Digital Journal TV: First Look at Nintendo's Wii Fit, the Couch Potato Killer

Video games just got healthier. Nintendo Wii is releasing its calorie-burning game Wii Fit on May 21, and in this episode of Digital Journal TV we test the revolutionary product and tell you why yoga studios and gyms may soon have a virtual competitor.

Digital Journal — Couch potato gamers are getting a run for their money. Literally. Nintendo is releasing its exercise-heavy game Wii Fit on May 21 in North America, giving home entertainment a dose of aerobics, strength training and yoga.

Costing $90, Wii Fit includes a virtual personal trainer to guide you through exercises such as push-ups, yoga poses, running, hula hooping, waist twists and many more. The game uses an innovative pressure sensitive Balance Board that responds to any shift in weight, balance or posture. So if you sway your hips quickly in the hula hoop exercise, the console can sense how fast your body moves and the avatar on screen responds accordingly.

Wii Fit has the potential to revolutionize the way people play video games. There are more than 40 activities to choose, and Nintendo says they “focus towards providing a ‘core’ workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled motions.”

Each user creates a profile and adds potential weight loss goals. The system monitors a user’s weight and body-mass index as well as their performance on each exercise. Only a few activities are available in the beginning; as users “succeed” in each exercise, more are unlocked.

While Wii Fit’s unique activities centre on yoga poses, running marathons and aerobic training, Nintendo doesn’t want to lose its sense of fun. Some games get out of the gym, including the slalom skiing, snowboarding and soccer activities. They still force you to move around quickly on the Balance Board, but these games are ideal for kids who get bored easily by yoga’s warrior pose or push-ups.

In this episode of Digital Journal TV, we take you on a sneak peek into Wii Fit, its unique technology and how it hopes to make lazy gamers as obsolete as the Power Glove.