Urgent help: Pad reccommendations...

[AMUSIX]

I am buying giving DDR MAX2 to my wife for Christmas, and am completely lost when it comes to which pads I should get her. When I bought the game I also bought two metal pads, with the intent of returning them if they are not correct (I have a month, and they are MyMyBox).

Now, I have read through the 60+ pages of both the Hard pad and Soft pad sticky threads, and have come to understand that no matter what pad I end up with, it'll have to be modded (I would have bought her a CF, but there is no way to get two of those in a week...unless some San Diego retailer carrys them). In addition, the soft pads seem to last longer for he price (a $50 soft pad seems to last over 6 months, while a $200 metal pad requires continual upkeep, and people still experience faults after several months). My question is, if the metal pads need to be modded, last about as long as a modded soft pad, and cost four times as much, what is the point to them?

Should I keep the pads I have and do the suggested work, or should I return them today (the only day I'll be able to move with them without her seeing) and get soft pads?

Just so you know the players profile, the only DDR she's played has been a little at arcades, and some in the store. I have slightly more experience, but not much. She is 110lbs, and I am 250lbs...I would hope to be able to play as well. Not that it seems to matter, but it woudl be in a carpeted room (yes, I know I'll need to support it) and be used without shoes (we don't allow them in the house).


Before I get the standard response of a link to one of the pad threads, there was no thread that dealt with BOTH types, so instead of double posting, I put this here.

Thank you,
-AM Urbanek

[diabloslayer469]

First of all all metal pads suck except the CF and RO. Even after six months, the soft dance pads are perfect. They are just good enough where you can still play with them (some unresponsiveness). Only cheap metal pads need to be modded, i.e. mymybox metal pads. The other ones, like the CF and RO, just need to be cleaned every now and then (the contacts get dirty). Metal pads are more responsive than soft dance pads and they don't slide (or at least they barely do). In your case, you should buy 2 RO metal pads because it's too late to buy the CFs (yesterday was the last day to order from CF and have it arrive before XMAS).
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green crack seeds

[AMUSIX]

Diablo,
Thank you for your reply, it's helped a lot in making my decision. Basically, I'm going out, returning these two pads, and tracking down two good soft pads.
While a RO would be nice, I wouldn't buy one now when I can order a CF later. More to the point, your post made it clear that the only reason to have a CF is to play the game at a more advanced level, which is not what I need.
The pads I have I bought for $100 a piece, so a soft pad at a similar price along with a proper mounting won't slide. As for it being less responsive, I doubt my wife or I will really find a need for that in the next few months.

-AM Urbanek

[diabloslayer469]

Well, then I recommend two BNS ULTRA DX ignitions. They are only 50 a piece and they are really great. www.buynshop.com They also have some good bundles with the BNS ULTRA DX ignitions.
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Mercedes 450SEL 6.9

[KMasaki]

Coming with absolutely no experience with Hard pads (except those in the arcade ), I'll give you my two cents on the soft pads- the ones you can buy in stores, such as Best Buy and Circuit City and such.

I think everyone's come to a concensus that the Red Octane Ignition 2.0 pads are the best soft pads money can buy- they don't need to be modded due to their 1"-thick foam insert, and they give a feel similar to the arcades with small plastic inserts underneith the arrow buttons that give a difinitive click sound when hit. The only problem is, however, that the pad- due to its bulky size- shifts around a lot, so you might have to anchor it with dumbells on the ends of the pad or something... a small price to pay for luxury.

Next up is the Konami Official Pad. Get it in the Max2 Bundle, and you only pay $60 for both the game and pad. Not too shabby, eh? Aside from the RO, the Konami Pad is the best you can get. Near-instantaneous responses, nice durable plastic exterior, the arrows are proportionate to the actual arcade pads (trust me, I've measured), and a non-slip bottom that actually- *gasp*- doesn't slip. Unfortunately, if you aren't playing on hardwood or tile flooring or EXTREMELY tough carpet, you won't notice the difference. Not to mention how hard it is to keep the bottom clean... ugh. But it's well worth the price and doesn't even need to be modded- hell, mine works fine unmodded.

Then you have your Topway/BNS pads (not the Ignition look-alikes). These run for about $15 on Buynshop.com, and are probably the best third-party pads around. Note, however, that these REALLY need to be modded- there is no non-slip bottom, and the exterior is rather flimsy. The benefits, however, are that these pads often feel thicker than others and- when modded- can last quite a while. Until you get up into playing the 10-footers and end up shredding the bottom of your pad XD. Mine lasted 8 months until it kicked the bucket. A fine choice if you're a little short on cash and don't mind doing a saturday project of running out to Home Depot.

In dead last is the Mad Catz pads. Any precautions should be taken to STAY AWAY from these pads. The first version (the one with the record and the logo in the center) mimicked the plastic exterior, but felt all too cheap. Easy to slip and fall, no non-slip bottom, disproportionate arrows to the arcade version, and even with modding and constant use/abuse, the thing still sounds like you're playing on cheap tissue paper. The second version improved by mimicking the Topway pads, but once again fell flat due no non-slip bottom, cheap materials, and the annoying ability to have the internal circuitry SHIFT during play. Not good when you want to press down and there's no response.

In my honest opinion, take the time to hunt down the Max2 bundle and even a sold-separately Konami Pad. The bundle can be found in overstock in most Best Buy stores, while places such as Sam Goody and FYE carry the individual pad... if you're lucky. The game with two Konami pads for the same price as an RO... I think I'd take it over the RO, but that's just me.

Hope this helped.
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"Does anyone else think Emi without the hat is hot?" - Anonymous
Got MAX: 6th Mix!
Got MAX2: 7th Mix!
Now gotta get a memory card... T_T

[Zorblack]

Don't waste your money on anything but Cobalt Flux IMHO.

[diabloslayer469]

Best soft dance pads: RO Ignition 2.0 and BNS ignition 2.0
Best metal pad: CF
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1970 recession

[GepettoZHog]

Basically, if the pad looks shady, it probably is. IMO, If the pad is too thin, it will probably shatter, and if the pad has a bar, it probably sucks
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[JohnWayne2k4]

Well in defense of thinner metal pads mine is 3/4" and works wonderfully once i removed the stupid rubber feet. Soft pads are the devil i was very frustrated trying to learn ddr on one when a friend brought his 1 week old one up. Way too unresponsive wasn't modded but it was the big cool konami pad people rave about. My only gripe about my CG pad is the solder job under arrows was iffy, an easy fix, and the right arrow is cracked after 2 weeks of rather intense noobish play, also an easy fix with some clear packing tape until i can buy some new lexan panels and mod my contact system. From what i hear mmb pads are fine easy to fix pads dont listen to people who went from the lowest of the low soft pads straight to a CF if you don't want to shell out the cash then dont, there is a pad to fit everyones needs at prices they can deal with.

[discobiscuits]

[QuestionMark]

some people may say different but i've had 2 soft pads for over 2 1/2 year before one of them dieing that you may want to check into. I bought Naki's that cost about 20 from gamestop or ebgames... They might not be the same ones but if you store them right and everything they should last some time....

[coasterwiz]

I actually enjoyed my Mad Catz pad- it lasted a good year-with constant abuse. Not the best, but if you're on a budget, get this.
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