The pulse

ARE YOU GAME? It may not have been enough to make you cancel your gym membership, but when the Nintendo Wii came out last fall, players quickly learned it was a more active gaming experience than its predecessors. There were tales of sore shoulders (from swinging the controller to “hit” serves and ground strokes in tennis), broken china (overzealous “sword-fighting” in Zelda) and aching backs (leaning to “throw” strikes in bowling). Now, with Nintendo’s announcement this month of Wii Fit—a software package that includes a balance board accessory about the size of a scale—gamers will experience more than random, achy muscles: they’ll get a genuine workout. Physically vigorous games involve balance-focused activities, aerobic exercises, muscle conditioning and yoga poses. And a personal trainer will even track your Body Mass Index and conduct balance tests. Now the only glitch may be whether the living room has enough space to accommodate your athletic pursuits. Release date to be determined.—Liz Plosser