Dance Pad Carrying Case Score: 70% Developer: RedOctane

Function: Ever had one of those days when you just wish you could carry your Dance Dance Revolution pads in a huge, awkward bag across your back, instead of just picking them up and putting them in the car? I know I haven't, but if you have, RedOctane has the solution for you! Their Dance Pad Carrying Case was designed to protect and tote their other fine products (the Ignition Pad and regular Dance Pads) with ease. Even if you aren't going anywhere, sometimes you need something to shield your pads -- in my case, from the roommate's girlfriend's psychopathic kitten -- and the Dance Pad Carrying Case can do that, too. But seriously, for such a simple product, is it worth your cash?

Performance: For what it's worth, the Dance Pad Carrying Case does the job. It's essentially just a big, square duffel bag with a shoulder strap and a thin 'leather' interior, providing just enough space to cram in one filled Ignition Pad folded in thirds, or a disassembled one with the foam inside layer folded beside it for an easier fit. If you don't have an Ignition Pad, two normal dance pads with a couple of pad covers will fit snugly in the case, as well. There's no special slot for the connector cables (which would've been nice), but it works for getting things from point A to point B. Durability seems moderately high for such a thin product; a bit more protective padding wouldn't exactly hurt, but considering the total length of the carrying case, less is probably better. Both zippers are conveniently connected by a strap that runs over the top cover, so you only need to pull down the middle to unzip both sides. Pretty nifty, huh?

Features: Dual zippers for extra wide opening Velcro-fastened top cover Shoulder strap to prevent accidental drops Safely conceals connector cables so they won't get caught, pulled or cut Designed to hold one RedOctane Ignition Pad or two RedOctane Dance Pads with two Dance Pad Covers

Drawbacks & Problems:: Currently on sale for about fifteen bucks online, the RedOctane Dance Pad Carrying Case might suit you if you're always lugging DDR gear around town, but for the casual dancer, I'd say it's rather unnecessary. Throwing your soft pads in the backseat proves almost just as safe, and most people won't even take the time to carefully fold their pads and pack them up neatly if they're in a hurry to check out Jimmy's new copy of DDRMAX. Besides, if you want anything close to the real arcade experience at home, you gotta build your own hard pad from scratch, or modify a soft one with plywood, vinyl floor covering and a lot of duct tape. And something tells me those won't fold very well.

-Ben Monkey, GameVortex Communications AKA Ben Lewis