Wii Fit (Wii, 2008)

The Nintendo Wii is the most inexpensive of the current generation of gaming consoles. It provides motion sensing controllers and 480p graphics. We tested the Wii before its launch day (I'm a game reviewer), and we had our own unit in our home the morning of launch day. Here are our findings.

The Wii is designed around a menu of "channels". There is of course the game-playing channel, where the Wii will play any Wii or GameCube game. Simply load the disc in and go. There is a Mii channel where you set up a profile and avatar to connect to all your game playing. The Photos channel lets you look at photos on your TV. Other channels for news, weather, and online shopping require an interent connection; the news and weather were not actually working at launch time.

The system does NOT have a regular network cable port, which both the PS3 and XBox 360 have. Instead, it works with built in wireless or with a USB network adapter. I am a firm proponent of wireless - less clutter! So I am thrilled that they offer wireless automatically. With the PS3, you have to pay extra for the 60 gig unit to get this built in. The XBox 360 requires extra hardware as well.

It's hard to generalize gameplay on any console - it really depends on what games you buy. That being said, the comes-with-it software of Sports is really quite fun and is about as basic as you can get. You swing at baseballs, lob tennis balls, bowl, box and play golf. A "fitness" mode puts you through a variety of tasks and then calculates your fitness age, sort of like how Brain Age keeps track of your mental age. If you did both every day, you could aim to be as fit mentally and physically as possible!

In a world where video games = couch potato, it really is quite amazing to have a game where it natively expects you to move and be active. You don't lounge back and gain pounds here while playing games. Boxing can be quite strenuous, jabbing, blocking and weaving in real life. Tennis involves quick reflexes and strong arm movements. Bowling might be the most relaxed of the sports, but even there you are standing, moving, swinging. You get your heart going at least a little, and get some exercise. My boyfriend had a sore arm after playing for a number of hours, in a good way, as he would from exercising.

The 480p resolution is certainly not high def 1080p like the other two systems. It's something you accept when you're paying such a low price for the console. But really, it's not that big a deal. I still play the old Zeldas and love them for their gameplay, even though you can't see the pores in Link's face. If they are going for the cartooney characters and environments, 480p is DVD quality and is quite good. If you really, really crave high definition super realism in your games, then the Wii might not be the best choice for you. However, if you're fine with playing games with a more impressionist / cartooney look to them, the 480p can show that quite nicely. For example, there aren't fans in the stands for baseball - there are colored blocks.

Nintendo has always been known as a "Kid's Console" - but I really do think with the Wii that they have become a "Family Console". It's not just kids who will enjoy this. Seniors can have fun bowling without knowing anything "Tricky" about how to use a video game unit. It's very intuitive. Moms can easily play with their kids, each with their own Wii profile. Adults having parties can have fun passing the controllers around.

Pros:
No dressing, no driving, no excuses
Excellent combination of aerobics, strength training, yoga, and games
Great results, if you're consistent and dedicated
Good motivator; it tracks your progress day by day
Personalized Mii is fun to create

Cons:
The "encouraging words" can get very old very quickly
A bit unstable for yoga poses requiring one-leg balancing
Time wasted introducing, scoring, encouraging, and transitioning
Nintendo's lawyers have been all over this. Before you start, you have to watch two warnings TWICE.

Overall: The best full body workout for just pennies a day!

I first tried the Wii Fit at a neighbor's. My husband was skeptical, but I bought one. Today was my 100th Day! I've logged over 140 hours, and I still hop on it 1st thing in the morning.

Since starting the Wii Fit, I lost 14.6 pounds, dropped over a size, my lipid profile dropped 29%, my blood sugar is back to normal, my bone mineral density improved, & I just feel better generally. My internist loves my Wii Fit almost as much as I do! My posture, balance, flexibility, and stability have also improved. I know because my Wii Fit tells me.

