Dance mat reviews The dance mat is at the very heart of the Dance Dance Revolution. But which one should you buy and where? As Futuremax is about to close, it becomes hard for european fans to buy their mats. US DDR players are luckier with dance pad mania and precision dance pads, two dance mats shops which look healthy. Living in France, it would be expansive to ship mats from there so this page focus on the european mats I know. American friends, please tip me off the great mats you have! And everyone, do not hesitate to share if you know of a good dance mat shop.
Please write to. First I make a listing of the different kinds of dance mats on the market, giving my feeling about which one is best suited for your play level. Then I go back in details on two mats I own and like. One can sort the dance mat market into three main categories:. Cheap soft mats (10-20€). Improved soft mats with foam insert (30-80€).
Metal mats, arcade style (100-600€) Now if you are gifted in manual craftwork, just follow this guide to build a high end metal mat yourself:. You need these pictures for the arrows, too:. Jean Marie, a reader of the site, was kind enough to write this for us after having build four mats like these. Right, this is french, and I understand too little in the world of manual work to do the translation.
Still this is full of self explanatory pictures so I guess it is OK for you! Back to the commercial mats, let's check it out right now! Quick view: These are the cheapest mats available. They are completely flat with a plastic surface as pictured below: These mats suit every purse but become very quickly annoying for the player building his skill. They slide on the floor a lot, making it a challenge to keep in mind the position of the arrows. You end up missing the arrows by hitting where the arrow was, but where it is not anymore because of the displacement of the mat.
Another downside is the fragility of these mats. They usually last only a few months. Closing words, these soft mats are a great way to discover the DDR for almost no money investment, but a few more bucks would reward you with far superior options. Offers for this category: Among the various embodiments of the soft dance mats you will mainly find the Topway I chose for the picture, with 'Stay Cool' written in the center. It may exist slightly better models but nothing significantly better. You can have two mats for only 20€ (this may be a temporary offer though).
This is a good bargain to test the game without putting much money on it, for a start. US based website offers a 'basic dance pad' which promises better quality fo 40$. I live in France, shipping is expansive, therefore I can not judge by myself! Quick view: Intermediate price offer.
They differenciate by foam elements you assemble inside the mat just like a puzzle. A zip on the side of the mat let it open for this operation. The (more or less) rigid foam is about 5 centimeters thick. Look below: This foam insert brings several sweets: first, the mat is much heavier and slide a lot less compared to the cheaper soft mats. The comfort is greatly improved by the foam absorbing the shocks of your feet on the floor. This is also a little bit less noisy for your neighbours downstairs, but just a bit!
These mats offer more durability, but it also depends on how you use your mat: keep in mind that these mats are very sensitive so there is no use smashing the arrows with your feet. This is something you should also tell your friends trying Stepmania at your home. And of course no shoes admitted on these mats! This type of dance mat is ideal to begin DDR in good conditions, and the price is still affordable.
In my view, the price premium is more than justified compared to the soft mats. Mats offer, the Deluxe series: The choice is pretty large in this mat category. The brand Futuremax, from the netherlands, has no less than three distinct mats to propose: the famous 3in1 Deluxe Ignition Dance Mat series. There is a bargain if you buy two or four mats at a time, thus here are the prices for one mat/two mats/four mats. Sadly, the shop is about to close therefore these mats will get nearly impossible to grab. Deluxe v2: vanilla version, 40/30/25€. Deluxe v2.5: just like the v2 except the foam insert are much stiffer.
50/40/35€. Deluxe v3: totally different mat, superior to the two others. Stiff foam, raised arrows. 80/60/55€ If you buy one mat, Futuremax is too pricey. Buy two, you will have fun with a friend! This way it is a good bargain. All these mats come with connexions for PC and Mac (standard USB), Xbox 1 or 360, Playstation 2 or 3.
If you wish to play with a Wii you have to look for a specific mat, thanks Nintendo! Anyway we are focused on Stepmania here at DDR PC Gamer. Switching from a standard soft mat to a Futuremax Deluxe v2 is very nice for the reasons I gave above. Deluxe v2 is very comfortable, very nice to dance on and you will blow away your previous scores with it. However, time lasting remains a problem. The plastic surface eventually shows up cracks, the mat become less responsive, you hit the mat but you still missed the arrow!
On the contrary the mat can suffer 'ghost arrows', arrows validated even if you did not touch the mat. Very frustrating! I tested one from a friend, it did miss arrows sometimes (not often but it still breaks your score). It lasted a year and a half, so nothing outrageous and it remains a good first buy choice. The v2.5 Deluxe Ignition mat brings the rigid foam inserts which will improve your in-game performance. Indeed, it is easy to sink in the mats with standard soft foam insert, there is a little 'quicksands effect'.
