Nintendo Wii Fit

Review by MariaSmiles "me":

INTRO:

After years of wanting a Wii, we finally got one! And, of course, like any overly-excited newbie, I couldn't wait to get the new WiiFit (WiiFit Plus). I picked it up at midnight, with the Balance Board. (TIP: if ur buying from brick-and-mortar stores, call ahead, it took me an hour to convince them that it was ok to sell it to me, and it was already 12:30a!) I got home, set it up (took just a few minutes, mostly unwrapping) and played until 5am! I was nearly falling asleep between games, but it was so much fun, I couldn't stop! Now, THAT's a motivator to work out! It even asked if I was a 'NIGHT OWL' and I had the option to keep my "day" 'open' until 3am, for those late-night workout sessions!

THE GAMES, & WHY I LOVE THEM:

Without leaving my 12'x12' living room, I can do: Circus Juggling, Skateboarding, Island Cycling, HulaHooping, Rhythm Parade, Segwaying, & Perfect 10 - these are the ones I like the most right now. My current favorite is the Bulls-Eye game (you flap your arms to 'fly' over water and reach platforms!) It's just awesome! And, it's cool that most of the activities are all on the same island - so you can bike it, run it, walk it, fly it, segway it, float it, bounce it, etc.! I also like that, in most games (not the Bubble one, tho), you don't 'die' if you do it 'wrong'. Nothing's worse than almost getting to the end of a cycling game, and then running into a tree and having to start over - ugh! But, with WiiFit, it's so pleasant, you just maneuver your way back on track! No stress! Yet, I like that u still do collect points - I already have a competition to 'beat' my BF's scores - I even left him a 'note' on the wii to try to beat mine in a couple of games, when he woke up! We haven't tried the 'multiplayer' mode yet.

STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, & KEEPING TRACK:

I LOVE the 'make your own' routine - you pick as many activities as you want, from dozens of Yoga Postures, and Strength Training choices (they even tell you how long the total 'workout' will take, as you make your selections) and then you hit 'start'; and it cycles thru them, one-after-the-other, checking off each one, as you go; and, saving the 'routine' for the future. If you don't need to have that much customization, or if you need more guidance, you can choose from 5 options for a pre-made routine (Lifestyle, Health, Youth, Form, & Combine), or you can click the cute balance board graphic and it creates one for you! The tracking capability is nice, complete with graphs, and a visual calendar which I 'stamp' every day I use the WiiFit. You can even add your daily step count AND activities you do outside of the WiiFit! This appeals to my analytical and visual side! Another option it gives you is that you can choose a food (from a selection of 20 or so), and then make a daily goal to burn as many calories as that food has - I didn't realize sticky rice had so many calories!

SHOW ME THE NUMBERS:

It calculates your BMI from your user-entered height and a balance board-measured weight. The weight measurement seemed a little off, as it made both me and my BF about 5-10 lbs lighter than we've been told, from other scales. But, that's A-OK with me! It seems like it's mostly set up to help you lose weight and burn calories (while improving your balance & posture), however my BF and I have different goals - I'm trying to lose 20 lbs, and he's trying to gain 20 lbs. The Wii did rightfully call him underweight and told him to do strength-training to build muscle. It just laughed at me and told me to 'strap in'! haha - jk!

WISHES & BENEFITS:

While it might not be 100% perfect (wish there was no 'dying' in the Balance Bubble or Tightrope game; and in the snowball fight, it'd be nice to have the option to physically move my arm to throw, instead of just pushing 'A' to throw; skateboarding goes thru a long 'training run' every time you play; it would be cool if Super Hula Hoop was more than just Left AND Right circles (like add arms or something); and oh, to be able to enter total calories eaten for the day; etc.), it sure is a LOT of fun and DEFINITELY motivates u to MOVE! The corny but pleasant music, scenery, and challenges are already helping me look forward to getting going in the morning and coming home at night. You earn fit credits, with activities, which then allow you to unlock more advanced activities, giving you a good bit of motivation to keep going - imagine if they gave you 'legal trade' currency coins for working out! Plus, it always fits into my schedule: I can do as little as a *minute* of activity or as much as I want! It's closer than a gym, there's no monthly dues, you can wear whatever you want, it's open at 3am, the smoothies are always organic, and (depending on where u play) there isn't that icky/smelly/sticky/germy/loud atmosphere of a typical gym! Team up with a friend, for a little extra motivation and competition!