A quick overview:
The Body Test: You have to take The Body Test or you don't get a stamp on your calendar. Standing on the balance board, your Body Mass Index, Weight, and Center of Gravity are measured. You can also take two of about 6 balance tests. Wii chooses them more or less randomly. You do get credit for all the exercises and activities you do.
Yoga: 15 poses, easy > "you've got to be kidding". Best done on an uncarpeted surface. Even then, the balance board is jiggly. You'll need a yoga mat.
Strength Training: 15 workouts designed to work on specific muscles and paired to a yoga pose. I try to do these first. For me, they're the hardest. If I wait, I won't do as well on them, if I have the energy to do them!
Aerobics: 3 of activities @ 3 difficulty levels -- Hula Hoop, Dance, and Running. Hula Hoop sounds easy & fun. Not totally so! The balance board measures shifts in your center of gravity to determine if the hoops keep spinning or fall off your Mii. Try that for 10 minutes! Dance is my favorite. I do Basic Step & Advanced Step twice. Add 6 minutes of Hula Hoop & you have 20 minutes of aerobics. I'm not a big fan of running, so I've only done the easy one a few times..
Balance "Games" - These are fun, but they're a lot more than games. They are tests of your body-mind coordination, agility and accuracy.
Take Soccer Heading: a bunch of Miis line up & kick soccer balls TOWARD you (not right at you). 80 balls in beginner & 120 in advanced. Mixed in are soccer shoes and panda heads. You earn a point for the 1st soccer ball you head. Keep heading them w/o missing one -- or heading a soccer shoe or panda head -- & you earn more points for each header, up to 10 points for the 10th and subsequent balls. Heading a soccer shoe or panda head costs points (1 & 3) and ends your string. In theory, you could earn 755 points as a beginner (1155 in advanced). That's a perfect score. Thing is, you'd have to head EVERY soccer ball and miss EVERY soccer shoe & panda. You have just a fraction of a second to decide which is which and how far to lean to head the right one. It gets harder & faster; then they're kicking two things at a time! In 359 tries, my best scores are 397 @ beginner & 180 @ advanced. Pro beginner; amateur advanced. Champion? I don't even know the cutoff score

If you are already in great shape, chances are you won't be challenged enough by the Wii Fit, but then again, you likely feel comfortable jogging around the block or going to the gym. For those of us less athletic, the Wii Fit is a solution that will get us on our feet and on our way to enjoying that neighborhood run.

I joined the Wii Fit Mommies group on Cool Mom Guide to get a feel for what to expect, as well as watching YouTube videos. I wanted to make sure that the Wii Fit would meet my needs for a simple way to begin being more active and build my cardiovascular and muscular strength, while in the comfort of my own home. Being significantly overweight, sweating and flopping around in front of people is a huge reason why I avoid activity in the first place, so eradicating that barrier alone does wonders for my motivation.

I love almost everything about the fit so far. I love being able to track my weight and BMI effortlessly. I love warming up with the balance games and yoga, and moving on to the strength training and aerobics exercises. As you work, you unlock additional activities and advanced levels, which keeps it fun.

I was sore in my shoulders the first few days, and my hips hurt from the step routine-especially the advanced routine, which I *love*. But I haven't experienced anything that keep me from turning it on and trying again the next day. If anything, it feels good to know I am moving my body in new ways and making it stronger. I've used it every day except on Saturday, which isn't avoidable since it's the only day I get to visit my son at the youth program he is in three hours away.

The other night my entire family and our close friend competed against each other for the high scores in the balance and aerobics games-we had so much fun! It was great to see the kids getting involved and having fun exercising-and knowing I am setting a good example by trying to improve my health is priceless.

I know in time, if I stick with it, I will "outgrow" the Fit, but by that time, I will be in good enough shape that continuing my workouts outside my home will not be paralyzing for me.

The only things I think would improve the fit are these:
-It would be great if we could download more activities or levels once the ones on the disc are unlocked. Even if I had to pay for them it would be worth it to me.
-I wish it changed it's expectations a bit based on age. For example, my 5yo can't stand still enough to do the same balance tests as adults. And because she is so light, she practically has to throw a hip out to have the Fit recognize that she is keeping her hula hoop up.

Overall though, it was purchased with the intention of helping me meet my fitness goals. Not only is it doing that, but it has become a fun activity that brings my family together. I am extremely satisfied and highly recommend it to anyone else considering it.

Okay, I just received the Wii Fit today and had it set up in about 2 minutes. I really didn't know what to expect but after reading numerous other positive reviews and talking to store employees who had the Wii Fit, I was pumped with anticipation and excitement.

I am a lazy couch potato who is slightly over weight and I am not motivated to go to a gym and sweat my buns off with other people, or for that matter, take my clothes off in front of other people. I don't want to pay the price of a gym membership because I will be throwing my money away, might as well put it in a slot machine. I also don't want great big expensive pieces of exercise equipment because they will just end up collecting dust or becoming clothes hangars - another waste of money. However, I do want to get into some kind of reasonable shape because I cringe and I hate what I see when I am trying on clothes and it's time to take matters into my own hand.

