Wii Fit may seem shiny and new, but not only is it a concept that console-makers and game developers have tried before, but it's part of a philosophy Nintendo has long tried to pursue. Over at Water Cooler Games, Ian Bogost recently spent some time remembering the Joyboard, a peripheral for the Amiga -- which boasted a single retail game -- that is similar to the balance board that is set to release with Wii Fit. Of course, it's not the only example; many of us still have dance pads for Dance Dance Revolution lying around, and some of the old-schoolers may even have old NES Power Pads tucked away in a closet, collecting dust, while gamers fondly recall Dance Aerobics and Track & Field. What Bogost doesn't address -- which we think is a fascinating issue -- is Wii Fit's potential to succeed in the current market environment. Quite rightly, he calls upon gamers and critics to look back over the history of the industry in order to gain a better understanding of how we reached this point, and we agree with him that people should be less shocked by Wii Fit than they have seemed to be. Nintendo is no stranger to "non-games" and unusual peripherals. Particularly now, when the Wii has the potential to move even beyond the ubiquitous past presence of the NES and get into every home in America (and perhaps the world, huzzah!), it's no surprise that Nintendo is again angling to break the market wide open and offer something for everyone.
Does Wii Fit surprise you? Obviously, we knew a health pack of some sort was coming, but this is rather expanded upon what we expected. We know some of you don't like the concept -- while others, like this blogger, think it's the bee's knees -- but does it surprise you? What other market-expanding ideas do you think we'll see from Nintendo?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-17-2007 @ 9:18AM
vidGuy said...
It doesn't surprise me because it is very Nintendo to release something like this. If priced at $50 or less, it wouldn't surprise me if WiiFit sells a cool million+ copies. Priced above that, though, I'm not sure.
In Japan WiiSports is selling like crazy on its own, but I don't know if that would happen in other countries. Packing it with the console was a very smart move. Now Nintendo needs to see if it can sell these quirky minigame-esque packages by themselves outside of Japan.
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7-17-2007 @ 9:28AM
hvnlysoldr said...
It totally excited and somewhat surprised me. Now we have come full circle with the Power Glove and Power Pad that actually work. With their pathos they might actually make the Virtual Boy work in a few years...
Whatever, so seriously it sort of came out of left field and I realized the potential of full body motion sensing controlling without a full body suit or diodes. Nintendo has revolutionized controllers again within the spring of its new generation.
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7-17-2007 @ 10:56AM
Neal Eaton said...
I think Wii Fit will be a lot of fun for the right people (myself included).
I can see moms everywhere buying this for themselves, and their kids getting all mad because they can't play until mom is done with her training.
BUT I do think that this has even bigger potential in the healthcare industry: Seniors in retirement communitites, hospitals using it for physical therapy, fitness centers putting it in the kids area to get the kids excercising, schools using it in PhysEd classes (DDR is SO 2005).
Nintendo proves again that they are not afraid of change or of thinking differently to expand their audience. My only complaint is the lack of a rechargeable battery builit into this device...bummer.
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7-17-2007 @ 11:12AM
Neal Eaton said...
Let me try this again...since my 1st version fo this got sucked into the ether of the intertubes.
I think that moms will eat this up, and their kids are going to get so mad because they won't be able to play until mom gets done with her training.
ALSO this will be HUGE in institutional uses: in heathcare for physical therapy, in retirement comunities for the excercise and interaction with others, in schools in place of DDR (that is SO 2005), in fitness center's child care areas to get the kids excercising, too.
Nintendo has proven again that it is not afraid to think differently and to 'upend the tea table' as it were and disrupt conventional thinkng of what is a game.
I am really excited for this...I can see our house using it almost daily (just like the Wii itself).
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7-17-2007 @ 11:13AM
Neal Eaton said...
SORRY FOR THE TRIPLE POST...what was with the 10 minute delay today?
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7-17-2007 @ 11:50AM
Derek said...
I think the balance board will actually limit their market. The more peripherals come out for the Wii, the more Nintendo revives its image of being a "kiddie" console. The balance board, the zapper, the wheel - they all look like toys to me. What self-respecting adult wants this junk cluttering up his living room?
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7-17-2007 @ 12:15PM
Jonathan G. said...
This definetly "fits" with N's whole mass-market exposure scheme... I'm curious enough to check it out.
As far as other market-expanding ideas, I'm still wanting a series of games to teach foreign languages (specifically Japanese!). I figure, with the microphone peripheral it would be an easy step to create a language-learning game that could grade pronunciation and whatnot. It would be awesome to see a fully fleshed-out language tutor, and then they could make seperate games for teaching each(any) language.
Am I the only one who's thought about this/ Likes this idea?
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7-17-2007 @ 12:46PM
Skippy said...
I hate to nitpick, but the Joyboard was a controller for the Atari 2600 made by Amiga Inc., long before their involvement with Commodore and the Amiga computers.
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7-18-2007 @ 5:58AM
avant said...
I think it's a great example of two elements in Nintendos strategy which are key in modern day business:
1) "Clear blue water" between them and the competition. Compare where Nintendo are going with Sony and MS.
2) Actively growing the whole marketplace to the benefit of both Nintendo and its competitors.
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