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==Hardware== ==Hardware==


===Arcade machines===
]


In November 2013, DJ Times began a year-long celebration of the magazine’s 25th anniversary. Each month features a look back through the years at the hot DJs, game-changing products and memorable events. From the heart of the underground to the periphery of the mainstream, DJ Times doesn't miss a beat. Drawing from DJ-related exhibitions, trade shows, events and trends, DJ Times brings the most comprehensive, up-to-date stories and information in the industry. Monthly content includes:
A standard ''Dance Dance Revolution'' arcade machine consists of two parts, the ] and the dance platform. The cabinet has a wide bottom section, which houses large floor speakers and glowing ]s. Above this sits a narrower section that contains the ], and on top is a lighted marquee graphic, with two small speakers and flashing lights on either side. Below the monitor are two sets of buttons (one for each player), each consisting of two triangular selection buttons and a center rectangular button, used mainly to confirm a selection or start the game.
]
The ] is a raised metal platform divided into two sides. Each side houses a set of four ] pads<ref></ref> arranged and pointing in the orthogonal directions (left, up, down and right), separated by metal squares. Each pad sits atop four pressure activated switches, one at each edge of each pad, and a software-controlled ] lamp illuminating the translucent pad. A metal safety bar in the shape of an upside-down "U" is mounted to the dance stage behind each player. Some players make use of this safety bar to help maintain proper balance, and to relieve weight from the legs so that arrows can be pressed with greater speed and accuracy.


News - Brings on-the-spot information from DJ-related exhibition/trade shows, events or trends. Reports new products or developments as they pertain to the professional, working DJ.
Some DDR cabinets are equipped with Sony PlayStation memory card slots, allowing the player to insert a compatible memory card before starting a game and save their high scores to the card. Additionally, the equivalent home versions of DDR allow players to create and save custom step patterns (edits) to their memory card — the player can then play those steps on the arcade machine if the same song exists on that machine. This feature is supported in 2ndMix through Extreme. SuperNova didn't support memory card slots. However, it introduced Konami's internet based link system '']'' to the series, which can save stats and unlocks for individual players (but cannot store edits). This functionality however, could only be used in Japan. During the North American release of ], an e-Amuse capable machine was made available at a Brunswick Zone Arcade in ]. Both it and another machine located in the Konami offices of ] are currently the only e-Amuse capable machines in the United States.


Sounding Off – Reviews a recently released professional audio product (mixer, source component, speaker, amp or signal processor) and explains its relevance to the DJ.
The Solo arcade cabinet is smaller and contains only one dance pad, modified to include six arrow panels instead of four (the additional panels are "upper-left" and "upper-right"). These pads generally don't come with a safety bar, but include the option for one to be installed at a later date. The Solo pad also lacks some of the metal plating that the standard pad has, which can make stepping difficult for players who are used to playing on standard machines. An upgrade was available for Solo machines called the "Deluxe pad", which was closer to the standard cabinet's pad. Additionally Solo machines only incorporate two sensors, located horizontally in the center of the arrow, instead of four sensors (one on each edge).


Feedback – Instructional responses to letters or emails sent from readership.
{| class="wikitable"

|-
In The Studio With – A music-making DJ describes studio technique and gear preferences.
! Characteristics

! First generation arcade cabinet
Samplings – Short features on up-and-coming DJs, with a quick-hitting application-based focus.
! Second generation arcade cabinet

! Third generation arcade cabinet
Gear – A multi-page rundown of the latest gear that impacts the mobile, club, scratch or studio segments of the DJ industry.
|-

| Year released
Grooves – Reviews of new music from a variety of genres— written by professional, working DJs.
| 1998

| 2008
Business Line – A column that helps the pro DJ with all matters related to growing his or her business, including marketing, taxes, promotion, etc.
| 2013

|-
Club Play Chart – Find out what cuts are really being played in clubland with this in-depth chart, as reported by America’s top record pools. Includes Crossover Dance, Urban & Latin charts. Compiled by Chart Coordinator Dan Miller
| Thematic color of arcade cabinet

