Wii Fit and Balance Board

While no exact release date has been provided for the Wii Fit or the Wii Balance Board, both are generating a lot of anticipation and excitement and should be released in the United States sometime in 2008.

 

The Nintendo Wii has been commended for getting kids and adults off the couch while playing video games. Game titles like Wii Sports, which is included in the purchase price of a Wii system, have players going through the motions of tennis, baseball, boxing and bowling, right in their living rooms. The Wii’s motion sensing capabilities pick up on players’ movements. The game lets players go head to head or improve their technique and fitness levels in a single-player mode that tracks progress.

 

The next big item announced by Nintendo at the 2007 Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) is the Wii Fit series.

All of the activities on Wii Fit will use slow, controlled movements for maximum effect. Wii Fit will also allow players to use their Miis, which will personalize each activity and add another fun element to the game. A Mii is a character that a player creates of his or herself, taking into account hair color, eye color, face shape, facial features and evening clothing color.

 

Wii Fit activities will be done using the Wii Balance Board. The Wii Balance Board resembles a common bathroom scale and senses pressure, movement, weight and more with surprising accuracy and sensitivity.

 

Wii Fit will also tally performance and record progress, making the series one of the most fun workout system’s in existence and attracting a wide demographic of people.

 

Even those who exercise regularly will find the mini games and activities challenging – the sensitivity of the Balance Board is difficult to master, and activities are challenging for people of all fitness levels.

Aside from the activities Nintendo has already announced, many people in the gaming world are brainstorming endless activities that could incorporate the use of the Wii Balance Board.

 

Possibilities like skateboarding, mini games, hacky sac games and even a WiiGii board have been suggested by fans and those in the game industry.

 

One Canadian gym has even incorporated the Wii into its fitness classes (the Wii Fit series and Balance Board have been released in certain countries).

 

The Balance Bar used in Wii Fit is also an area with endless possibilities. Third-party involvement will be announced in the future, and other games incorporating the Wii Balance Board will be released.

 

A few quirks and kinks in the program are still being worked out, especially with the system’s frequent required calibration, but the program is slated for a highly-anticipated 2008 release. The program is anticipated to retail for over $49.