Nintendo teases Switch Fit, a Wii Fit-like motion control exercise program

By Mathew Katz September 5, 2019

Nintendo dropped an intriguing look at the next version of the insanely popular Wii Fit — it’s a new motion control fitness program for the Nintendo Switch that the internet has already dubbed Switch Fit.

The company posted a video to its Twitter account on Thursday afternoon showing families around the world strapping their Switch Joy-Con to a hula-hoop-like flexible ring, then using it for all kinds of exercises. A second Joy-Con goes into a smaller band, which the players wrap around their thigh. That may be used to track you as you move or even detect your heart rate.

While we don’t see what’s on the screen, the teaser shows people jumping, squeezing the ring between their thighs, strapping it to their bodies to engage in yoga poses, running in place, doing crunches, and even using the tool for triceps extensions.

First look at a new experience for Nintendo Switch

Nintendo promised to reveal more on September 12, but the so-called Switch Fit seems like a much-more-advanced version of Wii Fit, the smash-hit fitness game that revolutionized how motion controls can be used for so-called “exergaming.” There seem to be a lot more ways to move around than with Nintendo’s previous fitness games — you couldn’t crush a Wiimote between your thighs, for example — but we’ve got a lot of questions as well.

Is this a party game? A fitness app? What happens if the ring breaks? And can Joy-Cons survive the pummeling they’re certain to endure if they get flung through the air during a particularly vigorous exercise session? How many players can use the device at one time? Is there online multiplayer? None of these questions have a clear answer right now, though everyone using the new device in the teaser seems to be having a lot of fun.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The original Wii Fit sold millions of copies, and there was a version for the Wii U, but a Nintendo-branded fitness game was conspicuously absent from its original Switch lineup.

We reached out to Nintendo for more information on what this is and how it works — the teaser doesn’t reveal all that much — but a spokesman told Digital Trends we’ll have to wait until September 12 to find out.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

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