The Pad Arena Thread:Which pad is better? Ask/Find out here!

JPINAZ · Basic Member Joined: 15 Dec 2008

Hi,
I need help selecting DDR for an Xmas gift for my daughters Wii. Hopefully this is the right place to post. I have been looking on ebay for DDR with two pads and dance party 2. Would blue shark be a better choice than the Konami pads? Any input would be appreciated.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Wii-DDR-Dance-Hottest-Party-2-w-BlueShark-Dance-Pads_W0QQitemZ220330113365QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo_Games_Games?hash=item220330113365&_trksid=p4295.c0.m299&_trkparms=240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dance-Revolution-Hottest-Party-2-Wii-Bundle-2-pad-1CD_W0QQitemZ250341202130QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo_Games_Games?hash=item250341202130&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

TIA

JP

yukihime · Trick Member Joined: 12 May 2008 Location: Philly, PA

Hi JP

Well, they're 2 different types of pads - the blueshark is the dense foam insert type, the other are the flat pads. Which can be modded so they last longer and won't slide all over the floor.

The blueshark foam pads can be a crapshoot - either fabulous and last a good long time OR horrible and break in less than a month. Especially these "official" bluesharks that have been showing up on ebay now and then. I could be completely wrong, but I honestly have a feeling that those pads were returns because they didn't work right and now mmb is using third parties to sell off these defective pads. Been through the experience (PS2 version).

It depends, how much will the girls be playings, how hard will they be playing.
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JPINAZ · Basic Member Joined: 15 Dec 2008

Thanks for the reply. That ebay blueshark price is to good to be true

http://www.mymybox.com/ddrmbsdxwii.html

I bet you are right about them.

Do you think dance party 2 is a good choice for the Wii?
I have heard some aftermarket pads do not work with it.
Maybe a problem when it comes time to replace pads.
That ebay seller supplies the adapters for the Blue Shark.

Thanks again

JP

mutelorelei · Basic Member Joined: 14 Jan 2009

I'm getting back into DDR after a couple of years without. I'm an older female player at Trick level of play. For now, I'm just going to mod one of the soft pads, but I'm not sure which one to get. I need one for PS2 and one for Xbox 360. (Maybe later I will buy or make a metal pad, but I would prefer not to for now)

For PS2, I am torn between getting the BNS Sparkle, or

XPG Tournament Elite - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=220333917334

or Challenger - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=250356046124

Are these three pretty much the same or no?

And what would be good for Xbox 360? Will the official Konami soft pad be pretty good, or is there a really good third party pad out there? It seems like there is not a lot of choice for the 360.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

yukihime · Trick Member Joined: 12 May 2008 Location: Philly, PA

Hi mutelorelei!

Well, I just did a quick search for Xbox 360 pads and you're right, there doesn't seem to be a whole heck of a lot of choices. DDRGame (who many of us know and hate) does have the official Konami flat pad, but they want $55 for it

That's just nuts!

As to the others you provided urls for ... the challenger pad (the second one), I made the mistake of getting one of those. Yeah, off ebay (not the same seller - who btw has not done right by at least one person here on the forum). Ended up throwing it out. Between having to pay for return shipping AND a restocking fee for a DOA pad, it just wasn't worth returning it (and it was the same seller as the Elite pad, just fyi).

The Elite says Xbox, but it doesn't say Xbox 360, so I'd look into whether that pad would work with the 360. And there should be other sellers with the same pad. Most of what's on ebay is "drop ship" sellers. Meaning there's a real good chance these people have never even seen what they're selling. It all comes from the same (I think) supplier.

As with any pad, YMMV. Good luck!
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AEmedic · Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:35 pm Post subject:

Okay, I am a noob and I am checking the stickies...

I want advice on a Cobalt Flux, I found a used one that looks like it is in good shape, not too badly thrashed at all. The guy says it wasn't used very much, but, isn't there always a but, it is 3 or 4 years old...
I had a friend go look at it and he says it looks good, but he does not DDR. I can pick it up for $130 but then I have to ship it to Montana and that could cost $$$.
Is this worth it or should I pass and buy new?
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Chris

PureBlue · Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 11:28 pm Post subject:

If it's an eBay auction, you're really taking a chance. It could either be a great pad, or the seller might be a lying douchebag and send you a defective pad even if it says "GREAT CONDITION". Generally, if the person has a feedback rating over 99% you should be fine. Anything lower and you're pushing your luck.

AEmedic · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 7:41 am Post subject:

It isn't on ebay, and a frind of mine in TX went to look at it. He does not play DDR so doesn't speak with any authority, but he says it looks good and he had the guy play on it and it seemed good.

My concern is that it is 3 to 4 years old, any concerns with a CF that old? I will be using it on a PS2...
_________________

Chris

PureBlue · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 9:26 am Post subject:

Cobalt Fluxes generally last a long time and are easy to fix if they break, so if you feel comfortable buying it, then go ahead.

remix · Trick Member Joined: 27 Jan 2002 Location: mansfield, ohio

I've been away from the DDR scene for a bit, but wanted to play quite a bit recently.

I have ran into a bit of a 'next gen' problem. I own a HD TV. I also have a cobalt flux. I DDR Uni1 and 2 really cheap in a bargain bin not too long ago. I have searched around for an adapter for my cobalt flux pad but came up with nothing! Talk about disappointment. I can't play ps2 ddr on my tv or it lags thanks to it being HD.

Edit: should have mentioned i'm looking for an xbox 360 pad or adapter

So, is there some sort of adapter for cobalt flux I am unaware of?

