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Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) is popular with kids. However, there are some libraries that might still have questions on what the DDR options look like, even after attending presentations at conferences and reading posts on blogs. I recently replied to a message on this topic from one of the listservs I subscribe to (a patron wanted to donate a system, and the librarian needed to tell the patron what to buy, but didn’t know where to start), and I’ve answered this question for librarians and patrons on many an occasion, and I thought the information might be worth sharing here in a really basic HowTo format.

Here’s a really basic overview:

TV Plug-n-Play Pad
Parts you need: pads, TV.
You may have seen them in the stores, usually retailing for about $15-$40, depending on the brand. These pads are designed to just plug into a television via the RCA/Composite connectors (the yellow, white, and red things). These require no console or computer to play, you just plug them in to the TV, change the channel (usually to the same channel used for playing your VCR), and use the pad to control the game. While these pads are limited in songs and features, they are very cost effective as a starter option, especially if you’re looking at a small group or if you don’t know if the game is going to take off at your library.

DDR games for consoles
Parts you need: controller pads, game console (Xbox or Playstation), TV, game CDs compatible with the consoles.
This is the most popular and scalable option. Various flavors of DDR are available for the Xbox, Xbox360, PlayStation (PS), and PlayStation 2 (PS2), which are all considered gaming consoles. These boxes hook up to a television, and work much like a CD player with external controllers.

The pads for the console games are different, you can’t connect the plug-n-play pads to a game console. For a console configuration you need the controller pads, one for each of the two players, which come in a variety of styles, the metal kind being the most expensive but most durable, and the padded kind being less expensive but not as durable. While there are wireless pads available, there can be issues of connectivity and slight delay in registering a step.

The downside to this setup is that it can be initially expensive. A PS2 alone can run about $130, the pads can run about $30 each, and the games are about $40 brand new. On the upside is that you can use the console configuration for multiple games, so you can own the latest DDR release, and offer lots of variety. You can also move on to other games as they become popular; Guitar Hero is the latest big thing with the kids I’ve talked to, so by having the console already, you just need th Guitar Hero CD and guitar controller.

DDR on a computer
Parts you need: Spare PC or Mac laptop or computer+monitor, controller pads, game CDs compatible with the computer.
This is a pretty old school setup without much variety or longevity, but it’s still an option. In this configuration, you plug the computer-compatible controller pads into the computer, and you pop a computer-compatible version of the game CD into your computer. The game then plays on the monitor, or on a TV, with the right wires.

On the big screen
At my library, we often connect our PS2 setup to a LCD projector that is hooked up to speakers. That way, you can add volume (some projectors don’t have very loud sound) and a bigger picture that is easier for everyone to see (and it just looks cooler). We don’t have Guitar Hero yet, but I’ve seen it projected on a screen with speaker sound, and it’s *awesome*.

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