DDR Dance Pad Reviews

Are your feet telling you to play DDR?  Perhaps you have DDR for PS (PlayStation), PS2 (PlayStation 2), or XBOX.  Or a DDR simulator for PC like Stepmania.  Or another dance game like In The Groove. 

Maybe you've started playing these addictive music games with a dance pad.  Have a pad that keeps slipping everywhere or isn't working too well?  Buttons not responding or sticking?  Unintended arrows being triggered?  Want a new pad? 

You'll find some reviews here for different types of dance pads.  If you don't have one, you've probably played DDR with a regular controller instead.  Now I know button mashing with a controller can be fun.  It can help get your timing and rhythm down as you play the song.  However, the game wasn't meant to be played that way.  It gets much more fun when you use a Dance Dance Revolution pad!

Soft Thin Dance Pads

Soft thin pads are flexible and made of plastic.  They're cheap and easy to bring around with you for those music game parties.  But they do not last long and usually slip around a lot. 

Playing something easy like Butterfly on light? The slipping won't be much of a concern then.  But if you're playing something heavier, the slipping becomes a problem. I find it annoying having to realign my dance mat in the middle of a DDR song.  Anyway, here are two soft thin pads:

Mad Catz PS2 Beat Pad

Red Octane In The Groove Dance Pad

Ignition Dance Pads

Ignition pads are made thicker by inserting a foam insert inside the pad.  The foam insert provides weight, durability, and comfort.  These mats won't slip around as much as the soft thin ones.  There is a different feel to this mat type but you can get used to it easily.  Two ignition pads are:

Red Octane Ignition Pad 3.0 (Multi-Platform Edition)

BNS DX Xtreme Dance Pad

Metal Dance Pads

Metal pads are the pad for expert players and can be a significant investment.  They're designed for to give you higher scores with greater accuracy.  Also, they have improved durability and reliability so they last longer.  Here are two metal pads to check out from RedOctane and Cobalt Flux:

Red Octane Afterburner Metal Pad

Cobalt Flux Dance Platform Pad