SUMMARY:

For those who aren't familiar with video games, (or who see them as a 'waste' of time) this is a great one to 'start' with. The Wii is my first real game system (other than an old Intellivision, we've had Super Nintendo, Game Cube, & Playstations in the house, but with all those cryptic buttons and 'codes', and my busy schedule, I never bothered with them). However, the Wii was up and running in no time and the 'controls' are very intuitive. I've even had a lot of 'older' people playing and having fun, in short order! The Balance Board was easy to set up, easy to figure out, and is SUPER fun to play with, oh, and I burned a boatload of calories - woo-hoo! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Wii Balance Board AND the WiiFit Plus!

UPDATE:

Did another 30 mins this afternoon: tried the Penguin Game and the Flame and the Tightrope - all were lots of fun (keeping the flame still was a little stressful with noisy neighbors!)

UPDATE 2:

My parents just came over and I had them try it out, using the "Trial" mode, so they didn't have to go through the in-depth setup process - my mom really liked the HulaHoop activity and my dad really liked the Bull's Eye activity (where you flap your wings to fly and land on targets!) We had such a great time - it was hilarious to watch each other!! The trial mode is a great feature - it lets you share your WiiFit Plus experience with guests who are not looking to set up a whole profile and get weighed and do balance tests, etc. Of course, there are those 'measurement' options in the Trial mode, if a guest user so chooses, they just won't be able to save their profile.

I rely on reviews here at Amazon, to help me make informed buying choices. I hope this review has helped you in the same manner. If you voted this as helpful, I Thank You!

Review by Cynthia James:

Ok, so I'm in my mid 40's, I've broken everything from my neck in 2 places to my ankle in 3 places, my knees were rammed into an engine block at 65mph when I was 25 and haven't been right since, ad in 2 concussions in this lifetime so I don't have the best balance to boot. Then toss in a nice little dose of being peri-menopausal and HATING doing anything outside in the FL Summer, which lasts for 7 months of 90 degree plus weather, and sprinkle that with a tad of depression from NOT being outside which doesn't exactly have you running about the house singling merrily while pushing a vacuum and you have 15 extra lbs that you haven't a CLUE where those little suckers came from , and you are flopping and sagging in places you never knew you had to begin with to ad insult to the poundage! Now according to the wii I'm just above normal putting me in the barely overweigh category, but I FEEL overweight and I know I've gotten weaker/un toned and I FEEL it.

I know I needed to and WANTED to get and feel more fit but I HATE gyms, gym rats, the stereo typical gym ANYTHING. I don't want some sleek 20 year old in my face saying "AGAIN, do it AGAIN" I,.e. (you want to look like me, you never ever will..but try, try HARDER) No thanks!

I don't want some guy telling me 'a moment on the lips a lifetime on the hips!' either. And tho I think I've seen every late nite infomercial for every get fit contraption there is, and nope, I have not parted ways with my .95 yet, nor is their a bow flex in the corner of every room, yet I see many of them for sale in the flyer for bucks HMMMMMMM!

