middle of the arrow. Also, it would register the instant your foot broke the beam, not at the point your foot physically pushed down on the arrow... so you would have less tactile feedback on your timing precision. I'm not saying you couldn't get used to it, I'm just saying it would be different.

Of course, comparing it to a cheap plastic mat that most beginners use... yeah, it probably would be great. You'd have to be careful not to step on the lasers, and beginners can get far off their intended targets. If you're a more advanced player... well, you probably would have a better pad already anyway, or just play in the arcade.

Maybe I'm unnecessarily skeptical. I can't see myself using one, but I'd love to hear any feedback from high-level players on the pad. It'd be interesting to see how they like it.

ninjafetus

khdownes

johnhummel

Adam

T3kN

elevenoverzero

Agreed. While I might be able to shuffle and slide, will I be able to bunny hop or tap (heel, toe)? I would also be worried about kicking the thing around if I tried to freestyle. I can see this working out like Dance Maniax or ParaParaParadise, but until I can try it for myself, I'll stick to the metal pads at the arcades, thank you very much.

Ainai

Luziphir

blueman612

Sasuntsi|Davit

phreak5k

CyricZ

ez054098

Narsil

HappyWulf

TOCATL

cheez