Nintendo reveals the heart-tracking Wii Vitality Sensor

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 2nd 2009 at 1:06PM }

Satoru Iwata just announced the latest health-related peripheral for the Nintendo Wii -- the Wii Vitality Sensor. We're still extremely confused as to the purpose of the device, or how it will be implemented in a game, but here's a brief breakdown: It's a biorythm sensor that connects to your finger and transmits your heart rate to the Wii. How will that be used in gameplay? Will it make an appearance in Wii Fit Plus? We just don't know.

Tags: e3-2009, wii-vitality-sensor

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

G3ORGE @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:07PM

i cant wait for the defibrillator add-on ROFL!!

NaeemTHM @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:10PM

Coming soon Nintendo IV-Drip

CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:12PM

This has got to be the biggest WTF moment of E3. How many more things can they add on to this system!

ThatPCgameryouhate @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:17PM

I think it's to monitor the seniors heart rate, that way they don't die when playing Wii Fit 2.

CH3BURASHKA @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:17PM

Soon, the rectal thermometer games will come...

uncle jesse @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:36PM

Wii Wii Bed Pan

Brodo @ Jun 3rd 2009 12:06AM

The sad thing is that Nintendo will sell millions of these. I mean you dont even have to be a gamer to enjoy the fun that checking your heart rate can offer.
Nintendo is really bringing the non gamers and gamers together.

Feba @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:08PM

Yep. The future of gaming is medical devices.

It is kind of funny, in a morbid way.

phobic99 @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:08PM

I... I... I've got nothing.

Really Nintendo?

Duke @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:18PM

Yeah, I just don't understand this at all. What does this do? Anyone know the purpose of this? Help me understand the big "why"!

BananaBoat @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:36PM

To make sure you stay at your target heart rate during Wii Fit? I really have no freakin idea. The lack of applause during the conference (except for Mario Galaxy 2) was deafening, and this type of BS add-on is only part of the reason why.

Cellien @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:09PM

WHAT THE FAIL

NaeemTHM @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:11PM

Well we had a nice run Wii...hopefully you'll bring in a few bucks on eBay.

Davey @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:12PM

This peripheral will be bundled with Wii Shark Jumping.

squeevi @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:13PM

WHAT??? Does Nintendo even know what they're doing anymore?

copa @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:13PM

Uh, yes. This is intended for use with exercise games. Has nobody on Joystiq staff ever been to a gym before? Don't bother answering that, I saw your war room videos.

Anyway, get the goddamn SMG2 post up so we can get this party started.

Martin @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:39PM

I usually just use those magic shiny strips of metal they have on the machines, as opposed to hooking up a biomed sensor to my finger.

Also, you should try not to come off as such a huge dick when you post.

LordChimp @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:13PM

Oh no, this is Nintendo going to copy our fingerprints and make clones of everyone!

Storm Eagle @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:14PM

I literally busted out laughing when I saw this. Nintendo has officially lost all respect that I had left for them. I was feeling pretty good when I saw NewSMB and Wii Resort but this took all the wind out of their sails.

Ed Crosay @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:17PM

Wasn't this originally announced back on the N64? I was called the bio-pack or something and it was supposed to be bundled with Tetris to make it harder the more stressed out you get.

Ed Crosay @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:37PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris_64
Yep, it was released by SETA in Japan only.

The Dark Wayne @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:15PM

I cant believe this bullshit. There was actually a part where he said games may make people fall asleep. WTF!!

Alzheimers @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:16PM

Only if it's bundled with a new Eternal Darkness, and you have to get your heartrate *UP* to proceed.

Arashikou @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:46PM

OK, THERE! Someone finally came up with a good use for this thing!

Actually, didn't Nintendo once say they experimented with hooking a heart rate monitor up to one of the N64 Tetris games? I seem to recall it backing off the difficulty if you got too stressed, in order to keep you in that "flow" state and playing longer.

khamelion @ Jun 2nd 2009 2:39PM

two brilliant uses right there. i'd love to see this as a optional add-on for horror games, coupled with a program similar to left 4 dead's a.i. director, changing the experience so it can keep a player on thier toes.

