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Wii becomes best-selling current generation console in Europe
We're always wary to talk numbers and Europe in the same breath, mostly because numbers over there don't mean the same as they do here. "One pound is a half kilogram? What does that even mean?" Luckily for us, there's no way to misconstrue the fact that the Wii is now the best-selling console in Europe this generation. The European chapter of the Wii Defense Force is popping the bubbly now, we imagine, celebrating the 30 million Wii consoles in the region as of 2011's end. New console bundles brought a new "value Wii" into the region, The PS3 isn't far behind, however, with reports of over 22 million consoles sold at the end of August. But, the Wii figure looks even better when compared to the GameCube, which sold 4.7 million throughout its five year lifetime in Europe and Australia, combined. On the peripheral front, Nintendo's also got robust sales figures for its Wii Balance Board and its bundled titles, Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus, to celebrate. 22.67 million copies of Wii Fit and 19.31 million copies of Wii Fit Plus have been sold worldwide.
Students use Wii Balance Board for kids' physical therapy system (video)
Nintendo's kid-tested, researcher-approved Wii Balance Board has struck at the heart of the medical supply industry yet again -- this time, the Bluetooth-connected scale is being used to help physically challenged children at Shriners Hospital in Houston. Seniors at Rice University hand-machined a set of force-sensitive parallel bars and programmed a monster-shooting game called Equilibrium to get kids excited about improving their walking gait, where they can play and score points with each proper step they take. The game automatically ratchets up the difficulty as patients improve, and handrails will play a part too, with a custom three-axis sensor box able to detect how much patients rely on the parallel bars (and dock points accordingly) in an effort to improve their posture. Yep, that sounds just a wee bit more useful than the Balance Board lie detector or the Wii Fit Roomba. Video after the break.
Wii Balance Board used to create motorized baby buggy
Researchers from Ithaca College recently created an incredibly neat device to give a bit of mobility to babies who suffer from disabilities which keep them from crawling: A motorized chair which lets its infant pilot navigate using the Wii Balance Board. See, babies lack the motor skills required to maneuver a more conventional motorized chair, but this particular model taps into a baby's natural proclivity to reach for things they want, which registers on the Balance Board and steers the device. (The chair also has a remote control override, in case its occupant decides he or she wants to reach for a flight of stairs.) Check out an impossibly adorable video of this ingenious, pint-sized automobile after the jump.
Nike Air Maxes get a Wii Balance Board infusion
Recently Nike -- a shoe company that seems to enjoy a side dish of tech from time to time -- challenged 78 artists to "hack" its shoes and come up with something decidedly different than your typical Air Force Ones. Now, a lot of the projects were more art and less tech, but that can't be said for entrant Nick Marsh's contribution to the experiment. The designer fused the internals of a Wii Balance Board with a pair of Air Maxes to create a gaming experience that may not be nuanced, but certainly seems capable of making you break a sweat. According to Nick, games are played exactly as they would have been previously, but since you can't step of the board, you're required to lift your foot or sit down when you need to back off on the pressure. Nick finished the project in April, but it sounds like a slightly more polished version could be in the offing. Check out a quick video of the shoes in action after the break, and hit the source for a slew of pics.
Two universities adopt Wii Fit to monitor football concussions
As it turns out, there are quite a few uses for a $100 off-the-shelf computerized scale, above and beyond getting fit -- Nintendo's Wii Balance Board is now providing a mechanism by which college football teams at Ohio State University and the University of Maryland can cheaply determine whether players are suffering from concussions. Taking the place of force plate machines that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, the white plastic boards measure students' balance (using yoga poses) and coordination (in Table Tilt) before a game, to provide a frame of reference against which trainers can measure whether athletes are fit to keep playing. Though some scholars found Wii Fit didn't stack up favorably against the expensive force plates, the universities trialing the system called it "pretty decent," so the question is whether Nintendo's peripheral offers a reasonable enough benchmark for the price. We suppose the American Heart Association liked it well enough.
