Power Pad
 Side A of The Power Pad. | |
| Also known as | Family Trainer (JP) Family Fun Fitness (EU & US) |
|---|---|
| Developer | Bandai |
| Type | Dance pad |
| Generation | Third generation |
| Released | 1986 (JP) 1987 (NA Bandai) 1988 (EU) 1988 (NA Nintendo) |
| Units sold | 500,000 (NA) |
| Connectivity | Cable |
| Platform | Nintendo Entertainment System |
Marketing target | Video game |
| “Family Fun Fitness” | |
Model Number | NES-028 |
The Power Pad (known in Japan as Family Trainer, and in Europe and briefly in the United States as Family Fun Fitness) is a floor mat game controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a gray mat with twelve pressure-sensors embedded between two layers of flexible plastic. It was originally developed by Bandai.
Bandai first released the accessory in 1986 as the Family Trainer pack for the Famicom in Japan, and later released in the United States. Nintendo released it in 1988 as the Power Pad,[1] along with the game World Class Track Meet, which was a rebranding of an earlier game.
Overview
[edit]The Power Pad was originally released by Bandai as the Family Trainer in Japan in 1986, and as the Family Fun Fitness both in North America and Europe in 1987 and 1988 respectively.[2] In 1988, Nintendo acquired the rights from Bandai for the accessory in North America and renamed it the Power Pad, with the remaining Family Fun Fitness mats recalled from stores.[3] Bandai retained the rights to the product outside of North America.[4] The Power Pad sold 500,000 units in North America.[5]
The Power Pad accessory is laid out in front of the video display for various games, generally plugged into the second NES controller port, with players stepping on the large buttons to control gameplay. There are two illustrated sides to the pad: Side A, which is rarely used, has eight buttons, while side B has twelve buttons numbered 1–12.
Games using the Power Pad often test players on their timing and coordination, memory, "running" speed, or allow them to play music with their steps. Games such as Dance Dance Revolution can trace the lineage of their control mechanisms back to the Power Pad (see dance pad).[6][7]
Revival
[edit]In 2007, Namco Bandai Games announced that the Power Pad would see a reappearance for the original Wii.[8] This version of the pad, called the Mat Controller, will also work in conjunction with the Wii Remote, and connects physically to the Wii console via its built-in GameCube controller ports. For later Wii models, including the Wii U, it is incompatible as they drop the GameCube ports. It was released along with Active Life: Outdoor Challenge in North America [9] (known as Family Trainer Athletic World in Japan and Family Trainer in Europe) in 2008. Its sequel Active Life: Extreme Challenge was released in 2009. A third game, Active Life: Explorer, was released in 2010.
Games
[edit]The following is a list of all 11 video games which were created for use with the accessory. The games were developed by Human Entertainment except for the last three entries in the series. All but one of them were published by Bandai, though some were localized in North America by Nintendo.
| Title(s) | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Release date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP | NA | PAL | |||
| Athletic World | Human Entertainment | Bandai
Nintendo (EU) |
November 12, 1986 | July, 1987 | June 15, 1988 |
| Stadium Events
Running Stadium (JP) |
Bandai
Nintendo (NA) |
December 23, 1986 | September, 1987 (Original)
August, 1988 (Re-release) |
February 23, 1990 | |
| Dance Aerobics
Aerobics Studio (JP) |
February 26, 1987 | March, 1989 | Unreleased | ||
| Jogging Race | Bandai | May 28, 1987 | Unreleased | ||
| Meiro Daisakusen | July 31, 1987 | ||||
| Street Cop
Manhatten Police (JP) |
Bandai | August 31, 1987 | June, 1989 | Unreleased | |
| Super Team Games | Bandai
Nintendo (NA) |
November 27, 1987 | November, 1988 | ||
| Totsugeki! Fūun Takeshi Jō | Bandai | December 28, 1987 | Unreleased | ||
| Fūun! Takeshi Jō Two | Bandai | December 20, 1988 | |||
| Rai Rai! Kyonshis: Baby Kyonshi no Amida Daibōken | January 26, 1989 | ||||
| Short Order / Eggsplode! | Tose | Nintendo | Unreleased | December, 1989 | Unreleased |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Bogost, Ian (2005). The Rhetoric of Exergaming. Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved on 8 August 2009.
- ↑ "Is this the world's most expensive computer game?".
- ↑ "10 Very Rare (And Very Expensive) Video Games". Mental Floss. 16 March 2016.
- ↑ "Why Stadium Events is One of the Rarest NES Games, Plus How to Spot It".
- ↑ Sheff, David (1994) [1993]. "Game Masters" (PDF). Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World. Vintage Books. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-307-80074-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
Nintendo made a deal with Bandai to sell the Power Pad with the NES in America, and half a million units were sold.
- ↑ Webster, Andrew. Roots of rhythm: a brief history of the music game genre. Ars Technica. 3 March 2009.
- ↑ Kohler, Chris. Out of Control: The Craziest Game Controllers Evar - Atari Vs. NES Archived 2016-05-30 at the Wayback Machine. 1UP.com. 11 July 2006.
- ↑ "The Power Pad Returns". IGN. 2007-09-18. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
- ↑ Boyes, Emma (2007-09-20). "TGS '07: Namco Bandai embraces Active Life". Gamespot. Retrieved 2007-09-20.