Exercising and Video Games

We love the Wii, and we understand that there’s a growing obesity problem in the world, but real exercise? Nintendo now wants us to use its brilliant controller to break an actual sweat? OK, fine, it’s a good idea. Maybe a great one. At a media briefing on Tuesday, the company trotted out Wii Fit, a new program designed to help you run through a range of daily exercises, including push-ups and yoga. The new technology is the Wii Balance Board, a thin, white device that looks like a bathroom scale, but uses sensitive gyroscopes to record shifts in your weight and changes in posture. The product won’t debut here until next year, but the gaming pros at IGN, who very begrudgingly tested this latest effort to expand the reach of games, give it a fairly glowing review. Check out the trailer above for a preview.—Gregory Mone