Help me understand WiiFit and the Balance Board

[shams]

tabsina said:

HappySqurriel said:

I have seen the future and it is Wii Fit ...

Seriously though my anticipation of it doing well comes from how people (who are not interested in games) reacted to seeing the promo video that was released awhile back. Being that it was (somewhat) big news around the office many of the guys I work with decided to show the video to the (handful of) women in the office; every last one of them became instantly interested in the Wii and Wii Fit. Later I decided to show the video to my sister and sister-in-law at a family dinner one Sunday and they both thought that it would be one of the most successful games ever.

The problem Nintendo faces is getting it noticed by these non-gamers because they're not going to seek out the product; in my opinion Nintendo should try to get a segment on Oprah about the changing face of videogames to demonstrate the Wii and Wii Fit.

i have been thinking the same thing recently, the best way to approach the audience would be a show like oprah, or some other equivilant, definitely the best way to get the message out to the appropriate people through the appropriate channels

Part of the magic of WiiFit is that it will sell to a completely new demographic - pushing not only software, but hardware. And its inheriantly social - meaning that people pop over to your place, you pull it out, they play it - then head out the next day and buy it.

Hence it spreads like a virus - in a similar fashion to WiiSports.

It also will be marketed in completely new ways, and to completely new segments of the population. Fitness/sports stores could start carrying it. As would home gym equipment stores. Heck, they could even have them setup in selected gyms (to attract new members).

It started with WiiSports - "You can play games, and get some exercise in".

With WiiFit - you can exercise at home, have a machine track your progress, compare with others, have suggestions thrown at you... and have FUN at the same time. Also note that Ninty have still been pretty quiet on the networking features the game will support.

Its pretty scary that it also doubles as a new controller. Surfing, skating, skiing, snowboarding games will never be the same again.

...

BTW, I almost feel like Nintendo should have some referral program running. I *swear* my household alone is responsible for at LEAST 5 of our friends/visitors purchasing a Wii. The most recent case happened last weekend. A friend of my partner came over with her kids (6yr old boy, 10yr girl?). The boy has since traded in his PSP + GBA + games to purchase a Wii, and I am supposed to head over to set it up tomorrow night.

(Nintendo should be paying me, I swear it...)

When WiiFit hits, all semblance of wanting a Wii to "play games" goes out the window. It starts appealing to consumers who have no interest in games (or other forms of digital entertainment) - basically the exact opposite demographic.

Nintendo will be making a solid $50 (minus retailers cut) for every unit of WiiFit sold (inc. controller). It could do 10m in the first 12months - and has a real chance of being the biggest seller in 2008 (except maybe that it launches in Japan in '07). That's another 500m for Ninty's coffers - from a single product.