I might try to play more during the weekends, but yeah, for now I might go on a slight DDR hiatus. I’ll be sure and update my weight anyway though, to make sure it doesn’t go up…

So yep, I finally got the Cobalt Flux Pad that I won on Ebay a week or so ago. The reason I went with Ebay is because Cobalt Flux is generally known for the sturdiness of their pads, and I wasn’t really worried about getting a dud.

The actual pad and the cords came seperately. The cords came yesterday, so I had to wait a whole day to actually play! It was pretty tough. Anyway, I got the actual pad today and played some DDR Strike on it.

Before, I was playing on a normal soft mat, so I wore socks to play. Since I upgraded to a hard pad, I had to wear my shoes. I didn’t think the extra weight would do much, but I was totally wrong.

The added shoe weight plus the actual stickiness of my shoes to the pad means I have to work a lot harder to move. I got really tired after about 20 minutes of playing songs on Heavy mode.

I also found that I had to tap harder on the pad than I used to with the soft mat. I’ll probably get more used to that as I play on it.
So here’s my quick Cobalt Flux Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• Good Quality and Solid Construction
• Doesn’t slip no matter what
• Looks totally cool!

Cons:

• Shoes make it harder to move (might be a pro, since it’ll be a better workout)
• Steps need to be harder to register (same as above)

Overall, I’d recommend the Cobalt Flux if you’re serious about playing DDR. Now that I have one, I have a feeling I should have bought one a lot sooner! You can order one at Cobaltflux.com or try to find a cheap one on Ebay.

I read about an interesting PS2 game in this month’s issue of Gameinformer. It’s called “Dance Factory,” and it’s basically like DDR/In the Groove, but it has an extra cool feature. If you insert a music cd, it’ll automatically create a dance track for it! Early reviews (at least the one in the magazine that I read) said that the game does a good job of generating steps.

One thing I noticed that was kinda wacky was the arrow order. In Dance Dance Revolution and In the Groove, the arrows (from left to right) are: left, down, up, right. In this game they’re: left, up, down, right. So I wonder if it would take some getting used to. The newer screens show the arrows being the same as DDR, so I guess they fixed this.

Although I’m kinda skeptical about whether this game will really generate dancable steps, I’ll probably check it out anyway. Playing DDR everyday, I kinda get tired of the songs sometimes… Dance Factory for PS2 is scheduled for an August 1st, 2006 release, but you can pre-order it now at Amazon.com.

In “Dance Revolution”, ‘tweens’ and teens bring their freshest moves to this sensational new dance competition where teams of dancers display their innovative routines. Hosted by the charismatic “Dance Revolution” house band, kid-friendly judges determine the winners as the dancers perform their routines to the cool sounds of the band. “Dance Revolution” will also offer onscreen visuals that constantly encourage viewer participation by demonstrating specific dance moves and steps.

I wonder if they’ll actually be playing DDR, or just dancing. Maybe it’ll be like American Idol, except dancing? I wanna be on that show!

Konami will be educating our nation’s physical education teachers on DDR and its associated health benefits. Case study examples will be provided to show how teachers have incorporated DDR into their PE curriculum and success stories will be shared about people who have found benefits from using DDR.

Of course, Konami has a lot more to gain than just the warm fuzzy feeling of helping kids lose weight. West Virginia DID pay $550,000 to equip all of their schools with DDR.

I’d imagine that most schools wouldn’t have enough DDR pads to go around. That would have been pretty cool to have a DDR club in high school, though…

ZDnet reports that Microsoft has released a prototype email program that lets users read through and delete email with their feet using a Dance Dance Revolution-esque pad:

The genesis of the footwork project is that computer input is a continual strain on the hands, while other tasks, such as playing the piano or riding a bicycle, use both hands and feet. It’s part of a broader look at the role feet can play in computing, an effort dubbed “Step User Interface” (StepUI).

It seems like rather than making email into a game, the pad just adds another peripheral to control applications. Though I’m sure it could probably lead to even less productivity in the office (playing DDR secretly under your desk sounds like a lot of fun!).

Then again, if you have a really bad spam filter, I bet you could stand to lose a lot of weight playing DDR with your computer.

Check out the official StepUI page here.

]]> http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/03/01/email-email-revolution/feed/ 0 http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/19/cobalt-flux-donation-fund-up-and-running/ http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/19/cobalt-flux-donation-fund-up-and-running/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2006 03:33:39 +0000 DDR Diet http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/19/cobalt-flux-donation-fund-up-and-running/ Hey there,

So I decided to put up an Amazon.com Honor System Page to help me pay for a new Metal DDR Pad. I think It’s probably about time for me to get one since I’m really destroying the soft pads. The pad I want to get is the Cobalt Flux. It’s commonly known as the best metal pad around, so it’ll probably last me forever.

