Reggie talks Vitality Sensor, calls Balance Board oversized bathroom scale
Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 10:22pm by Sean
Still wondering what the deal is with that heart-rate monitoring “Wii Vitality Sensor” Nintendo teased at E3? Want to know how it’s going to be used? Well… keep guessing, Reggie explained in a recent interview that you simply aren’t going to “get it” until you “get it.”
And all I can tell you is, with the game developers that we have, we will bring forth an experience that you will say, “Wow, I get it.”
Until you have that software, it’s tough to understand. If I told you that you would be standing on an oversized bathroom scale, and having fun doing it, you probably would have said, “Reggie, I don’t get it.” And yet here we are with the balance board arguably as the third largest development platform across the globe.
Croal: So I’m lacking imagination?
And you’re lacking the specific software example that undoubtedly will show exactly how it comes to life.
It’s not a bad comparison – I’m sure many of us remember wondering just how Nintendo was going to pull this “motion revolution” off, to say nothing of the aforementioned balance board or that second screen on the DS. Still, Wired brings up a good point when they say Nintendo’s gone down this route before, highlighting the Japaon only “Bio Sensor” used with Tetris 64, a flop that flopped so hard it never made it out of Japan.
What do you think? Will the vitality sensor be the next Wii Fit, or is it doomed to suffer the fate of the widely unknown Bio Sensor? Leave some comments, tell us what you think!
[Fast Company via Wired]
July 9th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I really think Will nailed it on the head with his horror game idea a while back on the podcast.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:15 am
I predict that this new peripheral is going to be used quite well and surprise everyone even myself. I could see how this may be used creatively on many different genres not just horror.
PS. I can’t wait for this to be utilized completely…
July 10th, 2009 at 3:10 am
I have the Wii speak mic, and the balance board. I would like to see them support those peripherals with more than one game each before I put my money down for ANOTHER peripheral! Is animal crossing really going to be the only game I can use Wii Speak on? And Ubisoft is supporting the balance board, but what is Nintendo doing with it? Wii Fit 2?!? Ive been a Nintendo early adopter for a long time now. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesnt. I feel let down by the last two. I’m gonna wait until there are at least 2 must have games that support the new sensor before i fork out the dough.
I wish they would fortify what they have built before moving on to the next project.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:11 am
bbelt has a point, where are the games using wii speak besides the game it comes out with and the conduit, who really supports the ballance board besides ubisoft.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:35 am
yeah there is some truth to what bbelt says. as much as a success wii fit is, many would like to see more games that use the peripheral. we still haven’t seen a game that that uses the balance board in conjunction with the wiimote well. that would be the only gripe i have with these new peripherals…..need more support from 3rd parties. wii speak as well. the issue is the same issue as it has always been. with the wiimote, is came packed with the system, and therefore has to be supported. accessories after the launch may get supported well by first party games, but 3rd parties rarely do. i hope wii motion plus is an exception.
more on topic, i think the wii vitality sensor will sell well with whatever game nintendo launches for it. however, i won’t consider it a real success until 3rd parties come on board with the new device.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:38 am
There’s one huge difference between the balance board and the vitality sensor. The balance board makes intuitive sense for some types of games. The vitality sensor doesn’t have quite the same obvious use, so it’s a little harder to defend it as a useful idea.
That’s not to say it won’t be useful. It’s just . . . .
July 10th, 2009 at 9:11 am
I can see it with the previosly hinted/rumored Wii diet software. If it’s marketed like Wii Fit it will do well, but I don’t see a lot of 3rd party support.
I just wish we could use nunchuk with it like Plus.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:27 am
It’s sound wonderful
I think I am gonna try it 
July 10th, 2009 at 10:26 am
it definetly has the potential to fly. but im gonna hold off until theres killer apps to get one
July 10th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I’m going with the track record and say the Sensor is a one shot game. Reggie can talk all he wants but frankly I’ve heard it before with other controllers/accessories and they still ended up the same way.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:24 am
As a device marketed to the hardcore, the Vitality Sensor isn’t going to do too well. Like the balance board, the Vitality Sensor needs to be marketed to the casual audience, not in a game, but in an application like Wii Fit. Something the casual crowd can use to improve their lives outside of game time.
Stress relief is a big market, especially with the bad economy. If Nintendo uses the sensor for a “game” that teaches users how to calm down and relax, perhaps even in stressful situations, Nintendo could really have a cash cow on their hands. And where Wii Fit isn’t a great weight-loss tool so much as it is a tool for learning about fitness and good posture, I think stress-management software could really do some good.
July 11th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Clearly you are not seeing how this can influence difficulty levels stage choices and types of game play. This is an interactive selector and it is using some thing that does not lie your pulse. I know I’ve been playing FPS for a while and I enjoy the cold sweat you get from the conduit when you meet some one that is good.
Seriously imagine if a game like that let you run faster if you are scared… which would let your real body functions kick in and actually effect game play by letting you run faster etc since that is what adrenaline would do.
What is funny is you could easily take this then and HAZE and revamp the whole idea and it would work as it would make every one play in away where they have to keep their own excitement up rather than hiding behind cover.
It would be an interesting take on FPSs along.
What is most amazing is most people play FPS on console to wind down from what I hear from certain types of people. I think it’s a worth while direction that would lead to move development opportunity.
July 11th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I think this will be interesting to see pan out. Do I think the peripheral is a must buy? NO, not until I see practical uses to justify the purchase. As a gamer, it needs to expand my hardcore gaming experience first and foremost.
I agree with HDmaverick. This could be used to adjust gameplay on the fly. This could work well in shooters. For instance, let’s use Left 4 Dead as a possibility. You start up the game, make a little progress and because you are calm the sensor picks up on that. When it does, it tells the game “let’s throw a bunch of enemies at them, get them going” so now you have hordes of enemies attacking you, then your heart is going real fast and the sensor picks up on that and tells the game to give the player a short break. This device could work well with The Director AI that Valve built.
Another example. Let’s say that Dead Space (NOT Extraction) was coming to the Wii. The sensor could capture the fact that you are calm. Then as you walk down one of the corridors, something occurs that scares you. The game picks up on that and starts generating a low key music to start getting you nerve wracked and then BAM! Here’s the next group of Necromorphs you gotta take down and as you start to calm after the battle, the music dies and returns to the calm silence of the ship.
Those are just two examples of games that could benefit with the device. However I need to see actual games that can take advantage of it before I buy it.