So, for about a year now I've been eyeing the nintendo wii with the wii fit. Here, there, everywhere. Then they drop the price. Hmmmm And then they come out with a wii fit PLUS...HMMMMMM. Ok, so me and my 0 dollars took a chance and parted ways. (for the console plus the balance board and wii fit plus)

I LOVE THIS THING! Not only does it calculate your BMI and weight and all that. (Even has a place for you to put Fido or Fluffy on the "scale" but I've been too selfish to share yet and see what that's all about. IT'S FUN! And don't let the little weeble looking characters fool you, you WILL get a work out. But what's great, is you're actually smiling because it is cute and engaging and you don't feel the pain till after the fact. And you find yourself wanting to...go do some more, too! I've given it a dedicated TV and room so I can just wander in there and do 1 or 2 exercises, or spend an hour. It also tells you how many calories you've burned for each activity and keeps a running tab-it will tell you how long each day you worked out (cumulative) as well as calories burned, (so I can have that moment on the lips without the lifetime on the hips) for each actively as well as for the day. And IT'S CUTE and it's FUN, I cant say that enough. And it may look easy, but ITS NOT.

Now I think any GQ gym rat out there who can do 500 chin ups and runs 5 miles every morning might laugh at it. But if you are just an average person who doesn't want to get out of shape or out of shape person, which are about 90% of us, then its great. Their are a couple more serious sections, Yoga and Weight Training I think, that have more adult looking trainers to guide you, but the rest of the activities are colorful and you are a "weeble". And it lets you know when you are doing great or not so great, and it is not belittling at all, if anything it makes you want to try to do better next time.

My ONLY complaint is I hate have to push "A" 3 times to get to a game I already played and know how to play-now if you push A fast you can skip past the tutorials pretty quickly, but it still annoys me, because I want to PLAY IT AGAIN. But on a good note, you can walk away from it or get off of it without messing everything up.

And as a person who has been beaten up pretty bad (auto wreck, high speed horse wreck/fall) and who has spent WAAAAAYY tooo much of her life in PT (which can be even MORE depressing than a gym), let me say this, THIS is a GREAT rehab tool. If they would have had one of these in the hospital I would have gotten so much better so much faster. I hope PT rehabs/hospitals and even nursing homes will get and use these! My leg isn't right, nor are my knees or my balance for that matter, but, wow, I can see improvement already! And I go to bed happily sore, but look forward to DOING IT AGAIN! So even if you have some disability you can still use this! I even cheat when my leg has had enough and can sit on the board and use my tush for some of the games just as well, and I'm still active and moving my upper half! Oh and another helpful hint...don't do it barefoot like on the box, at the very least wear socks and after hurting the bottom of my sensitive footsie, I now wear rubber soled lightweight slippers to give some cushy to the bottom of my boney feet. Works GREAT.

The only thing I find a little disturbing is the board says something like "ouch" or "oh" when you step on it. If my scale did that I never would have put on 15lbs LOL!

So what are you waiting for...GO BUY THIS, (and I suggest a bottle of Motrin,and maybe a heating pad, because you'll be having too much fun to notice the pain and soreness till after the fact!)

Review by Sophocles Sophocleous:

I own the Wii Fit since last week. I'm 32, 1.76m, ~82-84kg (fluctuates) and with my wedding coming up in a few months I wanted to lose some weight. I work all day and have little time in the evenings so the preparation and driving to and from the gym was too much. I wanted to use that 30-40 min to exercise, not prepare for exercise. I own a Wii since Xmas and decided to try this out after reading various reviews on the internet. Is this as good as going to the gym? No it does not replicate a gym. Will it get the job done? Will it keep you fit and help you lose weight? YES YES YES! I love it and highly recommend it. I get a great work out in 45 min. I feel great about myself, and have already lost a kilo. (note I have not changed my diet). Notice I get my work out in as much time as it takes to commute and prepare for gym. I also have more fun than going to the gym on my own. Perhaps going to a gym with a friend would be more fun. Depends. Anyway I love the Wii Fit! Note it takes a few times to get used to it and figure out how best to use it. Why? Well there is no prepared program for you. You have to decide on your own what you want to do and in what sequence. I start off by doing the aerobics (jogging, holla hoop) and then vary. Basically, the Wii Fit breaks its exercises into Muscle, Balance, Aerobics, and Yoga. I mainly doing the Aerobics and mix in some muscle and yoga. The muscle and yoga can be really tough. You wouldn't believe how much. You can really feel the muscles working. I do the balance exercises when I'm tired and want to relax a bit in between exercises. They may help with balance but are more of a game than anything else. The more you exercise, new exercises open up. In other words, you start of with a limited about of stuff to do and slowly you get more and more. Don't listen to the few negative reviews you may read on the internet. They were probably biased against the product before even trying it. This product costs a little more than going to the gym for a month (at least in my country). By the time I unlock all the exercises, I will have exercised more than a 1-month gym subscription, burnt more calories, and will have a fun game left too! Compared to nothing after a month at a gym. I highly recommend this. As I explained, you are getting more than your money's worth, having fun, and getting fit.

