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Consumer Reports Gets Its Game On
Itninja writes "A few days ago Consumer Reports posted their first report on a specific video game: Wii Fit. From the article: 'Our testers ranged in age from 24 to 69 and included 10 women and five men. Users ran the gamut from regular exercisers to mostly sedentary folks.' Will this be a harbinger of things to come? Will CR be reviewing the next installment of Gran Turismo?"
That's a small sample size. How much of a gamut can you really run with only 15 people?
Is there really anyone that groups Wii Fit in with Gran Turismo? One is a video game, the other is a gadget for attempting to change life styles. Just the fact that it is only playable on the Wii is irrelevant. CR is not reviewing video games, and they didn't review this game for graphics or how fun it is. They reviewed for its purpose: did people lose weight?
Yeah, because it is Nintendo's responsibility to keep me thin.
Keep clamoring for corporations to take responsibility for my behavior, and watch our individual rights continue to erode.
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
I think it would be good to have more unbiased reviews. But I only think they did this because the wii fit is touching on the arena of exercise equipment.
-- if you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine
NO.
My humor is probably your flamebait
I agree with this report. In short it explains that Wii fit is good if you need motivation to get off the couch. It is not for those who pull themselves outside or goto the gym and get physical already. It's target group though is over 50% of Americans... and a heavily growing European segment.
Reminds me of this Wii Fit parody.
:)
This space is not for rent.
When McDonald's serves salad, I worry about what's in it.
But when Nintendo makes a workout game, I have no such hesitation. perhaps because I know it won't kill me. Perhaps because they have a nice track record. Perhaps because there are other video games known to give a nice workout.
Your pessimism really doesn't apply here.
If you can read this, I forgot to post anonymously.
When the mainstream press talks about the Wii fit in this light, I can't help but think about the revolution that was made by the same mainstream media when gamers started talking about their weight-loss and cardiovascular improvements after feeding their life-savings into their local arcade's Dance Dance Revolution machine. The difference in my eyes though, is that Wii Fit is not going to make you look like you're in the midst of an epileptic seisure, thus probably isn't as effective.
Maybe this is a way for CR to get companies to stop selling stuff in the US again.
I don't think Nintendo is trying to be a "responsible" game company, in the sense that I don't think they feel that they have to somehow atone for the fact that there are fat kids out there. I think they're more interested in making money, and one of the ways they've chosen to do that is by releasing new types of games that appeal to a wider market than video games traditionally had. Their strategy seems to be working quite well.
Sure, playing WiiFit isn't as strenuous as swimming laps, but if you're up and moving at all, you're getting more exercise than you would be sitting on a couch. I think the bigger problem with a lot of exercise routines has less to do with the fact that you don't get results and more to do with the fact that exercising is hard work and usually not particularly fun.
If someone finds WiiFit to be a good time, they'll probably keep playing it until it stops being fun. And in the meantime, they'll get a little bit more exercise than they used to. No harm done. I don't think you'll see any currently fit people giving up their habit of running three miles every morning and just playing WiiFit instead.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
Does anyone else have a mother with a attic completely FILLED with these exercise machines? It's like a graveyard of broken dreams that she keeps carrying around from house to house, always in need of a bigger attic.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
...and this isn't an accident. Nintendo's Blue Ocean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ocean) named 'Wii' is decisively different, as evidenced by the fact that Consumer Reports is covering Wii Fit.
I thought the same thing. Have you actually used this yet? A co-worker of mine said that 15 minutes of certain exercises on the Fit actually winded him a little. And, no, he's not overweight. He's about 5'10", 160lbs, average-to-slim build.
From fad diets to late night infomercial exercise devices, Consumers Union has a long history of testing out exactly this sort of thing.
I've grown thoroughly disgusted with the usual pattern of game reviews.
Previews: Holy shit, glowing reviews, the game is better than blowjobs and bacon sammiches combined!
Reviews: Walking the fine line between placating advertisers and telling the truth. Reviewers who bite the hand that feed them soon go hungry. So even the most disappointingly middling hash job gets a gentleman's C.
If we get the money out of the review process and really see some honesty... well, I don't know if we'll get better games but I do know it will honk off more suits and that's almost as enjoyable.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
I used one to come back from physical therapy after a fighting injury (i do mixed martial arts).
It is a HELL of a workout of your leg muscles, and VERY effective. The workout I get fromt hat is comprable to doing wall sits which are a staple of my boxing class every night.... and your quads get a tremendous burn.
Unless the wii balancing board is somehow deficient, you'd sure as hell get a nice workout.
after i went through therapy with a balancing board, i bought one for home traning the next month.
There's nothing Intelligent about Intelligent Design.
Why do you feel the need to mention it, out of curiosity?
Wii Fit is a completely reasonable "workout" of balance and flexibility, and even for very moderate workouts for people who are otherwise sedentary (and there are a lot of those people, though they're probably sitting at their computer writing about how Wii Fit isn't a real workout because they see everything as a binary full-on-workout, or nothing).
Steps and other basic activities aren't going to replace the gym for someone who is actually into fitness, but it's better than nothing for people who have limited activity.
And one of the best elements of the Wii is the simplest element of all -- weigh-ins with time plotted tracking. It's simplistic, relying upon the lame BMI scale, not taking into account muscularity and other variables, however again for a normal everyday person seeing an accurate graph of their weight when they occasionally weigh into their Wii can be a very powerful input.
Analogies are like a dog with a tail growing out of its nose. Kind of like the planet Mars with annuity insurance.
Nintendo's whole angle with the Wii has been whole-body gameplay that is their "gimmick" instead of the traditional thumbs only. This is an obvious continuation of that. Like Wii Sports, the included game (Wii Fit) isn't the most incredible demonstration of the board, but it gets the units out there.
