Have you heard of Wii Fit?

Menu for the different muscle conditioning exercises.

What is Wii Fit? It's a new addition to Nintendo's Wii games. You may have heard about it. It was released this past December in Japan. It is hard to get though, as it is sold out as soon as the store gets it in. A few weeks ago, my father in law found out when a local store had just received a shipment. He stood in line about an hour before they opened and he was able to get one. It costs 8,000 Yen in Japan which is currently about $75.00 USD.

We are visiting with my in laws for a week right now and are enjoying playing around with Fit. I usually dislike gaming, mostly to do with the time it wastes and the negative content of many of the games, but I really think that Nintendo has done something great with Wii. This is enjoyable not only for those who have never really been into gaming, but also now the whole family can get involved. I think Wii games are good mental exercise (the basic ones I have seen) and now with Wii Fit, you can get a bit of physical exercise too, especially for older folks who may find other gaming systems difficult.

I have tried some Wii games earlier this year at a friend's house and I liked it (Wii Sports was fun), but now I am really motivated to get Wii Fit when it comes out in US (since I don't really read Japanese well, I need to be able to operate it in English).

I have heard that Fit was supposed to be released in early January 2008 in US, but then read some other comments on the internet that it will be available much later than that. Release dates for Australia seem yet to be announced as well. I'm sure it will sell out quick in the English language verison whenever it becomes available. Some places may be pre-selling it seems.

Fit has more than 40 different types of training activities designed for all ages/members of the family. There are four fitness categories including aerobic exercise, muscle conditioning, yoga poses, and balance games. The aerobic exercise consists of 10-minute exercises that are designed to get the heart pumping. The muscle conditioning is done by controlling your motions using arms, legs and other body parts. Yoga Poses uses classic poses that focus on balance and stretching. Some of the balance games are ski jumping and heading soccer balls, that challenge the player’s overall body balance. Lean to block soccer balls, swivel hips to power hoop twirls or balance to hold the perfect yoga pose. When you stand on the Fit's balance board, your body’s overall balance is tied to the game.

The Wii Fit's balance board can also be used for daily tests. These evaluate two key measures that a household can track via progress charts:

• Body Mass Index (BMI): A weight evaluation based on a ratio of weight to height.
• Wii Fit Age: The Wii Fit Age is measured by factoring the user’s BMI reading, testing the user’s center of gravity and conducting quick balance tests.

My father in law is 82 and has no problems with the games or operating the Wii internet functions and photo viewing. We only had to help him get the wireless router necessary for the internet connection (for the Wii itself). My niece and nephew (10 and 12 years old respectively) were monopolizing the system on New Year's day when we all got together. They tried out all the games for us and then gave us pointers.

Here are some pictures and some of the Wii Fit different games we have been enjoying.

The Wii Fit balance board.

The balance board with someone standing on to show size.

Ken enjoying the snowboarding game, for this, the Wii Fit balance
board is turned lengthwise.

The Yoga menu.

Menu for the balance games, soccer balls, downhill skiing,
ski jump, tightrope walking, etc.

Downhill ski racing game.

I don't know what this one is called, but it's pretty fun. Tilt the different shaped trays (this one is a "W" shape) and make the balls fall into the hole within the allotted time period.

Tilt the iceberg to get points with the penguin and jumping fishes.