|
DJ Times is available in both print and digital edition
* Black ('''Extreme''' and earlier)
* Red ('''SuperNova''')
| Black
| White
|-
| System board
|
* System 573 ('''Extreme''' and earlier)
* Benami Python ('''Dancing Stage Fusion''')<ref>{{cite web|author1=Kon|title=A Look inside a BEMANI Python II arcade PCB|url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=ax1iZnfT590?lc=z12mt30bjta5j10p004cddyp3lfvwpkp4g0|accessdate=June 9, 2015|date=2014}}</ref>
* Benami Python 2 ('''SuperNova''' series)
* Benami PC type 4 ('''X''' and later)
| colspan="2" |Benami PC type 4
|-
| Screen
| CRT-based,<ref>Either semi-flat or flat.</ref> 29" or 32", 640x480
| LCD-based, 37", 720p
| LCD-based, 42", 1080p
|-
| Front lights
| {{Ya|]}}
| {{Ya|] }}
| rowspan="2" {{Na}}
|-
| Lateral LED lights
| {{Na}}
| {{Ya}}
|-
| ] card reader
| {{Partial|SuperNova and newer upgrades only}}
| {{Ya}}
| {{Ya}}
|-
| Memory card slots
| {{ya}} <small>(2ndMix Link and newer)</small>
| {{ya}}
| rowspan="2" {{Na}}
|-
| Panel lights
| colspan="2" {{Ya}}
|-
| Panel colors
|
* Pink (vertical)
* Baby blue (horizontal)
* Black background
* White text and arrow borders
|
* Pink (vertical)
* Baby blue (horizontal)
* Black background and arrow borders
* White arrows
|
* Pink (vertical)
* Baby blue (horizontal)
* White background and arrows
|-
| Handle bar colors
| Red
| Black
| Baby blue and pink
|-
| Earliest edition of DDR using such arcade cabinet
| ]
| ]
| ]
|}


===Arcade System=== ===Arcade System===

Revision as of 00:24, 13 June 2015

For other uses, see Dance Dance Revolution (disambiguation). Video game series
Dance Dance Revolution
File:Dance Dance Revolution logo 2009.png Dance Dance Revolution X2, the latest arcade release in North America
Genre(s)Music, Exercise
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami, Nintendo, Disney, Keen
First releaseDance Dance Revolution
November 21, 1998
Latest releaseDance Dance Revolution
May 12, 2014
Spin-offsDance Dance Revolution Solo

Dance Dance Revolution (ダンスダンスレボリューション, Dansu Dansu Reboryūshon), abbreviated DDR and also known as Dancing Stage (ダンシングステージ, Danshingu Sutēji) in earlier games in Europe and Australasia, and some other games in Japan, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance genre in video games. Players stand on a "dance platform" or stage and hit colored arrows laid out in a cross with their feet to musical and visual cues. Players are judged by how well they time their dance to the patterns presented to them and are allowed to choose more music to play to if they receive a passing score.

Dance Dance Revolution has been given much critical acclaim for its originality and stamina in the video game market. There have been dozens of arcade-based releases across several countries and hundreds of home video game console releases, promoting a music library of original songs produced by Konami's in-house artists and an eclectic set of licensed music from many different genres. The DDR series was followed by games such as Pump It Up by Andamiro and In the Groove by Roxor. DDR celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 21, 2008.

Gameplay

Hardware

In November 2013, DJ Times began a year-long celebration of the magazine’s 25th anniversary. Each month features a look back through the years at the hot DJs, game-changing products and memorable events. From the heart of the underground to the periphery of the mainstream, DJ Times doesn't miss a beat. Drawing from DJ-related exhibitions, trade shows, events and trends, DJ Times brings the most comprehensive, up-to-date stories and information in the industry. Monthly content includes:

News - Brings on-the-spot information from DJ-related exhibition/trade shows, events or trends. Reports new products or developments as they pertain to the professional, working DJ.

Sounding Off – Reviews a recently released professional audio product (mixer, source component, speaker, amp or signal processor) and explains its relevance to the DJ.

Feedback – Instructional responses to letters or emails sent from readership.

In The Studio With – A music-making DJ describes studio technique and gear preferences.

Samplings – Short features on up-and-coming DJs, with a quick-hitting application-based focus.

Gear – A multi-page rundown of the latest gear that impacts the mobile, club, scratch or studio segments of the DJ industry.

Grooves – Reviews of new music from a variety of genres— written by professional, working DJs.

Business Line – A column that helps the pro DJ with all matters related to growing his or her business, including marketing, taxes, promotion, etc.

Club Play Chart – Find out what cuts are really being played in clubland with this in-depth chart, as reported by America’s top record pools. Includes Crossover Dance, Urban & Latin charts. Compiled by Chart Coordinator Dan Miller

DJ Times is available in both print and digital edition

Arcade System

The first Dance Dance Revolution as well as its followup DDR 2ndMix uses Bemani System 573 Analog as its hardware. DDR 3rdMix replaces this with a slightly upgraded Bemani System 573 Digital which would be used up to DDR Extreme. Both of these are based on PlayStation.

