Step Revolution is an independent company that has been around the arcade market for quite a while, having various individuals who were a part of Roxor Games (2004, development of In The Groove) and later in creating ReRave, a touchscreen-based rhythm game.
Followers of ITG & ReRave creator Kyle Ward have known for a while now that he has had another foot-controlled rhythm game in the works, called StepmaniaX. This game has been available for non-coin use for some time now, sporting a durable new stage (i.e., the dance pad) design than what has typically been in use for titles like DDR. That stage uses an “intelligent led and pressure based platform that minimizes maintenance” – something that anyone who has owned an older dance stage can appreciate with the issues that you can come across with the old pressure sensitive switches.
In speaking with Mr. Ward about it, he stated that this edition of the game has been a resounding success so far, finding installations at a variety of locations where exergaming is welcome. The game appeals to young children but also competitive eSports players. The interface is touchscreen instead of console buttons and the monitor is a 42″ HD setup. Here’s a quick video on how to play, where you can see how it differs from something like DDR or Pump It Up (no overlapping arrows):
StepmaniaX For Arcades
The question we’ve had since first hearing about this project is – what about the commercial amusement market? While that answer has taken longer to arrive, it is upon us as one of the oldest video arcades in the country, Eight On The break, will soon hold a location test for the game. Here’s the brief video that was shared on Facebook (direct link in case the embed doesn’t work for your browser)
[fb_pe url=”https://www.facebook.com/thebreakarcade/videos/10155874779299279/” bottom=”30″]
By the information I have been able to gather so far, the dedicated amusement version is aiming for a release in the late Spring/early Summer and it will be available in the $8000-$9000 range, making it very competitive when compared to other dance stage products that can be found out there. The cabinet is also “very compact”, which helps it get into more space conscious locations.
The software is designed to be universal, providing the same gameplay experience across editions. Always online access is not required and different song packs will be offered that operators / owners can choose from that appeals to their tastes.
The official website for the game is here if you are interested.
It should be noted that Step Revolution has already secured distribution for Asian territories but details on that are still pending; we’ll have more info on this as it becomes available.
What do you think about StepmaniaX from what we know so far? Have you been able to play the non-coin version at one of the current locations?
Asian territories? Ha? Hopefully they won’t end up bust unlike ReRave. Here in the Philippines, DDR and PIU is much popular and having StepmaniaX might not suffice given its market conditions right now, despite that we have a small market of ITG players.
By the sounds of it, the game has already sold more units than ReRave when you look at the non-coin op sales. Being a foot controlled game certainly changes things up too
how is konami not suing them??
By what KW explained, they do not violate Konami’s patent with overlapping arrows. Of course, there are games like PIU and NEON FM out there which also use the overlap and not heard of any Konami legal action on those either…