Nintendo Wii Fit
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Nintendo aims to flog 18 million 3DS, up to 10.5 million home consoles this fiscal year
All eyes are on Nintendo, now that it has revealed losses of $460 million. Buried in all of the financial paperwork were the revelations that it sells the 3DS at a loss, its plans for digital distribution and its projected sales figures for this year. It aims to flog 18.5 million 3DS handhelds and 10.5 million Wii consoles by March 31st 2013. But wait, what about the Wii U? That figure actually encompasses both old and new hardware, so it is either hoping for a sharp fall in Wii sales or a tough opening for the new baby. It's a bold pair of figures that relies upon how well New Super Mario Bros 2, Animal Crossing and the new hardware capture the public's imagination in a time when people are tightening their belts (especially if they've been using Wii Fit).
Wii Fit balance board hack takes a virtual Segway ride around Google's mapped world (video)
You can do a lot in seven hours -- fly coast-to-coast, slow-cook a pot roast, create a Google Maps-navigating, Wii Fit-controlled virtual Segway. Wait, what? Yes, that Nintendo-branded, dust-collecting relic of holidays past has been given a new lease on life thanks to an intrepid troop of Ivy-educated geeks, and a seven-hour hackathon. The marathon modding session, held by Stanford University's SVI Hackspace, banded together a like-minded set of overachieving modders to produce a balance board-guided Street View romp through Google Maps. The students' hack connects the Wii Fit board to OS X via the Osculator app, with a Node.js server processing the data and Socket.io handling board-to-browser communication. A Google Earth plug-in and pre-rendered Segway were all that was left to complete this foot-mapped joy ride through our digitized world. Video demo awaits you after the break.
Mario Armstrong demonstrates Wii Fit for CNN
Just the fact that a major news outlet is covering Nintendo's Wii Fit isn't enough to be featured on this blog. Oh no, you have to present us with something we want. Here, CNN has succeeded, as the linked video showcases the title's hula hoop minigame. Then again, you're not us, so perhaps you could care less about the hula hooping? If that's the case, then know that they tackle the subject of Wii Fit versus a traditional gym membership or workout regimen in the segment. The individual demonstrating the title for CNN, Mario Armstrong, sees this more as a game and less of a substitute for traditional exercise. He does make a valid point, however, in that Wii Fit could be a good motivator to ease people into a healthier lifestyle, as the physical activity in the game would make it easier for individuals to transition into a more intense routine.%Gallery-4745%[Via Go Nintendo]
Point: Wii Fit is dumb
Click for larger image Okay, so I'm immature. Sue me.From a business standpoint, Wii Fit is an obviously excellent decision. For me, though, I wonder about what kind of effect the successful venture will have on the future of the Wii. Sure, Wii Fit follows Nintendo's goal of extracting money from the wallet of every person on the planet, but think about this: what big titles have we seen from Nintendo since the introduction of Wii Fit? Actually, what have we seen period from Nintendo since the unveiling of Wii Fit? Any big first-party titles planned? Reggie hinted, but we honestly have no idea!Aside from that, Wii Fit helps Nintendo distance themselves from the model of actually making games for their games console. Wii Fit is selling like some kind of made-up word, proving to the company that they're less relied on to innovate in the games space and instead should put more focus on expanding the market, luring in non-gamers with a barebones fitness experience and other similar products going forward. This could put a damper on Nintendo dishing out new titles for their longtime fans who actually crave nothing more than installments in the company's key franchises. Sure, we've all played the Super Mario games, but one thing that keeps us coming back, despite the supposed lack of innovation in each installment (as some say) is that each entry does innovate, if only a tad sometimes. We don't keep playing these games out of some nostalgic loyalty to the characters. We play because the games are good.Finally, people, the thing is way too expensive. You're talking about a $90 bundle, which is more than a third the cost of the console (given that you can find one), for nothing more than a plastic board and an introductory fitness application. We're not talking Brain Age here, where Nintendo is offering a mass market experience at a mass market price. We're talking the kind of price you see on a monthly electric bill. Introductions Wii Fit = great %Gallery-23307%
Point/Counterpoint: Wii Fit
Click for larger image With Wii Fit finally hitting store shelves, it's time for us to weigh in with our Point/Counterpoint feature. Within, we tackle the issue at hand both positively and negatively. Sometimes we're serious, sometimes we're silly. Hopefully, you'll find something inside to your liking. Without further ado, let's get this shindig on the road. So, go ahead and click that Wiimote in the bottom right-hand corner to get started. What's the deal, Wii Fit? %Gallery-4745%
