Joystiq toes-on: Wii Fit

by Ross Miller { Jul 13th 2007 at 2:45AM }

You're going to find Wii Fit vaguely familiar. The menu, the fonts, the colorful characters are all reminiscent of Wii Sports, the Wii menu, and Brain Age. The font, of course, possess magical properties that grants people the power to play video games, no matter what demographic. If only Sony and Microsoft knew, they could have copyrighted it and ruled the (video game) world.

Wii Fit is, much like its Wii Sports cousin, a collection of games to get your body moving. Only this time, you can't necessarily cheat the system so easily. We tried out three of the eleven available demos on the E3 show floor, which are selected with the Wii remote. Before each one began, we were required to step off the pad and subsequently step on so that the machine would be calibrated for the pressure and foot position. Complications in the calibration process would be interjected with subtle jabs lobbed at the player by the system, such "Hey! Are You Fidgeting?"

Gallery: Wii Fit

We first tried out a demo where you moved a block-busting cursor around a small grid by accordingly shifting your balance. We found this to be rather easy, although this wasn't exactly a ninja-grade challenge.

The second demo taught us the yoga tree pose. An on-screen shell of a woman slowly guides you into position and, once locked, we were required to hold that position for many moments. A dot on the screen showed our success via a circular region showing the optimal balance. With our left foot on the ground, we had no problems. Balancing with our right foot was another story, and we lasted only a few seconds before coming to terms with our lopsided skills.

Finally, we hopped on some skis and took a downhill ramp. Instead of steering back and forth, however, all we were to do was squat as low as possible while maintaining our balance in the middle, and then quickly stand up ("not jump," said the onlooking Nintendo rep) at the bottom to achieve a good jump. Our first try ended in disaster, but on the second go we were reportedly 119 meters in the air. Exciting for our Mii avatar, but only mildly amusing for the recently-squatting player surrounded by a crowd of gawkers.
Other demos we saw but did not play first-hand:

Balancing on one foot
Shifting your weight so as to put two bar graphs in the desired region.
Step aerobics
Playing with an invisible hula-hope
The soccer headbutt game that Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime used to beat Shigeru Miyamato at the Nintendo press conference
A Monkey Ball-esque demo we had to tilt (based on our shifted wight) a playing board to drop all of the marbles into a hole.

The Wii Fit peripheral itself is a lot lighter and sturdier than we had anticipated; it feels like it could hold up a lot of force. As a game that will grab people's attention, Wii Fit will assuredly fall flat -- maybe competing for a lower Body Mass Index will prove compelling, but we didn't get to see that on the show floor. And really, that's not Nintendo's goal with the software. It's a title we'd buy for our parents who don't visit the gym as much as they should. And maybe we'd get it ourselves, too, but not for the gaming aspect. Like Brain Age, it's likely a title we'll never really love but still play it over a year after its release.

One thing is for certain: expect Wii Fit to spur a couple thousand more articles lauding Nintendo as the savior of gaming and childhood obesity.

Tags: e3, e307, handson, impressions, joystiqfeatures, nintendo, wiifit

Related From Joystiq

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

sourpuss @ Jul 13th 2007 2:54AM

I'd like to see something more than tech demos on this. Besides Tony Hawk, perhaps, what other games can be built on this hardware device?

Tom Cribbins @ Jul 13th 2007 3:27AM

Used in conjunction with the remote and nunchuck I can see this bringing some (hopefully!) good game design from design teams.

Prime example is sports games...this controller will allow gamers to play using both hands and feet, making the likes of FIFA/Pro Evo more immersive.

FPS games..? Using the Balance Board to move and lean.

Web surfing..? Using an overlay the balance board could be used as a keyboard to make web surfing on the Wii easier.

Lol, and if you turn your widescreen telly on it's side you can use it as a giant DS touchscreen and display. ;oP

zwarrior @ Jul 13th 2007 8:36AM

Any water sports; surfing, waveboarding.

I was going to suggest DDR but this thing would break

john @ Jul 13th 2007 10:09AM

A Segway game!!!

AlloyNES @ Jul 13th 2007 2:58AM

I applaud Nintendo for the innovation. I'm sure I'll try it, even though I'm a hardcore gamer. I'm always up for trying new things in gaming.

We shall see if this balance pad is used for anything more substantial than non-gamer minigames. If so, then I'll definately buy it.