This slows down a bit the player trying to quickly chain up the arrows. The stiff foam insert, while remaining comfortable, allows you to gain responsiveness. It may sound a secondary detail, but I assure you it does help for the fast songs.
Still, I guess the v2.5 should suffer the same long-term reliability troubles as the v2 because it is the same construction. It's actually hard to be sure about this because the mat is recent and not yet widespread. If you own one please give me back your feelings about the durability of this mat via. The price of this v2.5 is interesting in respect to the v3. This is a comfortable and sensitive mat which will allow you to score even at the high difficulty levels. I propose further on the page a of the Deluxe v3 I own.
Definitely my favorite mat, before it I was changing mats every 6 months or so. My game improved a lot with the rigid foam, and I have been using happily two mats for three years in Hard mode without trouble. That is why I think the v3 is tougher than the other mats from Futuremax. Plus, the surface of the v3 mat is different and feels better under the feet to me. The arrows are a bit raised, thus you do not lose their locations even if you move a lot on the mat.
The Deluxe v3 is a bit expensive and is probably not the better choice if you just want to get some fun with Stepmania. If you are already hooked up to DDR however, and look for an excellent mat for the years to come, then this v3 is a no-brainer. Positive Gaming offer: Swedish brand Positive Gaming offers a truly excellent quality/price deal with the PG Impact soft mat, for PC / Mac USB. I also own one and give an extensive review. Trackmania sunrise patch 1.5. Long story short, this is a great value for only 30€ (one mat)/25€(two mats).
It is a surprisingly thin mat, the inserts lying only under the arrows. This helps feeling the arrow under your foot. Despite its thinness the PG Impact does not slide on the floor and has a very good durability. I think this is the toughest mat you can find. This is a very very good choice unless you primarily care for dance comfort. Where can you buy your foam inserted mat: In addition to build the Deluxe series, Futuremax is the major european dealer. Or should I say was, as they announced recently (end of 2014) they will cease business.
On this you will find every single mat listed above. As I explained above the prices for one mat are excessive, except the Positive Gaming. Buying two mats or four mats at the time is a good bargain. It usually costs 15€ to ship two mats. US players have less to worry, with still online and running.
They have got a basic thin mat at 40$ and a foam insert mat at 80$. I am interested by on this website and their mats.
Dance Pad Foam Underlayment - 100 square feet per roll This Foam Underlayment is perfect for floating floor installations. NOT for glue down.
Made in the USA! Quick Highlights: - Reduces impact, sound and floor noise - Ultra-Fresh antimicrobial treatment resists mold and mildew - Eliminates hollow clacking sounds - Smoothes out minor subfloor irregularities up to 1/8' - Adds thermal value to your floor - Non-allergenic and oderless - 100% recyclable, environmentally friendly Specs: - 100% Synthetic Latex Rubber Foam - Thickness: 3/8', 16lb high density - Compression Resistance (ASTM D3676): 9.47 psi - Compression Set (ASTM D3574): 41% - Fire Rating: DOC-FF-1-70, Passes - Roll Size: 3 x 33.34 (100 sq. Ft.), 9 rolls per box/pallet for detailed information.
Dance Pad Connector: USB USB Dance Pads RedOctane Ignition 3.0 RECOMMENDED Manufacturer: Comments: Has a built-in connectors for USB, PlayStation, and Xbox. It has connectable USB, and built in PlayStation, and Xbox connections. You can use this pad with game consoles. For stepmania play, you need an adapter. It's sturdy.
The foam insert is the thickest/heaviest of all foam insert pads and the pad slides around less than the others. This pad automatically maps in StepMania 4.0 and newer. Note: Some users report that when using the USB connector with AMD-based systems, the pad responds sluglishly. Others report, that this pad does not work with some PCs. Buy: RedOctane Afterburner Manufacturer: Comments: Has a built-in connectors for USB, PlayStation, and Xbox. Buy: Energy Metal Dance Pad Manufacturer: DDRGame Comments: Has a built-in connectors for USB, PlayStation, Xbox, and GameCube. Buy: Energy Metal Non-slip Soft Pad Manufacturer: DDRGame User Comments: Works with Windows 7 x64.
