Ideal for: Couch potatoes, kids, parties that need a bit of spice
Price: $399 + $149 (Wii Fit) + $79 (Shaun White Snowboarding)
More info: Click here to read our review of the Wii, or here to read more about Wii Fit (links will open in new windows)
Where most videogame consoles see you slumped in front of the TV vaguely twitching your thumbs on a controller, the Nintendo Wii demands rather more of a physical investment.
The innovative Wiimote and Wii Sports captured our attentions last Christmas, but this year it’s all about the Wii Fit balance board.
A digital scale, the balance board can detect how your centre of gravity is shifting as you stand upon it. The Wii Fit game uses yoga and basic muscle exercises to improve your health, but the most entertaining part is the downhill skiing balance mode.
Shaun White Snowboarding takes this concept and builds a proper snowboarding game around it. Use the balance board to send your heavily-sponsored snowboarder howling down the mountain, while working out many of the muscles you’d use in the real thing. Except this time, you don’t have to worry about wiping out hapless skiers. Just the family dog.