Ian Von Porter @ Jul 13th 2007 3:05AM

Hmmmmm... WiiFit isnt knocking the socks off people like WiiSports did last year... its not REVOLUTIONARY like the wiimote and wiisports combo. Remember the HUGE media buzz over the wiimote and how it was going to change gaming? Definitely not a good thing when this is the highlight of E3 for Nintendo.

Maybe, cause most people trying to lose weight have been through this before.. they bought all the weight loss gimmicks;the abs masters, stair climbers, treadmill in a suitcase, etc, etc. This is another weight loss gimmick that will be used for a month then collect dust like the rest of the weight loss gimmicks.

zwarrior @ Jul 13th 2007 8:38AM

Actually when Wii sports was shown at E3, barely anyone talked about it. Most didn't think it was going to become an actual game, and it wasn't until it came out that it garnered success. I think the same will happen for Wiifit, the media will definetly cover it.

samfish @ Jul 13th 2007 9:48AM

What are you talking about?! This is ALL people are mentioning when they talk about Nintendo's E3 showing. There's been more interest in THIS than there has Mario Kart, from what I've been reading.
This doesn't need to be "revolutionary". It just needs enough buzz to catch everyone's attention again the way Wii Sports did.
I think the buzz for this is pretty strong already.

That said, it's MEGAS stupid not to get this out by Christmas. Unless Wii Music drops by then, Nintendo really won't have anything for the so-called New Gamers, which could hurt them more than anything else.

Jamesology @ Jul 13th 2007 3:06AM

WOW .. this looks soo stupid. Have you guys ever used that thing you place on the floor and you can use it for fighting games. You can punch in the game when you punch and kick when you kick. I think it was sega that made it. That was a stupid idea and so is this. Theres a reason why Eyetoy for PS2 did not go big, nor did Power pad for the Nintendo NES. WOW..

Sony may be using a direct approach with milking their customers with for their money. But Nintendo is doing it indirectly with useless accessories piece by piece.

Rubang B @ Jul 13th 2007 3:16AM

But the PowerPad paved the way for DDR. It had games like Athletic World and Dance Aerobics. Now it had sex with the Wii and the WiiBoard is the baby.

tlang1982 @ Jul 13th 2007 3:08AM

I'm curious what the weight limits are? I think it's a nice concept, but I think it's going to need much more depth to really get an interested gamer like myself or a casual gamer like my wife to make Wii Fit part of my daily workout. If the game is not an everyday tool for someone to workout, then what's the point?

Lewis @ Jul 13th 2007 3:12AM

duh....THIS IS PERFECT FOR 1080 SNOWBOARDING!

Jacob P. @ Jul 18th 2007 11:10AM

I was going to say Amped, but you know...same difference

Rubang B @ Jul 13th 2007 3:19AM

People are losing weight with Wii Sports. People are using Wii Sports for physical therapy in rehab clinics. Everybody who seriously uses Wii Sports to lose weight will buy this for the stat-tracking alone. Now after your workout you don't have to write down your reps and your weight and such. Besides, when you trick somebody into having fun exercising, it'll always work. People lose weight with DDR too.

With a combo of Wii Sports, Wii Fit, and DDR: Hottest Party's cardio mode, the Wii is becoming the ultimate weight loss gaming console.

BPM @ Jul 13th 2007 3:31AM

"Hey! Are You Fidgeting?"

Oh, great. We have a fitness game that's a smartass.

fawazr @ Jul 13th 2007 3:40AM

I applaud the use of the royal "we."

Jezreel @ Jul 13th 2007 4:02AM

As a gamer, I found myself bewildered that this was Nintendo's premier announcement at E3. But I slowly realized that this is a perfect product to further push the Wii to non-gamers, and I gladly concede now that it's something I'd buy myself. Nothing's going to replace the thrills of a Super Mario Galaxy or a Metroid Prime 3, but I find myself eagerly looking forward to playing (using?) Wii Fit.

P.S. Those jeans in the picture are almost guaranteed to slip someone up on that board. I know it's just whatever was worn at the time of the demo, but all the same, you might want to shop for a more appropriate pantleg about 2" shorter. I don't know why I'm handing out fashion suggestions.

Fawful @ Jul 13th 2007 4:54AM

They'd better be hard at work developing a game titled "Wario Ware: Boogie Board" or "Wario Ware: Hissy Fit" as we speak ...or this thing is useless.

Iron Shiek @ Jul 13th 2007 5:45AM

Rubang you've eaten too many of Mario's shrooms.

