Hyped Fitness Game Comes to S. Florida

By Daniel Chang, The Miami Herald

May 21–Nintendo’s Wii Fit video game arrives in stores Wednesday, riding a wave of hype about its ability to revolutionize the way we exercise.

But can a video game — the very antithesis of physical activity — really talk that potato off the couch?

It can if it’s a Wii, say those familiar with the popular video game console, but only to a point.

“There’s two ways to look at it,” said Gabe Somarriba, a pediatric exercise physiologist with the University of Miami’s Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.

“There’s the way where this is the answer; this is the replacement for the gym itself, and I think that may be a little too much,” he said. “But I think it’s a great way to tap into people and give them that awareness and give them the feel for getting back into exercising.”

Fit is the latest game for the Nintendo Wii, which was launched in 2006 and sells for about $250. Unlike most video game consoles, Wii allows players to use a wireless controller that detects movement in three dimensions.

But Fit takes the game to a different level by using a sophisticated “balance board” that measures a body’s weight and center of mass. Players use the board to perform aerobic exercises, strength training and even yoga — all while trying to keep pace with the Nintendo avatar (or Wii “Mii” character) on the TV screen.

The game offers more than 40 interactive exercises, ranging from push-ups and lunges to step aerobics, ski jumps and hula hoop contests.

Somarriba already uses a video game to give his patients an aerobic workout: Dance Dance Revolution, a music video game in which players move their feet across a dance pad, stepping in time to the beat of a song.

“I use it to motivate,” said Somarriba, who generally works with patients from 6 to 24. “With kids it’s important to try and keep things fun.”

LIMITED USEFULNESS

As much as Somarriba likes Dance Dance Revolution, he said its therapeutic uses are limited to aerobics and some coordination. And it’s strictly an exercise for the legs and feet.

Fit allows players to exercise their upper and lower bodies and to work on strength, balance and aerobic conditioning.

“It’s more comprehensive,” Somarriba said.

Trouble is, try as he might to incorporate the Wii into his patients’ physical regimens, Somarriba said he can’t find a store that has the video game console in stock.

Since April, Fit has been promoted heavily on TV and radio, in newspapers and magazines, and in stores. This week, Nintendo launched a nationwide promotional tour for Fit that will bring live demonstrations to parks, shoping malls and festivals in 17 cities.

The result? A palpable but not overwhelming anticipation.

There are no promotional demonstrations scheduled for South Florida. But limited pre-sales for Fit, which retails for $89.99, have sold out at many local stores, suggesting that consumers may get a better workout looking for the game than they will playing it.

Jon Gluck, customer experience manager for Best Buy in Pembroke Pines, said the store sold out of its alloted 30 pre-sale orders for Fit games several weeks ago.

Gluck expects the store will receive more than the 30 pre-sold Fit games today, but he isn’t bracing for a throng. And the store won’t open at midnight like it did on April 29 for the release of the adult action video game Grand Theft Auto IV, which sold about 100 copies that night.

IN-STORE PROMOTION

Still, Best Buy managers have been promoting the Wii Fit throughout the store.

This week the game was hooked up to a 65-inch, high-definition plasma TV in the home theater department, where 19-year-old Shelly Mata, a Best Buy employee, demonstrated the Fit for local TV news cameras.

“It’s a good workout,” said Mata, who broke a sweat twirling a hula hoop, head-butting soccer balls and skiing downhill.

“Definitely, people are going to be losing a lot of calories.”

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