Posted by Dom
You won’t be able to move next week (pun intended) for articles in the mainstream press about Nintendo’s new ‘Wii Fit’ game, which aims to get everybody from 8 to 80 exercising in front of their TV, through a clever mixture of fun games and challenges and the ‘Wii Balance Board’.
This Balance Board allows you to interact with the numerous exercises, workouts and challenges in the game, and ultimately build up your fitness levels from the comfort of your living room – no more long treks to the gym (or interacting with other human beings as well, I guess).
At £69.99, the package doesn’t come cheap – but when you see the size, build and quality of the Balance Board, the price does seem slightly more reasonable. I walked home with a review copy of the game under my arm last night and noticed quite a few enquiring/envious glances – Wii Fit is not out until April 25, and apparently video game stores up and down the country are sold out already of just their pre-order allocation, let alone actual stocks.
This marriage of home fitness and your games console ticks a lot of boxes in a society already gravely worried about a growing obesity crisis. Anything which makes exercise ‘fun’ and accessible, and which can be fitted in to your daily lifestyle easily, should be encouraged, but how well does the game actually work? I’m going to be keeping a diary for the MSN Life and Style channel where I see if the claims behind the title actually stand up in real life. You can read my conclusions on the game’s release date next Friday.
In the meantime, do you think these kind of ‘non-games’ are a worrying development for the console industry as a whole, or a brilliant marketing ploy to get as many people as possible involved in playing games? Will fitness games like Wii Fit encourage you to exercise more consistently all the year round, or will you forget about them after the novelty’s wore off and just go back to playing the latest Mario or Grand Theft Auto?
Leave your comments below – after watching this rather cynical (but witty) American take on the Wii Fit phenomenon (‘Standing in one place has never been so much fun!’)
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I wish I had shares in Nintendo, I think they are brilliant. They have found a niche in the gaming industry and are getting the whole family up off their backsides to compete in these wonderful sports games. Well done Nintendo, its such fun too.Cant wait for WII Fit
But I bet even if they used this spoof as an ad it\’d still sell like hot cakes!
Even I think it looks fun and I haven\’t done exercise for more years than I care to remember
I\’m all for the idea of keeping fit but sorry. There is no substitution for real exercise in the great out doors. Fresh air in your lungs, sunshine, enjoying the elements, heading a real ball and training with friends. They say they want to get people out of their back yard into their living rooms infront of the TV. I would have thought the opposite is more fun. It\’s a fad, and I cant see it lasting long.
WHY NOT BRING THE WII OUT TO THE BACK GARDEN ?
yes, the funny video is funny. there are studies on the impact of wii on the level of human enegry used when playing wii, they found that playing wii only uses about 2% more energy than a stationary console like PS2. SO YOU WONT LOSE MUCH IF ANY WEIGHT PLAYING THE WII.
I believe that if you have never exercised then this is a good place to start. Wii also is a family console which brings the family together spending time together rather than kids being up in their bedrooms. During the summer months family spend more time outside together anyway but now there is the opportunity to encourage exercise during the winter months without getting wet and cold.
I for one can\’t wait until Friday and the aches and pains that will follow.
By the looks of it in the advert above, Wii Fit does not look like it\’s very stimulating or that much physical activity is required. I think that the novelty of this form of exercise will just wear as like the novelty of brain-training games is. In my opinion if you want to get exercise and bond with your family at the same time then it\’s not worth splurging out £70 – it would be a better investment to go to the park with football or book a tennis court in the local leisure centre. It would be a lot cheaper too.
Walking up & down your stairs 10 times would be more beneficial than this nonsense , The type of exercise they\’re describing wont get you fit because it isnt enough to raise your heart rate sufficiently , so it\’s just a waste of money , ppl are out of shape mostly because there LAZY , even if ppl only walked or cycled to work or school that would be a significant step toward improving overall health & the healthier you feel the less inclined you are to fill your body with garbage ( I cycle to work so I\’m not a hypocrite )
speaking of lazy…"ppl are out of shape mostly because there LAZY "how long would it take to add three letters?
i fink the wii fit isnt very good, i lyk to excersise and i have a Wii myself, but it looks far to slow and wudnt get me tired if they had showed it sped up abit then fair enuf but im not gna spend loadsa money on sumfin that wont even du nufink.
its all bout toning now adays and usin dat wudnt tone to the max dat people might want, get sumfin propa out !
Abby? what did you say? i dont understand punjabi
Abby, I agree. You shouldn\’t by a Wii Fit. You should buy a dictionary or read a book.
"i fink the wii fit isnt very good, i lyk to excersise and i have a Wii myself, but it looks far to slow and wudnt get me tired if they had showed it sped up abit then fair enuf but im not gna spend loadsa money on sumfin that wont even du nufink.
its all bout toning now adays and usin dat wudnt tone to the max dat people might want, get sumfin propa out !"
I THINK the wii fit isn\’t very good, i LIKE to EXERCISE and i have a wii myself, but it looks far to slow and WOULDNT get me tired if they had showed it sped up a bit, then fair ENOUGH, but I\’m not GOING TO spend LOADS OF money on SOMETHING that wouldn\’t even DO NOTHING.
Its all ABOUT toning nowadays and USING THAT WOULDNT tone to the max THAT people might want, get SOMETHING PROPER out !
Having fixed your lazy phone text speak, i still cant understand what the hell your going on about?
Please, if you are going to comment. Then at least do it in your own language, because its obvious you do not have a grasp on the English language! Or go here http://toolbar.google.com/T4/intl/en-GB/index_pack.html and download the free Google toolbar, as it comes with a free spell checker.
Wii is great…it gets the whole family participating in games together and is a lot of fun, its a social thing…instead of sitting and playing games on your own or other people just sitting and watching more people can get involved. the control system is great, it makes gaming a real pleasure! Wii Fit is just the next evolution of that system, again desgined to get people up and involved together. I do not expect to become \’uber\’ fit from the system but it has to be better for you than just sitting on the sofa and playing games consolses using just your thumbs?!
Wii for everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Wii fit just looks boring! Really, for those kinds of exercises, you you just take up yoga, which cost only a book and then you can practice at home. You only need about 2 classes to get your balance right. That thing is the most pointless addition to a games console that I\’ve ever seen in my life! Oh, and for anyone who said it looks slow and wouldn\’t get you tired, it is slow, and it\’s due to the sheer physical control required for these games that it gets you tired. It doesn\’t raise your heart rate much, but it\’s not supposed to. It\’s a completely different kind of fitness.
Sorry, as I say…You\’d be better off buying a Yoga book for that kind of thing…
spend your money on a dog from a rescue home and get out and walk. thats all i did 9 wonderfullyears ago.
not once has nintendo said that wii fit is to take place of real exercise, its just a game that will get you off your backside while playing. the wii has made families play games together, i for one am all for it, but that doesnt mean i still dont like other kind of games, as a owner of all the current consoles im so happy ive got the chance to play all the great games available. with the wii and nintendo they are just trying something new, and who is to say it is wrong, my own mum has gone out and got a ds lite, now she plays it all the time instead of getting depressed watching eastenders.
wii fit will sell loads, and for all the nay sayers all i can say is dont buy it, i dont really think nintendo will care when they are sitting counting the pile of cash they will get for selling them. i for one think wiifit looks like great fun, not shore how long the fun will last but as long as nintendo release new games that use the balance board ill be more than happy.
http://www.networktv.us was here! http://www.uoha.com
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