DragonLord said:
I have a wii, but for my fitness concerns I've got better equipment than a stepping board for video games.
Lol, I've turned my basement into a gym. I installed rubber flooring, mirrors on the walls, tons of free weight equipment (squats, bench press, dumbbells, lat pull downs, peck deck, etc.), treadmills, ellipticals, stereo, etc. For some reason, I just feel that my gym will provide a better workout.
Don't get me wrong! I think it's a wonderful, innovative idea, but I just am skeptical about it accomplishing its intended results. I'll stick to more conventional, proven means for the time being.
But I still applaud it for those who don't have the motivation to use normal equipment. If they're standing up and moving, it's an improvement over sitting on a couch and eating potato chips. |
Ah, but you've already spent thousands on home fitness equipment, which many Wii owners/prospective buyers have not. I think for people like yourself, a light weight balance board based exercise regimen will add little to nothing over your current one. To those without a home gym, $350 is a lot easier on the budget in addition to having the perceived "fun" factor which is why so many exercise regimens fail (people get bored with them or they don't see results). For those who already own a Wii, then it's about $100; not much more than they typical exercise gadget sitting in the closet.
The problem with WiiFit, is that many people may end up buying this with the idea in mind that it is an effective replacement for a dedicated exercise program. I'm not going to look up the article again, but I believe Miyamoto already went on record as saying the purpose of WiiFit is not as a substitute for traditional exercise. It's an entertaining way to monitor level of fitness, much like the WiiSports fitness tracker. Achieving pro status in baseball or tennis does not suddenly mean you can actually play on a competitive level in real life. Nobody really believes this.
If the out of shape hopefuls looking for an exercise silver bullet buy a Wii and WiiFit with the idea of getting into shape, they may be disappointed. I could potentially see WiiFit becoming like Brain Age although Brain Age only costs $20 rather than $100 or $80. And it can be played anywhere. I used both Brain Age 1 and 2 on a near daily basis for months but have since stopped using both. After unlocking everything, there's no real benefit other than entertainment. Unless you're comparing stats and scores with friends, it's not that entertaining after awhile.
If I buy WiiFit (and originally, I had no interest being of the school of thought that if it doesn't include weight training and cardio training on par with running, it's not serious exercise), it will be for the sole purpose of monitoring weight and general level of fitness as opposed to say a digital scale that also measures BMI, body fat %, body water %, etc. Although having to turn on the Wii every time I want an assessment makes me think a specialized digital scale would be a better choice. My Wii sees minimal usage currently.
And that's the more important issue for how WiiFit performs commercially. Not how many people Nintendo can convince to USE WiiFit on a regular basis, but how many people they can convince to buy it. "But why would anyone buy something they don't plan on using?" See exercise equipment in closet or attic in typical home. It looks fun/good and it looked like it could help you get in shape easily.