Review by Julie Neal:

Addictive. Hard. Rewarding. Fun. Tiring. Frustrating. Amazing.

Too many adjectives, I know, but Wii Fit is all of those things.

I was impressed when we bought a Wii for our daughter last Christmas. Now I'm thrilled. Finally, a video "game" that seems tailor made for me! I've only had my copy of Wii Fit for a few days now, but already I can tell that if any piece of home equipment is ever going to help me get back in shape, this is it. Setting it up is hardly tougher than slipping in a DVD, and, unlike the Total Gym I once had, it makes you feel young just using it.

The first thing you do is weigh yourself by standing on the included wireless "Balance Board." After that, everything seems more like a game than a workout, but after 30 minutes with this thing I was sweating just as much as I do at the gym. There are four types of exercises: aerobics, balance, strength training, and yoga. Lasting from a minute to 10 minutes each, specific virtual activities include boxing, hula-hooping, jogging, push-ups, some very fun snowboarding action and this funky tilting game where you push balls into virtual holes.

Back to that balance board. You'll hate what it tells you about yourself, but love that it told you. Besides your weight, you learn your Wii Fit Age, a figure that combines your weight, body mass index and sense of balance. As you exercise, the program tracks your progress, or lack of it.

My only two complaints: the voice that speaks to you is little-kid cute, and there are no pre-set workouts.

If you're like me, you buy a lot of video games for your kids. If you can find it, buy this one for yourself. I got mine at list price, but I'd say it's worth about 0.

Review by Nutwiisystem.Com:

If you're like me, you got the Wii Fit, used it a few times, and put it in the closet once the novelty wore off.

The best thing to happen to the Wii Fit was a little something called EA Sports Active. It was released by Electronic Arts a few months ago, and they raised the bar for what a fitness title should look like. The influence of EA Sports Active on Nintendo's Wii Fit Plus is very apparent, and the Nintendo folks did a great job of taking Wii Fit to the next level.

The first thing to note is that Wii Fit Plus is not a "sequel" to the original Wii Fit, but rather it contains all the content of the original Wii Fit and adds a number of improvements. In other words, if you don't have Wii Fit already, you can skip it, buy Wii Fit Plus with the Balance Board. If you already have Wii Fit, you can buy the Wii Fit Plus game only.

For those with the old Wii Fit, the conversion of your old profile data to the new is quick and seamless. It just takes a couple seconds and voila, all of your old weight data and workout data is available in Wii Fit Plus.

The first improvement, clearly influenced by EA Sports Active, is that instead of choosing individual strength and yoga exercises ad-hoc, you can choose from a number of pre-configured workout routines. "My Wii Fit Plus" is a virtual locker room, where your animated balance board (as chipper and encouraging as ever) walks you through the process of choosing a workout routine based on any number of specific goals, ranging from better health to improving specific parts of your body.

The activities are still broken out by category: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, and Balance Games. All of these are identical to the old Wii Fit, except that there there are a 6 new Yoga and Strength training exercises which add some more variety and challenge to those categories.