Good idea but like one poster mentioned not enough depth, otherwise you are much better off just going on a treadmill for 20 minutes.

spoo @ Jul 13th 2007 6:43AM

Sellouts?

Gavin @ Jul 13th 2007 6:55AM

Why blame Nintendo for garbage games on the system?

Because they made a half-assed console based around gimmick input that completely misses the boat on real next-gen games because it is an under-powered hunk of crap.

That is why we should blame Nintendo. They created that environment in which shit games such as this will thrive and the real gamers are left behind in the dust. I don't give a flying fuck about the casual game market. They can suck my right nut for all I care. It doesn't matter to me if grandma and little Timmy like to swing their arms around like mongoloids while playing some idiotic mini-game collection. It is like going to a Brittney Spears concert...sure you are enjoying an experience and sharing it with a bunch of other people, but that is because you are a moronic lemming following the crappy trend. Get a life, move out of your parents' basement, find a real job so you can afford a 360 and PS3 then you can play some real games with the grownups.

Evan @ Jul 13th 2007 8:48AM

Gavin, it sounds like the real reason you are bitter is because Nintendo isn't focusing on YOU. You're no longer the center of attention.

JodyAnthony @ Jul 13th 2007 9:02AM

no, gavin is bitter because he is a worthless fanboy and if people don't buy HIS toy of choice, they are wrong or stupid, because only gavins opinion matters.

fawazr @ Jul 13th 2007 9:19AM

If I were Nintendo I'd stop catering to customers like Gavin too.

Either you make games for a shrinking demographic of whiny boys, or make games for everyone else. The choice is actually a lot easier than this thread suggests.

aighead @ Jul 14th 2007 2:24AM

A good point you seem to be violently missing is that if casual gamers are buying more games it gives developers more cash to spend on gamer's games. It's almost like free money to develope a Brain Age style of game and you can use those funds for R&D and making more in-depth games better. Chill out!

Jacob P. @ Jul 18th 2007 11:16AM

"Get a life, move out of your parents' basement"

I think you have that backwards...hardcore gamers are the ones that are supposed to live in their parents' basements.

Evan @ Jul 13th 2007 8:04AM

On any given week, 2 or 3 of the top 10 selling games in Japan are DS "training" titles. 5 DS training games that have sold over a million copies. (The PSP doesn't even have 5 games, of any kind, to sell a million in Japan!) So will a fitness training game sell in Japan? Absolutely!

zwarrior @ Jul 13th 2007 8:41AM

Where the heck is Wii music anyway?!

t_m @ Jul 13th 2007 9:11AM

why can't we use it to steer??

Making a game with a standalone peripheral is ALWAYS a bad idea.. and usually really hurts sales.

But if we could use this balance pad instead of the analogue stick, in games like Snowboarding & Skating then it'd rock..

Crono @ Jul 13th 2007 11:43AM

Guitar hero vehemently disagrees with you.

Ocho @ Jul 13th 2007 9:48AM

I'd like Nintendo to use this technology to tell me how good my balance is after I've had a lot to drink. If the Wii says I check out, then just gimme the keys.

Luis Zapata @ Jul 13th 2007 10:03AM

What about the size. Will it be bigger for the Americas. I'm a size 12 1/2.

Impulse @ Jul 13th 2007 10:15AM

We should listen to this guy because he peppered his constipated diatribe with interesting points and facts like "underpowered hunk of crap," "shit games" and "swinging arms around like mongoloids." I really think he was evenhanded and unbiased. His inference that we all live in our parents' basement and that the 360/PS3 is better simply because it costs more money really hit home with me.

HOW hasn't anyone minus'ed this guy to crap yet?

JodyAnthony @ Jul 13th 2007 10:38AM

tried but half the time my minusings don't seem to register.

Almack64 @ Jul 13th 2007 11:18AM

Well I consider myself a long time "true" gamer, and I for one was really psyched about the annoucement of Wiifit. I like the way Nintendo is trying so many new things while at the same time still producing those things that make them Nintendo.

I hope Mario Galaxy gives me the same excitement that doing my first walljump in Mario64 did.

Derek @ Jul 13th 2007 1:05PM

How many controllers do we need to buy to experience the Wii? I'm counting six - the Wii remote, nunchuck, wavebird, zapper, wheel, and balance board. Suddenly, the Wii is almost as expensive as the PS3!

perfectchaos @ Jul 13th 2007 7:42PM

you don't need to buy any of those considering the nunchuck and remote are included with the system, the zapper and wiifit board will be included in games, and the wavebird isn't even needed unless you want to get your gamecube on...

