Santa Monica, California: A number of my techie friends here on the Westside Los Angeles area have been e-mailing me from E3 since last night regarding Nintendo's introduction of a new Wii product they will be introducing to the market. Some already feel the product will revolutionize the home fitness industry.

The Wii Fit was introduced yesterday (July 11) to an invitation only crowd attending the E3 Media & Business Summit. Someone sent me a video, and to say that I was impressed from what I saw, would be an understatement.

The product, formerly code-named Wii Health Pack, is a two-part package. One part is a console exclusive peripheral device designed to appear just like a balance board. The model I saw in the video was a slim, whitish board that apparently has built in gyroscopic technology which allows the unit to very accurately measure weight and posture. Think SAM spinal units and duel scale systems. Combine it all into one device that outputs its readings digitally onto a screen size of your choice.

It gets better. The other part of this technology is the software that makes use of the balance board device. Nintendo has already developed a number of game like activities that will challenge a user to perform different exercises such as yoga, push-ups, and dance. Chiropractors reading this will no doubt recognize the potential for neurological training, digitized postural assessment, strengthening and balancing of nervous system pathways, and increased joint motion.

Wii Fit is unlike any other gaming device we've seen in the past. There's a purpose to the activities being performed. You're not shooting up people, or trying to kill mutant monsters with your laser weapons. Purposeful movement that is fun and healthy, what a concept.

I have a strong feeling that this is only the beginning. We will soon see an entire genre of video games moving into the home health-care market. Doesn't be getting outdoors for natural exercise, but the possibility for measuring of results has me very optimistic about this products use in health care.

Nearly every professional athlete has trained with balance boards or similar devices. Not all chiropractors would use something like this in their office but imagine the possibilities of being able to guide the people in the community you care for towards proper exercise, postural improvement techniques, and better balance. They can do all of this in their living room or in your facility. No doubt some will integrate these into their offices.

At this time I don't have a video link for you but we'll get one embedded here as soon as one comes available. I'm waiting on an e-mail from someone in marketing at Nintendo so we should have a number of images and other information for you soon. If we're fortunate enough, I will have a unit here at planet chiropractic to be able to demonstrate for the chiropractic profession.

http://www.planetc1.com/cgi-bin/n/v.cgi?c=1&id=1184273339

Well, that was quick.

If I went to a chiropractors and they just put me on Wii fit I'd ask for my money back. After I had had a quick play of course.

I predicted this two days ago, i.e.: 

The Wii "Board" is guaranteed to sell out for forever (or until hell freezes over, or they make a better one). It will sell at least five to every nursing home in North America, Japan and Europe. People will be buying them for their parents to try and get them to move around some more and, not surprisingly, for themselves. It will be used in successful FPS's, sports games, rhythm/dance games (duh), a new Mario Party and a ton more. It will be used by doctors, physical therapists, sports trainers and dietitians.

"The Board" has so many potential uses. Trying to think a little outside the box - for shooter games you could tap your foot twice to reload. Mario games could substitute the "Z" button with a little hop on the board. Driving games are obvious with more pressure on one side to accelerate, the other side to brake. Besides the strafing slide for FPSs it would be great in a game like Sports (and make it more skillful) to have to shift your tennis player from side to side, or align the bowler by keeping in balance, of for golf measure the fade or hook and power by balance in addition to the motion of the Wiimote. For ANY game it could still be used as two more buttons. It could substitute for the L and R or the X and Y buttons. "The Board" still obviously makes more sense with shooters, platformers, sports, etc. but it is potentially compatible with any game.

The reason Nintendo featured WiiFit and the so called "accessory" that goes with it isn't just because they want to sell a fitness and yoga trainer, it is because they want "The Board" to become a part of the basic setup for at least a plurality of the lineup. They're still innovating and differentiating. Stay tuned, Wii'll see if it works!

I would like to see Nintendo make a sequel to their 1080 snowboarding franchise with the WiiBB.

They don't just prescribe Wii Fit. They take your results from Wii Fit, analyze them (with their PhD), add in some other tests/exams and decide what the best course of action is.

Ditto. Maybe even a rail-shooter, or something. Also, it can tell when you duck (put more pressure on toe-region) so you could do shooters like at the arcade.

This stuff isn't new, you know. Just better implemented on better technology.

Wii Board ====> NES PowerPad
Wiimote ====> NES PowerGlove

the PowerPad and PowerGlove were just 20 years ahead of their time!

yes, it's exactly what investors would hope nintendo can accomplish.

can nintendo deliver? can they seize upon this tremendous opportunity? they can be the pioneer, if they aren't already, of a whole new branch of the fitness industry, which is, in itself, relatively new.

we'll have to wait and see.

@ THaT GuY re: U'r "Just better implemented technology argument".

That is just jejune. By that logic a quantum switch on a high tech router is just a better toilet lid. Certainly things are created in the context of their surroundings and that includes all of it's history but it's still weak using that line of argument to discount something new and innovative. Also, the Wii Board isn't in and of itself the technological paradigmic breaththrough... getting our parents to buy the Wii Board and use it, "THAT IS NEW". That's breaking ground and opening up the market into places that haven't been thought of yet.

Had another thought about the WiiBoard this morning.

Use it for the "pedals" of a car for driving games. Sit on a chair, using the WiiWheel (MarioKart thing) for steering, and rest your feet on this for the accelerator/brake. Obviously not as much "give" as a proper pedal/driving setup, but better than any other solution.

...

Imagine a much larger version of this, as the basis for some type of "holodeck" simulation...