Archive

Archive for February, 2008

Iwata asks: Wii Fit volume 2

February 16th, 2008

Iwata

An Idea Inspired by Sumo Wrestlers

Iwata -Now, for the second part of this series, I would like to interview the two men behind the development of the Wii Balance Board, the world’s
first game accessory capable of measuring your weight and body balance. It’s interesting to note here that the two are from completely different divisions: one is from the Entertainment Analysis & Development Division, which develops software, and the other is from the Integrated Research & Development Division, which develops hardware.

Read the complete interview

courtesy of Wii.com

Wii Fit News

Update: The Great Experiment WiiFit

February 13th, 2008

fitban

“The Great Experiment: WiiFit” is an ongoing project to see if incorporating WiiFIt exercising into daily life can lead to weight loss. WiiFit will be used each day from February 5th-March 29th (Vinnk’s Wedding day). He will record his results each day and make notes about his progress or lack thereof.

Links:

February 5th - Outline of the Experiment
February 12th - Week 1 Report

courtesy of 4 color rebellion
by Vinnk

Wii Fit News

Iwata asks: WiiFit

February 11th, 2008

Iwata

Hello, everyone. My name is Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo Co., Ltd. As you may already know, some time ago I began conducting a series of interviews explaining the vision behind Wii. Now I’d like to continue that process to help explain the thinking and planning behind our new product, Wii Fit.
Over the course of the next few weeks we will hear from those who were actually involved in the development of this title. Given that I will be interviewing my own employees, I admit this is a somewhat interesting experiment, but by talking face-to-face with them, I hope to convey why we believe this is such an important product.
There are many insights that only these key developers will be able to recount. I hope you enjoy these interviews and please look forward to Wii Fit as it enters markets in the west later this year.

Sincerely,
Satoru Iwata

courtesy of Wii.com

Read the complete interview

Wii Fit News

Wii Massage Feet

February 8th, 2008

WiiFeet

WiiFit can be hard on your feet. So why not give them a nice massage? And by “give them a nice massage,” we mean “make them stand on some plastic nubs.” Japan Trust Technology hopes that the nubs on their Silicone Fit Cover Tsubu Tsubu (tsubu tsubu refers to something grainy or pebbly) will be just the thing to put them at the top of the burgeoning WiiFit board cover market.

In addition to feeling neat, the nubs help players keep their feet positioned properly and prevent slippage. JTT is selling this item online — in blue only — for 2480 yen ($23). We make fun of stuff like this, but we can certainly see the appeal of getting a nice cover for something that we have our feet on for hours.

courtesy of nintendowiifanboy.com

by JC Fletcher

Wii Fit News

The Great Experiment: Wii Fit

February 6th, 2008

fitban

On the same day that I bought the game that hardcore Nintendo fans have been dying for, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I also bought WiiFit, the “non-game” that everyone else is talking about. Originally, I was planning on giving it a try and then posting some impressions. However, as I was changing into my workout clothes, I noticed they no longer fit me. This made me take a long look at myself, and I decided a different plan of action might be better.

Long-time stalkers might have realized that I am getting a bit… chunky. I blame the holidays for the weight gain, but I blame myself for the fact that it is still there long after the holidays are over. I recently found out that I have officially crossed the line into “obese” (by Japanese standards) for my height. It is time to do something about it. Thus, The Great Experiment.

WiiBoard

What follows is my not-very-scientific experiment plan:

Goal: My goal is to see how much weight I can lose before my wedding that will take place on March 29th.

Process: I will attempt to use WiiFit every day for a minimum of 30 minutes. The maximum time I will spend on it in one day is 60 minutes. During this time I will try to do several different exercises.

Eating Habits: I will keep my diet similar to the one I have now. I will eat 3 daily meals with snacks once or twice a day. Also, there will no doubt be occasional over-consumption of food and drink on weekends. For this experiment, my exact caloric intake will not be calculated. I do not plan to change my diet in any significant way, however with any fitness program there will be the desire to eat healthier and possibly less. I will try to make note of any large changes.