If not, is my best bet pretty much investing in a official DDU3 pad or something? I remember my woes of kill plastic pads after a lot of use, but I am desperate to play right now. If I should buy an official do you guys have a site you recommend? It can come with the game even, maybe I'll buy the package.

Thanks for the answers.

DAVE101 · Trick Member Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Location: Indiana

The new control boxes on CF's website comes with ps2, xbox, and usb connections.

I'm currently having my own issues with audio/video syn and input delay.
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poop

remix · Trick Member Joined: 27 Jan 2002 Location: mansfield, ohio

Ah, I should have mentioned. The pad or adapter I need is for the xbox 360. I'll edit that in.

Captain Murphy · Trick Member Joined: 13 Apr 2002 Location: Warwick, RI

Hey there peoples,
I was wondering if you could help me out with a quandary. I used to be extremely active with DDR around the 2003-2004 era but have since fallen into the habit of only playing perhaps once every few months or so. I'm going to be moving in with my ladyfriend and her sister in a few months, both of whom are also somewhat retired dancers.
As a teenager it was always a fantasy of mine to own a metal pad or home-built DDR cab. Now approaching 24 I'm feeling ready to try and bring that fantasy a little closer to reality. After a trial run last night at the arcade I'm still a sloppy 8/9-footer (failed Cartoon Heroes, though >.<), and I imagine the girls might still hover somewhere around 4-7.
Having never owned a home pad for any long period of time I'm pretty much entirely used to the arcade-pad feel. My knowledge of metal pads really only stretches as far as Cobalt Flux (durable and dependable as all hell, but still $300+) and Red Octane Afterburner (cheaper; on sale for $160 at the moment, though there is a danger of DOA and breakage.)

What might the pad masters here on the forum have for advice on this? Is CF really the only option for a decent metal pad? Are all of the Afterburner horror stories really a decent sampling of the AB experience?
If you help me find a pad with which to get sweaty with two foxy ladies I'd be glad to send videos =p
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limewirelord · Basic Member Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Location: Portland, OR

@ Captain Murphy:

I recently purchased an Afterburner and I'm quite pleased with it. I've had no troubles with it. However, I do see two problems with it. First off, the arrows are REALLY recessed, making it a bit harder to play than at the arcade. Second, if you're going to play on any sort of plush carpet, you're going to need to put a sheet of plywood underneath it because it's rather bendable otherwise.

Having said this, I've never played on a Cobalt Flux before so I can't give you an opinion regarding it. Apparently, I'm also lucky since a lot of people get crappy Afterburners that are broken out of the box.

remix · Trick Member Joined: 27 Jan 2002 Location: mansfield, ohio

Captain Murphy · Trick Member Joined: 13 Apr 2002 Location: Warwick, RI

Thanks for the tips, guys. Especially good to hear somebody with a decent AB experience. I think I'll meditate on it for a while and decide to either wait it out for the CF or take my chances soon with the AB.
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loulan · Basic Member Joined: 11 Feb 2009

Hi guys,

I live in Europe (France), and it sucks since neither RedOctane nor MyMyBox ship overseas (although I don't think MyMyBox sells metal dance pads anymore) and Cobalt Flux's shipping rates are pretty high. The only reliable european retailer appears to be Futuremax (http://www.futuremax.nl/).

I've had a TX1000 for one year now, it works OK but isn't really accurate, so I'd like to buy a good metal dance pad.

So here are my options :

1) I could buy a "BlueShark 2inch new 2008 version" from futuremax, for 368 euros (dance pad + shipping rates) i.e. ~475 dollars :

http://www.futuremax.nl/product_info.php?products_id=799

But for some reason I'm a bit suspicious. There are only two comments about this pad on the Futuremax website :

yukihime · Trick Member Joined: 12 May 2008 Location: Philly, PA

Hi loulan and all

I'm still in the metal pad looking stage, tried a TX1000 (shame on me, I know) and it really did stink. I was able to return it, thank goodness.

The Afterburner is the pad I was leaning toward, based on price and that I'd gotten to use one (badly), but I liked the slight "spring" to the arrows; however a) it is foil for contact so you'd probably want/need to do the sheet metal mod and I'm totally NOT handy or have tools/strong enough hands to cut sheet metal and b) the fact that they're SO on sale makes me worry that they're just selling off what they have and anyone who buys one is gonna be "stuck" if they get a bad pad. There's also the lack of accessories - CB and arrow replacements. CB being the most important obviously.

MMB imho are not at all a good company to deal with. I had an issue which ended up with me getting a refund for one of their 2008 dense foam pads - which took about 2 months, a ton of long distance calls, emails, posting on the forum and the cost of returns.

First, they had had me send just the faulty 2008 skin, keep the foam and sent a replacement skin. Yep, they sent a 2006 skin and as that pad was thinner and a tad smaller, the foam inserts were too big. That's when I started yelling refund and prepaid shipping label or my CC would be contacting them along with BBB, etc.

Then suddenly this company with the same address and suite # (found out after auction when the pad arrived) shows up on ebay selling 2008 Blueshark foam pads - except they're 2006 model. I wasn't the only person to get this, I asked other buyers. And one, interestingly, got a pad that the foam wouldn't fit in - it was too big for the pad. Which leads me to think that this poor guy got my return.

So who knows, when I first saw Futuremax was selling metal Bluesharks I was like wth, then read at MMB that they were selling off to a third party. There's probably a really good chance that the Bluesharks Futuremax has are old/defective/returns.

So, I don't know what to tell you. Yes, I've read some of the recent problems people are having with CF and wasn't very impressed with some of the "fixes", but overall I think people with a good CF who take care of it seem to have far fewer problems overall.
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Live Like There's No Tomorrow,
Dance Like Nobody's Watching!