The Wii Fit: First impressions from our lab

After an intensive few days of bending, jumping, and precarious balancing by Consumer Reports staff, under the watchful eye of expert testers from our Health franchise, we have our first test reports on Nintendo's Wii Fit, the wireless "balance board" that hit the market in North America earlier this week.

You can read on the Consumer Reports Health Blog what our testing experts have to say about the Fit.

Essentially a platform that senses and responds to body movement, the Wii Fit is an accessory to Nintendo's Wii game console, which, since its launch in 2006 has replaced the usual passive, "couch-potato" video-game experience with a more active, "get-up-and-play" activity.

The Fit offers interactive exercises in four areas: yoga, strength training, balance, and aerobics, along with fun "mini-games," such as ski jumping and hoola-hoops. The Fit also tests your center of gravity and registers your Body Mass Index (BMI), storing personal information on the Wii console so you can track your progress.

Says Nintendo's website:

Wii Fit combines fun and fitness in one product. It can change how you exercise, how you balance, and even how you move.

If you're convinced that you've got to have a Fit, a word of caution. Demand for the device is high and many retailers are temporarily out of stock. So before you lace up your sneakers to run out to your local game store, be sure to call ahead. Or, you can take the traditional gamer's approach: Sign up with retailers online to be e-mailed when the Wii Fit becomes available.

—Nick Mandle

May 28, 2008 UPDATE: Several readers have pointed out that the Wii Fit reviewers in our video were wearing shoes during tests of the Fit's balance board while Nintendo's instruction says that owners should be barefoot in order to prevent the possibility of slippage and injury. Because of the discrepancy, we have removed our video. —Ed.

Comments

[Judy Delk]

Just how much stuff do I want with my Wii Fit? Anyone have experience with that?

I see battery chargers for the balance board; battery pack charger/turbo cooler bases for the remotes/unit, etc, etc., etc. I think the "skin" for the balance board is a good idea, especially if the whole family is using it.

I have been a computer potato for the past few years(due to work and a back problem), and completed all the initial/earned tasks on day one, made me sore in a number of places.

I had a very hard time finding mine, ordered from a gaming store online, and certainly paid more than $90. But I didn't have to wait six months for someone to decide to e-mail me back that their shipment had come in.

[Kathy Manese]

I found my Wii Fit at a Game Stop store, but they are really hard to find at a retail store (best to call every day before noon to check whether they got any in stock for the day and then go directly to the store to pick it up -- in general they will not hold them for you). Stores like Sears.com allow you to register interest in specific Wii products and when they become available they will email you (and their prices and shipping are great!)

I really love the Wii Fit as it is a really fun way to get in shape by varying workout routines. And it feels more like games then just plain exercise, and you can get your heartrate up or just work on balance & coordination. I have put a description of my experience with the Wii Fit and other Wii games at my website: http://www.musictomyears.com/iluvmywii.html.

[Alisson]

If you're having trouble finding one, check game-specific retailers such as game-stop. Their demand for WiiFit has been much lower than big-box retailers like target.

[Andreq]

My husband and I absolutely LOVE the Wii Fit. It is the first time I've enjoyed excercise and it keeps me motivated. I've used it for 38 days straight and lost 10lbs and have strength and muscle tone!

[gene]

Wii Fit is GREAT. Everyone in the family enjoys using this. My 5 year old loves all of the activities and my wife is hooked on aerobic activities! Two thumbs up for Nintendo on this one.

[Johanna]

My family LOVES the Wii Fit!!! We have been playing it since it came out in May. My 8 year old daughter likes to do the aerobics games and strength training. My 6 year old son does really well with the balance games. You are scored for every game you do, so it gets your competitive blood pumping to beat the other family members to be #1. There are lots of activities to choose from, and once you have mastered those, you can open the advanced versions. We all sweat, including my husband. We are even competing against other friends that have the Wii Fit. And that helps make us, go back for more!

[hank]

I can't wait to have one. It seems to be an incredible fun playing it. How much does it cost? Is there any $ difference between US price and european? Are there any objections to use U.S version in Europe?

[Nate]

This review is very disappointing to Consumer Reports and it should be pulled and re-done soon to avoid negative publicity. I would like to add to the other comments that it didn't look like anyone doing the testing had unlocked anything. In my opinion Wii Fit starts out easy and gets progressively more difficult as you unlock new exercises and are allowed to do more reps of each. I wasn't breaking a sweat the first few days of Wii Fit, but I certainly am now! I hope this review was a mistake, as I used to completely trust Consumer Reports.

[WBF]

Several comments:

1.) I agree that the BMI is not the best metric, but it is a reasonable approximation for people without significantly more than average or less than average muscle mass. I would love to see a metric that could be more helpful, but there isn't one. You also have to consider the fact that the majority of people out there can use the BMI, and that those with increased muscle mass will often know that it is not accurate for them.

2.) Someone in the video claimed that they didn't sweat. I find this hard to believe, unless they just tried out a few random activities. Or perhaps she has a physical disability preventing her from sweating...

3.) While Wii Fit isn't *necessary* for someone who is already very fit, it is quite useful for many who are. I personally use it for the Yoga and Strength activities (flexibility/stretching mostly before workouts, sometimes after as well, good for core/leg muscles and balance), and enjoy the balance activities as well. The weight tracking is an added bonus (I don't own a scale).

This all ignores the future applications and games for the balance board, which is an impressive input device.

[Chris Rodriguez]

great job Nick. I found this article very insightful and helpful thanks. I've heard everybody talking about the Wii Fit and it looks like fun.

[Jacob]

Your review seems too simplistic to give a real answer. I own this and love it. I am an athlete and have and do get a great work out from it. It is all about the amount of effort you are willing to put in and the games you play that determines how much you get out of it. Taking a long jog (and really running hard), then doing the harder strength training exercises and aerobics really gets your heart going. I would like to hear how others did on the push-up exercise. Doing elevated push-ups is not so easy. And it has gotten my whole family more involved with keeping up there fitness. It is great because it gives you a reading everyday of your progress and even gives you tips. I would say that the Wii Fit concentrates mostly on your core. The stronger your core the stronger the rest of your body is.

[J. Evans Turner]

The video is extremely misleading and needs a disclaimer. "Wii Fit" is a software title for the existing Nitnendo Wii platform. It includes a hardware accessory (the Balance Board). It is not a stand-alone "Game Console", and it is not the successor to the Wii. It requires a Nintendo Wii in order to operate.

[Jeff]

I give Consumer Reports a 2 out of 10 for following manufacturer instructions while reviewing a product... Wii Fit's manual states it's to be played barefoot, while nearly all your reviewers were wearing shoes.

[Michael]

Your reviewers did not follow the instructions included in the box. You are not supposed to wear shoes or socks when using the Balance Board.

[Ernest Adams]

Great item. Too bad Nintendo chose to adopt the discredited "body mass index" metric, which tells short, fit, muscular people they're overweight when all they really are is "under-tall" for some doctor's personal definition of perfect.