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The Power Pad (known in
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 ''
Technical informationWii Family Trainer Release
a
NinDB
{{Nintendo Entertainment System 1986 video games 1987 video games 1988 video games 1989 video games 1990 video games Bandai games Nintendo franchises Dance pads Fitness games Nintendo Entertainment System accessories Nintendo Entertainment System games Athletics video games
The Power Pad (known in Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
as Family Trainer, and in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and briefly in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
as Family Fun Fitness) is a floor mat game controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
. It is a gray mat with twelve pressure-sensors embedded between two layers of flexible plastic. It was originally developed by Bandai
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine ...
.
Bandai first released the accessory in 1986 as the ''Family Trainer'' pack for the Famicom
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...
in Japan, and later released in the United States. Nintendo released it in 1988 as the Power Pad, along with the game '' World Class Track Meet'', which was a rebranding of an earlier game.
Overview
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. 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. Bandai retained the rights to the product outside of North America. The Power Pad sold 500,000 units in North America.
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
(''DDR'') is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, ''Dance Dance Revolution'' is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance ...
'' can trace the lineage of their control mechanisms back to the Power Pad (see 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 pane ...
).
Revival
In 2007,Namco Bandai Games
is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and ...
announced that the Power Pad would see a reappearance for the original Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...
. This version of the pad, called the Mat Controller, will also work in conjunction with the Wii Remote
The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact wi ...
, and connects physically to the Wii console via its built-in GameCube controller
The GameCube controller is the standard game controller for the GameCube home video game console, manufactured by Nintendo and launched in 2001. As the successor to the Nintendo 64 controller, it is the progression of Nintendo's controller des ...
ports. For later Wii models, it is incompatible as they drop the GameCube ports. It was released along with '' Active Life: Outdoor Challenge'' in North America (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.
Compatible games
The following is a list of all 11 video games which were created for use with the accessory. The games were developed byHuman Entertainment
was a Japanese video game developer and publisher founded in 1983. The company produced games for a number of platforms, including home consoles, portable consoles, and personal computers. Human declared bankruptcy in 2000 and disbanded. Its for ...
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.
See also
*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 pane ...
* List of Nintendo Entertainment System accessories
References
External links
Technical information
a
NinDB
{{Nintendo Entertainment System 1986 video games 1987 video games 1988 video games 1989 video games 1990 video games Bandai games Nintendo franchises Dance pads Fitness games Nintendo Entertainment System accessories Nintendo Entertainment System games Athletics video games