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The Good Fortune of Wii Exercise

Posted by Zonk on from the wiiberobics dept.

eldavojohn writes "While some users of the Wii complained of soreness or 'Wii elbow' when playing it too much, others are heralding its workout value. The University of Toronto is working on a 'therapeutic video game' for the Wii that is designed to help children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy exercise their weaker limb, people are claiming weight loss and in the January issue of Pediatrics the Mayo clinic is proposing that gaming systems like the Wii can combat child obesity."

5 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. 'Wii Elbow' by Pancake+Bandit · · Score: 2, Informative

    The nice thing about the wii is that you don't need to make drastic movements to use the wii controller, though it's more fun to get into it and wave it wildly :)

  2. More Wii Exercise Is On The Way by tmjr3353 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Konami recently announced a DDR game for the Wii that will combine the traditional DDR gameplay with motion controls. IGN article is right here.

  3. Yeah, Wii isn't much of a work out... by CasperIV · · Score: 2, Informative

    I played the Wii for 5 hours strait alternating playing with my niece and nephew and wasn't even a little tired. If you're feeling discomfort or losing weight from just moving your arms around without resistance, you have serious issues to deal with. Yes, the Wii makes you move, a little, but it is not an effective weight loss or exercise tool for a healthy person. Maybe if you weighted the controllers, or stretched a rubber tube around your back and connected it to each controller, you might get enough resistance to be a mile cardio... if you continued playing for a long period of time.

  4. Re:U of T has a devkit? by D4rk+Fx · · Score: 3, Informative

    You're not searching the right terms. Here is the application website. Note: You will likely be unable to get a dev kit for personal use... You're right in saying they don't really want independent production of games. With the Dev kit it would probably be too easy to figure out how a lot of the internal protection stuff works that they don't want you to know about.

  5. How to play Wii Boxing by LKM · · Score: 3, Informative

    Are my mates and I doing something wrong? We *hate* Wii boxing, your character just seems to do as he pleases, and as far as I can tell your movements with the wiimote/nunchuku has very little bearing on your avatar

    Yes, you're doing something wrong :-)

    Most people, when starting to play Wii boxing, flail the controllers in every which way, trying to get as many hits as possible. That doesn't work. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

    • You don't control the punches. Once the Wii registers that you want to punch, it runs a punch animation which has nothing to do with the speed of your own punch. Don't start the next punch too quickly, wait until your Mii is done with the punch.
    • While it's possible to do right-left-right combinations, you can't do them too fast. You need to get the timing right, which takes some practise. If you're too fast, the second punch won't register at all. If you're too slow, you're giving the opponent an opening.
    • Block! Never forget to keep your hands in blocking position. You can block lower or higher (and punch lower or higher) by turning the controllers. If you point them towards the screen, it's low. If you point them towards yourself, it's high. The actual height of the controllers does not matter, although usually height and position correspond.
    • Move left and right! This is important. If you move quickly from side to side, it's hard for the opponent to hit you.
    • Uppercuts: Start with a low position (pointing towards the TV), then punch and go to a high position at the same time. This will create an uppercut.
    • "Side punch." Punch to the right while keeping your fist straght (i.e. move your hand sideways)
    • While both the Uppercut and the side punch are strong and often manage to go through the opponent's block, they also open your own block. If you're not careful, the opponent can easily hit you while you're attempting an uppercut or a side punch.
    • Slow motion. If the opponent punches and you manage to evade the punch, sometimes it throws him off. The game moves to slow motion and you can land a hard counterpunch.
    • Finally, Wii Boxing is a strategic game, not a game of force. If you start out playing Wii Boxing, try not to attack the opponent too much. Always block and duck to the sides. That way, it's easy to control your Mii, and it's hard for the opponent to land punches. Try to land a punch as soon as you see an opening, or as soon as the opponent misses and goes into slow motion. When land a punch, immediately follow with combinations, and then go back to blocking and ducking.

    Keep these things in mind, and Wii Boxing will make a whole lot more sense and be a whole lot more fun.