Nintendo’s announcement of the Wii Vitality Sensor at E3 was met with some amount of befuddlement and a heap of “WTF?” But Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime says, eventually, you will say “Wow, I get it.”
Reggie tells Fast Company that the same confusion—and maybe even some mockery—followed the introduction of the Nintendo DS and the Wii Remote, two Nintendo endeavours that have been pretty darn successful. He says we should expect the same forehead-smacking understanding of the Vitality Sensor’s capabilities when the software is shown.
“Until you have that software, it’s tough to understand,” Fils-Aime says. “If I told you that you would be standing on an oversized bathroom scale, and having fun doing it, you probably would have said, ‘Reggie, I don’t get it.’ And yet here we are with the balance board arguably as the third largest development platform across the globe.”
Nintendo’s Innovation Console: A Q&A With Reggie Fils-Aime [Fast Company]
Ray Pinkerton
July 10, 2009 at 11:22 AM
This looks like a heart rate monitor which is ideal for the fitness “games” that Nintendo is rolling out. It will be great for helping users achieve the ideal cardio workout.
Report PermalinkMatt Clark
July 10, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Or a horror game?
Report PermalinkAl
July 10, 2009 at 1:49 PM
or any game with dynamic difficulty. it could presumably gauge frustration or adrenalin.
Report PermalinkMikey McCorry
July 10, 2009 at 8:42 PM
“And yet here we are with the balance board arguably as the third largest development platform across the globe.” — THAT’S the part I don’t get…
Report PermalinkDavid Wildgoose
July 10, 2009 at 8:55 PM
That sounded strange to me, too. Until I realised he meant third behind Wii and DS…
Report Permalink706
July 13, 2009 at 8:03 AM
I don’t think you can count the balance board as being a shining example. As far as I know its only used for Wii Fit which I found I grew bored of after only a few minutes. I’m not interested in working out while playing what I very loosely refer to as ‘games.’ I see the Wii Fit as being nothing more than a gimmick, but I know it appeals to the type of casual gamer the Wii is targeted to.
Report PermalinkI don’t have anything against the Wii, I just don’t think Wii Fit is much of a game or the balance board an especially interesting device. I don’t think this Vitality Sensor will be either. The concept of a dynamic difficulty based on heartbeat does sound cool, but I guarantee you it won’t work as well as you would imagine.
Bryan
October 10, 2009 at 8:50 AM
706, as far as you know, you’re incorrect. There are a few games that use the balance board, but still, it’s not as great as the remote, itself. But whatever.
Imagine the possibilities of the sensor for a second: You’re playing Silent Hill. Something startles you and your pulse increases a bit. The sensor realizes this and starts making the game even more intense. Maybe you start slipping into the “eerie world” and bloody corpses start limping out of the walls to consume you. As you get more freaked out and closer to virtual death, the game gets harder and creepier. Only by gathering yourself and keeping your cool can you overcome the added dangers.
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