Wii Fit Coming May 19

Announced last week at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and launching in mid-May, the Wii Fit will use the motion-sensing controller and a new interactive Balance Board to create a workout. The board senses weight and motion, and the company said third-party publishers are also working on applications.

Wii Fit is expected to retail for less than $100.

Wii Fit also includes access to the interactive Wii Fit Channel, where users can check their fitness progress on a daily basis, including weight and BMI index.

Wii Fit is already available in Japan, and has sold more than 1.4 million units since its launch in December.

Nintendo's Takao Sawano reportedly worked with Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto to design Wii Fit. The impetus came from an effort to adapt a simple weight scale for the Wii. Noting that sumo wrestlers require two scales to weigh themselves, Sawano began developing a scale from scratch with the idea of being able to sense a shift in weight. From that, a balancing peripheral was born that is sensitive enough to detect if a user is moving a hand to pick up a controller.

The fitness program offered with the Wii Fit focuses on yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games, with as many as 10 activities for each area. Some activities use the board, such as balancing or push-ups, and some do not. For instance, running in place can use the Wii Remote like a pedometer to track progress and effort.

The Wii Fit is a "by-product of the whole Wii plan for getting people off the couch," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with JupiterResearch. He cited Sony's EyeToy Kinetic as a predecessor, but said the Wii Fit could be "a whole new dimension that doesn't just get the parents off the couch to exercise, but kids as well."