Wii Fit Plus October 2009

Wii Fit Plus

Nintendo has been cranking out family-friendly interactive entertainment since the launch of its Wii games console, and its popular Wii Fit virtual gym is a prime example.

Nintendo Wii Fit included a special, wireless exercise board and a host of fun fitness games played on the TV using the exercise board. The board allowed you to stand, squat, march, and balance through a series of games designed to improve your fitness, along with virtual fitness trainers who led you through a series of muscle and yoga activities.

Wii Fit update

The Wii Fit Plus uses charts to plot your progress

Having chalked up over 15 million sales of Wii Fit, Nintendo Wii Fit Plus is the latest update to Wii Fit. Sold with either the Wii Fit balance board for £90 or if you already own the balance board then you can pick it up without the board for a bargain £40, Wii Fit Plus adds new strength and yoga activities, a collection of balance games including skateboarding, snowball fighting, cycling and even juggling.

Wii Fit Plus also includes all the activities found in the original Wii Fit, making it a more worthwhile purchase if you missed out the first time around.

Nintendo Mii

If you are new to Wii Fit Plus, then set-up is simple. Choose a virtual representation of you – called a Mii – then stand on the Wii Fit balance board. Wii Fit Plus weighs you and works out your body mass index (BMI) and, after a handful of balance tests, gives you a ‘Wii Fit age’ – an age rating that is meant to sum up your fitness level. It also offers practical advice around posture, balance and exercise as you progress.

From here, you can set BMI targets and date goals, keep track of your weight and exercise activities, and – new to Wii Fit Plus – set up exercise routines that are tailored specifically to you. A handful are available in the new My Wii Fit Plus section, including ‘Tummy’ and ‘Youth’ that chain together several activities to target certain fitness goals or areas of the body.

Tailored fitness programme

While My Wii Fit Plus offers the chance to tailor your fitness routines, it does appear that the more serious fitness fan will benefit most. Rather than being able to create routines that include more of the fun Wii Fit Plus elements, such as riding a two-wheel Segway to pop balloons on a beach, you’re limited to yoga and strength exercises.

There are, however, plenty of fun Wii Fit Plus mini-games to go around, with far more fun balance games than the original. All proved a blast with our first look testers, including taking the role of the leader of a marching band, and jogging on the Wii Fit Plus balance board through a virtual obstacle course.

Yoga and strength training

The Wii Fit Plus offers a variety of activities and progress is logged

The yoga and strength training see new exercises in Wii Fit Plus over the original but be warned – a quick try-out revealed these are more advanced exercises for fitter users. To do yoga exercises, a virtual trainer will show the exercise on screen, while you follow along. It’s coupled with decent hints and tips to ensure that you get the right technique, with the balance board charting your movement and progress.

The more you work out, the more credits you earn in a Wii FitPiggy – a virtual piggy bank that allows you to save for more advanced activities. Calories are counted in Wii Fit Plus, and your entire routine, time spent exercising and any subsequent change in BMI are recorded, along with graphs plotting your progress.

Family fun

For Wii Fit owners, this is really more of the same. If you enjoyed the first version, then there is much to like in Wii Fit Plus. The new games, ability to customize your workout, and general overall enhancements will make this a worthwhile purchase, especially if you already have a Wii Fit balance board. For new buyers, the range of content offered is impressive, and it does make for a fun, family activity.

The jury is still out on whether this can actually help you lose weight, and we’ve not seen any hard evidence that this is the case or will lower BMI any more dramatically than if you’d taken a brisk walk. And, the interactive fitness market has changed, with lots of new products such as Electronic Arts’ Sports Active now crowding into homes.

However, for sheer fitness fun – and something the whole family can get involved with – Nintendo Wii Fit Plus could muscle out the competition.

Games consoles

For a more comprehensive look at games consoles, including the Nintendo Wii, the Microsoft Xbox and the Sony PlayStation, check out our games consoles report.

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