WiiFit hits stores on Monday, combines fun and fitness
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Nintendo is expected to launch WiiFit in stores in the United States on Monday, 05/19. The company is hoping to cash in further on its hit Wii console which combines simple games, low price and interractivity through it’s unique easy-to-learn motion-sensing controller. U.S. consumers bought 714,000 Wiis in April, nearly double the sales of Microsoft Corp’s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp’s PlayStation 3 combined.
After the recent blockbuster hit Grand Theft Auto 4, WiiFit is forecasted to be the next blockbuster for the year. Games for the Wii Fit include activities like Yoga , Stength Training, balance games and aerobics and the WiiFit itself will retail for US $89.99. Wii Fit provides simple graphs detailing your progress in your BMI, weight, Wii Fit Age and Fit Credit, as well as a calendar to monitor your training and goals. Gamers can compare the calendar and graphs with up to 8 people on the same Wii Fit game, so the whole family can get involved.
Wii Fit comes with the weight-and-motion-sensing Wii Balance Board that could hold great promise for future game development as well. Third-party publishers are already working on new games and applications that will make use of the Wii Balance Board. Additionally, Wii Fit includes access to the Wii Fit Channel, an interactive channel that lets users check in each day to track their fitness progress through weight and BMI. In Japan, Wii Fit has sold more than 1.4 million units since its Dec. 1 launch.
The US launch event will be at the corner of Central Park South and Central Park West in New York City and Nintendo of America will be donating $5 (up to $25,000) to the American Heart Association®’s New York City Division for every person who steps on the Wii Balance Board and tries Wii Fit, in support of their efforts to help Americans “get moving” and live healthier.
