A new mini pad for ITG
 

Hey everyone, this is a project from a close friend of mine on which i provided some assistance and my feedback as a player. I think it's awesome and want to share it here on his behalf 🙂



It's an USB pad controller to play ITG (or any other 4key based music game) which features arrow panels that are half the size of those you'd normally find at the arcade. It's meant for players who already have a good technique and are looking for a a performance resembling the arcade experience but also need the portability and to be able to put it away. To be honest, i think it's even better in feeling and reliability than the original sensors.

It's made of hard composite material and alluminium, making it very resistant to impact, wear and humidity. The sensors are FSRs and can be programmed via an app developed in-house, the RGB lights are responsive and interface with the game you're playing, and the entire pad is user customizable and accessibile with simple tools.



Here's a video gameplay of an earlier prototype - same hardware, only difference is position of the corner lights and corner protectors.

Should you need a pad like this in your life, check out his website!
https://bluecombo.eu/shop/dancepads/halfpad/

Re: A new mini pad for ITG
 

I like the idea of a portable pad that can be configured by software, its weight is light (10kg, which is 1/10 an SMX pad), and it looks like the "DIY" building aspect is kept to a minimum. A big problem with pads I see for players is all these handyman DIY videos -- when I showed my brother self-made pads, he was like "no way in hell I'd want to do that, just buy something that's put together".

With the design, there are some challenges to tackle though -- depends on the audience this person is targeting.

550 euros is almost $600 (as of today's exchange rate). I don't know if this includes shipping, but if not, the price may not be that appealing even for a portable pad.

In the demonstration video I didn't see any attempt to hit the brackets with one foot. The way this pad is designed, tech charts are a big no-no. Imagine trying to do a chart like this on it, that would be a safety hazard.

Even if crossovers were put aside, at minimum I'd think players would want to be able to do:
- up/down footswitches
- brackets (one foot for corner jump)

For stamina/footspeed traditional charts this design is fine since players would want to be very minimal. I'm mainly thinking about the types of charts a person could play on it. On another note, has this person thought about a bar installment? If pad sliding isn't an issue, then I guess a person could just use a chair or table.

Re: A new mini pad for ITG
 

You raise some good points. The price doesn't include shipping which is another 50 for US and around 20 for Europe, which can be steep but it's fully justified when you consider the build quality, materials used and various features. The pad is also made in such a way that it works out of the box for high level play. No tinkering necessary unless you want it, and even then it's made simple for you.

Now what you mention about tech execution depends entirely on player skill. If you got decent form there's going to be no issues with footwitches, brackets or crossovers. TBH any ITG player that consistently steps beyond the middle of each panel has horrible form and should probably consider a more entry level solution (and more training), so it makes sense that this isn't for everyone. But in your video for example there is not a single frame where you step beyond the middle of each panel ;) My personal experience while testing was flawless even though i'm not extremely efficient in my form when doing tech, so i think it should be all good. More videos will definitely come later to show off what the pad can do.

And lastly, the pad comes with anti skid rubber you can put underneath, so you can add a bar or a support without it sliding away. The plan is to later produce a full pad with the same technology and its own built-in bar.

Re: A new mini pad for ITG
 

How does this differ from the FSR Mini pad V3?

Re: A new mini pad for ITG
 

so first of all the fsr mini pad is a pretty good product, the build quality and materials are really nice. I hope to have the chance to try it soon :)

The most significant differences are:

- 2 sensors per arrow on the halfpad instead of one
- sensors are not a commercial product but are instead self produced just for this purpose
- lights are built and work differently, you have an arrow-shaped matrix RGB LED instead of a line and there's also the corner lights, which will light up with the bass once interfaced with stepmania
- the metal panels are aluminium instead of stainless steel
- the pad comes with its own software, which will allow you to set sensitivity, customize lights, create preset profiles etc. (the fsr mini pad also has its own software though, but i've never seen it)