There are over a dozen balance-board-using games in development, and of course it launched with Wii Ski. It's another input controller (one with amazing potential...and it's bluetooth, and could be used with a compatible PC bluetooth stack), and Wii Fit is one use of it. I certainly don't think very many people are going to stick with their Wii Fit regiment
I find it telling that not only did CR review the game, but that the composition of their sample group had a giant gaping hole in it - the young male. Not only that, it includes twice as many women as men. This really shows you that Nintendo has executed their strategy - ignore the ritalin kids in favor of focusing on everybody else - brilliantly. They realized what Sony, and to an extent Microsoft, didn't - that games aren't fun because they run on the latest hardware and look photorealistic, rather, they're fun for the same reason anything else is - you can play with your friends and family. Yes, I know Microsoft has Xbox Live. Running around killing people isn't really a game you'd play with grandma though - but Wii Tennis is (I have and she loved it). So no, I don't think CR will review Gran Turismo... but I'd bet money that they'll review the next big family hit on the Wii.
Consumer Reports is not a good source for video game reviews because they take the subjectivity out of their reviews. Video-gaming is very subjective and it will be impossible for CR to capture the nuances and evaluate them with any effect. This goes for ANYTHING that people have passion for. While CR does good, unbiased reports on the boring everyday items such as blenders and vacuum cleaners, their car reviews are awful and hold no water except with people who like to drive cars that have no soul...same goes for any video game review they'll attempt.
... it uses the Wii fit controller?
That could really lend to a sense of realism previously lacking in racing games. Or maybe just a new sense of vertigo...
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
If you're going to say that Wii Fit is not a work out I'd point you at the Wii Sports Experiment. For six weeks this guy played Wii Sports agressively and lost 9 pounds. Is that a lot? No. But it did take him from a BMI of "overweight" to "normal". I can't imagine something that gets your whole body in to the workout while providing you with motivation (BMI and weight tracking) could be anything but more effective. Even if only slightly.
Wii fit is effective, and results do show (look at any of the extended reviews).
It is not anything that couldn't been done without it (probably even more effectively), but is does elevate heart rate, which means calories are being burnt vs sitting on your ass.
The Yoga part is actually quite awesome, and is something that is clearly enhanced by the balance board (some of the strength training greatly benefits too, but not as much).
If I feel muscle ache the next day, and it raises my heart rate while I do it, how is it not a workout?
Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
I think it's obvious to anyone with common sense that this Wii Fit can hardly be considered a workout.
Is yoga a 'workout'? Is pilates a 'workout'? If you consider that to be a part of your workout routine, then the Fit is a part of that. And if it accomplishes the same thing as working along with a yoga/pilates video and is more fun, then that would be a win.
Nobody is saying that a Wii fit is a replacement for cardio, or weight training. But it may well be a perfectly legitimate to compliment yoga/ pilates/ and stretching exercises.
Besides, after the buzz wears down, anyone doing these "exercises" will quickly discover there are no results to be had, and the balancing board will end up in the closet with the rest of the rubber bands, abdominizors, and exercises dvds.
Unless its engaging and fun. Which a lot of people think it is, and who will play it regardless of whether they get 'results' or not.
And no matter how you spin it, its better for you than sitting on the couch.
So while Wii fit may not melt fat off, at least its not part of the problem.
strangely, after trying to give this a real effort and running through many of the exercises daily, I actually do feel a slight difference. Not just common sense, but real experience speaking here. Is it the same as riding a bike or playing soccer, no. It does meet a useful niche though. Forcing odd balance and repetitions does work you core , and lunges and such do work your large butt and thigh muscles. This leads to calorie burn. I have truly been hungry all week since I got this.
Not perfect, not a gym , but quite useful.
I don't think that is obvious at all. Compared to aerobic step based exercise programs offered by many gyms or compared to DDR why would anyone assume this is less of a workout?
On one hand, I commend Nintendo for at least attempting to get people off the couch, but it's only a half-a$$ed attempt.I'd say this is about as much of a workout as one could expect from any video game console. That is not to say it is the best activity for people looking to lose weight, but it is pretty decent compared to people looking at playing video games based off of any other input device.
Besides, after the buzz wears down, anyone doing these "exercises" will quickly discover there are no results to be had, and the balancing board will end up in the closet with the rest of the rubber bands, abdominizors, and exercises dvds.I think you missed the point. This doesn't belong in the same category because it is not an exercise device, it is a game input device. Rather it will likely stay next to the TV along with or replacing many people's DDR pads. There certainly are plenty of people who still play DDR regularly.
Perhaps a better alternative would be to attach electrodes to the player's butt and give them a shock every time they miss.There are already feedback devices for games that provide a mild shock, but I don't think they have gained any ground in the US. In nay case, I think you're mischaracterizing the Wii Fit. The primary purpose is to allow for developers to create fun games (skateboarding, dance dance, etc.). Any physical fitness benefits are secondary, although not necessarily insignificant. Some K-12 schools have DDR setups now and maybe they'll have Wii Fit setups in the next 5 years or so. bet kids prefer it to running laps around the gym all winter.
Wow, you actually feel oppressed by Consumer Reports.
I will say that sometimes they do miss some important points when they deal with specialized products. I remember once seeing a review of bicyles that included a braking distance rating -- just like for cars. Well, all the bikes in the price range they were testing probably used the same or very similar Japanese component sets on rims of the same alloy. Any remaining difference in stopping distance would be determined by (in order): adjustment, rider technique, net weight, rotational mass (wheel weight). So there's not much to be gained for a serious rider looking at braking distance.
Also, there is the matter of comfort. The two most comfortable seats I've ever had were unpadded. One was a classic leather seat, the other was a plain, hard plastic shell. I never found that adding padding made the seat more comfortable, in fact quite the contrary. I found padding cut off the circulation after an hour or so in the saddle.
