Power Pad

Overview

The Power Pad (originally Family Fun Fitness before Nintendo acquired it) was a floor mat controller for the NES featuring pressure-sensitive spots that players stepped on. Released in 1986, it pioneered physical video gaming a decade before Dance Dance Revolution made the concept mainstream.

Though commercially unsuccessful, the Power Pad demonstrated that games could make players move - a concept that would eventually become a billion-dollar market with Wii Fit and Ring Fit Adventure.

Fast Facts

• Original name: Family Fun Fitness (Bandai)
• Nintendo release: 1988 (as Power Pad)
• Technology: Pressure-sensitive membrane
• Spots: 12 (in two configurations: A and B side)
• Games: Only ~6 compatible titles
• Legacy: Predecessor to dance mats

Design

The Power Pad featured:

• Durable vinyl mat
• 12 pressure-sensitive spots
• Two-sided (different configurations)
• Blue spots on side A, red on side B
• Connected to NES controller port

Compatible Games

Limited software support:

Game	Year	Use
World Class Track Meet	1988	Running in place
Dance Aerobics	1987	Fitness routines
Short Order / Eggsplode!	1989	Puzzle stepping
Super Team Games	1988	Athletic events
Athletic World	1987	Sports compilation

Why It Didn’t Succeed

The Power Pad faced challenges:

• Limited game library
• Space requirements (floor space)
• Apartment-unfriendly (noise)
• Novelty wore off quickly
• Marketing as “fitness” before market ready

Legacy

Despite commercial failure, Power Pad pioneered:

• Floor mat gaming
• Physical input for home consoles
• Fitness gaming concept
• Two-player physical competition

Dance Dance Revolution (1998) would vindicate the concept.

The DDR Connection

DDR succeeded where Power Pad struggled:

• Music-driven (inherently fun)
• Social/competitive
• Arcade presence built audience
• Better timing technology
• “Cool” factor

Same concept, better execution and timing.

See Also

• Dance Dance Revolution
• Nintendo Entertainment System
• Guitar Hero