The only problem is that the Cobalt Flux costs about $300! Ouch! So I’m seeing if anyone will help me pay for one. It doesn’t have to be much. If many people chip in, it probably won’t take that long for me to get enough to pay for the pad. Even if I don’t get enough for the pad, I’ll definitely use the donations to buy something DDR related, like DDR Extreme 2.

I don’t know if anyone will help donate, but if you would, I’d really appreciate it. Hopefully this page has inspired others to take up regular exercise to become more fit. Even if it hasn’t I know I’ve gained a lot (not weight) just from writing this exercise journal. It’s kept me focused on my goal, and as a result, I’ve lost a bit of weight. I can also say that I feel a lot healthier than before I started.

Thanks for all your support, and good luck with your own ddr diet!

]]> http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/19/cobalt-flux-donation-fund-up-and-running/feed/ 0 http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/16/ddr-coming-to-a-cell-phone-near-you/ http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/16/ddr-coming-to-a-cell-phone-near-you/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2006 04:13:42 +0000 DDR Diet http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/16/ddr-coming-to-a-cell-phone-near-you/ Word on the street is that there’s going to be a cell phone version of Dance Dance Revolution out this Spring. IGN has a video of the gameplay.

While it doesn’t look that great, it could make for some good Dance Dance Revolution practice while you’re on the bus or something. Now if only there was a way to shink down so you could actually dance on the keypad…

]]> http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/16/ddr-coming-to-a-cell-phone-near-you/feed/ 0 http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/05/top-song-list-dance-dance-revolution-ddr-max/ http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/05/top-song-list-dance-dance-revolution-ddr-max/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2006 02:34:26 +0000 DDR Diet http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/05/top-song-list-dance-dance-revolution-ddr-max/ So the question of how I select songs came up in a comment. Basically, I just go from left to right picking songs that I think are not too easy, and not too hard. At this point, most of the songs I pick are from 7-8 and sometimes 9 food songs. I'll also pick songs if I like the music, even if the song is too easy. Here's a list of songs I usually play on DDR Max for the PS2:]]> So the question of how I select songs came up in a comment. Basically, I just go from left to right picking songs that I think are not too easy, and not too hard. At this point, most of the songs I pick are from 7-8 and sometimes 9 food songs. I’ll also pick songs if I like the music, even if the song is too easy. Here’s a list of songs I usually play on DDR Max for the PS2:

Kind Lady on Heavy (This was one of my favorites when I got DDR Max for the first time. It’s not very hard, but i like the song!)
Let’s talk it over on Heavy (This one is also easy. It’s good for playing right after a really hard song)
Midnite Blaze on Heavy (This is one of my DDR Max staple songs. It’s got a lot of steps, and it’s really fun to play!)
never let you down on Heavy (This one is another easier song to play while recovering from a harder song.)
RHYTHM AND POLICE (One of my goals is to not suck so much on this song. I’ve got a lot of the parts down, it’s just one part that kills me…)
Spin the Disc on Heavy (along with Midnight Blaze, this song ensures that my workout involves a lot of moving)
SYNCHRONIZED LOVE on Heavy (This one really screws me up with the 16th steps, but that’s why I practice on it)
The Cube on Heavy (This one is really fun to play. I think it looks harder than it really is, although the last sequence on it always screws me up. I still need to practice this one more.)
CANDY★ on Heavy (This one is fast and frantic, so I usually put this around the beginning of my workout)

Songs without thumbnails:

• Look To The Sky on Heavy (Look To The Sky has a bunch of steps, so it’s good for working the endurance. I prefer many 8th steps to those crazy fast 16th step songs)
• Groove 2001 on Heavy (This song isn’t too hard once you get used to the 16th steps)

]]> http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/05/top-song-list-dance-dance-revolution-ddr-max/feed/ 1 http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/03/ddr-mario-mix-coming-soon/ http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/03/ddr-mario-mix-coming-soon/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2006 07:46:11 +0000 DDR Diet http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/03/ddr-mario-mix-coming-soon/

I’ve wanted to get Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix for the Gamecube for a while now. Unfortunately, it’s been out of stock forever. There were rumors it was discontinued because no one liked it. Actually, it was the opposite; they ran out! Luckily, there seems to be more on the way according to this blog.

I’ve noticed a lot of Nintendo games being sold out. I’ve been trying to get Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time and Animal Crossing DS from my Best Buy for a while now. I guess it’s part of Nintendo’s low overhead high profit game strategy…

]]> http://www.ddr-diet.com/2006/02/03/ddr-mario-mix-coming-soon/feed/ 0