But that particular observation is not valid for somebody who takes his bike out for an hour or two a dozen or so times a year. If you ride on the order of a hundred miles or more per week, what you find comfortable is different.
Likewise, tire differences might make a difference in braking for a weekend rider, who is more likely to brake without adjusting his weight distribution, and thus is more likely to skid.
What I'm getting at is that if you aren't the kind of person who as a more specialized source of consumer information, the CR reports are probably fairly useful.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
If you want to lose a decent ammount of weight all you need to do is put on 2.5 lbs of muscle (150 extra calories burned per day), eat 150 less calories than you need to maintain your current body weight (without considering excercise), and burn an additional 150 calories per day; this works out to a grand total of 450 calories more burned per day than you're currently taking in.
Wii Fit may not turn you into a body builder but its weight training program should be able to help you put on 2.5lbs of muscle, its aerobics program may not be nearly as good as jogging but it should be able to help you burn 150 calories per day, and if you cut down on sugar/cream in your coffee (or start drinking diet pop) you should easily be able to cut out 150 calories per day.
Basically, Wii Fit may not be much of a workout but it is all you (probably) really need.
Since your post makes it painfully obvious that you haven't used Wii Fit at all, I'll post about my actual experience, and then people can comment.
After 30 minutes of actual activity on Wii Fit, I am sore. I am also pretty fat (32.xx BMI, and I'm not an athlete, so that's pretty accurate). The game charts your progress (based on BMI, and as a relative percentage) every day, which is quite useful.
The game places an emphasis (peculiar, at first, I have to admit) on balance. This is for a few reasons. The Balance Board is the game's only input, but it can tell where your center of balance is (and what your weight is) very well. The game doesn't come with any weights for additional resistance, so any resistance your muscles would work against is directly related to your body position.
Finally, the emphasis on balance seems to be firmly rooted in eastern culture. I mean, I can't really think of why it's so important to have *exactly* 50.0% of my weight on my left foot, and 50.0% of my weight on my right foot, and right now, that goal seems impossible.
Where the game succeeds best is, as is noted in the CR review, is in the balance games. Some people can exercise without the additional benefit of visual stimulation -- they enjoy varying degrees of pain or short-term uncomfortability for the hope of long-term progress. I am not one of them. So this is a big boon to me. And these exercises are not of the Wii Sports variety, either; whereas that game would just give you tennis elbow, in Wii Fit you're fighting yourself while trying to head soccer balls or being the human Super Monkey Ball. (Fighting yourself. How very eastern.)
Most importantly, the game makes sense to anyone who hasn't touched a controller. It's straightforward in the way Nintendo has made all of their games in the Wii generation, so that everyone can use it. This alone will be why Wii Fit should outsell Gran Turismo by at least a factor of 2-3 : 1.
I don't exercise nearly as often as I should. I also don't think this game will be the start of a sweeping change in our culture (where everyone walks swinging their arms as much as possible to improve their posture). But it's a big step forward in getting the interactive part of exercise to the home, without having to resort to video tapes or DVDs (no feedback in terms of balance), Bally's (image conscious?) or personal trainers (far more expensive than $90).
-Rob
Biblical fiscal responsibility
Yes they are not biased. Yes, they don't get paid off (from what we can tell). They do still sell advertising space so that's a conflict of interest. The reason CR sucks though it that their reach is too far to produce any real usable information and reviews. Any company that tries to review washing machines to Digital Cameras; Cars to the Wii Fit, will have trouble getting people knowledgeable enough in the subject area to write the article. I noticed this several times in their car reviews and their digital camera reviews. Too often they just speak from inexperience in that field.
I see a lot of people complaining that it's not a REAL workout, or it's just a gimmick. Knowing that the Wii Fit is sold out almost everywhere, how many of you have actually tried it?
I own a Wii Fit. I've been using it for 5 days now. Not a workout, my ass! Maybe if you only do the balance games, or maybe if you only consider a workout to be doing weightlifting. I've been doing the cardio games (Hula Hoop, Stepping, Running), and I end each session out of breath and sweating. No, a single 2 minute stepping series on the starter level doesn't wear me out. 30 minutes of rotating between the 3 exercises in the more advanced mode (which you only get after having done them for 30 minutes...I think. Regardless, they are an unlockable you wouldn't see the first time you tried) will have your heart rate up just as effectively as the same amount of time on your average exercise bike or elliptical trainer.
Would I lose any more weight if I drove 30 minutes to the nearest gym, paid the equivelent of a used car payment in membership fees every month, and used machines covered in somebody else's sweat? I doubt it. More importantly, I wouldn't bother, so I wouldn'get get ANY exercise. Walking into my living room and turning on the TV seems to have a much lower barrier to entry, so I can't easily make excuses for why I can't work out today.
`fortune -o`
I have had the opportunity to play with the Wii Fit for a few days now. I like it. The style is very much like Brain Age and other training games on the Nintendo platforms. Some of the Aerobics and Balance games are fun to play with other people. It isn't setup to be competitive, but if you rotate profiles it works fine. Unfortunately many of the games don't have enormous amounts of replay-ability. It isn't long before you master each one and need to move up in difficulty. After you've perfected each one they are kind of repetitive and it doesn't take many days to get very good. As for the workout aspect, some of the exercises can get you to break a sweat, but most of them won't. The running in place exercises definitely can if you really put yourself into it. Rhythm boxing is also pretty good. I didn't do much of the yoga and strength training exercises, but it looks like they would be effective if you actually followed along with them.
The use of BMI without any warnings about the flaws of BMI is a little disappointing, but generally it is accurate enough for average people. Still, it is good to be aware of what BMI is, and they don't do anything to help you understand that.
