Wii Weights: Do We Really Need These?

I’m just not sure to make of this item, I like the concept which shows that Nintendo is trying to encourage us to exercise. The Wii has certain built-in exercise-inducing elements, but it’s still mostly a stationary pursuit.

But will the Wii Weights actually take the pounds off? The idea is that the weights, which you strap around your wrists while you’re playing, will build up the muscles in your wrists and arms while also providing enough resistance to burn off more calories than you otherwise would by sitting in front of the viewscreen for hours on end.

The resistance can be from 1 to 4 pounds, and you would presumably set the tension. I would hope that by the time you’re done playing, your wrists wouldn’t be too sore to undo the weights.

I know this is just a prototype and it might never see the light of day, even after all the media hype, but I can’t help wonder whether these weights wouldn’t cause the Wii controller to come out of its strap all over again.