Wii balance board could be used in fruitless airport security effort
You know that sweeping feeling of guilt that comes over you every time you're pulled over as part of a "standard traffic stop?" Yeah, those natural emotions are about to make you look incredibly suspicious on the way to your next flight -- or it will if the FAST project is ever turned into reality. The Homeland Security-funded Future Attribute Screening Technology effort, which has already ate away at $20 million in taxpayer dollars, essentially hopes to let flyers keep all of their clothes on while forcing them to stand on a Wii balance board (or similar) and have an array of sensors watch their every reaction to a battery of questions. The problem? Every innocent person on the planet's going to start sweating and shaking just being in that kind of scenario, and only the trained terrorists of the world are apt to be able to put truth aside and fake the machine into thinking everything is cool. Oh sure, we're being a little dramatic here, but seriously -- maybe the TSA should just require a complete life history as a prerequisite to boarding.[Via Popular Science]
Hands-on: Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage
click to enlarge Ah, snowboarding in the middle of summer -- well, on a screen and using a Wii Balance Board at least. Our recent trip to Ubisoft provided a brief opportunity to get our feet snowy with the Wii-only sequel to Shaun White Snowboarding and, well, the experience was familiar.The biggest difference: new events in various parts of the world. One we were able to take a crack at was a half-pipe run in New York City's Times Square. The Balance Board control felt great, apart from the act of jumping, which required us to quickly dig our heels into the board rather than, y'know, lifting them off of it. The game really didn't like it when we tried that.%Gallery-64279%
Nintendo moves 15 million Wii Fit units in a year, 4 remain in use
Oh c'mon, just admit it -- you rationalized that Wii Fit purchase like so: "Oh, I can't afford this, but it's totally something to make me exercise! So, I'll buy it!" Fast forward two months later, and you're struggling to find space to hide the case. All kidding aside (sort of...), you can't deny the facts, and the facts are that the Big N managed to ship 15 million Wii Fits units in just 13 months. For comparison, it took right around 2.5 years to move 50 million Wii units, so it seems this here title is well on its way to hitting the same milestone in around the same amount of time. Unfortunately, you can't lose weight by simply handing over wads of cash to Satoru Iwata -- feel free to try, though.
DreamCatcher & JoWood bring dedicated Yoga game to Wii
DreamCatcher and JoWood have announced a dedicated Yoga game for the Nintendo Wii, simply named Yoga for Wii. The game, which was built for use with the Wii Balance Board, includes three modes: Training, Routine and Story -- where players must seek revenge for the death of their brother... wait, no. Wrong press release. Oh, here it is, the purpose of the story mode is actually to turn Yoga novices into routine gurus. Also, players can go through a number of preset routines or create their own to fit their daily needs. Using the Wii Balance Board in conjunction with the Wii Remote is said to analyze balance, making suggestions for better routine execution with the help of a Yoga Master that tracks overall progress. Yoga for Wii is set to downward-dog into stores this October.
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 -- NECRead -- Nintendo
Wii Fit set to outpace Grand Theft Auto IV -- gamer geeks weep, gnash teeth
Unafraid to incite elitist gamer geek unrest, respected video game industry analyst Michael Pachter has supported a prediction by GigaOM that Wii Fit will outsell Grand Theft Auto IV this year. Yeah, you read right: the latest entry into what is arguably the biggest hardcore video game franchise around is gonna get whooped by an exercise tool -- we're not shocked, we're just laughing. GTA4 was dominating at first, but with time interest has waned while Wii Fit and its included Balance Board peripheral have stayed hot despite supply shortages. Nintendo's hardware-focused strategy seems to be working; the Balance Board install base is approaching 12 million, or roughly 30% of all Wii owners. You can bet it'll be put to good use in future games and other, less mainstream applications even after folks have given up on losing weight and resigned themselves once more to lifelong loneliness.
Microsoft Surface made pressure-sensitive with Wii Balance Board
So you've got a spare Microsoft Surface and Wii Balance Board laying around, whaddya do? Well, you could try stacking them on top of each other and hope that big-ass table doesn't crush your little plastic Nintendo toy, and with some code slapped on what you'd end up with is pressure-sensitive surface computing. This clever little concept was cooked up by Josh Santangelo from "Stimulant." In his demo, featured after the break, he rocks Surface from side to side while colored spots roll back and forth, using a physics engine he developed for MS Silverlight. It's a great start and we would love to see this resourceful hack put to good use -- beyond that of a totally awesome yet ridiculously expensive tilt-a-maze game, minus the maze.
