(Takao Sawano on Wii Fit) Wii Fit was released in Japan Dec 1, 2007. This title was first shown at last year's E3 and you may already be familiar with it. Just to make sure, here are some commercials currently being aired on Japanese television. The ads included a demonstration of a height/weight tool, a calisthenics game, a yoga game, a party dancing kind of game.

The Japanese version of Wii Fit. sold over 1.4 million copies since the release two months ago. European release is planned for April, North America for May. There are two major components: the Wii Balance Board and the Wii Fit software (a game disk). The prsentation today will cover:

- How the Wii Balance Board came to be
- Special features of the Wii Fit software
- Specs and features for developers interested in working with the Balance Board
- Possible future implementatiokns of the Balance Board controller

At Nintendo, hardware and software developers work together to create new products. Those creating hardware are constantly responding to the software team. The Balance Board looks like something necessary for the Wii to me now. Looking at the shape and construction, you might think that this was an inevitability. However, the balance board was not borne of this type of thought process. It was developed from nothing, in fact. Still, discussions about it began even before the release of the Wii. In a rough diagram of the strategy of the Wii before release created by Mr. Miyamoto, you can already see the vision for Wii Fit. There are a variety of notes on this diagram, but I want to point out three areas. The first is a section: table tennis, fishing, joy of playing with others, two remotes, called "Party Pack, and it became Wii Play. Another shows "tennis, baseball, golf, and two remotes, the "Sports Pack" released as Wii Sports. Another is "Health Pack," and it is the section that later became Wii Fit. Wii Fit is something that existed in Miyamoto's mind before the console was even released.

Body management, health, scale, calorie control all appear in this section. Miyamoto wanted to incorporate the ritual of weighing himself into a Wii game. But would you turn your Wii on just to weight yourself? Do you want to weight yourself in the living room? There were doubts.

Still, Miyamoto had a conviction: "just weighing myself and collecting that data is fun, so this is bound to lead to something interesting." I couldn't help but think that this wouldn't become a hit product. Miyamoto sometimes says to people, developers must always develop their projects with the belief they are developing a million seller. In actuality, I was having trouble keeping my thoughts positive.

The first step was developing a scale. We had to produce it at the least cost possible. We talked to a scale manufacturer, and we feared that since scales were focused on other tools, it would be hard to find one ready to build. So, we started from scratch with a company we used to develop console controllers. What we discovered was that using methiods like those of traditional bathroom scales would cost too much. One proposal stood out; use a portion of the N64 controller. The center of the 3D stick contoller has a rotary encoder that detects the tilt of the stick. It is similar to trackball based computer mice. Because friction is minimized and accuracy is high, we thought we could use this for our scale. We began working on a prototype. Several weeks later, we were able to test something. During that time I was riddled with worry. We still doubted if someone would turn on their console and weigh themselves in the living room. I thought, I have to think of a different approach.

Sumo served as a huge hint. The average Sumo wrestler weighs so much that two scales are required ... with one foot on each. The total weight is added, and one can be shifted to the other. That got me thinking, how would the difference display in a game. The first scale we tested was two scales designed to transmit to a computer, which we tried connecting it to a Wii. However, the sampling rate was too slow to be used for a game. Clearly we could not just adapt something for a different purpose than it was designed for.

We rebuilt one that sampled at 60 samples per second and could display bar samples of the result. We could see how the shifting of our bodies could be represented visually. We asked Mr. Miyamoto, who found the movement based control interesting. We now moved toward making a peripheral based on two scales.

The frist prototype, a round object separated into two sides, was basically two scales put together. Sensors in the center have the same construction as the N64 rotary controller. Rumble features were considered as well, but rumble for the legs didn't make it into the final version, as the rumble was not strung enough for the whole body, and the battery drain of a more powerful rumble was infeasible.

The software team began developing for a tool to use right-left balance for controls. This hardware was now unique and inspired us to move forward. We thought perhaps we should consider making front and back movement in addition to left and right. The development team thought front/back was not necessary. As a longtime hardware developer, I still continued experimenting. Of course, this didn't alleviate the issue of keeping the cost down. The first sample used a Wii remote to detect the movement. Only one sensor was required... and we considered different construction materials. In addition, trying to minimize errors, we went to the Nintendo Service Center where our products are repaired. Since this was the first time we were developing a product people would stand on, we wanted to consider how this would be handled. The faulty DS units we saw at the service center made us think that the complex designs we were considering for the balance board needed to be reconsidered. The prototypes we used before were too complex and malfunction risk was too high.

