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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 and Arduino bring wooden Labyrinth game to robotic life
Ah, yes. Nothing like some robotics to shake all that pesky quaintness out of a well-loved, time-tested game. In this case, some folks from the Cowtown Computer Congress used a couple of servos and the ever so useful Arduino to connect a wooden Labyrinth game to a Wii Fit, which appears to up the difficulty of the game while still requiring as little exertion as possible. At just $60 total (not including the Wii Fit), the project is also relatively inexpensive, and it seems that it's a fairly simple process to swap out the Wii Fit for the controller of your choice. Head on past the break for a video of the setup in action, and hit up the link below for the necessary details.[Thanks, Steve]
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXII: Wu Fit -- it's Wii Fit, without the supply chain issues
So far as we can tell, the Wü Fit (see what they did there?) doesn't actually come with the Wii Fit software. But unless we're being badly deceived, the knockoff balance board should operate just fine with the official game (seriously!) -- assuming that you can find it by its lonesome, which you can't. The best (er, "only good") part? It's actually in stock for $92.95, which is more than the Big N can say about its genuine counterpart in much of the world. It's okay, we know you're seriously considering this over that eBay auction -- we promise not to tell.[Thanks, anonymouse]
SwiitBoard: the sweeter way to get fit on the Wii
The Wii Fit's slab of a peripheral is called a Balance Board for good reason: it's fine if a little yoga and pilates action is all you need to keep in shape, but, sturdy as it is, jumping up and down is liable to form cracks before toned thighs. If you need some high impact aerobics to be rid of that spare tire you'll have to go custom, like the SwiitBoard from a cardio-loving Wii aficionado called frits. It's just a durable wooden plank propped up by foam blocks on either end and a Wiimote zip tied to the front. The magic happens in the software, converting the up/down impacts of jogging in place into forward motion, with left or right roll turning the avatar in the simple game he worked out (video below). It's perhaps a bit crude, but would you rather have a board that looks good or a bod that looks good? Yeah, we'd pick gadget aesthetics too. If you want your own, frits will sell you the software for €10 -- money that will fund another of his projects: a site that fights global warming via pictures of scantily clad, eco-minded ladies.[Via Hack A Day]
EA SPORTS Active is hardly the Wii Fit slayer we were hoping for
Our exercise-averse bones were certainly shaking at rumors of EA's supposed onslaught on the Wii Fit-dominated "video games don't have to be fun, they can also make you sore and grumpy" market, but we must admit we're a little disappointed in the end product. EA SPORTS Active for the Wii eschews Nintendo's Wii Fit peripheral entirely, instead opting for a leg strap to hold a nunchuck controller and track the movements of your rippling thigh, while an electronics-free resistance band is there to make everything harder. The good news is that Bob Greene, Oprah's personal trainer, was involved in Active's creation and the wide assortment exercises it will subject you to, so you know it's going to turn you into an eternally beautiful and endlessly influential TV talk show host in a few short weeks. Speaking of, did everybody see that 30 Rock episode with Oprah in it? Can we just give Tina Fey all the Emmys right now, or do we have to wait until next year? Video of EA's Active is after the break.
Walmart, Kmart announce Black Friday-esque deals for days other than Black Friday
Want to get a jump on your holiday shopping or find a couple of insane bargains to keep for yourself? A few retailers are offering what they've dubbed "Black Friday-style" price cuts for tomorrow -- Saturday, November 8th. Walmart's got a sweet 15.4-inch Compaq CQ-139WM (with 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive) laptop for $298, in addition to a PlayStation 2 bundled with a $30 WalMart gift card for $129, and a PlayStation 3 with a $100 gift card for $399. Over at Kmart they're offering up a rad 32-inch Sylvania LCD HDTV for $439.99 (they usually go for for $550). They also have several deals for Sunday, November 9th, including the Wii Fit for $89.99. Is it safe to assume that every Friday (not to mention Saturday and Sunday) until Christmas will be "black"? For the full, mind-blowing rundown, hit the read links.[Via CNET, I4U News]Read - KmartRead - Walmart Backs Main Street
EA plans a Wii Fit-slaying exercise game?