Exercise beyond WiiFit: I ride my bicycle to and from work every morning, so I put in at least 1 hour of cycling every day, as I have for the last 4 years. Despite all this cycling, I have still managed to slowly gain weight over the years. WiiFit will be my exercise in addition to this bike riding.

Recording: I will make a log every day of how much exercise I do with WiiFit, which exercises I do and other general notes. I will try to mention my progress towards my goal and feelings towards Wii Fit and exercise in general. At the end of every week I will also weigh myself, and as the weeks go on, I’ll chart these results.

Now for the embarrassing personal details:

Status before starting Wii Fit: My height is 176 cm (a little over 5’9”) and my weight is 80 kg (about 176 lbs.) That puts my BMI at 25.73. Physically, there is a definite Wisconsin beer belly forming. See photo below:

Front-Side

I will begin the experiment tonight. My next report will be in one week. Wish me luck!

courtesy of 4 color rebellion
by Vinnk

Wii Fit News

Wii Fit has serious money-printing potential

February 2nd, 2008

Wiifit Box

Over the last four weeks, WiiFit has enjoyed a top spot on the Japanese sales charts. Actually, it’s enjoyed the top spot, as the bundle has been selling like crazy in the Land of the Rising Fun. If you’re one who likes to keep track of the sales numbers for the region, then this is old hat to you. We know you’re impressed though, because you can bet we definitely are.

And, as you are undoubtedly already pondering, this could be the very same scenario when WiiFit releases to North America and Europe this year.

courtesy of nintendowiifanboy.com

by David Hinkle

Wii Fit News

Another Week in Japan:Hardware and software numbers 1/21-1/27

February 1st, 2008

Wiifit Safety

Let’s face it: the Japanese sales numbers for the week of 1/21 are just foreplay. What we really want to know is how Super Smash Bros. Brawl did, although rumors are coming in that the game sold a whopping 500,000 copies in its first day. All this hype even catapulted the Wii above the DS in hardware sales last week, according to the numbers released by Famitsu. We think the Wii will hold the top spot in Japan for at least another few weeks, while it basks in Brawl’s glory.

The Wii may have made a stir in the hardware charts, but all’s boring on the software front. WiiFit shows us its well-toned legs by remaining at the number one spot, and Super Mario Galaxy has fallen out of the top ten once again. Wii Play also slipped a bit, losing some of its former dominance.

Hardware:

• Wii: 79,000
• DS: 74,000
• PSP: 61,000
• PS3: 29,000
• PS2: 11,000
• Xbox 360: 4,200

Software:

1. WiiFit (Wii)— 96,000 (1,209,000)
2. Winning Eleven 2008 (PSP) — 70,000
3. Lucky Star (PS2) — 61,000
4. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics DS (DS) — 54,000 (145,000)
5. Wii Sports (Wii) — 28,000 (2,692,000)
6. Mario Party DS (DS) — 26,000 (1,557,000)
7. Yggrda Union (PSP) — 22,000
8. Doraemon Baseball (DS) — 22,000 (141,000)
9. Monster Hunter Portable 2 (PSP) — 15,000 (1,584,000)
10. Wii Play (Wii) — 14,000 (2,153,000)
11. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (Wii) — 13,000 (488,000)
12. Mario Kart DS (DS) — 13,000 (2,809,000)
13. Professor Layton 2 (DS) — 13,000 (727,000)
14. Tennis no Oujisama: Driving Smash! Side King (DS) —12,000
15. Mario Party 8 (Wii) — 9,400 (1,163,000)
16. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) — 9,100 (853,000)
17. Ryu ga Gotoku 2 (The Best!) (PS2) — 8,500 (111,000)
18. Professor Layton (DS) — 8,500 (821,000)
19. Dragon Quest IV (DS) — 8,000 (1,158,000)
20. Minna no Golf Portable 2 (PSP) — 8,000 (210,000)

courtesy of nintendowiifanboy.com

by Candice Savino

Wii Fit News