BeatGear Pads Review

Originally posted in 2002

By Chris Danford

Video demonstration (no laughing at me, please)

Introduction

The Beat-Gear pads have finally shipped (well, 5 of them anyway). I can’t think of anything in my life that I have eagerly awaited for so long as these pads. After 3,200 USD and hundreds of hours of message board hassles, my expectations are high. Are the Beat-Gears worth the wait? Have the problems with the prototypes be solved? I say “yes” on both counts!

One upon a time...

Over a year and a half ago, Beat-Gear began taking orders for “arcade-replica dance platforms”. A few months later, a prototype was produced, along with pictures and assurances that the final product would ship in 60 days. The story of these pads is long and painful. You can trace the history of broken promises yourself on the Beat-Gear message board.

Currently, there are 50-odd Beat-Gear pads that have not shipped and are sitting in storage in Florida. Derek Leu, the brains and brawn behind these pads, has run out of money and cannot pay FedEx to ship out the rest. We (those who still have pads waiting to ship) are trying to collect $50-$100 extra per-pad to get these things to our homes.

My original order was for 2x 6-panel pads, 2x 4-panels, and 4x back bar accessories. So far though, I have received only 1x 6-panel and 1x 4-panel.

Packaging

Both the 4 panel and 6 panel were packaged identically. There are two layers to the packaging: an outer wood “crate”, and an inner layer of foam and thick packing paper. The crate layer is a wooden box that must be pried open with a crowbar or hammer. The inner layer of paper and foam can be cut with scissors and ripped open by hand. These pads are so well packaged that it would be nearly impossible to damage them during shipping.

Pre-shipping damage

Damage by FexEx might not be a concern, but that doesn’t mean that the pads left the factory in mint condition. My 6-panel pad is pristine, but the 4-panel has a very large dent on the front edge. It looks as if someone hit the top front edge with a heavy metal pipe. These pads are extremely solid, and I don’t see how even a kick with a steel-toed boot could cause a dent like this. The dent is hard to pick out in my pictures because the metal is so shiny and reflective. Because of the dent, the metal rim on the top flat face is bent slightly upward. I plan to bend this back down with a hammer so I don’t accidentally tear my socks or cut a toe.

Assembly

There is almost no assembly required. The pads come with the Up Plexiglas panel removed, a baggie of spare parts placed inside the hole, and the Up panel in a separate cardboard slip. The baggie contains an Allen wrench, large rubber feet for the bottom of the platforms, and some replacement rubber pads for the sensors. To complete the assembly simply remove the baggie, remove the corner screws and bracket of the Up square, insert the Up Plexiglas panel, and screw everything back down. On the surface

The pads look absolutely beautiful! The brushed metal panels and rim are perfectly crafted – every edge is folded (not sharp), and the components fit snugly with no gaps. The metal is dead-sexy; it’s so shiny that you can see your reflection when you look down. The drilling job is excellent, and the screws are very industrial looking. The printing on the Plexiglas panels is also excellent, and even contains some metallic silver highlights.

In the pictures of the prototypes, I wasn’t fond of the “white paint” look of the left, right, front, and back vertical faces. After much use though, I can say that I hardly notice the white parts because: a) the metal rim extends down a fair distance past the top edges, and b) the shiny metal is so eye-catching!

The 4-panel pad came with some decorative “caution” stickers. Unfortunately, these were missing from the 6-panel.

Like a rock

These things are extremely sturdy. They could easily handle a drop down the stairs or stomps by a 300 lb player. Nothing on the pad feels fragile or weak, and there is no bending when you step on the non-Plexiglas parts. Also, there are no rattling noises or any other signs of something lose inside. The PlayStation controller cord is protected by a very durable rubber “hose”, so you don’t have to worry about stepping on the cord.

Weight

For such a solid piece of machinery, the Beat-Gears are surprisingly light. Underneath the metal there are 9 molded-plastic “cells” (one for each panel). These plastic cells are hollow, so they weigh very little. I have only limited experience moving an arcade DDR platform, but I’d guess that a Beat-Gear is 1/2 or less than the weight of one DDR arcade platform. I was able to carry one at a time fairly easily up and down a staircase.

Sensors

Just like the arcade hardware, each panel has four sensors – one in the middle of each edge. Hits are registered when the Plexiglas panels make contact with any one of the small rubber circle sensors. The sensor mechanism was apparently invented especially for the Beat-Gears and has a patent pending. Each square of 4 sensors is connected by a loop of standard phone cable. This cable attaches via a coupler to another phone cable running to the central circuit board.

Feel

I have never played on a more responsive pad. If you put any weight whatsoever on any part of the panel, the pad will register a hit. At first, this is a little surprising. On many arcade platforms, there are one or two panels that you have to stomp on to register a hit. The Plexiglas panels feel fine, but they don't bend quite as much as in the arcade.

Thankfully, the screws on the Beat-Gear are much lower profile than in the arcade. Playing with socks is not a problem at all except for the fastest of songs where your feet move quickly and low to the surface.

Sliding panels

One complaint of the prototype is that the plastic panels slide around because they are cut too small. On my two pads, the Plexiglas is cut perfectly for its hole, and the panels do not slide at all.

Noise

I’m convinced that these pads are not any louder than the arcade pads. However, the noise they make is very different than the arcade. Instead of a very sharp and crisp noise, the Beat-Gear has a more hollow sound. It might be possible to fill the panels with some material that would reduce the echoing to other chambers and change the sound.

Front panel buttons

The PSX Square, Triangle, Start, and Select are available as small buttons are on the front of the pad. These switches are high-quality and responsive unlike the white buttons used in the common Chinese-made metal pad. However, it's very inconvenient to bend down to press them. You can't hit them with your toe either because they're so small. If you're playing StepMania or DWI, you can always map the menu navigation buttons to another gamepad for easier access.

USB Converters

One report said that the Beat-Gear did not function with a PSX->USB adaptor. Fortunately, both of my pads work flawlessly with my Boom USB adaptors. Interestingly though, the 4-panel and 6-panel use circuit boards from different brands of PSX controllers. You can see this in the picture of the cords plugged into the PlayStation.

Sliding

I have been using the platforms on carpet without rubber feet and they don't slide much. When playing doubles, the pads separate by about 0.5 centimeters after each minute and a half song.

Conclusion

Overall, these pads are a worthy replacement for a much more expensive arcade machine. The noise is the most obvious difference between a Beat-Gear and an arcade machine. However, this minor annoyance is nothing compared to the strengths of the pad. A pair of Beat-Gears look even sleeker than arcade platforms, and the sensors are more responsive and accurate than any arcade machine I’ve played on.

Best wishes to everybody else who ordered a Beat-Gear. If you’re ever in Seattle, you’re welcome to stop by and try mine!