Wii Check-up Channel will link you to health professionals, Dr. Mario

It was inevitable we guess what with everyone plus your grandma using the Wii. Now Nintendo Japan has announced a new Wii "Check-Up" channel that acts as a health guidance system between you and health professionals. Scheduled for an April launch, the system developed in partnership with Hitachi, NEC, Panasonic and a health insurance company is said to provide 2-way communication between users and health leaders who'll provide "healthy guidance" to otherwise Cheeto-stained gamer-types. The service appears to be compatible with both Wii Fit and its Balance Board as well as NEC's mobile phone health platform for checking progress or accessing advice remotely. It also appears to be usable anonymously. We'll update you just as soon as we get all these Japanese press releases translated.

[Via Akihabara News and NeoGAF]

Read -- NEC
Read -- Nintendo

[groggle @ Jan 27th 2009 5:32AM]

Wqy to suck the fun out of the Wii guys!

[silk @ Jan 27th 2009 7:01AM]

Its not fun to be healthy?

[Bobs @ Jan 27th 2009 8:17AM]

Do not let Dr. Mario touch your genitals. He is not a real doctor.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jan 27th 2009 10:23AM]

Especially when you're on the receiving end of the doctor playing Wii Prostate Exam.

[w4rh34rt @ Jan 27th 2009 5:46AM]

That's the most stupid thing I've seen in a long time....

[Like_A_Glove @ Jan 27th 2009 8:27AM]

Then where have you been the last 8 years?

[SewerShark @ Jan 27th 2009 6:32AM]

Nintendo: Games for Grannies.

Come OOOOOON, what is next? Wii defibrillator? Wii Canes?

Its a videogame, for crying out loud.

[kal326 @ Jan 27th 2009 11:27AM]

Wii Malpractice

[Andre @ Jan 27th 2009 6:48AM]

What the hell? "and a health insurance company" ...

I wonder what said insurance company would do if they found out you suck at Wii Fit, A.K.A you are too sick/obese to be covered by them. Very innovative way of collecting that data...

[dale1v @ Jan 27th 2009 6:56AM]

FFS.
Mario on gameboy
Super smash bros.
Mario and sonic at the olympics
mario galaxy
mario 64
mario golf
mario kart
paper mario
mario tennis
mario baseball
mario basketball
mario football

Now mario is a doctor.
what next, lawyer? chiropodist?
¬_¬ give it a rest, nintendo.

[marting @ Jan 27th 2009 7:04AM]

Mario has already been a doctor (hence the picture) in er..... Dr Mario

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Jan 27th 2009 7:13AM]

Turn your head and cough.

[SewerShark @ Jan 27th 2009 8:14AM]

Super Mario Wright - Mushrooms and Tribulations

[Benzodiazepine @ Jan 29th 2009 9:48PM]

Mario has been a doctor since the very start.

http://madpercolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/Dr.%20Mario.jpg

http://arcadegamer.googlepages.com/DrMario.jpg/DrMario-full.jpg

ANd i have to admit that i love the game.

[Spawn_Xe @ Jan 27th 2009 12:49PM]

can anyone pinpoint when Wii stopped becoming a gaming console?.. coz, i've not seen anything worth 'playing' in months.

[Darrell @ Jan 27th 2009 7:21AM]

Glad to see that Mario hasn't let that medical malpractice suit destroy his career.

[Peter @ Jan 27th 2009 4:13PM]

Please be warned....Dr. Mario is not a real doctor

[Julio @ Jan 27th 2009 7:44AM]

I think Dr. Mario is a Proctologist, if you know what I mean!

[NHAnimator @ Jan 27th 2009 8:18AM]

Report from Dr. Mario:

Your Mii is fat. Please adjust your avatar's height-to-width ratio and select Save to gain health.

Then take one of these blue pills. It will help with the size of your Wii.

[Timerider @ Jan 27th 2009 11:30AM]

Or take the red pill and see how far the rabbit hole goes.
(Sorry, I had to.)

[MRLN @ Jan 27th 2009 9:55AM]

"Stop playing video games and get some exercise."

"But.. but..."

"Now!"

"Ok, I'll sell all of my video games and never play them again."

O noes, this will hurt Nintendo's sales.

[Magallanes @ Jan 27th 2009 10:04AM]

Dr. Mario is like Dr. Pepper :not a real doctor.

[Lord HowitHurtz @ Jan 27th 2009 11:03AM]

Since they can't make any good games besides wii sports they need to do something with the wii.

[Dee @ Jan 27th 2009 11:27AM]

It's only a matter of time, once the push to make medical records digital, you'd be able to use a plethora of devices to interact with your preferred physician without needing to leave your home or, in this story's content, your couch.

[Timerider @ Jan 27th 2009 11:29AM]

"You-a fat!"

[Seneca @ Jan 27th 2009 11:36AM]

We're sorry but we've denied your claim.
"Itsame, Mario" was not found in your list of approved health care providers.

[rav97 @ Jan 27th 2009 2:08PM]

For a few gold coins, Dr. Mario will write you prescriptions for medical psychedelic mushrooms.

[T C @ Jan 29th 2009 7:02PM]

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Space-Station-Video-Games