billsalias said:
That actually makes a lot of sense to me, I was trying to figure out how it replaced the gym or the treadmill at home. What you are saying is for you it does not, it is more for people looking for lighter exercise that would not exercise at all otherwise. I have a nephew that falls right in that category that already has a Wii so I think I just found hist birthday gift next year. So what do you think fun elements will be compared to doing an execise DVD or watching the numbers on the treadmill? Looking at the previews of it the interactivity is minimal, mostly it looks like you are just doing what the thing says while standing on it. I guess that is more interactive then a DVD, but not much, and no more so then an eliptical or stair machine. Also it cannot give as much feedback as a $20 heart rate montior and a basic scale when it comes to how much progress you are making or how intense your workouts are. @shams The thing I am having a hard time seeing still is why the person that does not have the wii already and is not a gamer would put $300+ down for what it offers. That same $300 could get you a year of yoga classes with a real instructor giving you personalized feedback. Or it could buy you a decent piece of traditional home exercise equipment. Is it some magic combination that makes them able to stick with it because it is in the home and there is some interactivity, even if it is limited and automated? Side question, anyone know what the specs are on the balance board? Like how many sensor zones and how sensitive are they? |
OK, perhaps I should explain what Yourself!Fitness does, and why I'd rather do that than go to the gym. It's an app for consoles and PC where you get a virtual personal trainer showing you the moves and talking back at you. There are some possibilities for feedback, between segments the instructor asks how the last segment felt and adjusts the level in the future and you can enter manually your pulse.
You have quite simple interaction, but it feels a lot more advanced than it is technically. Of course I know it's just computer code, but when she says some sarcastic remark about me missing the time for my workout, it feels real in a way. I guess it's related to the way people told "Eliza" their innermost secrets, even though it was just a program doing mostly simple word replacement.
So it feels "cool" and a lot more personal than a DVD. Doing a normal, say aerobics class, can be embarassing and people sometimes are annoying. Also, you can't really stop in the middle of class and look at the moves in slow motion from another angle.
This also applies to the balance board. At least it has potential to do so. I'm also hoping WiiFit will be a whole concept with a range of products. Technically it would be simple to do wireless pulse meters etc to interface with WiiFit and other applications.
Traditional home excercise equipment often doesn't get used because using it was not as fun as you first thought. I took my excercise bike to her house, hoping she's use it once in a while. I think she's used it twice in a year. Or you could say she uses it every day, as a clothes hanger...
We're not total couch potatoes though. We get around on our bikes (no cars at all) and I work six days a week as a paperboy. She goes to Friskis & Svettis (it's sort of aerobics etc for people on a budget who don't want or need the fancy stuff) once a week.
(sorry if it's incoherent, it's getting late)