The Wii Fit might have some competition brewing, if Men's Fitness magazine is a publication worthy of the public's trust, that is. The details are vague, to say the very least but, here's what we "know": Dave Kushner, executive producer at EA Sports, told the magazine that the company is planning an 'unnamed fitness game' with a 'new peripheral' which will connect the Wiimote to the player's body, enabling all sorts of newfangled measurements, movements, and exercises barely dreamed of before. Sounds totally awesome, right? Well, if and when it materializes, we'll be sure to rush to the store, buy one, then sadly rue its unused, guilt-inducing existence every day thereafter.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Nintendo cranking on Wii production for the holidays, still making no promises
Hard to believe, nay, mind-boggling, that two full years after Nintendo launched the Wii in America we're still looking at shortages. In the midst of "economic turmoil," no less. Back in April, Reggie Fils-Aime proclaimed that he was "passionately upset" about the difficulty consumers were having in finding Wii consoles, and now that yet another holiday season is upon us, it's clear that he's made some changes. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, he admitted that Wii production was up from 1.6 million units per month (during this time last year) to 2.4 million units per month (now), though he wouldn't go so far as to say you'd have an easy time finding one. In fact, he stated that "once you see [a Wii console] on the shelf, you ought to buy it." Also of note, those still scouting a Wii Fit may be in luck, as the Big N could decide to ship more units to America rather than Europe now that the greenback is gaining strength versus the euro. Good luck hunting -- we'd recommend you start looking, um, yesterday.Update: Looks like Ninty's already turning up the burners -- that's a heretofore-unbelievable shot of Wii stock at reader Roberto's local Best Buy in West Paterson, New Jersey.[Via GameDaily]Read - Reggie Fils-Aime interviewRead - Analyst's take Wii Fit shipments
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.
Nintendo getting into the pedometer game? This will all end in tears
Bad / good news, folks: Nintendo is / isn't working on a pedometer peripheral that will / won't integrate with its Wii / DS console. The company has famously stated that it doesn't plan to release "a whole lot more" accessories for the Wii, which means we've got at least one or two to look forward to, and this could be one of 'em. The images surfaced on a European trademark registry site with very little supplemental info, but we do know it's a pedometer of sorts. If we're lucky, this is something that'll integrate into the existing Wii Fit setup, perhaps alongside a software update to manage more info about our unhealthiness than just how far we can jump on a pair of imaginary skis, but it's probably just as likely that we're looking at a Wii Fit sequel, or perhaps a DS version (a handy companion to that new DS?) designed to lure us out of the house. No telling, really, but the peripheral does appear to be wireless... and wholly evil.[Via Joystiq]
Nintendo explains Wii Fit shortages using familiar language
Well, it looks like all that experience Nintendo has half-explaining Wii supply issues isn't going to waste -- the company just issued a statement regarding shortages of Wii Fit that sounds awfully familiar. Seriously, follow along with us here: Wii shortages, Nov. 14, 2007: "The demand for Wii hardware globally has been unprecedented and higher than Nintendo could ever have anticipated." Wii Fit shortages, Aug. 28, 2008: "Nintendo had a substantial supply nationwide for launch, though some stores saw spot shortages due to unprecedented demand for this unique product." Here's a thought, guys: if there's "unprecedented" demand for the console, the demand for arguably the biggest accessory for that console since launch probably isn't unprecedented as well -- and your PR people shouldn't be so well-versed in making excuses like this.[Via Slashgear]
The Wii Fit balance board is cloned, magically sprouts an LCD display
It looks like Nintendo will finally be getting some challengers to its balance board monopoly... or one at least. Cheapo Wii accessory-maker Njoy is set to introduce its own version of the Wii Fit's footboard come September 12th for the weirdly more-expensive price of £64.99 (or about $130). Of course, Njoy's model does have a built-in LCD display (presumably for checking your weight even when the console is off), though it won't come bundled with any software, virtual trainers, or the assurances of a thorough Mario and Luigi inspection process.[Via Balance Board Blog]
Man's Wii Fit experiment comes to an end, 15 pounds shed
As you may recall, Mickey DeLorenzo rose to some degree of internet stardom a little over a year ago by dropping a whopping nine pounds using Wii Sports as his sole exercise routine and, after packing on a few pounds, he decided to give it another go using Nintendo's latest weight-shedding wonder: Wii Fit. Unlike a certain other would-be success story, DeLorenzo actually managed to complete his experiment, and the results are fairly impressive. After 45 days, he managed to shed a full 15 pounds, or about 2.56 pounds a week, and he dropped his body fat % from 20.8% to 18.4%. Of course, DeLorenzo admits that doing anything involving movement an extra 60 minutes a day will result in some weight loss, but he seems pretty sold on the benefits of Wii Fit, saying that it made it "especially easy" to work the training into his daily life.