Tony @ Jul 13th 2007 11:46AM

My only real concern with this is that, at least from what they've shown, it moves at the pace of a snail. I can see that as a benefit for the elderly, but as a 24 year old male who's in decent shape? Not really.

Isako @ Jul 13th 2007 12:05PM

It'll be perfect if Nintendo give a lot of freedom and options with this "pad-thing". Using two of this (or four!) in that we can create a virtual space in which we can stop penalty kicks, jump for a touchdown, really run & really kicks (and really fall, whatever xD) and crouch with Samus while have the "gun-thing" that we saw in E3 or mixing things with wiimote + nunchuk + this-thing = A Holy Damn Good Soul Calibur Experience... I'm nuts xD!

Mr. Picklesworth @ Jul 13th 2007 12:36PM

This is all great, but isn't anyone else bothered by the number of controllers and controller addons Nintendo seems to be pushing out?

What I find great about the Wii's controller is that it is so versatile; it can practically transform into a real tactile object that responds to your movements.
With stuff like the steering wheel and the zapper, Nintendo is essentially giving up on that innovation, instead just creating a new controller for every game. This is not user friendly (nobody wants to think "oh, right, I'm playing this game now so I'd better get its special controller!"), it causes a game to take up more space than it needs to, it costs way more money than necessary and it makes multiplayer gaming difficult.

Essentially, these official controller addons are doing the exact opposite of what Nintendo wants to be doing. I very much hope that they do not go further with these than they already have, that a game does not ever require the special addons in any way, and that these things do not cause an increase in the prices of games. (I, for one, refuse to buy one of these cluttery, irrelevant and wasteful hunks of plastic).
If it's going to turn into this, fabricating cheap controllers for every game, what was the point of the Wii's controller? Those games may as well be made for any other console.

There is something to be said about making something about nothing. When I first played with a video game console, I was really drawn in to the idea that I was playing a game like at an arcade but I did not need to keep depositing quarters. The Wii really interests me for that same reason, that the Wii's controller - though seemingly very minimalist - can become all sorts of things instantly!

You may think this has nothing to do with the balance board, but I think it does. Three of Nintendo's big releases now involve "special" controller addons. Sure, they utilize the Wii controller's nice features, but they take away its sleek elegance and its approachability as something like a tv remote. They needlessly complicate this, and work against the idea that the controller is versatile.

I like the balance board. It's a really cool idea, while also a cleverly simple device so it probably will not cost too much money. (One thing, though: I really hope this game has clever extendability via downloads. Something like a Yoga pack would be really cool, and fairly inexpensive content).
However, symbolically, it is again building up this bother they've created. This is not far in to the Wii's life, and already Nintendo is stepping away from the Wii controller as though they can't innovate with it. Already they are releasing an entirely different controller.

Okay, okay, I am going a tad overboard, but let's hope they don't forget about us who like the wee side of the Wii. I like that it hardly takes up any room, and I want it to stay that way.

aighead @ Jul 14th 2007 2:25AM

I disagree. I think it takes that do and be anything controller and it becomes even more realistic in your hands. How much does it feel like driving a go-kart when you are holding a rectangle? That shooter makes me feel like I'm shooting stuff with a flashlight or remote, whereas I stick a gunlike piece of plastic on it and my hand now contorts to a correct trigger position... And Nintendo isn't forcing you to buy any of it as far as I can tell.

The balance board, if it sells well can potentially make Wii's even harder to find. How many new WiiGym's will start up? The idea of it being used as a snowboard is great!

kojo87 @ Jul 13th 2007 1:16PM

i still like the idea of using this as gas/brake in Mario Kart. that would be friggin sweet.

Jackson Pritt @ Jul 13th 2007 1:50PM

If WiiFit comes with a fully fleshed out aerobic exercise program it will sell, and it will sell well. If it comes with a full yoga exercise program it will sell even better. Video fitness programs have been around for decades, and they're still incredibly strong sellers. If Nintendo can take those programs and make them fully interactive exercise experiences instead of just videos that you follow along with, they're going to hit yet another market that would normally never buy a console and never consider playing video games.

Nintendo wasn't defensive at this E3 because they didn't think they had a hit, Nintendo was defensive because they knew that the E3 audience isn't the one that this product is made for.

If they do this right, owning a Wii is going to become as common as owning a DVD player or a bathroom scale.