Venom Dance Mat

...is a review of the Venom Dance Mat. A dance mat is a video game controller made specifically for dance games such as Dancing Stage (UK version of Dance Dance Revolution), although they can be used with regular games (that sounds interesting!). I have also reviewed Dancing Stage Party Edition for the Sony Playstation so if you want, you can take a look at that in conjunction with this review to find out a bit more about the games if you haven’t already. ...
...other games consoles, but the Venom Dance Mat I am reviewing is for the Playstation (PSX) or Playstation 2 (PS2). I’ve only got a PSX so have used the mat on that. A dance game would be incomplete without a dance mat. Well, you can use a regular joypad/joystick with dance games but that would be no fun.

The Dance Mat
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When you buy the mat, it’ll come in a box. On the front of the box shows a picture ... more

Intro.
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This is a review of the Venom Dance Mat. A dance mat is a video game controller made specifically for dance games such as Dancing Stage (UK version of Dance Dance Revolution), although they can be used with regular games (that sounds interesting!). I have also reviewed Dancing Stage Party Edition for the Sony Playstation so if you want, you can take a look at that in conjunction with this review to find out a bit more about the games if you haven’t already. *hint hint* *nudge nudge* ^_~

Dance games can be found for the PC, XBox, Playstation, PS2, some connect directly to the TV, and maybe some for some other games consoles, but the Venom Dance Mat I am reviewing is for the Playstation (PSX) or Playstation 2 (PS2). I’ve only got a PSX so have used the mat on that. A dance game would be incomplete without a dance mat. Well, you can use a regular joypad/joystick with dance games but that would be no fun.

The Dance Mat
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When you buy the mat, it’ll come in a box. On the front of the box shows a picture of a girl standing on a dance mat. Kind of makes the game seem like it’s only for girls. The mat is folded up. It includes four non-slip pads and usually a safety notice.

Like all other game controllers, the mat connects via a cable, which plugs into the controller port socket 1 and 2 on the Playstation console at the front and below the memory card slot. The cable is around 1.8 metres long, which I feel is an appropriate length. This is enough to keep a fairly good distance from the TV.

The mat consists of a 3x3 matrix of panels and small Start and Select buttons at the top, all with pressure sensors on the inside that react when you step on them. The mat itself is made of PVC and has some nylon-like fabric around the edges, usually a pink or green colour. There are 10 sensors in the mat, each corresponding to a button you would find on a regular controller, but the main ones you use for dance games are the Up, Down, Left, Right, Start and Select buttons.

The up, down arrows are a neon blue colour, left, right arrows a neon pink colour. In the centre, there is a circle with a silhouette of a lady on a dance mat, with the words “Stay Cool”. (See picture) The centre part is the part without a censor and is the ‘safety zone’. This is the colour scheme most often associated with DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) or Dancing Stage games because these are the exact same colours found on the arcade versions. I think the mat looks okay, but nothing spectacular.

Game Play
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Unlike most game controllers, you use your feet to control everything rather than your hands (although you can use your hands). For dance games, you watch the screen, wait for scrolling arrows to overlap transparent stationary arrows, then step on the corresponding arrow on your mat when the scrolling arrows is at the stationary ones. The aim is to get as many as possible and as accurately as possible. The Venom mat can slide around a lot when you’re moving about as well as creasing sometimes.

Playing with shoes on will damage the mat, especially high heels so no shoes should be worn when playing on this mat. If you play bare foot, the mat can stick to your feet, especially when they’re sweaty, so I recommend wearing socks when playing.

So you're wearing socks and playing on a Venom mat, it'll just feel like you're jumping around on the floor smooth, PVC covered floor. Not comfortable, yet not uncomfortable.

Storage
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Storing the mat is quite easy. It’s a fairly large mat of around 1x1metre but it folds up so you can store it away easily. Folding the mat though, can lead to problems. (More on that later.)

Responsiveness
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The mat is very responsive when it’s just out of the box but how long this lasts depends on your usage.