Beginning in DDR SuperNova, the hardware is replaced by Bemani Python 2, a PlayStation 2-based hardware which was first introduced on the fellow Bemani game GuitarFreaks V and Drummania V. This would also be used in the followup DDR SuperNova 2.

Along with the cabinet change, DDR X also changes its hardware to the PC-based Bemani PC Type 4. This more powerful hardware allows for high definition graphics which are used to this day.

Releases

Main article: List of Dance Dance Revolution video games

Dance Dance Revolution has been released in many different countries on many different platforms. Originally released in Japan as an arcade game and then a Sony PlayStation game, which was a bestseller. DDR was later released in North American, Europe, Korea, the whole of Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and Mexico on multiple platforms including the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo Wii, and many others. Due to demand, Japanese versions of the game, which are usually different from the games released in other countries, are often imported or bootlegged. DDR fansites make an attempt to keep track of the locations of arcade machines throughout the major regions.

Home releases

The use of dedicated gamepads is only possible on home console versions.

DDR games have been released on various video game consoles, including the PlayStation, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, GameCube, Wii, Xbox and Xbox 360, and even PCs. Home versions often contain new songs, songs from the arcade version, and additional features that take advantage of the capabilities of the console (e.g.; Xbox 360 versions such as the Dance Dance Revolution Universe series include support for online multiplayer and downloadable songs over Xbox Live, and high definition graphics). DDR has even reached Nintendo's Game Boy Color, with five versions of Dance Dance Revolution GB released in Japan; these included a series of three mainstream DDR games, a Disney Mix, and an Oha Star. The games come with a small thumb pad that fits over the Game Boy Color's controls to simulate the dance pad.

Home versions are commonly bundled with soft plastic dance pads that are similar in appearance and function to the Nintendo Power Pad. Some third-party manufacturers produce hard metal pads at a higher price.

A version of DDR was also produced for the PC in North America. It uses the interface of Dance Dance Revolution 4thMix, and contains around 40 songs from the first six mainstream arcade releases. It has not been as well received as the console versions.

Similar games

Gameplay screen in StepMania 4, an open source DDR clone.

Due to the success of the Dance Dance Revolution franchise, many other games with similar or identical gameplay have been created.

Commercial competitors of DDR include the popular Korean series Pump It Up and the American series In the Groove by Roxor, the latter of which was met with legal action by Konami and resulted in Konami's acquisition of the game's intellectual property. As well as TechnoMotion by F2 Systems, EZ2Dancer by Amuseworld, and MC Groovz Dance Craze by Mad Catz. A Christian version of DDR, named Dance Praise, has been made by Digital Praise. Ubisoft produced a dance game based on Disney's The Jungle Book titled The Jungle Book Groove Party.

Fan-made versions of DDR have also been created, many freely available to the public under open source licenses. The most popular of these is StepMania (pictured), upon which the game In the Groove is based. These simulators allow for players to create and play their own songs to their own programmed steps. As a result, many DDR fans have held contests and released "mixes" of custom songs and steps for these simulators. Notably the Japanese Foonmix series and the DDR East Invasion Tournamix competitions. Other simulators include Dance With Intensity and pyDance for Windows, both of which are no longer developed, and Feet of Fury, a homebrew game for the Sega Dreamcast.

Besides direct clones, many other games have been released that center around rhythm and dance due to DDR's popularity. Dance! Online released by Acclaim combines dance pad play with an MMO element. ABC's Dancing With the Stars and Codemasters' Dance Factory are more recent examples of games that pay homage to DDR and the genre it created. Konami itself uses music from its other rhythm game series such as Beatmania and Beatmania IIDX, Drummania and GuitarFreaks, and Pop'n Music, as well as making references to DDR in its other games and vice versa.

DDR today

Tournaments are held worldwide, with participants usually competing for higher scores or number of Perfects (referred to as "Perfect Attack" tournaments). Less common are "freestyle" tournaments, where players develop actual dance routines to perform while following the steps in the game.

Playing styles

Many DDR players, in order to better focus on timing and pattern reading, will minimize any extraneous body movement during gameplay. These players are commonly referred to as "technical", "tech" or "perfect attack" (PA) players. These technical players usually play the most difficult songs on the highest difficulty levels in an attempt to perfect their scores. The more "technical" a song gets the more the player must use minimalistic movements in order to hit all the arrows with perfection. These players perfect using their heel as well.

