Used to play DDR all the time. Had a modded ps2 and played all the great Japanese DDR games. If you're not very active you will feel it.
Pads are really pain in the ass. I'm not sure if they've changed much since I stop playing, but all the soft pads I had fell apart eventually. I did however do a quick search on redoctane and the newer pads seem to be beefier than what I played with. If you do get a flexible type pad, it's best if you put something firm below it, like a piece wood so that your pad doesn't fall apart/stop working quickly from flexing and it's more stable to use. I had cut pieces of plywood specifically to use underneath DDR mats.
redoctane was one of the original DDR mat suppliers and their mats were generally better than the rest. They still sell a couple different mats, bundled with different DDR games: http://redoctane.com/s.nl?c=731742&sc=7&search=ddr
Demon's Souls Official Thread | Currently playing: Left 4 Dead 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, Magicka