But here's the part of the review I'm sure you've been waiting for. The biggest improvement in Wii Fit Plus is the addition of 15 "Training Plus" activities.

Perfect 10 (Workout intensity: 2 of 5, Fun 4 of 5): A game that tests your math skills as much as your flexibility. Numbers will appear on giant mushroom, and you bump your hips to hit the numbers that add (or subtract) to 10 or 15 or 20. You won't be losing huge amounts of weight from this one, but it's a great way to test your mind and body coordination and this is one you'll play over and over again to try to beat your high score.

Island Cycling (Workout intensity: 4 of 5, Fun 4 of 5): This is a game that uses the Balance Board (you step on the board with your left and right foot to simulate bicycle pedalling) and the Wiimote (which you use to steer). The game itself looks a lot like the cycling game on Wii Sports Resort, except you move your feet instead of your hands. Unlike that game, this game isn't timed; rather, you need to cycle around a large island collecting flags. The island is beautifully designed with amazing details. This is definitely one you can spend a lot of time on and not even realize you were exercising.

Rhythm Kung-Fu (Workout intensity: 3 of 5, Fun 5 of 5): This is the first game that put a huge smile on my face. Using your Wiimote, the Nunchuk, and the Balance Board, you have to strike different "kung fu" poses in rhythm to delightfully cheesy kung-fu movie music. It's essentially a game of "Simon Says", where you mimic the moves of a groups of Miis standing behind you (and if you have family or friend Miis on your system, you'll see some familiar faces).

Driving Range (Workout intensity: 1 of 5, Fun 4 of 5): Sure, golf has been done in Wii Sports, in Wii Sports Resort, and in games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour. Wii Fit Plus brings something a little different to the table, though. You position the Balance Board vertically, and swing your Wii-mote like a golf club. There's a "swing analyzer" which is surprisingly good not just for casual video game golfers but also for real golfers to analyze their form. It measures the straightness of your swing, your weight distribution, and gives a pretty good indication of how far your drive will go.

Segway Circuit (Workout intensity: 3 of 5, Fun 4 of 5): In a clever co-branding deal, Nintendo teamed up with the folks at Segway for this game. In it, you ride a Segway around the island trying to pop balloons that are being put up around the island by pesky moles. Like a real Segway, you lean forward to move forward and you lean back to go back, steering with the Wii-mote.

Bird's-Eye Bull's-Eye, a.k.a. Flying Chicken (Workout intensity: 5 of 5, Fun 5 of 5): This is the one you probably heard about, and it (along with Obstacle Course) is the winner. Your Mii dons a chicken outfit and has to fly from target to target. How do you fly? By flapping your arms. You can either flap your arms with your hands extended, or do a "chicken dance" type movement by bending your elbows. Either way, the Balance Board will amazingly detect how strongly, quickly, or slowly you're flapping. Like a real bird, you flap faster to get better control, and you flap slower to soar great distances. You control where you're moving by leaning on the Balance Board.

Snowball Fight (Workout intensity: 2 of 5, Fun 5 of 5): This one is just plain fun. You use the Wii-mote to shoot snowballs at an invading army of Miis (again, if you have custom Miis stored on your system you'll see some familiar faces), and duck left and right to hide behind a barricade to avoid getting hit yourself with snowballs.

Obstacle Course (Workout intensity: 5 of 5, Fun 5 of 5): This is the game I was most looking forward too, and I was not disappointed. You run in place on the Balance Board to make your character move forward and you straighten your knees to make him jump. In the process, you'll be navigating around huge swinging wrecking balls, moving sidewalks, and falling logs.

Tilt City (Workout intensity: 1 of 5, Fun 3 of 5): I admit, I'm not so crazy about these "tilt" games, maybe because I'm just not very coordinated. This is a game where you need to tilt the Wii-mote and shift your weight on the balance board in a coordinated fashion to steer colored balls into the right container.

