Having played WiiFit a couple hours now I have really begun to see how the balance board might become a standard for gaming on the Wii. A combination of WiiMotes with the balance board could easily create basically a virtual reality that we have only dreamed of till now.

Is the balance board something that will stay or is it like the PowerGlove and R.O.B?

Playing on the balance board made me realize just how complex the board is and how sensative it is to your balance and movement. Combined with the Wii-Mote and Nunchuck you get an experiance as close to virtual reality then we have ever had before. Infact I remember the days of watching cartoons and TV show virtual reality systems where you wore Power Glove style controllers and stood on a pad while wearing VirtualBoy style goggles. Could those TV shows have been leading to the creation of the Wii's next successor?

In 2011 when we see the next Nintendo console. In its full HD glory (As Miyamoto said it would be) will it be accompanied by a WiiMote/Nunchuck style controller and a balance board as standard with each console? I mean can you imagine playing CallOfDuty6/Frontlines/Halo/Mario.LegendOfZelda using a combo of WiiMotes and balance boards. Of course that will add to the hardware cost of the new Nintendo console.

Will it be worth an additional 50$ to 100$ for Nintendo to make the balance board standard alongside the nunchuck and Wiimote?

First person shooters will become extremely realistic with you actually walking on the spot or jogging on the spot to move your character forward. You want to duck in the game duck in real life and the board recognizes your bodies weight shift making the character on screen duck. The controllers being used soully for arm movements and holding firing weapons.

Third person shooters would also see a significant improvement. Shift side to side to dodge bullets and take cover. Of course running and walking would act much like it would in a first person shooter and you could use the Wii mote to aim at targets on screen.

Platformer, when playing the race in the Balance Games section of WiiFit I was reminded on the race against Koopa The Quick in the Mario64 game. To walk and run you could simply lift up your heals as if you were running or walking on the spot. You could lift your heals simultaniously to jump over obstacles etc...etc...Of course all of the platforming elements of the Wiimote would be retained such as using it to turn your character which ever direction you want while using the Nun-Chuck or Wiimote for the additional actions like punching etc...etc...

Racing would be one of the harder genres to see the balance board used. However I think it could be used like a brake and accelerator. Using them as you would in an actual vehicle alongside your WiiWheel, maybe a third party would develope actual paddles to be hooked on top of the balance board to better simulate the driving experiance.

Sports is also a notable genre that could be improved with the Wii Balance Board. I played the soccer challange and I have to say I could see it used alongside a Wiimote. Using the balance boards weight sensativity you could headbutt and body slam other players by leaning your body forward in a thrusting motion.

Of course games like Monkey Ball and other touch sensative games could easily be adapted and improved to use the Wii Balance board. I think almost every genre could be adapted to use it fully in every future game starting next generation.

So is the balance board a solid part of gaming future or is it just a novelty that will be left in the past?

I say it gets regulated to "Light Gun" status of days past.

It sticks around for a generation or two with a decent number of niche games made for it until it slowley loses popularity.

I can think of some awesome games that would use that board combined with the mote though. 

I agree with light gun, most gamers wont bother with the extra cost.
I personally don't agree with many of those things, and to be bothered, I don't want to have to run when I play my games, i want to lie back and relax

It will be offered as an option in many Wii games, but I doubt many developers will make games that require it

Guys. I don't know about it becoming the next light-gun. I bought We Ski with Wii Fit because at Toys R Us they were selling it for $19.99 along with Wii Fit . Let me tell you what, the Wii Remote and Nunchuck are used as your poles and you lean back and forth to turn and it feels like skiing. I mean actually skiing. I think that people that aren't physically active may not like it, but it's going to be here for a while. This is the next step for Nintendo. This is not another Power Glove.

Hmm, well you make some good points, but it remains to bee seen whether it will prove a viable gaming application or not. I think it would be perfect for certain games, but incorporating Balance Board elements into every game would be too straining on the user, I think.
Having to jog/move everytime you want to move your on-screen character and such would be far too involving. Too much of a hassle. I guess it would turn lots of people off. I know I wouldn't like it. Also, I'm thinking it would make things too complicated. Moving your legs all the time while simultaneously ducking, waving your arms around, trying to aim at targets AND keeping your eyes on the tv screen in a FPS for example would be too much of a hassle, in my opinion.

Retail games will not really show the potential of the device since it will only be offered as alternate controls(i.e.tacked on).No matter how well it is implemented
it will still be limited.
Wiiware however has huge potential to get this going.
I wouldn't be surprised if we see games that can only be played with the board popping up.The risk is very low for developers in this case.

I truly think Nintendo will take advantage of the device.
I'm really uncertain if any third-parties will see that this device is unique and should be developed upon.

Looking at the descriptions above have me really looking forward to what the Balance Board can handle. I hope its here to stay not just some device that disappears quickly.

***Well the same thing can be said for the Wii-Mote, but it is selling like hotcakes :D

Sounds great! Can't wait to try it myself.

It will always remain optional because to require it would deny the experience to too many people such as the disabled. But I can see it written into many games.

3rd parties should try to findan innovative way to use it. Look at We Ski, a game with a low production cost, that has alreadysold 120K in Japan and 40K week one America, with Europe it could make 500K by the time Wii Fit makes 5M, that would mean a 10% AR from Wii Fit to We Skim which would be simply amazing. Although, around 5% is more likely.