List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $289.99
Today's Bonus: 3% Off
If you are like me, you are shopping for pads because you are afraid that eventually you won't be able to buy them anymore. I have ALWAYS wanted metal pads, and it took me 8 years to solidly convince myself to take the plunge, and months of shopping around to find the ones right for me. These pads are as close to perfect as you are going to get in this price range.
They feel solid. They are well built, and feel like they will last a good while. The USB units are plug and play (Windows 7 64 bit here), and they are read in as 2 axis 16 button (?!) controllers. There are only 6 buttons on it total, counting the "axis' but at least windows names them. Once windows knew what they were, stepmania was able to incorperate them right away in the config keys screen.
There is only one con to these, and really I don't feel so bad about it. The arrows. You can't just tap them like you would regular DDR (ITG/Pump/Whatever) arrows. They sit recessed in the pad, but they are about a half inch up from the actual sensor themselves, so when you set on one you have to make sure to add enough pressure to touch the arrow to sensor. At first this is difficult, because once you reach the 9 foot difficulty and up songs you tend to learn to glide over arrows to conserve energy. For me this has meant relearning a very basic part of game play, and after a day solid of playing on these I barely notice it anymore. My first song on the pads each day will be a 'D' followed by 'A's and 'AA's. It really doesn't detract at all, and now I feel it might actually be a good thing seeing as after working in an arcade I know how often those sensitive to tapping DDR sensors need to be replaced. These will probably last a good while longer.
One final note, when I got these home, their boxes that connected the pads to my computer would show up as malfunctioning in windows. I could only play on one of them, and was scared I received a broken one. After some snooping around, I discovered a possible solution. All I needed was a powered USB hub (CyberPower High-Speed 7-Port USB Hub) to get my pads up and running flawlessly. Apparently my choice of using a 620w Antec psu to power my i5 560ti rig meant there wasn't enough power left being sent to the usb to power these pads. If you are considering buying these, OR already have them and are facing this problem try out this solution before you try to mail back 50 pounds of metal and awesome.
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My friends and I are all decent DDR players (MyselfDouble Pad: 6-7 Steps; My friendSingle Pad: 9-10 Steps). The arrows are highly responsive and it feels like the arcade with the recessed buttons. You can play with shoes or socks. The bar is nice and sturdy if you follow that instructions; make sure to fasten it in tight. There is no lag from consoles and if you set it up on PC get Stepmania 4 (not 3.9), a free DDR emulator, for the best results.NOTE: For PC, a newer computer will help reduce lag, as well as unplugging any USB devices that are not in use.
NOTE: If you set it up to a large TV with a stereo system, there may be audio lag. Newer DDR games and Stepmania both have tools to adjust this.
I'm very satisfied with my purchase, as all the DDR machines in the area are either broken or crappy.
Buy from Amazon.com for great price and reliability.
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****UPDATE*****I have had these pads for a couple months now and the up arrow no longer functions.
The DDR Game only offers a 30 day warranty so I am S.O.L. If I would of known these pads would die after only a few months I would have never purchased them.
I do not recommend these pads to anyone and I recommend you look elsewhere for DDR Pads.
STAY AWAY FROM DDR GAME PRODUCTS!
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