DDRX-cabinet pads & longterm health of your legs/feet

[Cheerios]

I can usually play doubles on a pre-X cabinet for hours and hours. The worst thing that happens is my legs/feet are sore afterwords, but that's natural. So, after playing doubles on an X cabinet for less than an hour, something doesn't feel right with my right foot. (I usually put weight on my right leg for crossovers on doubles.) Okay, so I leave, but now my left knee feels odd as I'm walking away.

This is just my guess: This is due to the construction of the new pad, it doesn't seem to rebound as well as the pre-X cabinet pads. So, basically it feels like you are dancing on a giant slab of wood that doesn't really absorb shock. Where does the shock go? Eh, your knees and feet most likely. A doctor though will most likely say that dancing for too long on any type of cabinet is bad for your knees and feet. (To many it worse, you have to press harder for x-cabinet sensors to work, this causing more pressure on your knees/feet.)

These problems will probably go away in a couple days of no DDR play and rest, but just a warning that long time use of X-cabinet pads may cause some health issues for your knee, ankle, and feet/feet joints. And for those with knee or leg issues already, I wouldn't recommend playing for more than an hour on an X-cabinet.

OR, I could just be getting old. But, in all serious-ness, this has never happened before on pre-X cabinets after VERY heavy doubles play for several hours. I hope I'm not the only one who feels that the new X-cabinet pads aren't as 'bouncy'.

Opinions or comments on how you feel after you play on an X-cabinet pad for a long duration versus pre-X cabinet pads for long duration are appreciated. X-cabinet pads seriously needs to be recalled and fixed if 99% of people have issues with it. I understand the x-cabinet have a bazillion other issues, but this discussion page is just for the PADS ONLY.
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cheerios...mmm, yea. 100 calories and promotes a healthy lifestyle.

[DAVE101]

I would very much agree. The first thing I noticed when I stepped up onto the new pads is how solid it was. This on top of having to stomp on the arrows would definitely cause some problems.
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poop

[reboman]

I don't know; I played for a while today, and I don't think it's entirely the pads; changing the playstyle to adapt to the pads might be causing a problem, though. My feet hurt a little bit, but after over two hours of play, why wouldn't they?

[thewheel]

The pads ARE made out of wood on US cabinets; no wonder your legs feel like shit.
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Akanna raion suki raion suki hikigaeru
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[Yeehaw McKickass]

[Shuma Gorath]

so in the end is it like playing on blueshark pads(which are made out of wood)?

[chennymountain]

we'll if they're both made of wood then they probably are similar.
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DDR? Did someone say...DDR? DDR?! DDR?!?!

[Baka of the Orochi]

If the shock of your steps get absorbed rather than bouncing back up, I believe it's also pretty nasty to the knees and ankles as well, and long term would be very bad (also causes shin splints). Seeing as how the pads and the feet don't do a very good job of making the stage "bouncy," I'm not surprised. I've also found myself getting insanely tired and in pain after playing a couple rounds of X (then again, I'm also stepping a bit harder as well).

Shuma Gorath: Essentially? Yes. You're basically playing on a "crap-o-cab."
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[cheesecake]

[Travelsonic]

[videoCWK]

Aside from how the pads damage your ankles and feet, has anyone realized how much of a durability nightmare the US pads must be?
What happens if someone spills a soda on the pads? What if termites find their way inside? I can't imagine they'd hold up nearly as long as regular pads in a humid environment (i.e. boardwalks). I'd also expect the wood to begin to get brittle after many years of use.
There's also the metal surface of the pad. It just looks "weak." If it got damaged somehow, your only choice would be to get a new one. You also have to remove the whole thing to get into the pad, and while it's off it'd be easier to bend or get hurt on than a bunch of metal squares that can be stacked neatly aside.
And Ho Man made a good point about the pads being literally connected to the cabinet. It's not uncommon knowledge that parts in the machine could need a tune up now and then because wires and such have fallen out of place due to bass and step vibrations. Ho Man mentioned that the pads being connected to the machine like that caused people's itmes on the machine to move around after playing for some time. He also mentioned that it's probably not good for the machine's parts. Stuff doesn't tend to move around on a lot of DDR machines I've used, so this much vibration coming from any game of DDR can't be good for the machine's internals.
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[goatee_guy]

out of curiosity...

Has anyone that has the new DDRX machine (the NA version), taken photos of the inside of the pad?

I'm just curious on the layout and such, and how it's designed.

[Baka of the Orochi]

Are people seriously worried about termites?

Arcades have used wood in their cabinets for years. Those pads are also painted and probably lacquered. I doubt termites would be a problem.
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[Ho-Man]

I am in agreement with Baka of the Orochi. The vast majority of arcade cabinets (at least in this country) are made of wood--including original DDR cabinets. If a location has a termite problem (which I have never heard of actually happening), they have much bigger problems to worry about (i.e. virtually their entire stock of cabinets) than these new DDR X stages.

[videoCWK]

[Shuma Gorath]

[EAG2]

I deal with termites everyday (work for Terminix). Termites shouldn't be a problem as far as the pads. Unless you start seeing mud tunnels on the floor or walls.
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[Baka of the Orochi]

Turns out the bottom of the pads aren't wood, more than it's some kind of...acrylic? My friend pointed out that the bottom is grainy like wood, but checking it out again a little closer, it was more like shavings or something texturized (maybe a result of a paint job). Regardless, not a very solid construction at all.
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[Syncopation]

Shavings would suggest something like compressed sawdust and therefore a fiberboard, rather than true wood.

As far as the pad rigidness per step is concerned, how do they compare vs. something like a Cobalt Flux home pad or even a Pump It Up arcade machine pad?

[Famine]