Wii Aches - Couch Potatoes Working it Up 336
Genocaust writes "While the new controller on the Wii is proving to be a success, it's turning out to be more effort than some die-hard couch potatoes bargained for. The Wall Street Journal reports on the newest workout regime for nerds." From the article: "In Rochester, Minn., Jeremy Scherer and his wife spent three hours playing tennis and bowling, two of the games included with the Wii. Mr. Scherer says he managed to improve his scores — at the cost of shoulders and back that were still aching the next day. 'I was using muscles I hadn't used in a while,' says Mr. Scherer, a computer programmer who describes himself as 'not very active.' Mr. Scherer is vowing nightly 'Wii workouts' to get in better shape." "Bunnies Don't Know What To Do With Cows", in Rayman, is another guaranteed way to get your arm aching. Cows are heavy, and it takes a lot of energy to throw them.
Hasn't been a problem so far... (Score:5, Informative)
Nintendo has done a very good job so far making a comfortable and light controller. Players concerned about wrist or arm stress should compare against mouse usage, and be willing to take breaks if they have to do the same when using a mouse. Don't be afraid to rest your arm on something while playing, or to be creative with 'lazy' ways of performing the same action if it must be repeated. And, if it's really an issue, consider getting some cheap light weights (1-5lbs) and do some light exercise while watching TV at night or something - this works for even the oldest or the youngest people out there, from my experience.
Ryan Fenton
If you want a real work out get Kinetic on PS2 (Score:4, Informative)
It's a program that also scales with use. The eyetoy is a better controller than the Wii to me as well, since you can use your whole body. Like the Wii controller you might have to adjust your lighting for perfect useage and keep an area clear for movement. I also suggest getting a mat as well. I was a judoka for a long time, and I still get a good workout from this system.
Re:In other words (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Its a choice (Score:3, Informative)
Its just boring
It's been the subject of at least one comic:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/11/13 [penny-arcade.com]
Re:Not my choice (Score:3, Informative)
Personally, I'd say the only legitimate "Nintendo is for kids" argument would be concerning the online play, where your identity is hidden to the extent that you aren't even allowed to exchange text messages with randomly assigned opponents. Great for kids, of course, but for the older crowd, a system like that tends to get a bit tedious.
Re:Hasn't been a problem so far... (Score:4, Informative)
Once it's connected and running, it's a very simple yet effective user interface. The only configuration choice at the outset involving the remote is if the sensor bar is above/below the TV. The controller doesn't have to be aiming at the TV, it just has to be 'seen' by the sensor bar to register movement - orientation and other aspects seem to work wonderfully relative to having the remote in front of the TV. Intuitively, any user of the remote can quickly learn the 'sweet spot' of having the remote in the right place to get the cursor where they want. You can go into the console's options menu to get to sensitivity options, and even see a sensor-bar's eyes-view of where the remote is, which helps to set a single 'sensitivity' value from 1 to 5. Once you've set that, the remote settles into the role of an extra-special mouse, with attachments. Like a mouse, there are certain movements that are natural, certain pixel-perfect aimings that are hard to get just right at times, but in general it works to get fairly accurate relative movement and aiming working for software. It is inherently more three-dimensional than a mouse movement (in games, you will 'thrust' it forward, rotate it, etc.), but the mouse analogy is the most common metaphor in common usage.
The games, subjectively, are extremely well-crafted for launch games. They offer a quantum leap beyond the advanced tech-demo feel of the Dreamcast release set. The interactivity of the Wii-remote demands a certain ability to explore the world you are presented, and in the games I've tried so far (only Zelda in a really full exploration so far), the meat is there, unlike the rather dry and selectively-interactive environments of the Dreamcast games. As an example, one of the most expansive games on the Dreamcast was Skies of Arcadia - and while it was a good game, it had a lot of non-interactive environments, which for me, really hurt the exploration aspect of the game between plot points and isolated side-quests. Wii games in general, so far, seem to offer that kind of interactivity - but we'll have to see how many games are released, and how third party and ported games fit into the overall picture of what ends up being the Wii games landscape.
Ryan Fenton
Re:How long (Score:5, Informative)
Mainly because it's not the most convenient thing in the world to arrange a sport. More than one person is needed to play. Where I work, for example, half my coworkers have a minimum of an hour long drive home AND they have family to go home to. It's not easy to arrange an hour or two to go somewhere and play a sport. On top of this, this time of year, the only way they could do this when there's daylight is to arrange it on the weekend. For our type of work, weekends often mean catching up on chores.
Thanks to the Wii everybody can just go home and play. Two of my coworkers have arranged to play via the net (which, btw, I didn't know was possible...) *and* they've gotten their wives involved. Where I work, the Wii has proven to be both a workout advice and a social event. I don't know if that'll last, but man, it's sure looking encouraging so far.
Re:Its a choice (Score:4, Informative)
You must have missed this on the page you linked to: Orders entered prior to Wednesday, November 22, 2006 will be shipped on or after November 28. Orders entered on or after Wednesday November 22, 2006 will ship when our new quantities arrive (week of December 18, 2006).
Re:A solution (Score:4, Informative)
What I HAVE seen, is that pedestrians often do stupid things (like not waiting for the light, or crossing without even looking up when going across a one lane side street).
The biggest contributor to this careless action is probably because NYC is a pedestrian city, and the majority of the people in it do not own a car, or drive regularly (if at all). This makes them less likely to understand why they shouldn't jump in front of a car (a car can't jump to the side like a person can). The good side of this though, is that I think obesity was lower in NYC than the national average. I assume most everyone walking helped with that
Re:Excellent! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:wow (Score:1, Informative)
2 sets of tennis equipment is going to cost about as much as the Wii, and I can do more with the wii than just play tennis.
Re:Hasn't been a problem so far... (Score:1, Informative)
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2006/1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTGSkYRDpWY&eurl= [youtube.com]
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/24/diy-wireless-w
Re:Wii Sports Boxing.. best workout ever (Score:3, Informative)
Have you picked up the component cables? It's the only way you can get 480p output. Otherwise, it's not going to look anywhere near as good as it's capable of displaying.