Finally! The gadget that is to revolutionize the way we play video games and exercise is here! Today Nintendo released Wii Fit - a pressure-sensitive balance board (about twice the size of bathroom scales), which the user can stand on and control game play by changing position and redistributing his or her weight. The board is automatically connected via wi-fi to the Wii console, and is sensitive to the slightest movements - so enjoy trying out few yoga poses such as “sun salutation”, and if you find it too relaxing jump on a virtual snowboard and slalom down the slope trying simultaneously to balance another player on your shoulders . Wii Fit even knows when to turn itself off. It costs about £70 and today is finally available across Britain. Will it be just as great a hit as Nintendo Wii console? Will it replace yoga instructors?
Let's have a look...Janine Thomas, yoga instructor, took Wii Fit yoga for a test. According to Janine Wii board is easy enough to set up - even a complete technophobe like her should manage. Explanation of each asana was provided by a virtual yoga teacher. Most postures involved standing on the board with one or both feet, or occasionally placing your hands on it. The program starts with a series of beginner postures. Practising these unlocks increasingly advanced exercises, so a total novice can’t attempt a shoulderstand and end up groaning on the floor. The postures include standing balances, where Wii technology comes into its own. In “tree” balance, a circle on the screen shows how your weight is distributed; the more you wobble, the more erratic the pattern. Focusing on the screen holds your gaze and allows you to concentrate on the task in hand – both fundamental aspects of yoga. However, in positions like "downward-facing-dog" Janine was unable to look at the screen without straining her neck. And earning points for posture isn't a very yogic concept. Yoga is not a sport; it encourages students to work in an uncompetitive way and be physically and mentally content with wherever they are.
Overall Wii Fit yoga is a well thought-out, safe program with detailed instructions that encourage body awareness. But all the stopping and starting affected the flow of sequences, which is an important part of many yoga styles, and the lack of variety felt tedious. It also failed to offer an overall yoga class – there are no warm-ups, few dynamic movements working with the breath and no final relaxation. Yoga needs only floor space and some stretchy trousers, so Wii yoga just overcomplicates a simple system that has worked fine by itself for the past 2,000 years.
Luckily, the bosses of Nintendo don't offer Wii Fit as a solution or a replacement to your fitness routines. “We’re not saying that it will help you to shed tens of pounds or provide the solution to any health problems you might have,” says Saunders. And even the university research, which was funded by Nintendo, concluded that simply playing the Wii was not strenuous enough to count towards the government’s recommended amount of exercise for children of one hour every day. But as I wrote in "Wii a replacement for exercise"you have to start somewhere - and Wii Fit is a fun way to do it.