Driver installs automatically. Map the buttons in StepMania. User Comments: Has built-in connectors for USB, PlayStation, Xbox. USB works fine with StepMania (no driver needed) Buy: Ignition - Thick Foam Dance Pad Manufacturer: (many) (gamerose) User Comments: This appears to be the GR-DP002 made. See comments regarding the thin gamerose pads as they also probably apply. May appear with various other graphic overlays. Made in various single platform and multi-platform configurations.
Manufacturer offers 20 and 25mm foam thicknesses in different densities. Appears to sell two different versions, one (ultra) which claims a non-slip backing and high density foam and another (elite) that doesn't; another model, claims super high density foam. These pads have a zippered compartment into which you insert interlocking foam pieces. Gamerose also has a thick single piece GR-DP0003 model with 8 round plastic foot pads inserted in a solid piece, which lights up when you step; select/back buttons, if present, are very tiny. Haven't seen this one in the wild, yet. EZrange XPG Tournament Elite tested under linux 2.6.26-1-686 (debian): USB HID 0e8f:3013 'GreenAsia, Inc.'
:'USB Dance Pa', MaxPower: 300mA; Simultaneous Up/Down/Left/Right OK (as auxiliary buttons), no EMI disconnects so far (very light use, non static clothing). USB ID is from the chip used inside pad and is shared with one or more other products including PSX:USB converters and 'GreenAsia' is from linux vendor id database, and 'USB Dance Pa' text comes from HID descriptors? Tested on Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI AMD Athlon64 motherboard (NVidea NFORCE4 chipset). Buy It: Bemani Dance Pad for DDR Universe 2 - XBOX 360 Manufacturer: Konami User Comment: Stepmania 3.9 by default uses DirectInput, which under Microsoft drivers treats this pad as a standard XBOX 360 game controller, making it suffer from the. If only one step is down at a time, the controller works normally, but if multiple steps are depressed then the driver reports no steps are depressed. XBCD and XInput have both successfully been used to correct this issue; the former by remapping buttons, the latter by using a software shim between StepMania and the pad. Thin Foam Pad with USB Connector Manufacturer: (many) (gamerose) User Comment: Tested and works great.
User Comment: Has the on Windows. User Comment: I just bought this dance pad and works great, no problems, works smoothy and very easy to setup on Stepmania. Just plug it in a USB port on windows xp and it will install the drivers automatically, no installation CD required. #1 Recommended, saves alot of money and reliable. I bought it from play-asia for just 10 bucks + 18.00 for shipping.
It's from Hong Kong, so expect it to be about 8 days to your door. Caffeine Comment: As of 19Jan07, the pad is $10.90. For one pad, shipping is as low as $18.60 to the USA.
For two mats, lowest shipping jumps to $45.10. All prices are for www.play-asia.com. User Comment: This appears to be the GR-DP006 (non-slip) or GR-DP001 (without non-slip). Manufactured by www.gamerose.com gamerose in Shenzen, China and is available with various printing on the surface.
Made in various single platform and multi-platform configurations. Manufacturer reported linux compatiblity (wrong driver, though) on. On the forums, however, there have been many reports of driver disconnects due to possible EMI on many systems. These disconnects also happen on windows; however on windows the pad reconnects and is recognized by application but on linux the pad becomes a new unique joystick device which confuses software. Editing configuration files to force the device to a specific joystick device is reported to help (but you still miss steps just like on windows). It has also been that the disconnects are due to static electricity and can be eliminated by rubbing with a dryer sheet or avoiding static producing clothing like polyester. Using an external hub has also been reported to solve the problem.
8-button dance area (center not active) plus start/back buttons. As with other no-name chinese products, there may be one or more actual manufacturers, multiple rebrands, and many product variations that look similar. It is possible there are different USB controllers in some USB models. Gamerose specifically claims to be a manufacturer and offers to customize. Buy It: Fitpad Dance Mat controller (USB) Manufacturer: Guillemot/Thrustmaster Comments: Bundled with Disney Interactive's Jungle Book. Appears as a regular joystick.
Positive Gaming Impact (USB) Manufacturer: Positive Gaming User Report: Impact Dance Pad has USB connector and it is meant for PC/MAC only. It doesn't require drivers and automatically maps in StepMania 4 and newer.
Pad has thin non-removable foam insert for the four directional arrows, rest of the pad has no extra cushion besides the very thin foam base. My overall impression was good, this has to be one of the best foam pads available for PC.
User Report: Works fine and it doesn't reguire any drivers or anything with XP. Buy: Logic 3 Dance Pad Manufacturer: Comments: Bundled with 'Dance Dance Dance' PC game and comes with with a ps2 keyboard adapter. User report: Works perfectly. Purchased on eBay.
