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28-484: RedOctane was founded in 1999 by the brothers Kai Huang and Charles Huang. They got their beginnings operating the world's first online video game rental service, called WebGameZone. They soon began to create game accessories such as the Red Octane Ignition dance mat , joysticks , and other accessories to build upon already-existing musical games. After soon realizing that their game accessories were tied to

56-446: A 'half-blind dovetail' when they do not want the end grain visible from the front of the joint. The tails fit into mortises in the ends of the board that is the front of the item, hiding their ends. Half-blind dovetails are commonly used to fasten drawer fronts to drawer sides. This is an alternative to the practice of attaching false fronts to drawers constructed using through dovetails. The 'secret mitred dovetail' joint (also called

84-422: A 'mitred blind dovetail', 'full-blind dovetail', or 'full-blind mitred dovetail') is used in the highest class of cabinet and box work. It offers the strength found in the dovetail joint but is totally hidden from both outside faces by forming the outer edge to meet at a 45-degree angle while hiding the dovetails internally within the joint. The mitred corner dovetail joint is very similar in design, but it has just

112-420: A circuit board from a standard controller to simplify the process of interfacing the pad with a gaming system. The controller used depends on the system that the pad is intended to be played with ( GameCube , PlayStation, Xbox , or PC). Homebrew pads use a variety of technologies for designing the arrows that the player is supposed to step on. The most common design uses metal contacts that sandwich together when

140-473: A pad that is often much more durable and more authentic-feeling than commercially built hard pads. Some homebrew pads have extra features such as additional arrows (for playing Pump It Up or DDR Solo), menu switches and pushbuttons, and bars. Furthermore, the homebrew pads are easier to repair because they use common parts, and are usually designed for easy disassembly. While some homebrew pads use custom electronics built from scratch, most homebrew pads make use

168-474: A player's steps on the pad. The advantages of a solid state design is that they do not require pressure to activate, eliminating moving parts that might break down and keeping dirt from getting into the mechanism. Problems are often encountered when attempting to use a PlayStation pad with a computer simulator. Most PlayStation-PC adapters will not register Up and Down, or Left and Right, simultaneously initially, although they are common "jumps" in dance games. This

196-419: A single dovetail and is used for picture frames and other similar joins. The secret double-lapped dovetail is similar to the secret mitred dovetail, but presents a very thin section of end grain on one edge of the joint. Used for carcass and box construction to hide the dovetails completely from view. The sliding dovetail is a method of joining two boards at right angles, where the intersection occurs within

224-408: A video game system; the prices can be around US$ 100 to $ 350 ($ 200–$ 600 for double pads) - $ 700 to $ 1000+ online. Manufacturers of hard pads include DDRgame, Cobalt Flux , L-TEK, MyMyBox, Brown Box, RedOctane (ceased production as of February 2010 due to company termination) and Naki International. Hard pads are used in all arcade versions of music games that employ dance pads, and often serve as

252-425: Is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets, log buildings , and traditional timber framing . Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart, also known as tensile strength , the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of 'tails' cut into

280-458: Is assembled. Through dovetails are common in carcass and box construction. Traditionally, the dovetails would have often been covered by a veneer. However, dovetails have become a signature of craftsmanship and are generally considered a feature, so they are rarely concealed in contemporary work. When used in drawer construction, a through (or blind, mitred , or lapped) dovetail joint is sometimes referred to as an "English dovetail." Craftsmen use

308-583: Is because normal PlayStation games do not require such input, and because D-pads are not usually designed to physically permit such input. StepMania 's website has a section concerning adapter compatibility. Although these devices may work on a PC, to date, the adapters will not work with consoles that have built in USB ports such as the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 . Purchasers of home pads should be aware of

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336-470: Is very strong because of the way the 'tails' and 'pins' are shaped. This makes it difficult to pull the joint apart and virtually impossible when glue is added. This type of joint is used in box constructions such as drawers, jewellery boxes, cabinets and other pieces of furniture where strength is required. It is a difficult joint to make manually, requiring skilled workmanship. There are different types of dovetail joints. The angle of slope varies according to

364-515: The GameCube , Wii , Dreamcast (Japan only), PlayStation , PlayStation 2 and Xbox , but can also be used in computer simulators such as StepMania through the use of special adapters . "Soft" pads are thin and made of plastic. They generally cost $ 10–$ 20 USD. They are good for beginners to dance games or casual use, but they have a tendency to move around and wrinkle up during gameplay (unless "modded", such as by gluing or taping them to

392-570: The Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple in India. The dovetail design is an important method of distinguishing various periods of furniture. The etymology of the name comes from the resemblance between the tenon or mortise of the joint to the shape of a dove's tail . In Europe, the dovetail joint is sometimes called a swallowtail joint, a culvertail joint ( culver also means 'dove'), or a fantail joint. The dovetail joint

420-409: The nec plus ultra for DIY Gamers that attempt to construct "Homebrew pads." Many Homebrew kits are ultimately instruction guides for converting soft pads into hard pads, although Homebrew hard pads often feature additional functions such as additional inputs (see below ). "Solid State" pads replace the usual mechanical switch and contact used in other hard pads. A proximity sensor is used to detect