Other DDR players choose to incorporate complex or flashy techniques into their play movements, and some of these "freestyle" players develop intricate dance routines to perform during a song. Freestyle players tend to choose songs on lower difficulty levels, so that the player is not restricted in their movements by large quantities of required steps. Some players can even dance facing away from the screen.

Somewhere in the middle are the players which choose to do a little bit of both of the formers. There are criticisms of the In The Groove style of play which focuses on "perfect attack". More traditional players say it takes the fun away from the game the harder the step-charts get, which makes players use much less movement overall to conserve stamina. By doing this, it is no longer a dance game and many arrows do not fit perfectly with the beat because there are simply too many of them. The middle players enjoy moving to the beat and still trying to improve their scores without having to adopt the In the Groove style of play.

A freestyling act can also involve performing other stunts while playing. On an episode of ABC's short-lived series Master of Champions, Billy Matsumoto won the episode when he played 5th Mix's "Can't Stop Fallin' In Love (Speed Mix)" on Heavy mode while juggling three lit torches.

As exercise

Many news outlets have reported how playing DDR can be good aerobic exercise; some regular players have reported weight loss of 10–50 pounds (5–20 kg). In one example, a player found that including DDR in her day-to-day life resulted in a loss of 95 pounds (43 kg). Some other examples would be Matthew Keene's account of losing upwards of 150 pounds (68 kg) and Yashar Esfandi's claim of losing 85 pounds (39 kg) in four months through incorporation of DDR. Although the quantity of calories burned by playing DDR have not been scientifically measured, the amount of active movement required to play implies that DDR provides at least some degree of healthy exercise.

In 2006 West Virginia introduced DDR to the physical education curriculum at all of its 765 public schools. In Norway, 'Machine Dance' has even been registered as an official sport.

Many home versions of the game have a function to estimate calories burned, given a player's weight. Additionally, players can use "workout mode" to make a diary of calories burned playing DDR and any self-reported changes in the player's weight.

Use in schools

At the start of 2006, Konami announced that the DDR games would be used as part of a fitness program to be phased into West Virginia's 765 state schools, starting with its 103 middle schools, over the next two years. The program was conceived by a researcher at West Virginia University's Motor Development Center.

California Institute of Technology allows its students to use DDR to fulfill part of its physical education requirement, as students may design their own fitness program.

University of Kansas has a class for Dance Dance Revolution open for students to take as a 1 credit hour course.

Cyber Coach has sold in excess of 600 systems in schools in the UK and features the DDR Game Disco Disco 2.

As a sport

In 2004 Dance Dance Revolution became an official sporting event in Norway. The first official club DDR Oslo was founded in 2004. The tournaments in Norway was divided into two parts, first there was a group play where the 2 or 3 best players from each group went to the final rounds. Elimination of the player with the lowest game score was used for each round in the finals. The scoring system used was based on people dancing to 2 or 3 songs. Some random selected songs (which had to be played by everyone) and some player chosen songs (which introduced some strategy into the game, as some songs had higher possible scoring than other songs). Dancing Stage EuroMix 2 was officially used for the Norwegian tournaments.

Awards

The success of the Dance Dance Revolution series has resulted in Guinness World Records awarding the series with: Gamer's Edition 2008. The records include "Longest Dance Dance Revolution Marathon" which is currently held by Alex Skudlarek at 16 hours, 18 minutes, and nine seconds. and "Most Widely Used Video Game in Schools."

See also

References

  1. Except those that were upgraded from first generation arcade cabinet of DDR.
  2. Dengeki PlayStation sales chart, August 1999, published in Official UK PlayStation Magazine issue 48
  3. "Publisher acquires rights to Roxor game". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
  4. IGN Staff IGN: Dance Dance Revolution Tournament Report, Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  5. "Welcome to Get Up Move!". Web.archive.org. 2007-10-11. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  6. ^ "West Virginia Adds Dance Dance Revolution to Gym Class". MTV. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  7. "Positive Gaming: Machine Dance as Fitness and Sport". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  8. "Caltech Course Catalog- Physical Education".
  9. Weslander, Eric (2007-08-11). "10 cool classes / LJWorld.com". .ljworld.com. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  10. http://www.Cyber-coach.co.uk
  11. Hoysniemi, Johanna. "International survey on the Dance Dance Revolution game". Retrieved January 29, 2015.

External links

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