User report: Has the because left+right and up+down don't work. User report: I'm using the PS/2 keyboard version of the pad, and it does not show the. However, after folding and unfolding a few times, the down-right corner diagonal arrow does not respond, thus Pump It Up play is unusable. User report: I'm using the PS/2 keyboard version of the pad. It works perfectly, you can press all buttons at the same time. You need PS/2 keyboard to get this pad work.
Dance Pad Games For Tv
It has button to select Player and Keyboard mode. When you use player mode this enables you to use the pad and keyboard mode enables you to use a keyboard. NOTE: You have to set pad to keyboard mode when you are rebooting computer or turning it on. User report: I have the USB version (no PS/2 adapter).
No joystick axes problem. Configures for one-player automatically. Two-player doesn't work unless you reconfigure the pads with the. Cyber-Groove pad (USB) Manufacturer: Comments: Bundled with 'Cyber Groove' PC game and comes with a USB connector. User report: Works well, but keys started flickering and the up-left arrow stopped responding altogether.
Purchased from a surplus site. Level Six USB Pad Manufacturer:??? User comment: this looks like a gamerose pad. Buy: USB Dance Pad 4 Manufacturer: Wird Factory Comments: Has a built-in controler USB. Buy: Company closed it`s activity. USB Dance Pad 6 Manufacturer: Wird Factory Comments: Has a built-in controler USB with Windows Vista compatible.
For SOLO and SINGLE mode. Very durable and shock-proof. Buy: Company closed it`s activity. Kraft Dance Pad Manufacturer: Kraft Buy: Comments: The Kraft pad suffers from the.
It can be easily opened up to cross the wires and make the arrows map to buttons instead. Comments: If you want to mod your pad to correct fo the, check out this from Angela and this from Jesse and another from Paul. Digital Praise Dance Pad Manufacturer: Digital Praise Buy: Comments: Sold bundled with the Dance Praise Software or seperately. 9 ft cord gives.
Foam insert pad. User comment: It's a nice pad to start with; not the best out there but good enough. Worked fine for me; just plugged it in and it was good to go, no driver or anything else other than setting up key mappings in Stepmania. User comment: This looks like a gamerose pad. Buy: Pro Dance Mat Manufacturer:??? User comments: this looks like a gamerose pad Comments: Bought from eBay UK. The wiring is identical to the Kraft pad.
This Dance Mat suffers from the, despite the controller supporting 12 buttons. This can be fixed either by cutting the traces on the board and re-wiring them with wire and solder or by the aluminium foil method as described in the Kraft dance mat section. Multi-Platform Non-Slip Pro Pad (MPRO-1000) Manufacturer: Gamesis Inc. User Comment: This is a multi-platform pad (PS2, Xbox, USB), it has 1 cable with 3 attached connectors.
I have only used the USB connector and it worked right out of the box, I only had to map the Start and Back/Select keys Stepmania. Caffeine Comment: Everything in the previous comment is accurate (except the pad also works with PS1 as well as PS2, XBox, and USB). Here's some more information.
As of 19Jan07, the pad is $34.99. For one pad, ground shipping in USA is $5.99, and priority is $8.75.
For two pads, ground shipping in USA is $7.00, and priority shipping is $13.80. Buy It: TX2500 Manufacturer:??? Comments: Comes with a USB adapter port, and hooks straight up to Stepmania, although it has to be mapped. Buy: TX4000 Manufacturer: Blade Dance Pads User Comment: USB connector works great in Windows XP and doesn't need drivers. The pad is silent when pressing the arrows and has a control box with Select and Start buttons. Also has PlayStation and Xbox connectors, but I didn't try those.
Dance Pad Game
User Comment2: I have heard that with the TX6000 the bar falls off easy, that someone broke it off in 2 days. Buy: TX6000 Buy: TX6500 Buy: TX19000 Buy: (site no longer available) TX20000 Buy: (site no longer available) Product page says: Protrudent arrow design,(Tx19000 is flat-arrow design) Pure commercial model, the steel pad is 3 times thicker than TX 6000. 9 pieces stainless steel pads.
Firm arcade metal handrail can easily sustain an adult. Compatible with PS,PS2 XBox and PC USB, Needs No driver softwares. E-Best USB Dance Mat User Report: This pad works. It looks like the DANCE UK dance mat. It links straight to your USB and does not suffer from the Joystick Axes Problem (you can step on two arrows simultaneously without a problem).
Because of the layout of the mat (like dance uk), it may be a bit different from the normal DDR mat, but works nevertheless. Comment 2: Easy to set up, comes with 3 sticky pads to help prevent sliding of the mat.