Rhythm Parade (Workout intensity: 4 of 5, Fun 5 of 5): This was another one to put a huge smile on my face. You're basically a drum major, marching in place to the sound of a beat. Like rhythm games like Helix and Samba Di Amigo, you move your Wii-mote and Nunchuk to match on-screen cues. The better you match, the bigger your marching band becomes (and again, you'll see familiar faces join in the band if you have custom Miis).

Big Top Juggling (Workout intensity: 3 of 5, Fun 4 of 5): No, this one won't really teach you how to juggle, but once you're done you'll have the same satisfaction as if you did know how. It's a game where you have to stay balanced on a giant ball (using your feet on the Balance Board), while at the same time keeping 1, 2, or 3 balls in the the air by flicking your Wii-mote and Nunchuk.

Skateboard Arena (Workout intensity: 4 of 5, Fun 4 of 5): This seems like a pretty fair representation of riding a skateboard. You position the Balance Board vertically and stand on it like a skateboard. You can build speed by pushing off your back foot. You steer by moving your body back and forth, and you can jump by straightening your knees. You go through a series of exercises just like a real skateboarder, from jumping on ramps to riding on rails to doing tricks on half-pipes.

Table Tilt Plus (Workout intensity: 1 of 5, Fun 3 of 5): This one is a lot like those labyrinth games where you're trying to steer a ball around holes (in this case, you're trying to get balls into holes).

Balance Bubble Plus (Workout intensity: 1 of 5, Fun 2 of 5): Same sentiments as I wrote above. This is an improved version of the old Wii Fit Balance game where you're floating in a bubble trying to navigate your way through a maze.

Basic Run Plus (Workout intensity: 5 of 5, Fun 3 of 5): This is a variation of the jogging game in the Aerobic games section of Wii Fit Plus. Like that game, you control this one by running in place on the Balance Board, and you're treated to a lot of great scenery and new paths to explore on Wii Fit Island. An added feature is that at the end of the game, you'll be quizzed on things you saw, which is added to your final score, which surprisingly makes the run a lot more interesting, as you make sure to carefully observe every little detail as you're running.

Other improvements:

1) The use of METs and report of calories burned. What does METs stand for? METs (which stands for Metabolic EquivalenTs) is a standard way to measure energy expenditure. One annoyance with the old Wii Fit was that whether you did an exercise that used no energy like a stretching exercise or one that expended vast amounts of energy like Super Hula Hoop, your progress was marked by the time spent or "Fit Credits" that didn't mean anything in the real world. With Wii Fit Plus, METs are used in conjunction with your body weight and the time spent to calculate the number of calories burned. There's even a neat little function in My Wii Fit Plus where you can see the number of calories you've burned in terms of food (you can even choose the type and amount of food you want to burn off and set it as a goal).

2) Balance Board improvements. With the old Wii Fit, each time you started a new routine, you'd need to wait for the Balance Board to calibrate. I suppose this was intended in the case where multiple people would be sharing the Balance Board, but it got annoying very fast. Wii Fit Plus is a bit more intelligent, in that it'll sense whether the weight has changed and give the option to recalibrate only if it has. I've experienced a number of "false positives" in which it thought my weight changed when it didn't, but that's just a minor annoyance compared to the old way. I was actually a bit puzzled as to why the Wii MotionPlus wasn't used in this game, but with the improvements to the Balance Board they really weren't necessary.

3) The ability to measure a child or pet. This is a gimmick, of course, but a totally fun one if you have the aforementioned child or pet to measure.

Overall, Wii Fit Plus is a winner. To Nintendo's credit, they weren't content just to rest on their laurels, but they came up with improvements that truly breathed new life into the Wii Fit.

Review by Kristin E. Nelson:

Like another reviewer, I couldn't wait for shipping so I picked this up at a local store. I had long made up my mind that for the price, I was definitely getting this title even if it started to receive mixed reviews.

For those that currently have the Wii Fit, Nintendo has kept most of the same old familiar menus and music (and yes, the words of encouragement that are helpful the first time, but repetitive and annoying after that - no change there).