Lyoko is Cool @ Jun 2nd 2009 3:57PM

Dude, L4D2 with heart rate sensor!!?! My heart spikes whenever I see a boomer or a smoker already! That would be fun if there was a setting to increase difficulty whenever you are getting stressed.

Pippin @ Jun 2nd 2009 9:22PM

I was thinking of Eternal Darkness too when I saw this. It would be awesome if they used this for survival horror games, but as it stands now it's kinda lame.

Phinehas @ Jun 4th 2009 6:05PM

Imagine a horror / FPS where the accuracy of your weapon is affected by your stress level. In order to hit that creature's weak point and take him out, you're going to need to remain calm while he is bearing down on you. That sort of thing.

Of course, Nintendo isn't exactly known for their FPS games. I'd love to see some sort of bio-feedback device you could attach to a 360 controller for just this sort of gameplay.

Sub Zero @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:17PM

Trauma Center, anyone?

Brodo @ Jun 3rd 2009 12:09AM

You guys would honestly sit there playing a game with your finger constantly clamped, just so it can change difficulty??

Hexen @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:18PM

So Nintendo's intend is to one day replace doctors with wii's?

z_fallen @ Jun 3rd 2009 4:02AM

...yes

Killjebus...PSN Killjebus @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:19PM

Nintendo is NOT a videogame company anymore...they are a peripheral company just cashing in on the millions of lemmings across the planet.

This "announcement" is beyond sad.

Maybe in an alternate Universe there is a Nintendo that exists that still has that old magic.

oldgamer @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:20PM

Well considering that no one really knows what they are going to be using this for, and considering that pretty much everything Nintendo touches this generation has turned to gold, I think it might be wise to hold off any derision until we know more about it.
Don't forget a couple of years ago everyone was laughing at, and mocking the motion controllers, and now they are trying their hardest to imitate them. When WiiFit was announced, everyone was saying how stupid it was to make a game where you sweat, and work out, now it's printing it's own money.
I'll admit that I have no idea what this is going to do (my first impression was "huh" as well), but I think I'll hold off on any comments until I learn more about it.
Do you really think that Nintendo is going to present something like this without any solid plans for it?

Blaggers @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:22PM

No no no, this is DEFINITELY a dumb fucking idea.

Fruition @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:20PM

Maybe it can be used in some kind of lie detector game. That could be fun... I guess.

Blaggers @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:20PM

...wut

UserDoesNotExist @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:21PM

What. The. Hell.

Maybe they just got tired of hearing about the Power Glove so much and wanted a new crappy peripheral for people to mock for the next 20 years.

This one thing *ruined* the conference. Not even Ninja Gaiden: Metroid could make up for it.

ChronicTC7 @ Jun 2nd 2009 8:40PM

hahaha

Ashitaka @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:26PM

I guess this a good move from Nintendo. I mean, it's aimed at a large part of their audience - grannies.

Shadow31 @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:28PM

Here's my theory...

He talked of... it detecting nervousness via heart rate. So wait for it...

A survival horror game. It lets tension build in situations until it detects your fear, at which point, it scares the shit out of you. Seriously, if used correctly, they can make scary games scarier than ever by simply having the game figure out what raises your heart rate and tailors the game to your fears.

Some of you may think that sounds stupid, but I think that would be a nice use for something like this...

zlickrick @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:34PM

Yeah, having my finger jammed in that vice all game sounds like a ton of fun......

Shadow31 @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:39PM

Doesn't have to be for the entire game. It just every so often would have to ask you to stick your finger in it so it could see how a situation affected your pulse... or during a particular situation, see how long it takes for the tension to build your pulse up. Then you take it out. And honestly, they only have to do that near the beginning until the game gets a good idea of what it takes to freak you out.

j.howlett @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:29PM

this would be great for a bomb disposal game.

Shagittarius @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:32PM

IWATA DROP THE zzzzzzzzzzzz...........

Hardy @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:33PM

Bash it all you want. Something like this would work amazingly well for horror games.

Imagine walking around a haunted house looking for clue, while the game is seeing when you calm down.. Then when you calm down have all the lights go out.. Wait for you to calm down again then have the Wiimote start making noise, then stop the noise.... Wait for you calm down again.
Turn on the lights and have a large monster right infront of you!