bryguy (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} bryguypgh) wrote,@ 2008-05-22 12:19:00 |
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Wii Fit - First Impressions
I grabbed a copy of Wii Fit yesterday. Target was sold out, and I got the second to last one at Best Buy. It cost just under $100 after tax.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when opening the package, it turns out that the scale controller is pretty sturdy, and it's wireless (4 non-rechargeable panasonic AA's included). To get it to play nice with your wii, you have to press the hidden sync buttons in the battery section on the scale and behind a hidden panel on the Wii, I imagine that will confound some less savvy users when they open it up.
They start you with a basic weigh-in and balance test, tell you your BMI, and inflate your Mii to a level of fatness matching your BMI (!). It then asks you to set a BMI goal for yourself, and you "stamp" the calendar to indicate that you started your training this day.
Then you get to select games. There's 4 categories: Yoga, Strength, Balance, and Aerobic. The Yoga and Strength games ask you to choose a male or female virtual personal trainer, both fairly androgynous. You can't click through a lot of their dialog, but it's not too tedious and there are some pretty amusing (and I think unintentional) double entendres that will amuse anyone willing to leave their maturity behind.
The strength exercises are basically calisthenics with reps, like push ups, lunges, etc. You place feet or hands on the board so that it can tell you're actually performing those push ups, or you keep a foot on the board and it measures your balance to see if you're unsteady (implying that you're using bad form). The yoga poses also take advantage of the balance measurement; it can't tell if you're actually doing the tree or warrior pose, but it can tell if you're shaky. You could cheat, but there's really no point.
The Yoga games also take you through a lot of breathing exercises, showing a circle expand and contract to suggest a breathing pace for you. The interface for all of this is polished and intuitive. Your balance is represented as a tiny red dot inside a yellow target circle, and you are expected to keep your balance point from moving outside the target. At the end of the exercise a scribbly little balance trail is drawn showing how your center of gravity moved throughout the pose, and sometimes it's really silly looking. Advanced players will no doubt create some etch-a-sketch style drawings in this way.
The balance and aerobics exercises are more game-like, they show your mii and you have to perform a bunch of little tasks. It actually reminds me of supermonkey ball, but with exercise. There's a couple of skiing games in the balance section, among others. In the aerobics section there's a Hula Hoop game (where you shift your balance to spin the hoop(s)), a jogging game (you put the Wiimote in your pocket and it detects the bouncing while you run in place and try to keep a set pace), and a few others. Each section started with 5 or 6 games unlocked, and there about that many more in each section to be unlocked.
I felt good after doing about 15 minutes worth of exercises, it really forced me to use muscle groups I wouldn't have used otherwise, and I don't think it will get boring for a while. This is the kind of stuff that is making Nintendo the runaway winner in this market. Get in touch if you want to come try it out.
I grabbed a copy of Wii Fit yesterday. Target was sold out, and I got the second to last one at Best Buy. It cost just under $100 after tax.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when opening the package, it turns out that the scale controller is pretty sturdy, and it's wireless (4 non-rechargeable panasonic AA's included). To get it to play nice with your wii, you have to press the hidden sync buttons in the battery section on the scale and behind a hidden panel on the Wii, I imagine that will confound some less savvy users when they open it up.
They start you with a basic weigh-in and balance test, tell you your BMI, and inflate your Mii to a level of fatness matching your BMI (!). It then asks you to set a BMI goal for yourself, and you "stamp" the calendar to indicate that you started your training this day.
Then you get to select games. There's 4 categories: Yoga, Strength, Balance, and Aerobic. The Yoga and Strength games ask you to choose a male or female virtual personal trainer, both fairly androgynous. You can't click through a lot of their dialog, but it's not too tedious and there are some pretty amusing (and I think unintentional) double entendres that will amuse anyone willing to leave their maturity behind.
The strength exercises are basically calisthenics with reps, like push ups, lunges, etc. You place feet or hands on the board so that it can tell you're actually performing those push ups, or you keep a foot on the board and it measures your balance to see if you're unsteady (implying that you're using bad form). The yoga poses also take advantage of the balance measurement; it can't tell if you're actually doing the tree or warrior pose, but it can tell if you're shaky. You could cheat, but there's really no point.
The Yoga games also take you through a lot of breathing exercises, showing a circle expand and contract to suggest a breathing pace for you. The interface for all of this is polished and intuitive. Your balance is represented as a tiny red dot inside a yellow target circle, and you are expected to keep your balance point from moving outside the target. At the end of the exercise a scribbly little balance trail is drawn showing how your center of gravity moved throughout the pose, and sometimes it's really silly looking. Advanced players will no doubt create some etch-a-sketch style drawings in this way.
The balance and aerobics exercises are more game-like, they show your mii and you have to perform a bunch of little tasks. It actually reminds me of supermonkey ball, but with exercise. There's a couple of skiing games in the balance section, among others. In the aerobics section there's a Hula Hoop game (where you shift your balance to spin the hoop(s)), a jogging game (you put the Wiimote in your pocket and it detects the bouncing while you run in place and try to keep a set pace), and a few others. Each section started with 5 or 6 games unlocked, and there about that many more in each section to be unlocked.
I felt good after doing about 15 minutes worth of exercises, it really forced me to use muscle groups I wouldn't have used otherwise, and I don't think it will get boring for a while. This is the kind of stuff that is making Nintendo the runaway winner in this market. Get in touch if you want to come try it out.
