A Wii Workout! Nintendo’s new video game system forces players to move their bodies.
Posted on December 13, 2006
Wii’s motion-sensitive technology requires players to act out their character’s movements, a feature that sets Wii game console apart from its competitors Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s new PlayStation 3.
Some players noticing that hours waving the game’s controller around can add up to fairly intense workout resulting in aches and pains.
Nintendo itself warns players about this risk just before some of the games begin. A message flashes up on the screen saying: “Make sure there are no people or objects around you that you might bump into while playing.” Some Wii games also have pop-up reminders every 15 minutes advising gamers to take a break.
Perrin Kaplan, a spokeswoman from Nintendo, says the company hasn’t received complaints from any gamers about soreness. “It was not meant to be a Jenny Craig supplement,” she says. “If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more.” She says that while it might be more fun to play the games more aerobically, it’s possible to play without leaving the couch.
The Wii, which retails for $250, comes with a remote control-size device that communicates wirelessly with a sensor sitting on the TV. It also comes with a secondary device — which attaches via a cable to the first device — that can mimic a variety of objects, from fishing rods to samurai swords. With their purchase, gamers also get Wii Sports, a package of five games, including golf, bowling, tennis, boxing and baseball.
[ source: The Wall Street Journal]
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