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Wii

Wii Balance Board Breaks Record

by Pedro Hernandez - January 13, 2012, 2:55 pm EST
Total comments: 17

One of the biggest games for the Wii breaks even more records.

The Wii Balance Board has been awarded the Guiness World Record for the best-selling personal weighting device, Nintendo recently confirmed.

Between the launch of the peripheral and its game, Wii Fit in 2008 and November of 2010, a total of 32,114,428 balance boards were sold worldwide. With 9,451,107 units, nearly a third of those were bundled with Wii Fit Plus, the update released in 2009 that adds new activities and features to the original Wii Fit software. Overall, over 19.31 million copies of Wii Fit Plus have been sold.

[EU] It's Official! Nintendo's Wii Balance Board is a Record Breaker!

10th January 2012 - Nintendo’s Wii Balance Board has been awarded a prestigious, new Guinness World Record™ for “The best-selling personal weighing device”.

In order to set the record, a total of 32,114,428 Wii Balance Boards were sold worldwide between launch and November 2010. This figure comprises 22,663,321 bundled with the original Wii Fit software and 9,451,107 bundled with Wii Fit Plus software. Since breaking the record, Nintendo has now sold over 22.67 million copies of Wii Fit and more than 19.31 million copies of Wii Fit Plus worldwide.

The Wii Balance Board contains four sensors that measure and detect shifts in weight and pressure upon it, both from side-to-side and front-to-back. In order to control the on-screen action, players can stand on the balance board and move their bodies according to the activity played. Each sensor has the ability to detect even minor motion, so movements like shifting the position of your hand can be detected. These elements combined enable players to carefully check their movements through each activity and monitor their progress.

Laurent Fischer, Managing Director of Marketing & PR of Nintendo of Europe comments: “The launch of Wii Fit with the Wii Balance Board revolutionised the way people got active at home, making it fun and easy to exercise in the comfort of their own living room. As the Guinness World Record shows, sales of both Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus have remained healthy since the day they first went on sale and, with Wii now having sold over 30 million units to consumers across Europe, Nintendo hopes this trend will remain strong.”

The original Wii Fit introduced the world to the Wii Balance Board, motivating players to get up off their sofas. Wii Fit Plus has continued to entertain family and friends of all ages with its fun and interactive way to exercise in the comfort of your living room.

Wii Fit Plus is an easy and enjoyable way for every member of the family to incorporate exercise into their daily routine. Whether a beginner or veteran to Wii, with over 40 varied and entertaining exercises, Wii Fit is designed to appeal to everyone. Bringing together a collection of activities and exercises in the areas of aerobics, yoga, strength and balance, Wii Fit Plus encourages all the family to discuss their fitness needs and to become more physically active on a daily basis.

When Wii Fit Plus hit the shelves in October 2009 it brought new exercise features for both mind and body to the acclaimed Wii Fit phenomenon, making your at-home training regime even easier. Wii Fit Plus brings you a lot more new content, including 15 new Balance Games and 6 new strength training and yoga activities meaning you can work out, relax and ease away the stresses of daily life.

If you are searching for a fun way to work out while at home, or know someone who is looking to tone up for the year ahead, then look no further. Nintendo has two new Wii Fit Plus bundles which are available now. The first includes a black Wii console, Wii Fit Plus and a black Wii Balance Board, and for those who already have a Wii console the second bundle features a copy of Wii Fit Plus and a black Wii Balance Board only.   

For further information on Wii and the bundles available right now, visit the Wii section right here on the official Nintendo website.

Go to our official Wii Fit Plus website to find out more about this fitness software for all the family!

Talkback

So that would mean in terms of platform sales, the Balance Board is near the Gamecube.

And it got about as much support.

TJ SpykeJanuary 13, 2012

Actually, GameCube was about 25 million. So it has done better.

It's not really breaking anything if the world record was created just for you.

Chozo GhostJanuary 13, 2012

I always hoped there would be a survival horror game designed to work with the Balance Board. I guess at this point that will probably never happen. Maybe if it carries over to the Wii U there might still be hope...

Kytim89January 13, 2012

Quote from: Chozo

I always hoped there would be a survival horror game designed to work with the Balance Board. I guess at this point that will probably never happen. Maybe if it carries over to the Wii U there might still be hope...


