E3: Nintendo reveals Wii Fit Plus, DSi games

PHYSICAL: New Vitality Sensor peripheral will monitor pulse rate

By George T. Chronis -- Video Business, 6/2/2009

JUNE 2 | PHYSICAL: LOS ANGELES—Unless consumers suddenly tire of Nintendo’s Wii or DS platforms, it is unlikely the Microsoft Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3 will catch up anytime soon.

What Nintendo unveiled at E3 here was more of the mainstream-friendly products that have vaulted the gamemaker to the top of console sales worldwide, at more than 50 million sold.

Microsoft rolled out a controller-less 3D motion sensor called Project Natal that feasibly could challenge the Wii-mote controller. But development kits are only now shipping to developers, and any retail products are at least a year away.

By comparison, Nintendo’s latest motion-plus precision-sensing add-on for the Wii-mote, announced last year at E3, is already seeing its first games released. These are led by Wii Sports Resort on July 26 and a number of third-party sports titles this summer.

Similarly, more than 15 million copies of the Wii Fit exercise game have sold globally, and Nintendo isn’t resting on that success. Wii Fit Plus is expected this fall, featuring six new yoga and strength workout routines and 15 new balance mini-games.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata also announced a new fitness peripheral for the Wii called the Vitality Sensor, which tracks pulse rates from a finger press. Iwata sees the device as a new way to create fitness titles that promote relaxation.

With more than 1 million of the new DSi handhelds sold in the U.S. in the last two months since launch, Nintendo also had plenty of mainstream DS games to tout.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again is a download-only title available June 8 that encourages players to create their own levels and share them with friends. Style Savvy is a popular Japanese DS game that puts players in their own clothing boutique business. This fall, the adventure title Mario and Luigi’s Bowsers Inside Story will ship. And in development is Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

The DSi also will soon get automatic uploading of photos to Facebook.

Nintendo also has plenty of its traditional hit franchises heading to the Wii. New Super Mario’s Wii will ship for the holidays and feature four-player cooperative play for the first time in the series.

In 2010, gamers will likely see another 3D Mario adventure, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and the action franchise favorite Metroid: The Other M.