Wii Fit: Will It Work?

May 19, 2008 — -- Just as hardcore gamers salivated over the release of "Grand Theft Auto IV," soccer moms across the country are widely anticipating the release of "Wii Fit" -- or at least Nintendo hopes so.

Although I was initially doubtful that the game, already a runaway hit in Japan and Britain, could provide any serious workout benefit, I was pleasantly surprised by at least some features.

The highly intuitive "Wii Fit" ($90) is the newest game for the Nintendo Wii ($250) and takes the "stand up and play" notion -- ushered into video game culture by Nintendo in 2006 -- to a whole new level.

The newest, and perhaps most revolutionary, component of this game is the balance board, which looks like a double-wide bathroom scale. Like the Wiimote, the balance board is motion sensitive; it can detect how much weight you place on each foot and which way you're leaning on the board. Because of this sensitivity, the board can also determine your center of gravity, a key component of most of the game's exercises.

Before you start playing, you create a profile, entering your height and age. If. for some reason. you're concerned about privacy in your living room, you can also keep your profile password-protected.

The game then measures your weight, your body mass index (BMI) and your "Wii Fit age." Your fitness age is determined by a series of balance tests. Apparently, I'm practically a tottering white-hair; I clocked in at a full 14 years older -- 43 -- than my real age: 29.

Once you've been assessed, you can then start your "workout." Full disclosure: In my early 20s, I ran marathons, so, unless I'm dripping with sweat with a light coating of salt, I rarely feel like I'm getting a tough workout. However, for the past few months, my behind has been unceremoniously glued to the couch, probably like many Americans.

The Fit's exercises are divided into four categories: yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games. From a fitness perspective, the best and most interesting of these are yoga and strength training.

Weight (as recorded by the Fit): 123

Height: 5 foot, 4 inches

BMI: 20

Fitness age: 43 (eek!)