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Fitness Made Fun

Nintendo expands reach with Wii Fit game

By Karyn M. Peterson -- Gifts and Dec, 9/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

According to the NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y., the Nintendo Wii has become the best-selling video game system in the United States, with more than 10 million consoles sold since its launch during the 2006 holiday season. Now the Redmond, Wash.-based gaming and entertainment company has even more reason to celebrate: its innovative new Wii Fit game, which capitalizes on the popularity of the company’s Wii Sports active games in a unique and imaginative way.

After its launch early this summer, Wii Fit is having a similar effect on the market, drawing in thousands of customers who previously were not regular gamers through its unique styling and get-up-and-go appeal.

NPD Group has also reported that, since its launch in May during National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Wii Fit has consistently ranked as one of the top selling video games based on unit sales.

What makes Wii Fit ($89.99) different is that it offers gamers an opportunity to engage in more than 40 physical activities through its Balance Board accessory, which is an engineered platform that senses weight and shifts in movement and balance. It connects wirelessly to the Wii console to serve as the centerpiece for yoga, aerobics, strength training, balance exercises and similar activities.

In game, it offers virtual trainers to talk participants through the activities, and it even tracks the progress of multiple users in a household.

According to Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing, “Wii Fit will get you moving whether you’ve been playing video games for years or this is your first time. Wii Fit is easy for anyone to try and is yet another example of how Nintendo continues to expand the world of video games to new audiences.”

As part of the company’s goal to expand the gaming universe, new games for the Wii will also be debuting soon, including Wii Sports Resort (Spring 2009), a collection of non-traditional sports games that utilize the console’s MotionPlus accessory, including Sword Play, Power Cruising (racing a water scooter) and Disc Dog, which involves tossing a disc to a cute dog.

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