Will The Wii Fit Work? Not If It's A Power Pad

Arul Sundaram (URL) said:

I think you're overlooking Dance Dance Revolution

Mike Shum said:

As the astute poster above has already posted, DDR is a hit and has already been rolled out in gym classes in American public schools.

The mainstream appeal of the Wii coupled with the always growing concern over health gives Wii Fit a huge chance for success. It is already the best selling game in Japan this year, and for anecdotal reports on its effectiveness, 4colorrebellion.com has a report up.

The article is needlessly cynical and the use of the "Power Pad" as a precedent a red herring. You call this journalism?

Adam Smith said:

Apr. 04, 10:52 AM

The writer of this article seems to ignore the fact that the technology in the ballance board is much more advanced and has many more applications than the power pad did.
The power pad was nothing more than a set of buttons on the floor. (Which, if executed correctly, could have been a hit as well; look at DDR)
The ballance board is much more interactive and appealing than the power pad was. The possibilities of 3rd party games including skating, surfing, skiing etc are exciting as well. Look at the trends in the arcade in the last few years with the skating/skiing/dancing games... They must be somewhat profitable (they are in almost any arcade you go in) and people are much more likely to be willing to make fools of themselves at home than in public.

jasonious said:

Apr. 04, 11:30 AM

I have to agree with the above comments regarding the author of this article. His pronouncments in the video game space are constantly silly and wrong. The WII as a platform was designed around just this kind of interactive activity. They are going to sell buckets of them.

charles weeden said:

Apr. 04, 11:48 AM

Vasanth- I'm in the distinct minority. While the comments above flesh out the JV analyst's POV, you obviously never parked yourself in a chair and tapped your feet like there was no tomorrow just to beat that last abnormally flexible sprinter in hurdles...

Which brings me to a second point- Videogames are meant to be WON - and anything that combines the human competitive streak with the littlest exercise is a win win for all respective parties.

T-Rex said:

Apr. 04, 3:44 PM

I loved the power pad. The best part was jumping off the pad while doing jumping events in the track and field game. However, if you stood off the pad for too long, you would get an error and your jump would be disqualified. The trick was to time your cheating better than your brother's.

Thambone (URL) said:

Apr. 04, 4:05 PM

Um... you realize that wii fit (i.e. the balance board) has already sold 1.7+ million units in japan, including being in the top 10 (mostly in the top 3) on the software sales charts (for every platform, not just wii) for EVERY SINGLE WEEK since it's launch? I think the question "Will Wii Fit Work?" has already been answered.

Peter Kafka said:

Apr. 04, 5:28 PM

There we go! The Wii Fit will be huge smash. Why? Because it's big in Japan.

Arul Sundaram (URL) said:

Apr. 04, 11:30 PM

@Peter Kafka - hilarious.

@Vasanth - sad you haven't addressed any of the commenters points.

Vasanth Sridharan said:

Apr. 05, 1:20 AM

DDR is a good point. But that game started in arcades and still never did as well in the US as it did in Japan. Also, DDR was based around competition, and like Charles Weeden said, that's a big part of video games. Also, DDR, is used in some kids' PE programs, but not a whole lot. So let's not pretend like it's been some huge boon for kids hygiene.

Does that mean the Wii Fit won't sell well in the US -- no. It probably will, but it still interesting to note that Nintendo has tried something similar before and it didn't exactly work out.

Shane (URL) said:

Apr. 05, 10:27 PM

Japan is a far cry from the US, although Nintendo has lately been trying to prove that whatever Japan wants, the US will want as well, with quite a bit of success. That said, considering that the appeal of the Wii has thus far been largely Wii Sports and Wii Play, it's safe to assume Wii Fit will be similarly successful. It's not really that the market is any different than it was back in the Power Pad days. Rather, Nintendo is more concerned about making something like this work.

Grandaddy Purple said:

May. 15, 4:20 PM

I for one definitely think Wii fit will be a hit, the commentor wrote the article as if it will be a "niche" piece of equipment. Take into consideration the large demographic of gamers who play games like "Time crisis", "DDR"or any of the many fighting games that are "enhanced" with the use of an arcade stick ; they absolutely love the game/accessory combo while people who aren't necessarily into the title tend to think its the dumbest invention ever. One must realize,the video game market is a niched market in its own existence! Nintendo has pretty much become the first company to create a system with an un-niched appeal and following. Never before has my 58 year-old mother-in-law been interested in looking at and for that matter, playing video games. Read the Thursday Styles section of the May 15th New York Times. If the average houswife is feeling this thing, chances are that Tony Hawk afficionados, fighting game lovers and just about anyone else who isn't too obese to stand for 5 minutes will surely get a kick out of this accessory once enough games come out that support it. Personally I can see 1 out of every 4 wii owners plopping down that $90. Things like this tend to be good for parties, non-gamer chicks and let's not forget:
Q:Who The Hell In America (esp gamers...think multitaps, 3D puzzle games, arcade sticks, etc.) Dosent Spend Thousands A Year On Crap They May Never Use?
A:Just about Noone!

MFSIMBA said:

May. 18, 2:08 PM

Nintendo has created a revolution that should be promoted by the media, schools, healthcare industries etc. There's alway a great pulse around the release of GTA, Xenga, etc., but irrespective of the commercial factor, the western world is learning that leisure and family can now be used in the same sentence. My children and the rest of my family no longer have to stare at each other and end our social gathering early, we eat, talk, and Wii together. I'll pay for this equation anyday. Talk about marriage....we make time for Wii. With Wii, being sedentary is no longer an option. Buy, Buy, Buy, because our family time is richer, and the children no longer think we're the most un-cool.

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Jorge Giraldez Benard said:

Aug. 25, 1:05 PM

I think its GRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT! My son Noah is a great studant and loves his Wii becAUSE ITS INTERACTIVE, got him off his tushy, now this is Fantastic...He can run and jump and do all the crazy moves you do out doors without worrying about the Sun, the insects bites, and a host of other problems and if Mom gets the hint, she too can join in and exercize with him and tone-up as well. Good move on this one, we will be ordering as soon as they are available.

Jorge in Nicaragua

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