Wii Fit (currently known as Wii Fitness in Europe)[1] is an upcoming video game for the Wii video game console currently in development by Nintendo. Codenamed Wii Health Pack,[2] it was announced under its current title at Nintendo's E3 press conference on July 11 2007, by famed video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. At Nintendo's media briefing, it was demonstrated by Shigeru Miyamoto himself, Reggie Fils-Aime, and other participants. Like the rest of the Wii Series, Wii Fit will integrate Miis into its presentation and gameplay.[3] The game is designed to function with the Wii Balance Board peripheral.
History
Wii Fit was first revealed as Wii Health Pack, by Shigeru Miyamoto, during a conference in mid-September of 2006.[4] Then described as a "way to help get families exercising together",[4] the game idea had first been included in Miyamoto's original design document for the whole Wii Series, the entirety of which was scribbled down on a single sheet of paper.[4]
As with other games designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, such as Nintendogs and Pikmin, the design of Wii Fit was influenced by the activities in Miyamoto's day to day life.[5] Miyamoto states that he and his family had become more health-conscious, going to the gym and tracking their weight.[5] He found that it had become "fun over time to talk about these things",[5] and as weighing yourself "didn't make much of a game",[5] they decided to build games around the idea to mesh with the concept.[5]
Gameplay
Wii Fit will use a unique platform peripheral called the Wii Balance Board that can measure a user's body mass index and their center of gravity. The game will have about 40 different activities,[6] including yoga poses, press ups, and other exercises.[3] Furthermore, Wii Fit will allow its players to compare their fitness by using Wii Fit's own channel on the Wii Menu.[7]
At the moment, according to Shigeru Miyamoto when speaking to IGN during an interview at E3 2007, there are currently no plans to integrate any WiiConnect24 functionality into Wii Fit.[8] He did note, however, that there could be possibilities to take advantage of the WiiConnect24 in the future, such as using the service to keep in contact with a doctor to help with rehabilitation, or with a fitness specialist to help with training exercises.[8]
Activities
Currently, only a few of the activities available for exercise in Wii Fit have been revealed.
Wii Balance Board used when playing Wii Fit
- Yoga exercises[3]
- Press ups[3]
- Step aerobics, including a game in which the player must step on and off the Wii Balance Board in rhythm to the background music[3]
- Hitting on-coming soccer balls by leaning forward[3]
- A ball-rolling mini-game[3]
- Hula hooping[3]
- Ski jumping, whereby the player squats as low as possible, whilst maintaining their balance, and then quickly stands as fast as possible in order to gain a good jump[9]
References
- ↑ Nintendo E3 2007 - Wii - Wii Fitness. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ↑ E3 2007: Feet-on Wii Fit. IGN (2007-07-12). Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 WiiFit gonna make you sweat. Joystiq (2007-07-11). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Satoru Iwata. Part 1 - A Truly Ground-breaking Collection of Games. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Parish, Jeremy (2007-07-13). Miyamoto Roundtable full transcription. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ↑ E3 2007: Nintendo E3 Media Briefing Live Blog. IGN (2007-07-11). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ↑ Upcoming Wii game release dates. GoNintendo (2007-07-11). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Template:Cite video
- ↑ Joystiq toes-on: Wii Fit. Joystiq (2007-07-13). Retrieved on 2007-07-13.