E3: Wii Fit announced

By Kristan Reed Published 11 July, 2007

Work off those love handles.

Nintendo is hoping to turn all you couch potato gamers into fitness freaks soon, with the debut showing of forthcoming title Wii Fit.

Shown off today to a packed audience at its E3 press conference in Los Angeles, the 'game', if you can call it that, features four genres of activities - aerobics, muscle conditioning, yoga poses, and balance games.

In all, Nintendo confirmed there will be over 40 activities in Wii Fit, and Nintendo boasted that the title "takes our big leads in audience expansion and effectively laps the competition."

The game will ship with what Nintendo calls the 'Wii Balance Board'. Looking like "some sort of step," according to our man on the scene, the wireless peripheral will be able to measure weight, how your balance shifts as you're standing on it, and will be "a new interface for games that accepts full-body movement as input."

In terms of the kind of exercises you'll be doing, we saw people swinging their legs back and forward, press-ups, head-to-head football heading sessions, step aerobics, stretches, hula hoops and many more.

Although a confirmed release date remained elusive, we're expecting this one to ship in 2008. We hope to delight you with a proper hands-on with Wii Fit during the course of the show - and hopefully some filmed evidence...

Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (29) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • el_pollo_diablo #1 5 years ago

    What a scandal this is.

    They should have saved the 'Wiifit' name for a game about putting together police photofits of terrorists and rapists.

  • Canyarion #2 5 years ago

    BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCEEEEEEEEE BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRD!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!
    Edited by 1 at 11/07/07 @ 18:53

  • spazmo #3 5 years ago

    Balance board used in conjunction with the wiimote or zapper could make for some interesting games. You could have a simple snowboarding game with the balance board itself...

  • wattoo #4 5 years ago

    Whereas the hardened Nintendo cynic that is me can't wait for this.

    Computer games are responsible for my body being in the state it is so it's only fair they sort it out too.

    Edit
    I dunno you wait 10 minutes for a reply and 4 come along at once!
    Edited by 1 at 11/07/07 @ 18:54

  • The-Bodybuilder #5 5 years ago

    As someone who works in the sports performance field, I have an instant disdain for this game.

    Any game that markets yoga, "aerobics" and "balance training" (ugh) is just selling scientifically ineffective methods to the hapless masses.

    I hate this crap in real life. Certainly won't like it in a game.
    Although, I do understand that it's "just a game", but that's like saying brain training is just "a quiz game".

  • spongebob #6 5 years ago

    As if you couldn't get fit without a videogame console with some additional gadget. What is this, infomercial fitness training?

  • playgen #7 5 years ago

    I can't imagine you'd get particularly fit using this.
    It will be like brain training, you don't actually get magically more intelligent, its just the more you play the better you get at the game.

  • mrpsb #8 5 years ago

    GURU MEDITATION

  • smelly #9 5 years ago

    oh come on.. it's just a bit of fun.

  • smelly #10 5 years ago

    you know.. fun.. the reason why we play games...

    (or has everyone forgotten that these things are supposed to be fun, in amongst arguing over who has the prettiest pixels or the best selling machine?).

    Why is the word "fun" such a dirty one to some gamers? Personally that's why i play games.

  • Rash' #11 5 years ago

    The Bodybuilder, Ninty are taking their technology and slapping on the marketing they know will work for their audience. The question is how responsible is that marketing?

  • L0cky #12 5 years ago

    'Any game that markets yoga, "aerobics" and "balance training" (ugh) is just selling scientifically ineffective methods to the hapless masses.'

    There's not much science to it - it's called exercise!

  • marc_si #13 5 years ago

    I have to say I'm somewhat amused by peoples feedback to this - I reckon it'll be a huge hit an expand their audience considerably ... imho its NOT meant to appeal to hardcore gamers chaps, its people like my sister in law who got a Wii because it sounded less geeky than a normal console who will buy it and love it ...

    (and yes she's one of the people purchasing the plastic remote casings for the wii controllers that look like golf sticks etc. ...)

  • L0cky #14 5 years ago

    '(and yes she's one of the people purchasing the plastic remote casings for the wii controllers that look like golf sticks etc. ...)'

    lol :D

  • Canyarion #15 5 years ago

    The Balance Board seems to be an enormous "hate it or love it" item. I love it, I think it will sell great and it will add more dimensions to games. Assuming more games will use it.

    Do you know how the Segway works? You lean forward and that's the way you move. Games can do that with the Balance Board. It's one step closer to virtual reality.

  • Spong #16 5 years ago

    So this is where I come to slag off Wii Fit?

    /rubs hands and smiles with demonic delight.

    There's so much wrongness to choose from that I don't really know where to begin.

  • L0cky #17 5 years ago

    Before you get started, let me ask... are you fit? :p

  • L0cky #18 5 years ago

    Btw, any pics of the board?

  • Spong #19 5 years ago

    @ L0cky

    Being a bit forward aren't you?
    But, seeing as you asked...yeah, I'm fit. I certainly wouldn't say I'm ugly.

  • smelly #20 5 years ago

    im ugly (and fat/balding) - can i still play?

  • Spong #21 5 years ago

    Awww, don't be so mean ruggedtoast.
    Of course you can play smelly.

  • L0cky #22 5 years ago

    I actually meant fit in the traditional sense of the word; vain bastards ;P

    But yeah, if you are fit and already have some kind of method to stay that way (or unfit and couldn't give a toss) then obviously the appeal of Wii Fit will be dampened. Personally I've started going out of shape a bit lately and something like this might have enough appeal to keep me motivated fitness wise.

    Remember the guy who did a Wii Sports 40 day fitness challenge? This would be even better; Wii Sports only really focuses on your upper body, shoulders and arms.

    I feel there's a lot of resistance from us gamers with the Wii and Nintendo's approach. Like 'OMG keep this crappy lifestyle stuff away, its a GAMES console'. I was the same at first, having bought the Wii for games; however I'm warming to other things now.

    Still underwhelmed from a gaming perspective though.

  • Beano #23 5 years ago

    Wii Fit?... oooohh nooo... now Nintendo rippes off Sony... LOL ;)

  • secombe #24 5 years ago

    This was never going to go down well on a 'hardcore' gaming forum was it, same with most of the Wii output really. Still, they seem to be onto a winner so I can't see why it's a big issue. If the Wii was lagging behind and not selling out as soon as they hit the shelves people might have a valid point.

    It's the early days of the DS: part two.

  • Shanucore #25 5 years ago

    "The question is how responsible is that marketing?"

    Wait... marketing can be responsible? :p

  • Daikon #26 5 years ago

    Darn, got beaten to the obligatory Guru Meditation comment...

    Girlfriend is going to love this 100%, Konami's "Doko de mo Yoga" has been in her DS all week.

  • HelloWorld #27 5 years ago

    I've seen the pictures. I think those people should be wearing socks at least. The poor Dad is going to get verukas on his hands.

  • Wyrm #28 5 years ago

    Yes, it's not a traditional game.

    No, you don't have to buy it.

    I don't believe anyone working on this has been taken off the Zelda dev team or preventing any other games from being developed any quicker. Quit whining.

  • gorf #29 5 years ago

    What next ..Wii-Sunshine and Wii-fresh air.
    Stop making me healthy Nintendo
    Edited by 1 at 12/07/07 @ 21:15