Overall, I like it. I'd give it a 7 out of 10. You can really use it to work on your fitness. It probably won't guide you to being a top tier athlete, but just to stay in a reasonable shape I have little doubt it could work. Like most things at first it will be great, and then you will likely grow tired of it. You have to keep using it to get results, and there is no magic there. Like anything else you only get out of it what you put in. It nicely tracks your weight and BMI over time and provides graphs so you can see your progress over time. At first the games are lots of fun, but after the novelty has worn off (like with Wii Sports) the fitness stuff will remain for those willing to take it seriously.
I'm looking forward to future games using the Wii balance board. There is a lot of potential there for some incredible gameplay.
Yeah, but how many of those exercise machines can you play video games on?
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
I started using one. I run and lift weights, and no, it's not likely to give me either strength or cardiovascular benefits. But, I needed to work on my balance despite overall fitness, and it's been a fun way to fix that. You can be able to run 5 miles at a time, and still not be able to stand on one foot for more than a few seconds without wobbling. A little guiding the bubble down river or thwacking soccer balls with your head is good for shoring up weak spots.
What else? Rainy Day fitness - it can do enough for even a seriously fit person to get a light workout, on those days when the weather is bad, or you're just getting over the flu, or you're really pressed for time. Probably not enough to keep you from slipping back if you have lots of bad training days, but enough to get you through an occasional one.
Who is John Cabal?
Offtopic, but those McDonald's salads are very good. A grilled chicken salad with balsamic vinegarette dressing isn't even 300 calories, but very filling and quite tasty.
"Will CR be reviewing the next installment of Gran Turismo?"
CR picking up on Wii Fit is less an indication of CR getting involved in game reviews and more an indication of the success of Nintendo at reaching out to non-gamers. By the blurb alone it's easy to see that they tested it not as a video game but as a physical fitness device.
So no, Consumer Reports will not be reviewing the next installment of Gran Tursimo, any more than they review the next movie or album.
Ok, I'm watching the video and apparently the woman doing the voice over wasn't one of the 15 people using Wii Fit as she called the balance board "optional". Sorry, but running in place is only so exciting, and it's the only game (that I have unlocked anyway) that doesn't require the board.
I found the boxing in Wii sports to be a light impact cardio work out. Im usually a touch winded after a couple of fights. I wouldnt call it a work out but its a lot more interactive than Mike Tysons Punch Out.
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson
"Wow, you actually feel oppressed by Consumer Reports."
Huh? How did you get that?
I was a CU subscriber for many years, and most of their product reviews - mainly for consumer products - are very useful. But after a while, I got the strong impression that they had an agenda beyond providing unbiased information. It is clear that their editorial staff believes that the government and corporations have no purpose other than to fuck people over. OK, fine. But the Suzuki fiasco showed that the editorial bias had gotten well into the review process itself. Although CU was found not liable for their "review" of the Samurai, the evidence presented permanently damaged their credibility, putting them in the same league as 60 Minutes and Dateline.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
Calories aren't the only thing that matter. The chicken on that salad has lots of sodium (depending upon which salad you're talking about, the salad+chicken can have up to 960mg.) The salad dressing has another 700mg or so. That's per serving--I don't know how many servings you get per order.
I can't figure out which salad you're talking about, anyway. Every non-ceasar salad with chicken has at least 260 calories per serving, plus another 40 from the dressing (again, always assuming 1 serving of each). Maybe you didn't include the dressing when you were reading on the salad's nutritional information?
Citation:
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html
The salads may taste good, but that doesn't mean that they're good for you.
I doubt CR is entering the gaming market, but only to test claims expressed or inferred that WiiFit is a viable exercise program.
Most game reviews are like book reviews, they're pretty subjective and it depends on the what you like, but there is a need for an unbiased look at a video game that's claiming to be a fitness product.
I disagree that you need a huge sample to test it out, just a diverse one. I suspect that while just about anything to get the couch potato off their butt would help, it's not going to be a subsitute for a regular workout or sending the kids out to play ball for a change.
If you've never been modded as "flamebait" or "troll," you've never tried to argue a minority viewpoint here!
Balance is also important in a "real" exercise routine to ensure muscles are worked evenly. A good example is weight machines- if your balance is very bad, you will not be able to use the machine properly, and you may end up injuring yourself.
Great suggestions until you got to the part about the diet pop. Have you seen how many fatties order up huge meals and then have a diet coke to go with it? I have heard, though perhaps it is non-peer reviewed urban legend, that diet soda does more to retain weight than the high fructose corn syrup stuff.
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Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
I would venture to say that you have not used a Wii Fit yet if you're saying it's not a workout. I train and run marathons, and yesterday I decided to try out my Wii Fit in lieu of a cross training workout. The strength and yoga portions are not easy, for sure, and definitely gave me a really good core workout.
Have you actually used WiiFit? I have been using it every chance I get and let me tell you, some of those activities make you feel the burn. I didn't think much of Yoga, but I've got to say that some of those poses really work out your muscles. (Note to those attempting Tree Pose: Wear "slipper socks" or some other gripping sock/shoe or your foot will slide down your leg leading to loss of balance.) I've found that the best (of my currently unlocked activities) is the Hula Hoops. Swinging around to spin those hoops and then leaning over to catch other hoops really seems like a great workout.
Of course, WiiFit can only be one part of a plan to get in shape. If you work out with WiiFit for 30 minutes a day, but then follow that up with a banana split each time, you're not going to lose any weight. However, if you work out with WiiFit and eat healthier, the added exercise WiiFit gives you should help with weight loss.
Plus, the weight/BMI charting alone should help. I've found that the closer I pay attention to my weight, the less likely I am to gain weight. Probably because I'll be more likely to reconsider that sweet treat if my weight is on my mind.
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
exactly. The rainy day / pressed for time bit is what is helping me, although the real issue is that finding time to do much exercise with a one year old around is difficult. This is quiet and I can stick around the house, and stay in better shape than if I just stare at tv (or slashdot).
