Wii Fit Merges Entertainment and Exercise

More and more the Nintendo Wii is really starting to look like the perfect marketing storm. The system has surpassed both PS3 and X-Box in sales, and supply isn’t even close to meeting demand (units don’t even sit on shelves, shipments simply fly in and out of stores every couple weeks). With its reasonable price (at least $100 lower than the aforementioned systems) and unique spin on video-game play, the Wii has become a downright phenomenon. But perhaps just as key to the system’s success is the way the Wii has managed to tap into the fitness market.

Nintendo will further blur the line between gaming and fitness on May 19th, when the company releases the Wii Fit bundle in the United States. The Wii Fit bundle includes a wireless balance board and over 40 exercise routines. The board can support a person weighing up to 660 pounds, and it uses a person’s weight and balance to compute body mass index (BMI) - which determines if a person is within weight range, underweight or overweight. The software also tracks a user’s progress over time, so they can see improvements to BMI. Users are encouraged to measure their BMI daily, and the creators of the Fit bundle claim the balance board is one of the most accurate scales you can buy. The Wii Fit also can tell if a person’s weight distribution is uneven and provide tips on improving balance.

The Wii Fit’s hefty $89.99 price tag is at least justified by the wide range of exercises it includes. The exercises are grouped under four different training modes: strength training, yoga, aerobics and balance games. The strength training category offers a series of extensions, lifts (arm and leg), squats, twists, lunges, planks and more. Meanwhile, the yoga category coaches users through a variety of different positions and breathing exercises, and aerobics allows players to do stepping, rhythm boxing and even hula-hoop challenges. Finally the balance games include heading a soccer ball, walking a tight rope, doing ski jumps and more. When a person starts an exercise, a trainer (designed by the user) appears on screen. Throughout each exercise, the trainer provides the user with personalized feedback. All of the games and exercises utilize the balance board in some way, so the system (and your trainer) can tell exactly what you are doing and how you are doing it.

Given that the Wii has already become a surprise hit among non-traditional gamers who use it as a fitness tool, the release of the Fit bundle makes sense. There have been reports of elderly communities, mothers and trainers all using the Wii as a means of exercise motivation. And, truly, the repetitive motions of certain games (e.g., tennis) give muscles enough of a workout that many people experience soreness the next day. Though Nintendo has been reluctant to refer to the Wii as a fitness solution, the company is certainly aware of the system’s adoption into American fitness culture. While health-conscious groups have complained for years about how video games make kids lazy, Nintendo (whether intentionally or unintentionally) has managed to bridge the gap between the gaming and fitness communities. By capitalizing on that crossover appeal with the Fit bundle, sales of the Wii system could be propelled even further out of the stratosphere.

The Wii Fit Bundle will be available in stores on May 19th with a retail price of $89.99 (though, if it’s anything like the Wii system, don’t expect it to stay on shelves for long).