448-422: The closure of their RedOctane division. Dance pad A dance pad , also known as a dance mat or dance platform , is a flat electronic game controller used for input in dance games. Most dance pads are divided into a 3×3 matrix of square panels for the player to stand on, with some or all of the panels corresponding to directions or actions within the game. Some dance pads also have extra buttons outside

476-952: The deal on June 6, 2006. Activision reportedly paid RedOctane $ 99.9 million in cash and common stock in the acquisition. After the Activision buy-out and a split from Harmonix, who went on to develop competing game Rock Band , RedOctane utilized Activision owned Neversoft , the team responsible for the Tony Hawk skateboarding video game franchise, to take the helm on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock , which became available in November 2007. Gaming news site Kotaku called Guitar Hero an "instant cult classic". In its 26 first months after release, Guitar Hero generated over $ 1B in sales. RedOctane released Guitar Hero World Tour in October 2008. On February 11, 2010, Activision announced

504-446: The dense or hard varieties to provide more stability and durability. The inserts usually ship as three or six puzzle pieces (to allow for a smaller box) which fit together using a dovetail joint and slide into the dance pad, which then zips closed around the foam. Certain brands of foam pads put raised plastic sections under the directional buttons to allow them to be more easily felt by a player's feet, so as to help keep them centered on

532-401: The end of another board. The pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape. Once glued, a wooden dovetail joint requires no mechanical fasteners. The dovetail joint technique probably pre-dates written history. Some of the earliest known examples of the dovetail joint are in ancient Egyptian furniture entombed with mummies dating from First Dynasty, the tombs of Chinese emperors, and a stone pillar at

560-436: The field of one of the boards, that is not at the end. This joint provides the interlocking strength of a dovetail. Sliding dovetails are assembled by sliding the tail into the socket. It is common to slightly taper the socket, making it slightly tighter towards the rear of the joint, so that the two components can be slid together easily but the joint becomes tighter as the finished position is reached. Another method to implement

588-637: The launch dates of the games they were producing for, Red Octane began producing games. Their first original game was a PlayStation 2 port of Roxor Games ' arcade rhythm game In the Groove . RedOctane teamed with developer Harmonix Music Systems to release Guitar Hero in November 2005 for the PlayStation 2. The game was successful, and RedOctane released a sequel in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 . In May 2006, video game publisher Activision announced plans to acquire RedOctane, completing

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616-459: The main stepping area, such as "Start" and "Select". Pairs of dance pads often are joined, side by side, for certain gameplay modes. Popular arcade games such as Dance Dance Revolution , In the Groove , Pump It Up , and StepManiaX use large steel dance platforms connected to the arcade cabinet , whereas versions for home consoles usually use smaller (often flexible) plastic pads. These home pads are specifically made for systems such as

644-627: The number and arrangement of active arrow panels that are required by the game(s) they want to play. Although most commercial pads have four arrow panels ( DDR / In The Groove ), some have five ( Pump It Up ), six ( Dance Dance Revolution Solo 2000 ), eight (Dance:UK), ( MC Groovz Dance Craze ), or nine ( Technomotion ). Not satisfied with the cost and/or reliability of factory assembled metal dance pads, many players construct their own dance pad. Using common materials (such as plywood , sheet metal , and acrylic glass or polycarbonate ) found at local hardware stores, do-it-yourselfers are able to construct

672-403: The pad more durable to use while wearing shoes. A dance pad has been also used in experimental systems for navigating through virtual environments , such as those reproducing historical buildings. Some games that can be played with dance pads do not involve pressing the arrow buttons on the pad to keep with the rhythm of a song: Dovetail joint A dovetail joint or simply dovetail

700-507: The pad. These pads generally cost between $ 40 and $ 100. It is also possible to modify a pad by attaching it to a hard surface and optionally covering it with clear material; this can increase pad life and keep it from slipping around. "Hard" pads are usually constructed with metal (and sometimes wood) for durability, and usually come with a raised bar behind the player. Arcade machines use very durable metal pads that are designed for heavy use. Other hard pads can be purchased for home use with

728-473: The player steps on the pad or arcade button switches but some novel ideas have been proposed such as the use of optical, pressure, vibration, or proximity sensors. Due to the amount of work needed to create a custom metal pad, some players instead opt to modify their existing soft pads. Most of the time, players will sometimes take plywood sheets, acrylic, or office chair floor protectors and staple it to their soft pads. This effectively cures wrinkling and makes

756-475: The top of a piece of plywood or the bottom of a transparent office chair mat ). They are not usually durable and may wear out easily, but for light use they are quite suitable. Manufacturers of soft pads include Konami , BNSUSA, RedOctane , Intec, Mad Catz ( Beat Pad ), MyMyBox, Naki International, and Nintendo ( Action Pad ). OEM manufacturers include Topway (manufacturer of RedOctane pads), Futime, and many others. Some soft pads contain stiff foam inserts of

784-401: The wood used, purpose of joint and type of work. Typically the slope is 1:6 for softwoods , and a shallower 1:8 slope for hardwoods . Often a slope of 1:7 is used as a compromise. However, a different slope does not affect the strength of the joint in different types of wood. A 'through dovetail' (also known as 'plain dovetail') joint leaves the end grain of both boards visible when the joint

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