Wii Fit Coming to the U.S. in May

Nintendo is planning to bring the Wii exercize title Wii Fit to the United States beginning in May, complete with the weight- and motion-sensing Balance Board.

Nintendo has announced it intends to bring its Wii Fit exercise title to Europe and the United States, with a European launch on April 25 and a U.S. launch on May 19. The title has already sold 1.4 million units in Japan (where it went on sale December 1), and features a weight- and motion-sensing Balance Board controller users control with their body weight and stepping on-and-off to participate in the game. Wii Fit may help NIntendo push the Wii to still-more non-traditional gamers. With Wii titles already a hit with seniors and other new market segments, Wii Fit may enable Nintendo to tap into home exercise and fitness markets at all ages. Wii Fit will also be complemented by an online Wii Fit Channel that lets users check their fitness progress each day my measuring their weight and BMI.

NIntendo has also announced a new online game distribution service called WiiWare, which will give developers a “breeding ground” for new games, and Wii users a plethora of new games spanning a variety of genres. WiiWare users will also be able to vote for games using their Wii Points, pushing their favorites forward towards being “the next big thing.” Developers like Square Enix and TellTale, and Frontier are already on board with WiiWare. Nintendo expects to launch the first WiiWare games in the United States on May 12.