It's better than a burger and fries, with a soda.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
I own a Wii Fit. I'm also a martial artist. I bought the thing mostly so me and my girlfriend can work out together a little on the weekends.
Turns out, there are some exercises in there - in the advanced section that you have to unlock - that are quite a good workout even for me. Remember that in many cases, it isn't how much weight you lift or how fast you do something, but the number of repetitions. Also, all that yoga stuff and balance training is quite a good addition to my usual training.
There are also parts that I don't like that much (like having to start with the baby stuff, no matter what) but all in all it definitely is good exercise - as long as you don't consider it a total replacement of all other activities, but it does a good job of reminding you about that.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Besides, after the buzz wears down, anyone doing these "exercises" will quickly discover there are no results to be had, and the balancing board will end up in the closet with the rest of the rubber bands, abdominizors, and exercises dvds.
The abdominizors and work out balls et al don't end up in the closet because they're ineffective in the sense that you mean. Used regularly, pretty much any of those As-Seen-On-TV exercise doohikies would improve fitness of your average couch potato. Sure the benefit/effort ratios are wildly exaggerated, but there are surely results to be had.
The reason they end up in the closet is because they were bought by/given to a person who doesn't have the motivation and discipline to exercise regularly just for the sake of exercising, and the device doesn't magically give them that motivation.
The problem is exercise is boring. If WiiFit makes it fun enough that someone will do it, then it will succeed where the Abdominator failed.
The enemies of Democracy are
As a hobby game designer, one of the first things I noticed about Wii Fit is the carefully crafted positive feedback loop. These guys hired someone who knows about motivation and listened to his input. There are literally dozens of different ways to nudge you to continue, do one more exercise, come back tomorrow, and so on. The unlockables, the minutes you accumulate, the records, the positive remarks of the virtual trainers, the reminders by the animated board, the graphs, the goal you set yourself, the comparison with other people using Wii Fit in your home, and many more.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
It's better than eating a bullet, too. That doesn't make it good for you.
Sadly, he's not even right on the numbers. A pound of muscle takes about 35 calories to maintain (that's only 87.5 calories/day for 2.5 lbs of muscle). Building that muscle takes a lot more calories, so resistance training IS important.
The diet stuff leaves you hungry, leads to more snacking. Supposedly, when you eat food (with real live calories) your body thinks it's been in starvation mode (thank you 0 calorie soda!) and stores as many calories as it can as fat. HFCS does other nasty things to you, not to mention all the trans-fatty acids in the American diet.
Wanna lose weight? Eat less, exercise more. Do resistance training and stop sucking down the soda, diet or otherwise.
Here come da fudge!
Now let's see... aha! First sentence! After an intensive few days of bending, jumping, and precarious balancing by Consumer Reports staff, under the watchful eye of expert testers from our Health franchise, we have our first test reports on Nintendo's Wii Fit, the wireless "balance board" that hit the market in North America earlier this week. Unless Sony starts making claims about the health benefits of Gran Turismo, I think it's safe to say no.
Duke Nukem Forever?
Near the end of the video the comment is made that if you aren't an athlete the Wii Fit will probably work for you. That is pretty much in line with what I've seen. We got one 2 weeks ago, and it does give you a workout if you aren't fit.
My wife and eldest son are both very obese, and the machine can get them both sweating with jelly-legs. I'm not overweight, but don't get to exercise much any more. I find I can get my cardio right up on it. Is it a complete substitute for a gym with personal trainer? No. But it's much cheaper than gym membership for my entire family (7 people) and gets my kids (especially the video game addicted teens) moving more than they were before.
What I'm hoping to see is that it will be a tool that will improve their fitness enough that they get back on their bikes. So far I believe it will.
The Premium Caesar Salad with grilled chicken is 220 calories.
Add 40 calories for the dressing and you're looking at 260 calories for the whole thing.
are a good thing in my mind. [disclaimer]I haven't managed to get my hands on a copy of this game yet, all the stores near me are sold out.[/disclaimer]
But when DDR got big, I've got to say I saw it as a positive thing. Will it replace treadmills and such? Of course not. But, to someone with my attention span, a treadmill is VERY boring. A video game is fun and exciting, so I am much more likely to use it.
Case it point: in my living room right now, I have a nice metal dance pad and a nice elliptical machine. They both cost about the same. Guess which one gets used more? Exactly. So even if the dance pad doesn't give a better workout, it gives a better workout anyway because I will actually use the damn thing rather than avoid it like the plague.
Just my 2c
In Soviet Russia jokes are formulaic and decidedly non-humorous.
Consumer Reports is great for Washing Machines, TV's, Cars, etc. I.E high dollar items that you can't easily sample or return if you don't like them.
This is nothing like that, and serves no real purpose. If I want to test it, I'll borrow a friends/rent it/buy it with the intention of returning it if I don't like it.
You are clearly unfamiliar with anything the Wii Fit does. No, it isn't some professional sports star training regiment, nor is it meant to be. The Wii Fit has things broken into a number of categories, Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, and Balance Games.
Now, I'm no fan of yoga nor am I knowledgable enough on the subject to critique it.
The strength training exercises are the standard group of exercises that you would normally do, pushups/side planks, various leg lifts, jackknives, all the Wii Fit does is watch your center of balance and in some cases count what you are doing. It also does almost all of these excercises at an excruciatingly slow pace, which if you know anything about most strength training exercises is the correct way to do it. 30 very slow and controlled pushups will put a burn in your muscles far beyond 100 rocket fast pushups.
The aerobics piece is basically the same. The game does very little more than give you something to play along with while exercising. How much workout you get is entirely dependent on the effort you put into it, not what the game is doing. As you spend more time on the thing it unlocks more exercises and more options. The hulahoop thing on TV eventaully can go into longer time frames and it measures your balance and movement control while you are doing it.