However, they've added lots of cool things. This is not a comprehensive list, but just my initial review and thoughts on a few of them. There are 15 new balance games and they are just plain fun. A few of my early favorites:

- Rhythm Parade. I almost skipped over this one because of the title but it's a fun little musically themed 3 minute (at the beginner level) activity that has you marching and "drumming" with your Wiimote and nunchuk. I quickly warmed up and the minutes were over before I knew it. I enjoy this more than the Hula Hoop activity and it makes you move the entire time.

- Island Cycling. Looks like the environment from the Run modules, but you're on a bike this time. You use the Wiimote sideways to steer (a la MarioKart) and walk on the board to simulate pedaling. The faster you walk, the faster you bike.

- The Training interface. For the first time, you can customize your workout. You pick from Yoga or Strength exercises (no Balance, though) and customize your workout. Wii Fit Plus will tally up the minutes and you can save the routine. If you click on the animated Balance Board he'll ask you how much time you have and put together a routine for you. You can also pick one of the routines for a specific target area, e.g. entire figure, posture, etc. These are all brief (6-9 minutes) but interesting and beneficial.

- Pet and child weight support. Got a pudgy child or pet? In my case, I have a fat chihuahua (really!) and am actively trying to slim him down. Since I'm looking to exercise and trim a few pounds myself, this works out. I can now weigh myself AND him and keep a running time line of our respective losses. This all sounds silly, but will be well used by me. It motivates me to weigh him as much as I weigh myself and make sure he is trending down, not up. I would imagine Nintendo did some research here and realized that this would be a valuable feature.

- Quick stats option. When you're doing a body test, you can simply do a BMI and weight quickly without all the fluff using the Quick stats option. This is good for people who like to weigh-in before work, but do their workout sometime later in the day.

- Calories for food. This is a bit over the top, but it's cute. The game asks you to pick a target calorie loss per day in terms of a food item (in my case, it's a 190 calorie vanilla ice cream cone). All throughout the workout, you tick down the calories toward your "goal".

All in all, it's a solid game. You can't beat it for the price. It's a marked upgrade and will entirely replace the current Wii Fit disc. All of the original games, yoga, and strength moves are included on this disc.

Enjoy!

Review by K. Pearce:

I ordered this at the same time I ordered the Wii Fit. I should have waited so I knew exactly what I was buying. I love my Wii Fit but this package is a rip off. There are only 1 pair of socks (that I can buy for 1.50 anywhere. The rechargable battery pack can be bought seperately for 18.99. The silicone sleeve for the board isn't really needed, especially of you are wearing skid proof socks. The little carry case for the board is cute, but I don't plan on toting it around very often. I thought the mat was something exclusive for the wii but it is just a plain old exercise mat.

Review by Susan Headley:

This 5-in-one Wii Fit bundle was a complete rip-off! The carrying case is a pathetic, cheap, thin little thing that wouldn't protect the board at all if you carried it inside (assuming the seams didn't tear from the weight of the board.)

The battery pack doesn't work when I stand on the board, it is disconnecting from my weight (which is well within the 300 pounds the balance board is rated for.)

There was only 1 pair of socks in the package (not the 3 I paid for) but they don't fit my women's size-11 feet anyway because they're made for kids I guess. They barely pull up over my heels.

The exercise mat isn't bad, it's a decent thickness and size but I could have bought it separately for and saved because the cover for the board isn't worth much, either. It doesn't stay in place because the little plug-in bobs don't line up properly with the holes on the bottom of the board.

All in all, a terrible purchase that I am seriously considering returning (what a hassle!)

Bottom Line: SAVE YOUR MONEY!

