Tag: Wii Fit

E3 2012: Wii Fit U Announced

While not the first in the space, Nintendo was one of the pioneers to bring fitness to the video game platform with Wii Fit, and now at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this week Nintendo has announced Wii Fit U for its upcoming Wii U platform.

In addition to announcing the game, Nintendo revealed the Wii Fit U Pedometer, and announced that the device will work with Wii Fit U specifically. The Pedometer will be able to count your steps, track your altitude, and estimate your calories burned during your exercise sessions. You’ll also be able to generally track all of your physical activity while you’re not directly in front of your television as well. Trailer video after the jump

U.K. Survey Finds More Older Adults Using Wii to Exercise

According to a recent survey of people aged 50 and up in the U.K., one in 25 uses a video game to exercise. Of course, we aren’t talking about the latest Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty, but the popular Nintendo Wii and its Wii Fit accessories and games. While the survey specifically targets segments of the U.K. population past middle age, the results mirror similar surveys that have been conducted stateside since the Wii Fit exploded onto the scene; the Wii has been a been a hit with casual gamers thanks to the active movements and low learning curve required. And, Microsoft and Sony have recently entered the scene with their Xbox Kinect and PlayStation Move products and fitness-related titles.

As we have pointed out, video games are not a substitute for good-old exercise. However, according to a CNN report, the light intensity is ideal for older adults, particularly with systems that require full-body movements. These movement-based games are also great for those who never engage in any form of exercise. As we have reported in the past, institutions such as schools in Alabama and Iowa are using the Wii as part of their physical education curriculum to get kids active and help fight childhood obesity.

[Via The Huffington Post: More Post 50s Use Video Games To Exercise]

Alabama Schools Employ Wii to Combat Childhood Obesity

Sales of Nintendo’s Wii are down and the popularity of the gaming console isn’t as explosive as a few years back (you can now actually find one in stock, and for much cheaper), but the Wii is still name-checked as the first successful console to bring fitness and video gaming together. The Wii Fit accessory and “game” can be found in millions of homes (albeit also collecting dust is many households), and it is frequently referenced in popular culture. Despite the success it has achieved to date in getting people off their sofas, the Wii Fit doesn’t actually deliver the level of intensity a traditional exercise provides.

Never mind all that. Public school officials in Alabama still see the Wii Fit system as a way to combat childhood obesity in the state. The “Wee Can Fight Obesity” program uses the Wii Fit Plus Bundle and EA Sports Active games as a form of exercise three days a week during phys-ed class for third graders. The one-year program is rolled out to 30 schools, and was in 30 different schools the previous year; the goal is to expand the program to every elementary school.

The program puts a different spin on what is exercising. The kids don’t view it as torture in school, but as playing. Children are exercising and shedding pounds without ever thinking of it as physical activity. While the Wii Fit will never offer the benefits of true exercising or activity, it does give kids a positive spin on the dreaded P.E. class. Importantly, the Alabama program recognizes the threat childhood obesity poses and is doing what it can to address the issue.

[Via The Birmingham News: ALABAMA PUBLIC SCHOOL TURNS TO WII TO HELP FIGHT CHILDHOOD OBESITY]

Nintendo Summer 2010 Competition Draws to a Close

Photo: Casey Rodgers / AP Images for Nintendo of America

Today marks the end of summer for many people, but Nintendo made sure to have one last summer weekend bash with the Labor Day Wii Games: Summer 2010 Competition championships in the Los Angeles area. The X-Games it was not, but it did show attendees that video game doesn’t have to be a completely sedentary activity, and that gamers can (and we think should) get off the couch from time to time.

Approximately 200 finalists from around the country, who were joined by family, friends and spectators, took to the field in Redondo Beach, California to get in the game. Tournament play included game sessions with Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit, as well as the new Super Marios Bros. Wii and Mario Kart Wii. Olympic Gold Medalist and Wii Games: Summer 2010 Ambassador Shawn Johnson was on hand to help with a warm-up session with “Hula Hoop Activity” from the Wii Fit Plus.

Wii Games Summer 2010 Official Site

Will the Wii Actually Get You Fit?

Staying home and playing video games probably sounds like a lot more fun than actually hitting the gym, but a research from Ohio State University is questioning whether even “exercise” games such as the Wii Fit actually do any good? The New York Times reported that researcher Derek Troyer compiled a database that looked at the chances of getting an injury while taking part in a virtual workout as opposed to actually going to the gym.

The results are actually mixed. On the one hand users aren’t at as great a risk of getting injured by staying in their living rooms – the study noted that those who lift weights at the gym are four times more likely to get hurt, while those who run on a treadmill are 1.5 times more likely to hurt themselves. On the other hand, the study did find that real exercise at the gym far outweighs the benefits of virtual exercise – “even when the risks of injury are accounted for,” notes The New York Times.

The paper further quotes Jack L. Nasar, professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State, who oversaw the research, as saying” Wii Fit is probably not a serious threat to users, but it’s also not very useful for getting them fit.”

This maybe true, but the study probably didn’t take into account that hardcore gamers aren’t exactly the type of folks to hit the bike or the gym. So the fact that people are using the Wii Fit is actually something that needs to be considered as well. The benefits might not be up there with the gym, but we have to say it is better than just another game of Mario or Metroid.

Via The New York Times: Wii Exercise Doesn’t Beat the Gym

Wii Fit for A Lawsuit

While we have long felt that video games really can’t be a substitute for “real” fitness, we do agree that the Wii Fit isn’t a bad place to start. Note the key word is “start.” And it seems that the fitness game is now the center of some interesting lawsuits. IA Labs of Potomac, Maryland is suing Nintendo over the Wii-Fit, claiming it has been “irreparably harmed” by Nintendo’s infringement of IA patents.

 Harmed? Note that the company isn’t saying it got fat from a game masked as a fitness tool, but then we suppose it is claiming that it didn’t get fat in the wallet either. Even more curious is the fact that IA claims it actually had talks with Nintendo about licensing the technology to the Japanese console maker. Now the company is “fit” to be tied.

Via IGN