Buy Walking VideosCES: Konami and DDR
I am attending CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada. I will be reporting on the health and fitness gadgets I come across during the show.
Konami’s booth at CES was so NOT what I was expecting. I expected a big booth with multiple machines playing the large range of Konami’s DDR games on Xboxes, PlayStations and the PC. I expected a lot of noise and people playing. Instead, it was a small booth with two employees of Konami playing. They were doing a spectacular job of it, though.
I have heard lots of people say things like, “I’m too heavy to play that game,” or “I’d be too embarrassed to play that game.” After watching these two guys play DDR on Heavy and both of them get great grades, you have to admit that all of those excuses just evaporate. Of course, the idea that playing DDR alone will get you thin also evaporates. Weight loss requires rigorous exercise (like DDR) AND a healthy eating regime. Unless you have both pieces of the puzzle, you won’t lose weight. You can do this, you just have to give it a two-fisted punch.
They were demonstrating DDR Extreme 2 for the Sony PlayStation 2. After playing with DDR UltraMix 3 for the Xbox, Extreme 2 seemed really simplistic. The graphic interface is so much cleaner with DDR-UM3. They let me play and the pads and game reacted exactly the same as they would on my Xbox. Play was the same, it was only the graphics that were different. They gave music CDs of the songs on DDR-X2 to the passerbys and tried to urge the middle-aged men to play along, but I was the only one I saw playing. That was kind of disappointing because I expected a loud and exciting crowd.
Of course, after I played my song, I turned around and saw a crowd of people gathered to watch. It seems that all of these executive types secretly wish to jump in and play, but are only willing to enjoy it vicariously. If you find you are doing that with anything, please, let yourself jump in and play. Don’t worry about embarrassing yourself. Just jump in and do it, whether it’s playing DDR, learning to ski, or trying anything else that your heart is calling to you. Don’t be one of those people on the sidelines saying, “I wish I could do that.” Just jump in and try it!
Click Here for Konami’s DDR Website:
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November 3rd, 2006 at 1:32 pm
Hi,
I just wanted to add that I started my fitness quest by playing DDR an hour a day at home on the X-Box. I used the workout mode to keep track of calories burned. When I started out, I was 100lbs overweight and was out of shape in terms of cardiovascular fitness. Now, a year later, I’m 80 lbs lighter, (due to exercise and better eating habits) and go the gym and do all sorts of physical activity. I think if someone wants to get started, DDR is a fun and motivating way to move off the couch!!
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:59 am
DDR is also a good way for someone who is suffering from depression to start exercise. If getting out of bed is a massive effort, the odds of actually getting out of the house are slim. Plug in the DDR, do it at any time of the day that you can make it happen.
Of course for weight loss you also absolutely must modify your diet. That’s actually helpful in depression too.
April 26th, 2007 at 4:28 am
Going to be starting my DDR plan in about two weeks or so, ordering a metal pad off of ebay, the plastic ones, don’t have the accuracy to my tastes. I love the game, and cannot wait. I have made a promise to a friend, whom I purchased a gym membership for, for her mothers day gift, that I will match her, minute for minute, in terms of DDR time vs. Gym Time. 🙂 So, as she progresses, so will I, even if mine has to be broken up into two or three chunks. We will help push each other along. 🙂 It should be awesome, can’t wait to see the results in 3-6 months.
August 15th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
My local gym, PICK UP THE PACE, has bought DDR SuperNova for us to exercise to and I love it. In the last 2 weeks since I have been using DDR I have lost 4 pounds. But it true what everyone says you do have to eat rite to lose the weight and DDR and good meals really do work together.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I tried one of these DDR machines recently and found them to be really great for exercising. Lost 2 pounds in two weeks.