Dance Dance Revolution's heyday has long since passed - at least as far as Western popularity is concerned. Konami never stopped releasing new arcade entries, and has put out three main entries in their pedigreed rhythm game franchise in the past decade. The latest, Dance Dance Revolution A20, has already proven to be a major success in Japanese arcades.
But what good do Japanese arcades do for people in the West? Not a bunch, with some rare exceptions. So if you're living outside of Japan and want to get into the iconic franchise, what's the best way to do that? Well, you've got a few options.
Hit The Arcade
The quickest and easiest way to get into the action is just hitting the arcade. Granted, that's easier said than done - arcades are past their prime, and only specialized boutique facilities have managed to stay open.
Luckily, that's where this handy cabinet locator comes in. It's a user-generated map of every known DDR cabinet in the wild, and it's pretty easy to navigate. Just pick wherever you are in the world, and hopefully you'll find one that isn't too far away. Dollars to donuts, there's an old Extreme cabinet somewhere close to you - although there's no accounting for condition.
Dave & Busters And Round1 Are Your Friends
Dave & Busters almost needs no introduction. The prolific entertainment giant has long dominated the North American arcade scene, and while they're a far cry from an actual good arcade, they get plenty of newer cabinets. That includes Dance Dance Revolution A, and in some cases, Dance Dance Revolution A20.
But if you want to play A20, you're better off heading to Round1. For those not in the know, Round1 is a chain of Japanese arcades that have recently branched out to North America. While they're not as widespread as Dave & Busters, they're a significantly better experience for actual gamers, and often take better care of their cabinets - from my experience, anyway.
Most vitally, however, Round1 was initially the sole NA distributor of A20, meaning that they're more likely to actually have a cabinet. While Dave & Busters got their hands on kits to upgrade existing A cabinets to A20 ones, a lot of locations simply don't have a DDR cab in general. Again - it's important to locate a machine before you make any sort of trek anywhere.
Get Online
I've been playing DDR for about fifteen years, but I backslid in college and didn't play as much. Luckily, when I decided to get back into the scene, Facebook and Reddit were right there for me.
There are no shortage of Dance Dance Revolution communities on any social media platform, and often, major cities will have localized rhythm game communities to join in on. DDR + ITG Players and DDR Players, both on Facebook, are your best bet to introduce yourself to the community. By and large, the rhythm gaming scene is pretty welcoming, and most people will be happy to answer any questions you have.
Don't worry about learning all the jargon people throw around quite yet. It can intimidating, but you'll get there with time.
Play StepMania
Perhaps the fastest and easiest way to play Dance Dance Revolution in 2020 is to just download StepMania. Initially a DDR cloning software, StepMania eventually grew to become a capable rhythm game engine in its own right. In The Groove was developed by the original StepMania team, and uses a proprietary version of the engine. The Pump It Up series, meanwhile, has long since pivoted to using the engine.
But for our purposes, you really just need to download the engine to your PC and load it up with songs. The game is open source, meaning that you can download user-generated song packs and put them directly into your game. Is it legal? Eh, not entirely. But it sure beats editing your own music library and coming up with unique step patterns for every song - especially if you're a beginner.
Now, StepMania can be played with a keyboard, but that's not why you're reading this. You want the real, raw experience. Well...
Get A Dance Pad
Getting a good dance pad in this day and age is a feat. If you're lucky, you can hit CraigsList and find an old RedOctane or Cobalt Flux pad - long considered the standard as far as home pads are concerned. Otherwise, you'll probably find one of DDRGame's notoriously fickle metal pads, in which case you'll have to test your luck. I haven't had the nightmarish experience others have, personally, but mine is also heavily modified.
Unfortunately, the best options are also the most expensive. Precision Dance Pads, who is currently taking orders for their 2020 wait list, offers their signature Omega pads. They come in 4, 5, and 9 button varieties, and are much-loved by people who own them. But these pads don't come easy - the cheapest is the Omega 4X, which goes for $375 before shipping.
Impulse Platforms is also planning a premium metal pad that'll run somewhere in the $400 - $800 range. However, the project has been slow-going, and the community is a bit disappointed with the lack of progress in recent years. That said, players who have touched them have described the pads as the next best thing to an arcade cabinet, so they'll likely be worth the wait.
So, Where Do You Start?
At the end of the day, here's my advice.
First off, start by finding a local cabinet. Whether it's an old Extreme cab (there are practically billions in the most random places) or a newer entry, it doesn't really matter. Drop a few bucks, play a few sets, and see if you like what the game's offering. Now, if you happen to live close by, you can stop reading - it doesn't get much better than a real cab.
For home play, pick up an entry-level metal pad - preferably from CraigsList or eBay. While I started playing on soft pads as a kid, they're the literal worst experience, and won't help you learn the basics you'll need to get good. Odds are, you'll find yourself cutting your teeth on a secondhand DDRGame metal pad. This isn't the best option for the long term, but personally, it's what I'd recommend to start with. There are enough of these out there that you won't have to pay full price for it, which you absolutely shouldn't - they're not worth it.
If you want to get serious, you'll want to invest in a better pad. Whether that's ordering one of those expensive pads or building your own (which I'll cover in a later article) is up to you, but you'll want something more durable if you plan to stick with it. From there, either get yourself a cache of the PS2 games or download StepMania.
With a new game on the horizon, there's a slim chance that Konami plans on bringing DDR home for the first time in a decade. Optimistically, this could mean new premium pads that are more affordable and accessible to consumers. For now, however, the steps in this article are likely your best bet for getting started, and if you live near an arcade you're set.