This is where the strain gauge was proposed. This is a type of gauge that measures strained force on a metal rod. Minimal distortion is applied when even 100kg or more is applied, and moving parts are very limited. We could limit the number of sensors to 4 to account for the need for stability. The strain gauge used on the Wii Balance Board was first installed for all four feet, with front, back, left, and right balance. The first sample product connected to the Wii remote. This allowed us to eliminate the use for the control. However, there was a risk of stepping on the Wii remote. We needed something in which we could stow the Wii remote internally. This plan stared with the idea of a square scale, like a bathroom scale. The software group had already begun developed training exercises from professional trainers, and we didn't want to redo all this work. Still, Miyamoto realized a problem with the square shape. Shoulder width and positioning, he thought, should guide the shape of the board. Of course, a wider board costs more. When we implemented the change, however, the design merits were clear. PLayers could spread their feet out wider, and to distance it from the bathroom scale image we had started with. We needed to accommodate larger feet and smaller living rooms. When we showed it to Mr. Iwata, he thought connecting the Wii remote was a clumsy solution. The cost had increased considerably already, but we all had been thinking this all along.

Having heard Iwata's opinion, we began to think about ways to make the balance board function on its won. In order to incorporate built-in wireless, we had to have it approved and we worried that the frame would interfere with signal transmission. We had to put a new poer and sync button in as well.

On to the software. Wii Fit is a tool that helps family members manage their health just by playing casually every day. The two main areas are the Body Test and Training. The Body Test asks the player to stand on the board and check weight, BMI, fitness ability, and balance, and finally their "Wii Fit Age" (similar to Brain Age). We wanted to reduce the startup time so that the game could be started without the disk. For the first time, a portion of the game we want them to play every day can be accessed through the Wii Fit channel, installed with the disk. It is not necessary to install it from the network. You can also play the Body Test while another game is installed. We couldn't include all the features due to content size limitations.

The Training option includes 40 training exercise, including Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, and Balance Games. Yoga includes 15 poses for toning and posture. Strength includes 15 activities. Aerobics includes 9 exercise to burn body fat. And Balance Games includes 9 games designed to train your sense of balance. In the training portion, we needed something you couldn't get in a training video or DVD. The balance board checks to see how the player is doing in an exercise. We found that we could analyze the player's body movements, and the trainer can provide appropriate advice accordingly. It gives the feeling that the trainer is really there, coaxing the player along.

Wii Fit Island is the running course in the aerobics part of the game. This does not require the board. You put the Wii remote in your hand or pocket and run in place. The Wii remote is incorporate in other exercises too. Two players can go for a run together, and the environment changes as you run through it. There is additional content that changes over time to keep the player coming back for more. In Aerobics, the speaker on the Wii remote is used. Players can change their TV input from the Wii Fit screen to the broadcast television screen or another source. Then then listen to instructions through the Wii Speaker. You often see people working out while watching television, and you can do the same thing with Wii Fit.

Players earn Fit Credits for the time they spend in the game. They can also enter manually time spent exercising outside the game. Other games could access this Fit Credits feature in third party titles.

To develop software, the programmer must know some details. Weight in kg are measured on the four corners of the board, at 60hz. The weight range is 0-330lbs and the max weight is 660 lbs. The board weights 7.7 lbs and runs on 4 AA batteries that last 60 hours or so. Two buttons, for sync and power are included on the device. There is one LED light that shows when the bluetooth registration takes place. The power on the board can be turned off from the Wii, and the power can be suspended. The Wii communicates with the Balance Board as Wii Remote 4. It is possible to detect weight shifted to left, right, front, and back. Each sensor detects information and you can control the amount and speed of weight applied around 360° of movement. It is very precise, so movements including waving a hand and holding a small weight can be detected. Arm movements can also be detected through this method.

Japanese sales of Wii Fit have been unmatched for titles requiring a specific peripheral. I am hoping for the same as it is released globally. When you think about the number of copies sold relative to the number of systems, developers should already be thinking that Wii Balance Board is worth developing for. For example, Bandai has already developed Family Ski and released in January ( a video was shown).

In conclusion, because the Wii can use both Wii remote and Balance Board, we can go beyond the fingertips from the past and control your whole body with great precision. With either controller, just watching others can get others curious and want to play themselves. Most purchasers are 25-45 years old and had families. 72% said others had played the game. and this is a very high number. I hope that the unique controls serve your creativity.

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