The balance games are pretty amazing themselves. They force you to shift your center of balance around and are far more difficult than they look. I had major reconstructive surgery on my ankle and I thought it was getting quite a bit better until I played with this for a while. I realized that all I was doing was shifting more of my weight onto the opposite leg rather than really rehabilitating. These balance games are forcing me to rebalance my weight and build the muscles required for better stability.
Finally it lets you do little body tests every day for weight and body control and tracks that information. The game isn't meant to make you fit. The game is meant to give you motivation to get fit yourself, let you set goals and track them. The little beast is very effective at giving you a solid measure of progress.
I don't think this has anything to do with Nintendo trying to be a "responsible" gaming company. They did it because there was a demand for it and those devices are flying off shelves. I think it is obvious to anyone who has actually played with one of these that you probably haven't seen anything other than some commercials. Also, your S=$ isn't that clever. They are profiting off of a real demand, not some enforced monopoly status like MS. And the S=$ isn't even that clever there.
The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
I said non-caesar, as I didn't expect it to be one of those (one rarely pairs a caesar salad with vinaigrette dressing, though I suppose it does happen.)
I'm speaking mainly from a personal experience perspective with a bit of biology knowledge, but here goes.
Diet soda has 1-2 calories (Aspartame & acesulfame potassium or sucralose). A bottle or large cup of non-diet soda has about 300 calories (sucrose/glucose-fructose or HFCS). All else being equal, if you're drinking sugary soda all the time, you're going to be worse off than if you drink diet soda. It's simple in-and-out calorie counting.
On the other hand, drinking diet soda is like playing tricks on your body. It messes up your insulin production. You drink it, your body says, "Sweet! That means sugar, so make insulin!" Then it doesn't get the calorie hit it's expecting, so it makes more insulin. Eventually it builds up an insulin resistance, and it's a slippery slope to diabetes.
However, if you're consuming diet soda with food, you're getting calories (albeit less than with sugar soda), so you don't get the insulin resistance. (I think, IANAD.)
If you're still eating a 1700 Calorie meal, that won't do you much good and you'll still get fat. But at least it's not a 2000 Calorie meal. A lot of people are tricked into thinking "diet" means a lot more than it does. You're shaving calories off from your drinks but you need to watch the rest of your intake, too. I know a few people who are desperate to lose weight, but never do, because while they're trying every other trick in the book, they just refuse to cut down on their portion sizes.
Switching from sugar-based to diet sodas helped me lose about 20 lbs (from 160 to 140), especially with the first 10 lbs. It only helped, though. I had to resume exercising and watch what I was eating, too.
Strap on some wrist weights and get even more out of it.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
More sodium just means drink more water.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
Some of you already have those cute little shirts on that say disco sucks, right? That's not all that sucks.-Frank Zappa
yup. I like the competitiveness that can be found in the scores and rankings. Also, the trainers start at easy enough repetitions and work up to more as you get better, which works great for someone who is out of shape. This encourages more strenuous workouts as time goes on, and I am actually afraid of how hard it will make me work as the reps get closer to failure.
The fool(s) who read it correctly.
The sweetness in the artificial sweetener causes your body to release more insulin than it needs, making your blood sugar lower, making you feel hungrier.
A quick Google search pulls up some decent results: http://www.google.com/search?q=artificial+sweetener+insulin
Have you driven a fnord... lately?
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As I was watching TV the other day, I wondered....does CR do any sort of reviews on the various "male enhancement" pills they advertise during primetime? Heh, is there any sort of 3rd party examination of things like that?
I ran out of mod points.
And he's right, fools modded the OP up.
Do you mean "eating a bullet" as in, the bullet enters the body in the traditional manner for food, or that the bullet enters the body in the traditional manner for bullets. The effects on your health are significantly different in each case.
I suspect that in the former case, it would be somewhat filling, and have negligible deleterious effect unless you made a habit of it.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Are you suggesting that sports and fitness equipment manufacturers are fascist tools of the state?
"Eating a bullet" is a phrase used to mean that a person was shot in the head with the gun barrel having been placed in the mouth before firing. It's almost always a euphemism for suicide.
It'd be better to review the often bundled Wii Sports first, if they haven't already. Just to get the feel of Wii exercise based games.
If each mistake being made is a new one, then progress is being made.
correlation != causality.
In the case of diet soda, I's suggest that there is a significant amount of selection bias.
I also submit that the problem is satisfaction. McDonalds et al. just aren't very satisfying meals, so you end up eating more just to feel satisfied. (note: I don't mean the same thing as filling, although in filling-ness per calorie, they don't do so well either)
I think it's very much the same with RPGs. WoW isn't all that satisfying, really, once you've played through the first ten hours. To feel satisfied, you have to play longer and longer sessions, until you find yourself in the position where you're contemplating a five-hour raid and thinking it seems short.
You can go to a steakhouse and get the 96'er and chow down. But you can get a much tastier 7'er for the same price. It's satisfying enough that you'll eat the veggies, too, without resentment, and find yourself quite full without consuming four days worth of Calories in one sitting.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
The number 60 calories/pound of muscle per day came from a news story I had seen earlier this year ...
Upon googling it seems that there is no solid answer and people are claiming anywhere from 6 calories per day to 90 calories per day; it isn't quite as simple as the 35 calories you listed either being that most (seemingly trustworthy) sites claimed between 35 and 50 calories per pound of muscle per day.
It is the aspartame in diet soda that induces an insulin response. Insulin is used to store fat. Drink diet soda and you're training your body to store fat (just like eating too much). Google on aspartame insulin response.
Here come da fudge!
I wonder if it comes with a nutritional guide, because it's fairly well accepted that fitness is not all about exercise.
