Multi-Purpose WII

When I got my Wii a few weeks ago, I mentioned how much of a workout one could get just by playing Wii Sports. Well, I guess the good folks at Nintendo have really figured out how to make video gaming a more physical activity. This week at the E3 video game conference, Nintendo unveiled some of their upcoming innovations. The San Francisco Chronicle reported this:

Nintendo took another step in courting the mass market, unveiling a balance board that will power a fitness game. Building off the wide appeal of its motion-control Wii console, Nintendo took aim at the fitness market with its Wii Fit game and accompanying Wii Balance Board.

When paired with the game, the balance board tests a player's ability to do step aerobics, push-ups, yoga poses and various balance exercises. The pressure-sensitive pad also calculates a user's body mass index and center of gravity, helping improve weight and posture.

Nintendo's top designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, said the game fulfills the larger hope for the Wii, which was meant as a console for the whole family.

The company hoped the Wii "would be relevant to everyone in the home," said Miyamoto. "The one subject we felt we had to have to achieve this was health."

I KNEW that eventually I could proudly say there is a reason that I play video games and now there will be: I am doing it for my health! :)