Wii Fit already carving up bods, finding use in rehabilitation
From the get-go, Nintendo's latest console was seen as a dream come true for folks who'd love to lose a few pounds, yet would rather log a few hours on the couch rather than the track. Shortly after the Wii Fit's launch, we're already seeing another wave of dedicated users reporting weight loss, and the trend is even bleeding into the medical field. According to Sue Stanley-Green, a professor of athletic training at Florida Southern College, the Wii Fit and other fitness-related games have "great potential for core strengthening and rehabilitation and may boost compliance with rehabilitation exercises." She also noted that these games were "being used more and more in nursing homes," and particularly with youngsters, titles such as Wii Fit are the only ones that stand a chance at getting them active. We can't decide if that's a positive thing or just downright depressing.[Thanks, Juergen]Read - Wii Fit in rehabRead - Wii Fit weight loss
How would you change Wii Fit?
Okay, so you've had ample time now to shed a few pounds courtesy of Wii Fit. Whether or not you've been diligent enough to stick with it is another thing. Regardless of your level of dedication, we're certain there's a few things Nintendo could have done differently to make the entire experience a bit better. Heck, our own Ryan Block has already chimed in with a few things that he would like to see tweaked, so what's stopping you? Post up your comments while training for bonus points.
Analyst says Nintendo deliberately redirecting Wii Fit to Europe
While the supposed Wii Fit shortages are nothing compared to the now infamous Wii shortages we've seen, at least one of those ever-insightful analysts now claims to deduced the cause of them, and he's laying the blame squarely on the big N. According to Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter, Nintendo has shipped some 2 million Wii Fit units to Europe, while reserving a mere 500,000 for North America, which he surmises can only mean that Nintendo is deliberately redirecting 'em in order to take advantage of the strong Euro. Pachter seems to think that Nintendo will still make out alright in the end, however, saying that, "they know that Americans will be just as fat a few months from now," when it'll have more units available. [Via GameSpot]
Nyko's Energy Pack keeps your Wii balance board juiced
If you're anything like our boy Ryan, you've been wearing that Wii Fit out ever since you took delivery. Unfortunately, you've probably been doing a bit of unintentional jogging when logging miles back and forth to the local mini-mart for batteries. If you can't seem to keep your Wii Balance Board charged, Nyko has introduced a novel solution: the Energy Pack for Wii Fit. Our pals over at Nintendo Wii Fanboy were able to get ahold of this very unit and put it through its paces, and generally speaking, they were quite impressed with the $20 peripheral-for-a-peripheral. Head on over for the full writeup and a smattering of pics.
Wii Fit: feelin' the burn (part 1)
We've still got a few weeks left to see how we'll do going up against the Nintendo-made workout routines of the Wii Fit, but we can tell you that we've had some mixed results early on. We'll do a full wrap-up later, but for now some initial notes.We were off to a pretty good start in the first couple of days -- but be warned, you do need plenty of space where you intend to work out, especially as you get started in the strength training. We were a little surprised at just how much space was needed at times, so unless you've got plenty of it you may end up like us, spending plenty of time shuffling and reshuffling the balance board back and forth.Players (exercisers?) are rewarded with more reps and new routines as they log hours, and if you're unfit (like we are) even some of the beginner exercises will undoubtedly reveal all those atrophied muscles (especially the push-ups / side-plank and jackknife routines, which are killers). Wii Fit's use of a plain, clearly visualized trainer makes learning the exercises -- and even the more complicated yoga poses -- easy for newbs. More after the break.
Nintendo celebrates Wii Fit NY launch in Central Park
Nintendo is really rubbing in its NY-only launch date for the Wii Fit. Not only do New Yorkers get the Fit a whole two days prior to the rest of America, they also got to try it out for free alongside celebrity trainers in Central Park. Despite the threat of rain, we saw quite a few folks out enjoying the device, from young to old. Many of older set wasn't even aware there were two products in play, the Wii and the Wii Fit -- and some of the trainers seem to have trouble explaining that concept -- so it seems to us that a bundled SKU could do good things for Nintendo. Not that it won't sell like gangbusters anyways. Video of people exercising is on the way. You have been warned.Update: Video has been added.%Gallery-23237%