"I played a round of Wii Yoga between each of my six Big Mac's, but it doesn't seem to be working...?"
Oh... it's working alright.
Move all sig!
Indeed. I go to the gym 3-5 times a week (depending on my work schedule) for a mix of cardio and weight training. I have the Wii fit and after a few exercises, my heart rate is up and I'm sweating. Some of the strength training exercises were actually hard to do because of the focus on balance, something I lack when I lift free weights, better balance.
A lot of the strength training exercises are quite good and directly out of fitness magazines (Something else I'm familiar with as I've been reading Men's Health on/off for years) such as: Push-Ups, Lunges, and sit-ups (I've not even unlocked the advanced stuff yet).
Don't even get me started on the Yoga. hehe that kicked my butt. Flexibility and stability are also great ways to tone and strengthen your muscles. It's not just how big the dumbbell is in your hand. Most people can probably drop a good percentage of their lifting weight and focus on form, balance, and speed (slower speeds, most people go far to fast and I'm guilty as charged) and get a far better work out.
"The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." ~1984 George Orwell
"Remember that in many cases, it isn't how much weight you lift or how fast you do something, but the number of repetitions."
...so that's why my beer drinking arm is disproportionately large...
Move all sig!
If you have a tube tv, there is nothing that little plastic box is going to do to inches thick tempered glass. That stuff is holding back 15 pounds per square inch *already* and you think twenty flings of a flimsy plastic pointing device is going to do *anything* to it at all?
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
"I have truly been hungry all week since I got this."
;-)
You should go eat one of those McDonalds salads
(it's been mentioned enough times above...)
Move all sig!
But yes, a slow weight loss is generally kept off a lot longer than a crash one. And anything that keeps people active and HAPPY (instead of miserable exercise making people hate doing it so that they quit as soon as possible) is good.
I've gotcher 'Women In Gaming' RIGHT HERE!
Well... I *have* been asked what kind of dressing I wanted with my salad after ordering a caesar salad at McD's....
Me: *raises eyebrow* Caesar?
Girl behind the counter: That's a kind of dressing?
Me: *waits patiently while girl checks*
Girl: oh. Wow. I didn't know that! *slaps forehead*
Me: *dies inside*
If you believe everything you read, you'd better not read. - Japanese proverb
Precisely.
Most people do not maintain their exercise regimen because it is boring, and they lack motivation.
The pother problem is it is just so darned inconvenient.
Anything to make it more interesting and attractive is great!
Maurice W. Hilarius Voice: (778) 347-9907
I do not think that the WiiFit is trying to replace a gym. But for some people this looks like a good workout machine.
I have various health problems. And I have noticed that sense I have gotten my Wii almost a year ago, that I have been playing the Wii Sports on a regular basis. (2-3 times a week for at least 30 minutes) And I have noticed that it has helped with my health a lot.
So I am planning on getting a WiiFit so I can add to my exercise routine. If I do it once or twice a week that should help even more.
I was told by my doctor that balence is important (for me in my circumstance) because I have a bad back. Poor posture causes the vertabrae to not sit square where they are supposed to and causes discomfort (which in turn causes me to avoid working out the muscles that would help the problem). So, I think for the average person, if they are going to use this extensively (as a "workout"), having the proper balence on the board will help avoid discomfort and injury, and probably helps calibrate the unit (e.g. the system looking at variance versus your balance while sitting still would impact how it handles "movement.")
I don't know if this is true for everyone, or significant in everyone's case, but being more consciencious of my posture has really helped take the edge off that helps me exercise more often, so I think having a sedentary person first address this due to the potential injury factors, and the reality that a game that isn't going to wind them on the first day is a good design decision.
Forgive my spelling from time to time. I'm often posting during short breaks.
Okay, now your increased water intake is depleting your body of other vitamins and minerals, and you should especially increase your intake of Calcium, Zinc, Magnesium, and the other metals. If only the body were so simple. I don't think anyone's asserting that a few extra mg of sodium are going to kill you today, but for most people that kind of food is a habit, and engaging in it every day is simply not good for you. No matter how much water you drink.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Maybe they're playing Wii Sports Bowling with the 16lb Bowling Ball attachment?
The enemies of Democracy are
A lot of people don't engage in any other activities already. I have a friend whose mom is like 62 or something, and her body has just broken down because she stopped doing anything, just sat on the couch and watched TV or read books or ordered shit from catalogs while balancing the ice cream container on her gut. If she would get up and walk around the building a couple times, it would be an improvement. Depending entirely on Wii Fit would be a DRAMATIC upgrade.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
So far, I've really enjoyed playing Wii Fit for the past week. The game does focus heavily on balancing your body. While I don't really go for the yoga exercises, I do love the Skiing, Snowboarding and Running Exercises. While it may seem boring to be running on an island, the game really steps it up by having the other Mii's you've created run with you which makes the running entertaining. I recommend you hold the Wii Remote in your hand for it to be more accurate since when I put it in my pants, it tends ruin your pace.
I'm usually always worn out after 30 minutes of these exercises. The strength exercises are really good if you do them right. Just like Wii Sports, once the family plays this game, they'll love it. My younger boy who has difficulties with his gross motor skills loves the balance games. For $90, you can beat this type of therapy.
It's fun having your friend get registered as being 'obese' when he's really got a lot of muscle mass. You guys will get a kick out of watching your wife do the hula hoop...
Well worth the money in our family. My wife also loves it which is rare for any game.
And Finally, once we get some decent skiing and snowboarding games that use the balance board, it's going to be a blast.
Just my two cents...
My friend did a short review about it. :)
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
'Our testers for Grand Theft Auto IV ranged in age from 15 to 75 and included 10 women and five men. Users ran the gamut from upstanding citizens to flat out bitches and thugs. Half had never dropped a cap in anyone's ass before, and a full third had never jacked someone's ride.'
