The Wii Fit will go on sale on May 19 across North America, according to the Japanese game giant's U.S. arm, Nintendo of America. (It will hit the U.K. and Europe earlier, on April 25.) The game, which has not yet been officially priced, will have players engage in exercise-like activities--including yoga and low-impact calisthenics--via its balance-board peripheral. Players can track their health and exercise progress through a new Wii Fit channel, which will launch alongside the game.
Despite some debate about exactly how much exercise the game will entail, Wii Fit has sold more than 1.4 million units in Japan to date. Nintendo also said that third-party publishers are already working on games that use the balance board, such as Namco Bandai's snow sports title Family Ski. The Wall Street Journal confirmed Tuesday that the game, which is already available in Japan, is coming to the U.S. later this year.
One week before Wii Fit sparks another retail run on the
Nintendo will be touting the development side of WiiWare on Thursday during a GDC panel devoted to the subject. Though the WiiWare toolset has remained largely out of the public eye, Nintendo of America is playing up how its "combination of low development barriers and unique game experiences found only on Wii should enable developers to try new ideas with lower risk in a quicker, more creative, and affordable way."
Thor Thorsen of GameSpot reported from San Francisco.
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