Durability
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I’ve gone through several of these mats because they don’t last long. Durability and robustness of the Venom dance mat is very poor. After a while, certain panels can become unresponsive. Also, the bottom side of the mat can split open after a while when you fold the mat to store it away.

Why I bought it
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I first bought one because I played the arcade version of Dancing Stage, enjoyed it and wanted to play at home for practice (so I wouldn’t embarrass myself at the arcade), so I’d look good, and so I did not have to pay £1.00 to play each time. There are a number of dance mats available on the market for the Playstation but I bought the Venom because I didn’t know of many others at the time and Venom mats seemed the most popular for some reason. They were widely available and fairly cheap.

Pros and Cons
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Using a dance mat and playing dance games instead of the usual games with a normal controller means that you get exercise and you get it while playing on a Playstation. Since you’re playing a game, it doesn’t even seem like you’re exercising. You can use it to lose those extra pounds. It makes the exercise fun.

The Venom dance mat is relatively cheap to purchase so that’s good for those who do not have bottomless purses/wallets. Having a dance mat means that you can play in the privacy of your own home so you can practice for the next time you visit an arcade (or place with a Dancing Stage) machine and you can do this without embarrassing yourself.

Something I like about them is that you do not have to pay £1.00 to play each time, which adds up. You can play as many times as you like for free.

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A general problem with dance mats is that they need space. You need enough space to lay it out flat on the floor and if your Playstation is located in a small room, then that may be a problem.

Sliding and creasing are things I HATE about the Venom mat. During play, you’ll be stepping, and jumping about and the mat often slides around, and sometimes creases. This can be frustrating, especially if you’re doing well, then it happens and messes up your score. You stick the non-slip pads to the bottom of the mat, and then still the mat to the floor. These aren’t much good if you have carpet. Also, who would want to stick the mat to the floor in the first place? It’s fine if you have hard flooring and you don’t mind keeping the mat there without needing to put it away, but most people would want to put it away after use. The sticky side of the pads will also wear out if you keep taking it off the area they’re stuck to.

Oh, you need plenty of space in case you slip or something or you might get some nasty cuts and bruises if you have sharp furniture around.

Another thing I dislike about the Venom mat is the durability, which I’ve mentioned before. Sooner or later, some of the panels will become less responsive. Sometimes this may be because the pressure sensors inside the mat have moved due to the creasing during play, but they can die completely.

Lastly, I don’t like how the PVC material can split open on the bottom side of the mat, in areas where you’ve been folding the mat to put it away.

Final Thoughts
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Do I recommend the Venom dance mat? Generally, no but I can recommend it to those who do not have enough money for a better dance mat, and for those with the time and patience to modify it. Some people do things to their dance mats to make them tougher and longer lasting. Some nail/stick them to boards so they do not slide around and do not crease. There are many other ways of making the mat more robust and user-friendly. I don’t have the patience for that though so would rather pay more for a better one. The main advantages I see for getting a Venom mat is that it is widely available and the low price.

For most people, I would recommend buying a slightly better one. It’ll save you the frustration during game play and it could save you from having to buy replacement mats when it packs up on you.

Price
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Price was quite reasonable at the time at around £10 for the mat on its own (£15 in shops) but they cost even less now. You can find them for ranging from about £7 (inc. postage) to around £15 on eBay. Usually costs more in shops though.

Where to buy
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I bought mine from UK Special Reserve as a special bundle deal with a game and then after that, got several as free gifts (but I had to pay £3.00 postage!) for collecting five of their vouchers. I sold a few on eBay for profit too! Whoohoo! You can find this and other ones from online video games retailers, auction websites, high street video games retailers, etc.

Similar Products
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Other mats you can find are ‘PRO’ or ‘Elite’ versions that have more padding for extra comfort, better durability, less sliding around and creases. There are also hard plastic and metal mats. The metal versions would supposedly give you more of an ‘arcade feel’ when you play. The arrow panels on the metal versions light up when you step on them, just like in the arcades. They range from £70-£99 though.

I’ve now replaced the Venom ones with a Logic3 PRO Dance Mat. Will review that soon.

(>^_^)> <(^_^<)

Thanks for reading!

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