A Simple Dance Pad Buying guide.

There are basicly three types of Dance pads:
- Plastic .. I will call these the standard pads.
- Plastic With foam inserts .. I will call these the Deluxe Ignition pads.
- Metal .. I will call these the Metal Pads.

Standard Pads

These are the budget version of the dance pad.
You can get different models for PC USB and also for most consoles (PS2, Xbox1, Xbox360, Wii).
I am not a huge fan of these type of dancepads .. Mainly cause most of the times the quality is quite poor. Also the pad is not very heavy and stiff so it will slide away underneath you while playing.
Ok .. I know .. it is quite cheap but I recommend if you don't know you like the dance games to really start with an Deluxe Ignition Dance Pad.
Buyers guide : People who know they are only going to use a it couple of times and want the cheapest sollution.

Deluxe Ignition Pads
 
These are the more advanced ones of the so called soft pads. Perfect for the beginner and good enough to make you an expert player.
There are different models for PC USB, most consoles (PS2, Xbox) and even for multiple (so called 3in1 .. for PC, PS2 and XBOX). 
These pads a equiped with a thick piece of foam inside and hard plastic inserts in the arrows.
Buyers guide : People who want a good affordable pad to try if they like the dance games and want a future proof pad if they become more advanced players.


Metal Pads


These are the top range of the Dancepads (at least for home usage).
Most Metal pads are universal sytems equiped with an external control box. Some older version are only suitable for one console i.e. PS2.
The newest versions of the control box are suitable for PC USB, PS2, Xbox1 and Wii.
These kind of dance pads are quite heavy and have a good anti-slide layer underneath of it .. So it will not slide away while playing.
Buyers guide : People who want the absolute best, play daily or maybe are used to playing in the arcade.