If they started doing video game reviews like their normal reviews, I might just subscribe...
Think spine. If this isn't natural to you when you're standing on a flat, level surface, then there's something wrong (or you're copping a pose. cut that shit out if you're not black, yo.)
Good balance is useful every day. All I want to know: When is Wii Tai Chi coming out?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
We have a Wii Fit and have found it enjoyable although the weight check-in is frankly broken and counter-productive for many folks. It's preachy and it's use of BMI indicates the designer doesn't really know how to talk to a weightloss-oriented group.
But . . . I really enjoy the games. It's competitive just within one's own abilities. The step aerobic games are addictive, always trying to get a better score. The balance games are fun.
Is it a great workout? Well, it's not the same as hopping on my bike and riding for a couple of hours. But I do that anyway. It trains different muscles. You use TONS of muscles doing small-motion balance corrections and can build strength that way.
I can't wait for the games to come when innovative designers use the Wii Fit pad as a controller. Then it'll be even more of a break-through product that it already is.
Being active is a good thing and this game and controller make it fun. I'm all for it. I give it six out of ten.
I worry about their apple slices. They don't oxidize, what on earth do they put in them to prevent them from oxidizing?
Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
Yes...beer drinking...
That the reviewers did not follow the game's instructions and wore shoes on the balance board. I have difficulty listening to a review done by someone who cannot be bothered to follow the maker's instructions.
Voting them all out of office, now that's change I can believe in.
The Wii Fit keeps metrics on fitness over time (extremely useful from a motivational standpoint), and provides yoga exercises and such that one's not likely to get at a gym. The gym provides more strenuous exercises; they compliment each other.
Gym in the morning, Wii Fit in the evening; the Fit charts the progress I'm making, helps me set goals and lets me know how close I am to meeting them.
I am not that guy, but I will say that Wii Fit, compared to running, cycling, or swimming really doesn't cause you to work up as much of a sweat (well unless you're swimming but you get the idea) However I also keep hearing from the experts that in many respects walking is as good as running. Viewed that way, Wii Fit aerobics is as good as a good walk.
Overall the game is better when you consider the balance and core strength exercises. That's really where its goodness is. Even for fitness buffs, the machine can measure balance and posture in a way that even your average trainer might not pick up on. Again, it's not a replacement for a guru but it might be a decent substitute.
I think this game is a good idea.
However, one of my mates gf's has hurt her back by playing it for 30-45 minutes a day, for about two weeks.
A remember a book in which bullets are smuggled into a village by force-feeding them to a goat, then sewing the goat's anus shut. Wait, is that too far off topic?
I bought the thing mostly so me and my girlfriend can work out together a little on the weekends.
Saving yourself for marriage, eh?
Oh definately; I was giving a simplistic retort to a simplistic statement.
On the other hand, I know people who have put their kids in the hospital by taking 'low sodium cooking' too far.
Oh, and I'd not say 'that kind of food is a habit,' I'd say 'that kind of food is standard fare.' American eating habits both fascinate and fighten me.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
There's nothing special about the Caesar salad versus any of their others. It's just lettuce, cabbage, spinach, tomato, and a little parmesan. In fact it's the most basic salad they have.
They have an Asian salad with oranges and almonds, a Southwest salad with lime and tortilla strips, a Bacon Ranch salad with bacon bits, and I think one or two others.
I think Wii Fit looks pretty cool, and if I had some spare cash I'd maybe get one for my housemate's Wii, however I do have a cautionary tale.
One of my friends bought Wii Fit recently and was doing some jogging on it (I know - jogging on a big plastic board? Some of the other stuff looks cool but I'm dubious about the jogging!) however it was quite late at night and his flatmate asked him to keep the noise down a bit. He therefore took his trainers off and kept going in his socks for a while. The next morning he woke up with his ankles in agony and had to go to hospital. The doctor asked what he'd been doing but my friend was too embarrased to tell him the truth, so he said that he'd been running with hiking boots on. The doctor of course told him he was an idiot (or something along those lines), but didn't think that my friend's story quite added up. Eventually he got the truth and, again, told him he was a silly boy and not to run again without appropriate footwear again.
It will be a while before my friend does so (either virtually or realityally) however - the doctor gave him a 3 month ban on running while his ankles heal.
Of course, this is a "User too stupid" error as opposed to any fault on Nintendo's part, however I thought it was an interesting story. Virtual joggers, you have been warned!
Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals... except the weasel."
I don't know what McDonald's uses, but lemon juice keeps apple slices from oxidizing.
My opinion is not much. Given population stats in the developed country, I can freely bet the average console game player has a very high likelihood of being overweight. Thus being in a category where BMI might help as an idicator.
BMI is just a score used in Medicine. Like any other score, it just an indication, that has to be processed by the brain that interprets it (the doctor in a medical context. Or the player reading the screen, in our current example). Yes there are example of exception.
The same way, the Glasgow coma score would pretty much be useless for mute persons (they fall down to 1 in the verbal category).
But both score do the trick in majority of situations and that's why they are used.
Medicine and biology aren't exact sciences. It just really hard to find Gold Tests that will work for all situation (and usually the real 100% exact test are something really invasive like an autopsy).
On the other hand I'm rather surprised that the machine doesn't also offer an option to input the waist. That wouldn't be that much complicated and would help a lot in interpreting the results. (Lots of modern decision procedure take that into account in addition to BMI).
For calculating the body fat ratio, I understand (the cheapest and simpliest method to integrate into a balance would be impedance analysis and that would have been a nightmare for certifications and rising costs). But the absence of waist measurement, I fail to understand.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Ascorbic acid, otherwise known as vitamin C, also works great to prevent apple slices from browning. It's probably a dilute solution of ascorbic acid sprayed onto them before packaging; there's an ancillary benefit of being even better for you as a result.