Wii Fit - Video Games

Wii Fit is an exercise simulation game (aka exergaming) in development by Nintendo that makes use of the Wii Balance Board peripheral. It was announced at E3 in July 2007 and has been described as "way to help get families exercising together". There will be over 40 activities included in the game broken up into four categories: (1) Aerobic Exercises, (2) Muscle Conditioning, (3) Yoga Poses, and (4) Balance games. It was released in Europe on May 8, 2008 and will be released in North America on May 21st, 2008 for $89.99 with the inclusion of a Wii Balance Board.

Pros & Cons
Pros:

•Innovative pressure sensitive gamepad
•Integrates Mii characters into gameplay
•Measures BMI
•Tracks your fitness progress with "Wii Fitness Age"
•Encourages people to live an active lifestyle
•Inexpensive, only $69.99 with Wii Balance Board
•Makes exercise fun
•Helps you use the proper form with animations, tips, and feedback based on the Balance Board
•Effective in-game personal trainer

Cons:

•Can only track four people's fitness ages.
•Uses BMI to determine fitness age but doesn't account for different body structures and muscle mass
•You can't input other biometric data that you've attained on your own (% body fat for example)
•May label children as "obese"

More information

Activities

•yoga exercises
•press ups
•step aerobics - done in sync with background music
•hula-hooping
•heading soccer balls
•ball-rolling mini game
•ski-jumping

Wii Fit will track your "Wii Fitness Age" in a similar manner as "Brain Age" was tracked in Brain Age and Big Brain Academy for the DS and Wii. There is speculation that Wii Fit may utilize the WiiConnect24 feature to help doctors and fitness professionals interact with patients and clients.

The Wii Balance Board will be included with the game and is expected to be reused by other games as they become available. The Balance Board is similar to a bathroom scale and includes multiple sensors that can determine its user's (1) center of gravity, and (2) BMI (Body Mass Index). These reading are used as part of the gameplay. There may be a larger "American sized" balance board released in the US after initial feedback is received from the upcoming Japanese launch.