Wii Fit: cute graphics, but little to get the blood pumping

I went to a Wii Fit launch event this morning, designed to show off Nintendo's fitness game and its  pressure-sensitive floor pad. It was a slightly surreal event, with all the Nintendo folk dressed in white tracksuits with big marketing smiles. I felt a bit like I had stumbled upon a technologically advanced cult. Thankfully, there was no fruit punch offered and we were soon set loose with the games.

To get started, a colleague of mine went through the few steps to work out his Wii Fitness age – a measure of physical wellbeing – by entering his age and height and trying to stand stock still on the balance board. He wavered and came out with a fitness age of 69. Being in his early 30s, he wasn't overly impressed. He did, however, laugh at the number, suggesting he has a mental age half his actual years, so it probably balances out.

We moved on to skiing and hula-hooping, which were fun but didn't seem to require much exertion. Nor do the other balance and Yoga exercises seem to burn off many calories, though doing headers was a bit more energetic. There are some more aerobic exercises available, like jogging, but they just aren't the games I felt were the most appealing. The game's strength is the graphical appearance, which is very appealing in a cute and slightly weird way, with funny animations popping up as you get hit by a football boot or a disembodied panda head while trying to do headers.

The problem as I see it is that the game provides little motivation to keep playing. You can see your Wii Fitness age – and hopefully see it falling – but is that enough to get you using it a few times a week? The motivation for visiting a gym often comes from peers, or because it costs you money every month whether you go or not. Even with the £70 price tag, I'm not sure that these motivational factors are there in big enough proportions to keep me using the Wii Fit.

The balance board's sensitivity is impressive and works really well as a control system, so it will be interesting to see what other titles come out using it as an input device. If the fitness regime had more of a level-based system, like Super Mario Galaxy, I would probably be more inclined to play it regularly.

I don't want to give the impression it's not good. I did like it, and even though I’m probably not in the target market, I am tempted to get one once it has been released. I just feel that it could fall into the same trap as Wii Play, effectively being little more than a good way of showing off the capabilities of the hardware.

My colleague and I agreed that we probably used up more energy walking there from the Tube than we did while playing Wii Fit, but any game that features panda heads being kicked at you is alright by me.

Comments

[Chuck]

Disappointed.

The way you effervesced about the Wii when it was first released was not quite enough to persuade me to buy one. I trust your judgement Mr H and it looks like this is not the thing to push me into buying one now.

Good point made about future titles. If, as you suggest, Wii Play was simply a demo of the capabilities. Then Wii Fit may well be a springboard for more adventurous games. Not just sporting ones. Imagine a platformer where you are required to run and jump... Nah, I'd not play that either!

I am curious of your "Wii" age.

[Karen]

Fitness isn't just about losing weight. You can be skinny and un-fit. It's all about conditioning.

Short of hiring a personal trainer, I don't really see the difference between the motivation for going to the gym versus using Wii Fit at home. I welcome the idea of having a gym friend at home to help me work out. Although the panda head kicking isn't really to my taste.

[Duncan]

Don't fool yourselves. Get out the door and go running. Get the blood moving. Don't waste time and money on something that in six weeks time will be in a cupboard, unused.

[Peter]

My son brought one home on Friday and we have had good fun the whole family. It will definetly bring a lot of benefits, I am fit, I swim, go to the gym and do yoga, and the Wii will aid in keeping fit.

Its a bit like having a personal trainer to train your balance.

It gives you your weight and BMI compares it to your ideal and keeps a daily check.

It a winner !!!

[Sean Scholes]

Great,

Something to get the kids up doing, it's about time a product like this came along to get some blood pumping around our kids bodies.

We hear all the time that sitting on one place too long can lead to blood clots and stuff plus little calories are used.

I welcome this product and will be looking to discourage my kids from video systems that you just sit by like a cabbage doing little good for humanity and developing potential health issues.

Well done Nintendo – other manufacturers should be doing this stuff.

[suzzanne macdonald]

my mum bought us it for our christmas and the wii fit when it came out and it is amazing it helps you keep fit and tells you if you are over weigt even if you didnt think you where. i have lost 5 lb's since we have had it so get up and get it.

[Stuzilla]

I've bought a wii fit and I enjoy it. In exercise concept it is far more eastern than western; that may be the issue for many. Striated muscle (what we mainly consider as muscle) tissue comes in two main varieties; tonic and twitch. Tonic are slow, twitch are fast. What the wii fit does is exercise those nice tonic muscles which maintain our posture. By increasing the strength of these muscles we decrease the pressures on our organs, joints, blood vessels and nerves. I'm very impressed. For an idea of what this is trying to achieve, from a western perspective, I'd recommend the work of Dr Ida Rolf.

[Ric Lean]

Hi everyone

I own Wii Fit and have been giving it 30mins -> 1 hour most days. I believe that this 'game' can really work for you, as long as you MAKE it work for you. You get out what you put in and if you put your all into the exercises, they can be extremely tiring and worthwhile. Exercises like press-ups will always be taxing regardless, and many of the Yoga poses can really stretch your muscles and joints, making your body looser and more supple provided you allow yourself to fully commit to the exercises.

If you have a Wii in your household then I think everybody should try it. If it gets you off the coach it can only be a good thing. All exercise is good exercise, and Wii Fit is great at motivating you to do some. Once you do a few reps of something it is actually quite difficult just to call it a day. It definitely has that "one more go" quality about it.

Enjoy it and have fun, I really really like this product.