How would this work?

rlse9January 13, 2012

I wish there had been more games that utilized the balance board.  For how many it sold, it doesn't seem to have gotten that much support, I suppose since so many people bought it for just Wii Fit.  It's a shame that so many of the peripherals that Nintendo releases get so little support, including by Nintendo itself.

I think it also should get the record for "Most quickly abandoned weighing device".

leahsdadJanuary 13, 2012

Quote from: Kytim89

Quote from: Chozo

I always hoped there would be a survival horror game designed to work with the Balance Board. I guess at this point that will probably never happen. Maybe if it carries over to the Wii U there might still be hope...


How would this work?

Chozo, sorry to take your idea and run with it, but that's a great idea!  It would have to be Wiimote (or maybe Wiimote and Nunchuck) as well as the balance board.  You could use it for dodging enemies and attacks....like outstretched zombie limbs trying to grab you.  Or maybe for avoiding deadly traps.

Retro DeckadesJanuary 13, 2012

I was excited by the idea of a Super Monkey Ball game controlled with the balance board, but SEGA seemed to have squandered that opportunity since Step and Roll launched to such lacklustre reviews.

Chozo GhostJanuary 14, 2012

Quote from: Kytim89

Quote from: Chozo

I always hoped there would be a survival horror game designed to work with the Balance Board. I guess at this point that will probably never happen. Maybe if it carries over to the Wii U there might still be hope...


How would this work?

Imagine having to use the balance board to tip toe your way through some house full of zombies or whatever, and if you don't do it just right you will make the floor creak or whatever and then they will all chase after you and then you have to run (using the balance board) and if you don't do things right they catch you and you die. It would be a great way to burn calories and get fit.

xcwarriorJanuary 14, 2012

I used the balance board plenty between Wii Fit and Plus, EA Active 1 and 2, a little Tetris Party and... I have one other game for it. Either way, at least it works well for what its supposed to do.

noname2200January 14, 2012

Quote from: Webmalfunction

I think it also should get the record for "Most quickly abandoned weighing device".

Clearly you don't know anyone who bought a scale!  :P:

Chocobo_RiderJanuary 14, 2012

1. ah, the most coveted award in all of gaming! (kidding)

2. Hey, at least the Wii U will support the BB so if anyone besides Nintendo decides to support it they have a second chance.

3. I also was super excited for Step+Roll with the BB.  The reviews are more or less true.  The BB works great but the way SEGA designed the controls around the BB? Not even remotely sensible.  It's hard to describe, but if you want to lean back to go backwards? Nope, you turn around completely.  So if you need to correct something it's a lot like Austin Powers backing up that golf cart or whatever it was.  Very disappointing.

Still KINDA fun since SEGA made the levels easier if you use the BB (kind of an admission of guilt!) but not nearly the killer app it could have been!

Mop it upJanuary 14, 2012

Quote from: Shaymin

So that would mean in terms of platform sales, the Balance Board is near the Gamecube.

It surpassed the GameCube a while ago, it's now approaching lifetime sales of the Nintendo 64 at 32.93 million.

rlse9January 14, 2012

It's a shame Monkey Ball wasn't better for the Wii, it seemed like a perfect fit for the series.  Someone should have made a full game out of the Table Tilt balance game, that was so much fun but it needed more levels. 

Chocobo_RiderJanuary 15, 2012

Quote from: rlse9

It's a shame Monkey Ball wasn't better for the Wii, it seemed like a perfect fit for the series.  Someone should have made a full game out of the Table Tilt balance game, that was so much fun but it needed more levels.

Exactly... and that's the problem with Step and Roll.  It's not like you just tilt a table and the ball rolls.  It's mechanic are more like trying to steer a Mario Kart with the balance board.  It's really a mistake because that could have been such an awesome BB game.

Btw, isn't a little silly how SEGA makes a Monkey Ball game for every platform the second it launches?  Everyone knows I'm a positive guy when it comes to games, but I don't think there is any doubt that their strategy with that franchise is to just bottom-feed off of slim-pickens around launch windows... kinda sad.

CericJanuary 15, 2012

The 3DS Monkey ball  I think controls well.  Unfortunately it really lacks in gameplay.  They should have just ported the original.

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