Nintendo wants to turn a movement that is a key part of its Wii video-game console into an exercise program with a new Wii Fit product.

Announced earlier that week at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and launching in mid-May, the Wii Fit will use the motion-sensing controller and a new interactive Balance Board to create a workout. The board senses weight and motion, and the company said third-party publishers are additionally working on applications. Wii Fit is expected to retail for less than $100.

Access To Wii Fit Channel

Wii Fit additionally includes access to the interactive Wii Fit Channel, where users can check their fitness progress on a daily basis, including weight and BMI index. Wii Fit is already available in Japan, and has sold more than 1.4 million units since its launch on December 1.

Reportedly, Nintendo’s Takao Sawano worked with Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto in designing Wii Fit. The

impetus came from an effort to adapt a simple weight scale for the Wii. Noting that sumo wrestlers require two scales to weigh themselves, Sawano began developing a scale from scratch with the view of being able to sense a shift in weight. From that, a balancing peripheral was born that is sensitive ample to detect whether a user is moving a hand to pick up a controller.

The fitness program offered with the Wii Fit focuses on yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games, with as many as 10 activities for each area. Some activities use the board, such as balancing or push-ups, and some do not. For instance, running in place can use the Wii Remote like a pedometer to track progress and effort.

‘A Whole New Dimension’

The Wii Fit is a “by-product of the whole Wii plan for getting public off the sofa,” said Michael Gartenberg,…

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