Still crinkles up easily. Seems like the only one of two you can get in Australia. (Shipped from Australia) Buy: TrinPad Manufacturers Report: This pad behaves like USB HID Gamepad with 9 buttons.
There is no axes problem as both of the axes are non-functional on purpose. There are only 9 buttons (all 8 directions + center) that you can configure as you like. Comes with a mat that prevents sliding. Buy: (site no longer available) PS420N - PS Dance Mat Manufacturers Report: Logic3 top selling high quality, durable, non-slip Dance Mat Controller for Psone and PS2 consoles. Ideal for use with all dance titles for PSone & PS2 including Dancing Stage series from Konami and Athens 2004: Olympics from Sony. Unique slip resistant construction.
8 Action buttons. Start / Select control.
Heavy duty plastic covering. Hard wearing pressure pads. Dimensions: 107cm x 88cm. Now with L1, L2, R1 & R2 Buttons Buy: DDR Cold Steel Mk.I (USB) Manufacturers Report: Dance pad build specially for use with Stepmania Compatible with PS2,PS3, XBox and PC USB. No driver software needed. Unique slip resistant construction.
Steel Finish. 6 Action buttons. Start / Select control. Heavy duty design. Hard wearing pressure pads. Dimensions: 93cm x 83cm. Button dimension: 28cm x28cm.
Buy: DDR Cold Steel Mk.II (USB) Manufacturers Report: Dance pad build specially for use with Stepmania Compatible with PS2,PS3, XBox and PC USB. No driver software needed. Unique slip resistant construction.
Impact Dance Pad
Steel Finish. 6 Action buttons. Start / Select control. Heavy duty design. Hard wearing pressure pads. Dimensions: 93cm x 83cm.
Button dimension: 28cm x28cm. Arcade-like buttons mounting. Buy: DDR PRO (USB) Manufacturers Report: Dance pad build specially for use with Stepmania Compatible with PS2,PS3, XBox and PC USB. No driver software needed. Unique slip resistant construction. 6 Action buttons.
Start / Select control. Heavy duty design. Hard wearing pressure pads. Dimensions: 93cm x 83cm. Button dimension: 28cm x28cm. Buy: Radioactive Dance HYBRID Manufacturers Report: Dance pad build specially for use with Stepmania Compatible with PS2,PS3, XBox and PC USB. No driver software needed.
Unique slip resistant construction. 10 Action buttons. Start / Select control. Heavy duty plastic covering. Hard wearing pressure pads. Dimensions: 93cm x 83cm.
Button dimension: 28cm x28cm. Buy: Radioactive Dance DDR Manufacturers Report: Dance pad build specially for use with Stepmania Compatible with PS2,PS3, XBox and PC USB. No driver software needed. Unique slip resistant construction. 10 Action buttons.
Start button. Heavy duty plastic covering. Hard wearing pressure pads. Dimensions: 93cm x 83cm. Button dimension: 28cm x28cm.
Dance Mat Description The Positive Gaming™ Impact Dance Pad is regarded to be the most durable soft pad on the market. Our vision is that the whole line of dance pads we produce reflects the same top quality. One of its most appealing features is the raised area under each arrow which allows players to feel where they are standing on the pad at all times. Feature List. Best soft pad on the market.
Affordable price for those starting out. Durable fabric materials. High density raised foam under each arrow. Foldable for easy storage.
Supports PC/MAC (USB). The Positive Gaming™ Impact Dance Pad is a step in the right direction for beginners and intermediate players. It is an entry level soft dance pad that works with your favourite PC/MAC based dance games. Learn about various and for all age groups. For more information about our products and how to buy, check out the worldwide.
Dance Pad Foam Underlayment - 100 square feet per roll This Foam Underlayment is perfect for floating floor installations. NOT for glue down. Made in the USA!
Quick Highlights: - Reduces impact, sound and floor noise - Ultra-Fresh antimicrobial treatment resists mold and mildew - Eliminates hollow clacking sounds - Smoothes out minor subfloor irregularities up to 1/8' - Adds thermal value to your floor - Non-allergenic and oderless - 100% recyclable, environmentally friendly Specs: - 100% Synthetic Latex Rubber Foam - Thickness: 3/8', 16lb high density - Compression Resistance (ASTM D3676): 9.47 psi - Compression Set (ASTM D3574): 41% - Fire Rating: DOC-FF-1-70, Passes - Roll Size: 3 x 33.34 (100 sq. Ft.), 9 rolls per box/pallet for detailed information.
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