I did my first 30 minute workout with the Wii Fit and I am super impressed!!! I can't praise it highly enough! It is so interactive and so fun and it got my attention big time. I was winded and sweating at the end of 30 minutes. The weight and BMI numbers are just about bang on and it had me pegged to a tee. It starts you at a beginner level and it shows you where and how you can improve and as you go along, there are little rewards. Some of the activities are done with your own personal trainer which can be male or female, you choose, and they talk to you. Some of the activities are like games and they are so colorful, interactive and fun. I hate running, but in the running game you follow another Mii but you don't run ahead of the Mii and she took me through some really nice scenery and there were other Miis around watching or running and dogs running by, a scale of where you were on the running circuit and a finish line. That was so much fun, I did it twice. I am looking forward to when I am stronger and I have earned the right to run longer. Yoga is difficult and my balance is terrible. I am looking forward to improving my balance because in my real day to day life, I have been known to do face plants and that is not fun and can be very dangerous. On the strength training, I was not able to do one pushup. I was surprised!!!

I think this Nintendo product is a godsend. I am going to use it faithfully, it is exactly what I needed to motivate me. While it's not cheap, it is in comparison to a gym membership or good quality work out equipment both of which would not get used in my home. Also the Wii Fit takes up very little room, it's very portable, and I can work out on my schedule 24/7. I know it's only been a day, but they had people like me in mind when the made the Wii Fit. Way to go Nintendo. I highly endorse this product. Anyone thinking about getting a Wii Fit, all I can say is, you won't be sorry, I'm not.

Don't give up on getting fit. The Wii Fit really keeps you working towards your fitness/health goals in a fun and challenging way. It is an awesome motivational tool.

Watch your Mii change as your weight and height are turned in to BMI. You Mii remains the same for all other games and activities you have it on, but on the Wii Fit program it changes to match your height and weight. You get a line graph to watch your progress. You can see how much time you spend on the Wii, how much weight you lose or gain, your Wii Fit age (daily balance test to see how fit you are), and you can even add outside activities to your Wii Fit credits to show what you are doing outside of the Wii program. You want to come back each day just to see how you are progressing.

The Wii Fit board is wireless so you can place it pretty much anywhere in the area of your Wii. The only time you are limited to distance is when you have the rechargeable batteries on the cable for charging (you can charge while you play and workout).

You can perform Yoga, strength training exercises, Aerobics, or play balance games. Each activity is fun to do - no boring workout sessions, LOL.

There are 15 different Yoga moves, and several of them have advanced activities. There are 13 different strength training exercises with 3 additional challenge versions, plus they are also multi-level. The aerobics activities have multiple levels as well - there are nine different activities. There are 9 different games, each has different skill levels depending on what you unlock as you progress. Also, each of the different areas give you a scale of how well you are doing. It's great to challenge yourself to do better the next time and you can really see if you have met your own personal goal.

You could literally spend hours on the Wii-Fit and not realize how much time has passed.

It's easy to use, easy to hook up and easy to stay enthused about the program. Some of the aerobics activities feel more like a game than work and you want to keep going and going. :) Did you ever consider hula-hoops an aerobic activity? The Wii has found a way to take this childhood game and really give you a good workout and really get your cardiovascular system going. Awesome! I love to do the Yoga every day, it's a great way to develop balance and get you ready for the day or relax you after a busy one. The strength training exercise really work out spot areas - and the next day if you've really worked, you surely can feel it in your muscles. Then, on the days when I get an opportunity for a little extra play time, I go to the balance games. They really get you thinking and moving. If you think it will be easy to do a video version of snowboarding or ski jumping think again - you really have to maintain your balance.

The Wii seems to have take multiple surfaces into consideration with its leg extensions so that you can use it on carpet. However, that said, there are times when our very thick carpet does cause some slight differentiation. Since our goal was to eventually finish our basement as a family play/gym area, we are okay with the occasional glitches, but you may want to make sure the room you choose is one with low pile carpet or a flat hard surface. Other than that, the Wii has outperformed anything we expected. This one is a keeper. It even has the non-physical family members going in this house - now that's saying something!