Whilst the majority of game developers out there are heavily ensconced in the traditional core values of video gaming (guns, more guns, and bigger guns) Nintendo has been quietly chipping away at an altogether different market.
Through the use of their Touch! Generations brand, they've released software (somehow using the designation "games" doesn't quite work) to test your brain, your sight, your maths skills, and even your ability to tolerate annoyance. We had expected Nintendo to eventually release a training title that measured how well you could use training titles, but instead they've leapfrogged over all the diet-DS titles and produced a comprehensive physical exercise platform entitled Wii Fit. We even got to use it!
Wii Fit is the name given to the software packaged with the Wii Balance Board. The Balance Board is about the size of a set of bathroom scales and feels similarly sturdy, it has a no-slip surface and a power switch that can be conveniently operated by your toe. It's rated to 150kg, or ignoring the many warnings not to jump on it, whichever comes first. After turning the Balance Board on and calibrating it, the Wii Fit software will perform an introductory configuration routine during which time it will attempt to ascertain your "Wii Fit Age".
It's important to note that the Wii Fit software isn't there to simply weigh and scold you each day. Nintendo has obviously done their market research and discovered that shouting at people doesn't generally do a lot for fitness, so they've embedded a full series of tests designed to measure your Body Mass Index.
Along with balance & posture tests, you will be assigned your Wii Fit Age, and it's then up to you to set your weight loss or fitness goals using the handy built-in calendar.
It's easy to scoff at such electronic tomfoolery, and indeed, scoff I did. Having avoided unnecessary exercise for the best part of three decades, it was easy to view the Wii Fit device as simply a marketing exercise. A way to lever the gaming enthusiast off their couch and into some crazy pose standing on top of a board where terrible people might take photos of you and put them on the internet. After the Nintendo representatives had lured me on to the board, fired up a Yoga exercise and taken a photo of me, I realised that this is entirely the point - with Wii Fit, it doesn't matter if you look like an idiot because you're in the privacy of your own home.
Having therefore lost my one stalwart excuse for refusing to do anything more taxing than typing, I became genuinely enthused. I consider myself one of the fastest runners in the world, simply because the only time I ever do it is when I'm being chased by something furry with four legs, but with Wii Fit you can push yourself even further by simply putting the Wii Remote in your pocket and jogging on the spot. Not only does the on-screen scenery change, but your electronic friends encourage you, and you can check your daily progress and try to do better next time.
If running isn't your thing, you can use the Wii Balance Board for a multitude of other exercises loosely disguised as games. There's the Ski Jump, which requires you to bend your knees and balance carefully before standing up quickly to get the furtherest distance, or you can see how many hula-hoops you can swivel at the same time. There are aerobic exercises as well as the aforementioned Yoga poses, and you can unlock new content the more exercise tasks you complete.
Everything you do is logged, and Wii Fit can store multiple profiles for different family members. Along with comprehensive graphs and reminders, Wii Fit can even determine from your age if your height is likely to change - perfect for the young and old alike.
Wii Fit is sheduled to be released May 8th, however Nintendo has stated that stock is more likely to arrive closer to the 15th. It's hardly surprising that there should be a delay, Wii Fit has been a prodigious success in Japan, and our first impressions are that it will be here too. The only thing likely to temper sales would be the imminent release of Mario Kart for the Wii, but the upside is that if you buy both, you can at least drive to your gym without feeling guilty.