Review by Kevin D. Hauge:

The main reason I bought this package was for the rechargeable batteries, which do keep a decent charge for the wii fit & glad it it's usb chargeable, cause I don't need another gadget to plug-in. I wish they would've put in 5 lbs wieght's instead of 2, being a guy u want more of a challenge, but it will be good for my daughter when I bring them home for her. I'm currently in Iraq, so shipping directly here was great, ty Amazon for that very much & I hope more company's will follow in your foot steps. Overall a good package for the beginners wanting to get more out of their own wii fit. Thanks for all the people that do support us the troops here & around the world. Have a great day.

Review by Heather:

I just bought this for my mom's birthday. Talk about a great gift! My whole family is big into Wii Fit so this seemed like a no brainer. The weights are completely perfect for when you're walking or doing Free Step and the slip-proof mat is great for push-ups. I definitely recommend it for those if nothing else!

Review by Nancy O:

I am the type of person that hates working out... I bouight these items to try to stay motivated and have a little fun if it's possible while working out... I really enjoy working out with the gloves. weights, and waste belt... The bag is a good quality product to carry the Wii balance board and a few accessories... The price is not bad either...I recommend this product to anyone who wants to stay focused and wants to get into their workout...

Review by K. Miller:

I'm a PS3 guy; but the Wii fit games are fun once you get used to them...

Review by Bruno Massacesi:

Keeps balance board clean , fits nice and snug and if not overely aggressive stays thast way.. I would recommend this product to anyone who is interested in keeping their board clean....besides the price was right...

Review by TwoFurryKids:

Only downside is that it loves to attract the dogs hairs from our labs. Definitely worth buying.

Review by B. Pierce:

I bought this bundle with the impression that I was getting a console, wii fit and some other perks. Only the console and the balance board arrived. I contacted customer service, they sent me another bundle in replacement, same thing. I battled with Amazon for more than a week and still I did not get the complete bundle as descibed. I finally gave up. It cost me more money to buy this here than it would have at any store in town, again I was under the impression I was getting more than just a console and balance board. The Wii speaks for itself, its fun. But this bundle is a crock. Don't be fooled by the special bonuses that are claimed to be included, you won't get them.

Review by K. Unverzagt:

I ordered this because of the special bonuses and they did not come with the package. I called and they said ok we will ship you the whole thing again but you will have to ship back the extra items. No big deal because they pay for shipping. Well the 2nd box came and same thing no Jillian and no cover. At this price I thought I was getting a good deal because I got the 2 bouns items but its not such a good deal if you don't get those. luckily when I called again about the 2nd package being wrong they were able to send me the missing items. I had to place an order for them though but they said my card will not be charged. I trust that this will happen but I will edit my review for sure if something more goes wrong. And yes Wii and Wii fit are great!

Review by J. Williamson:

After seeing some of the reviews, I was afraid that this product might be flimsy, but I ordered it anyway as the price made it worth a try compared to some of the other covers. When I first took it out of the package, it did indeed look like it might be flimsy, but I took my time placing it on my balance board - and it was not hard to install at all! I use my Wii Fit for at least 30 minutes every day and have not had any problems with the cover at all. It stays firmly in place and even provides a little cushion and extra "grippage" as I work through yoga, strength exercises, aerobics, and balance games. I usually workout in my bare feet (I'm the only one using the board), but have worn sneakers a few times without any ill effect to the cover other than scuff marks, which clean up easily. The color is paler and more translucent than it appears in the photo - and I am very pleased with the way it looks. The most important thing is that it does a great job of protecting and preserving the balance board.

Edited on 2/3/2009 to add: More than seven months after originally posting this review, the Balance Board sleeve is still going strong!

Review by G. Graves:

As soon as I tried to stretch this over the balance board, it ripped! Cheap quality...not worth it!

Review by M. Monroe:

This came exactly as shown in the picture. I have been using it for some time and it has never bunched or caused any problems. Great color as well!!

Love it!

Review by Cynthia Erwin:

I love this because it keeps the Wii Fit Board clean and you don't slip. I like to do the programs in my bare feet and this allows me to do that with out slipping