Wii Balance Board used to control Roomba... for reasons unknown
For Roomba hacking extraordinaire longjie0723, it's just another day in the office. Grasping for one more way to control the circular vacuum with something video game-related, he keyed in on the Wii Balance Board. Granted, he's already had success controlling the Roomba with a Wiimote, so we assume that whipping this one up was a lesson in simplicity. We still can't really understand why this here hack is necessary, but unlike decisions made by publicly traded companies, independent DIYers don't need no logic to get their mod on. Video after the cut.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Third-party Wii Balance Board listed on Amazon UK
Are you one of the dozens and dozens of British citizens that wants a Wii Balance Board to play games like Skate It! or Rayman: Raving Rabbids TV Party, but also doesn't want to pay extra for the included Wii Fit game? Well you're in luck! According to a recent Amazon listing, the Njoy G-Board Balance Board will only set you back £64.99 -- a full five pounds less than the £69.99 Wii Fit package. And who needs Wii Fit's virtual personal trainer when you can look down at the G-Board's stylish LCD weight display to see just how unfit you really are?Seriously, the one advantage Njoy's Board might have over the Wii Fit bundle is availability -- as of this writing, the game's short supply has inflated the package price to £102.99 and up on Amazon's marketplace. Penny-pinching balancers can look for their G-Board's on Sept. 12.[Via Engadget]
Man uses Wii Balance Board to control robot, takes aim at Segway next
It may never garner quite the same broad appeal among DIYers as the incredibly versatile Wiimote, but it looks like the Wii Balance Board is nonetheless spurring on some hackery of its own, including being used as a navigation device for Google Earth and World of Warcraft. While those hacks are certainly impressive enough, the board has only just recently fully earned its DIY cred by being used to control a robot, which you can see in action after the break. What's more, the man responsible for that hack, Juan González, isn't about to rest on his laurels, with him now promising to create a Segway-like device that's controlled simply using the Wii Balance Board. Needless to say, we'll be keeping an eye out for any progress on that one.Read - Balance Board Blog, "Wii Balance Board used to control robot"Read - Balance Board Blog, "Man developing Wii Balance Board Segway - Robosurfing"
Wii Wheel + Balance Board = racing simulator
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Revolutionary_WRX_Stage_1'; Nintendo Wii Fanboy's code monkey extraordinaire, Mike Sylvester, stuns us again. His latest Revolutionary column is a step-by-step process of turning the Wii balance board and Wii wheel into a racing simulator, with the aid of GlovePIE and a PC version of Need for Speed ProStreet. Feel free to try this at home.
Wii Move to do "something" with the Wii Balance Board
Last week a mysterious video appeared online featuring probably the most boring ever sequence of a low-rez woman. jogging monotonously while a clock ticked down to ... nothing. It wasn't quite clear if this was a terrorist training video, the rough cut of an intro to a new Lifetime series, or some teaser for a new game. If you picked the game option, you guessed right.PheroseSoft is a new company formed by ex-staffers from Electronic Arts and Rockstar North, and we hope that doesn't rule out some hooligan-style body checks and tackles in what looks to be another workout video, aimed at getting you up off the couch and onto a piece of plastic. Wii Move will be available through WiiWare in "Quarter Four" 2008. Plenty of time for you to buy your running outfits and wristbands.
Revolutionary: Balance and Options
Unlike most people, when I brought Wii Fit home for the first time, I didn't head straight to my Wii and slide the disc in to play. Instead, I tore apart the packaging to get at the Balance Board, which I then attempted to "hook up" to my computer. It took a while and a change in my method of operating, but I eventually got the thing connected and working in GlovePIE. It was at that point I started realizing what the Balance Board was really capable of, and this week I'll be sharing with you a few things I've learned about this new peripheral, so that you can start scripting for it and letting your imagination run wild.
Raving Rabbids TV Party, for use with balance board, coming this winter
Click to embiggen ... Daaaah! var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Raving_Rabbids_TV_Party_announced_uses_Wii_balance_board'; Those wascally wabbits are back. Ubisoft has announced Raving Rabbids TV Party, due out this holiday season for the Nintendo Wii and DS. Said the press release, "The Rabbids plan to invade televisions worldwide, providing players with a variety of games and comedic exploits spoofing TV shows, pop culture and even advertisements."As was hinted in a recent video (embedded after the break), TV Party will make use of the Wii balance board. Early screenshots indicate the balance board is not required for every game, but will involve sitting on the board and shaking your butt. Said CEO Yves Guillemot, "The inclusion of the Wii Balance Board into the game was a huge source of inspiration for our development team and I guarantee you will see the Wii Balance Board used in ways that will be surprisingly unexpected!" More details are to come at this year's E3.%Gallery-23881%
Namco's 'We Ski' coming to US in spring 2008
Narrowly avoiding the obvious and overused pun, Namco Bandai has announced intentions to bring its Japanese Wii title Family Ski over to North America as We Ski. Like the Japanese version, We Ski will be fully compatible with the Wii Balance Board, allowing players to shimmy and slalom their way down the virtual mountains.We Ski matches Nintendo's family-friendly aesthetic with cutesy customizable characters, and the option to import your Mii's and let them join in on all the snowy action. In addition to the standard ski modes, the game also includes free-style and photography modes, and allows up to four players to ski free on over a dozen courses.With the title announced for a spring 2008 release, and the Wii Balance Board making its way to North America on May 19, We Ski will undoubtedly become the unofficial companion game to the Wii Fit package, as the first third-party software to support the peripheral.
