Game Consoles

The Logitech is a well known computer peripherals manufacturer who has produced some of the all time best peripherals like mouse, keyboards, trackballs and gaming controllers. They have a perfect idea on how to make the gadgets both comfortable and work simultaneously.  Their long experience in the industry can be felt very well in their gaming accessory the Logitech ChillStream gamepad. This is the first windows optimised controller.

Though most of the PC games can be played well with just the keyboard and mouse combination like the shooters and strategy titles, there still exists a few titles like console ports and sports titles that are crying out for a controller. Logitech has given ears to this and released the new Logitech ChillStream Game pad. The ChillStream is named so because it has got a fan located on its back and that is used to keep the hands of the player cool and sweat free while gaming.

Identical look to that of Xbox 360 controller:

Though the Logitech ChillStream attracts itself to be vista ready, it looks exactly like the Xbox 360. It has got exactly the same button layout with the same layout and the center guide button gives you a great deal of functionality when used with Windows Vista PCs. The ditto layout includes the dual joyticks, a D-pad, an ABXY button cluster, start, select, a pair of shoulder buttons, a pair of triggers and a centre button. Each game will use these buttons and sticks differently, but analog sticks are normally used to handle in-game movement, and the buttons in the top right of the pad are the main game buttons for firing guns, jumping, selecting menus and other things.

Features included to make the gamepad feel comfortable on hands:

Similar to the Xbox360, the ChillStream Game Pad from Logitech is too extremely comfortable in hands with its easy grip plastic on the sides and bottom. The back side of the controller has a “Soft Touch” spray finish that is amazingly smooth and comfortable. The top half feels just as good but is also painted silver. The feel of the controller will not be that appreciated by players with big hands. They might feel that the game pad is not comfortable but not exactly sublime either. But the feedback from the players with smaller hands will be exactly the opposite. In fact most of them would feel that the controller is easy to use and comfortable to cling on.

Some tweaks made:

Though we said that the Logitech ChillStream looked identical to that of the Xbox 360 controller, there can be a few tweaks that can be noted too. The gamepad has more of an angled look with definite lines. Towards the left side of the ChillStream, to the right of the D-pad and below the joystick, there is a small button. The only main functionality of this button is to control and operate the speed of the internal fan.

Speed options of the fan:

There are three speed options offered which includes off, intermittent and full on. As you can see, there are two speed settings, though most will find the lower one far too faint, the higher setting cannot quite reach the level of power a sweaty handed gamer will likely require. And when the fan is operating in its highest speed, it can be easily said that it is on, even without touching it as the fan is quite noisy but not offensively loud. The ChillStream can be connected to your PC with the USB interface. Though the chord is a bit short at 6 feet, it must be sufficient for most of the players.

How does the ““ChillStream” work?

The signature feature of the gamepad, that is, its ability to cool the players hands works consistently. The working principle of the internal fan is that, it pulls air through the front grill and then shoots it through the vents located in the right and left handles. The grill in the rear side is made of metal and proves to be durable. This is a good news for those who are used to abusing their gamepads. The controller is designed in such a way that, the user will have to give a firm grip over the controller itself and having a firm grip over the controller, the holes that let out air is blocked and hence, the air does not come out as well as it actually should to keep your hands cool. This is one of the major disadvantages as this factor itself negates the whole concept on why most of the gamers would buy the ChillStream.

Installation and set-up of ChillStream Game Pad:

In order to get started, the drivers of the ChillStream have to be installed even before the gamepad is connected to the PC. The steps are very simple, and once the driver installation is complete, the controller will be up and gaming in no time. You will need to configure the controller options and button layouts for each game, which is easy to do, but it can take some time to figure out what works best.

Energy saving feature:

Logitech has employed an energy saving feature in the ChillStream. The auto-off energy conserving feature kicks in, on a few minutes of inactivity. And when you press any button on the controller, it will start back to exactly the same point at which the set was left.

Not compatible with the Xbox 360 system:

One very disappointing fact is that, the Logitech ChillStream is not dual platform compatible. When you try to plug in the USB enabled controller into the Xbox360, you will see that the controller continuously flashes the lights and the system and controller does not sync properly.
Performance:

The Logitech ChillStream was a pre vista PC gaming landscape, which produced some decent results. Though it had a few incompatible titles in its pocket, like the first person shooters that is particularly optimised for mouse and keyboard combo use, the gamepad served well with the titles that are windows compatible.

System requirements and package contents:

The Logitech ChillStream does not need much of a PC in order to operate and its system requirements confirms this fact. All that it needs is a PC with Pentium processor or compatible, Windows XP, or Vista Available and a USB port. The package content includes the gamepad itself, an installation paper and a small and cute driver disk.

Warranty:

Logitech offers ChillStream a limited warranty of one year.

Verdict:

We have come to the conclusion of the Logitech ChillStream review with mixed emotions. Though the controls are very accurate, the feel of the gamepad leaves us asking for more. It would prove to be very comfortable and exiting for people with small hands. The seller feature of the controller, that is, the fan could have done a much better job. The price tag on the controller is also much higher than the other comparable gamepads. You could possibly get the Logitech ChillStream for the fact that it is a good gaming pad with accurate controls but not for its so called Fan feature.

Check Logitech Driving Force GT Steering Wheel Review in Logitech Accessory Section.

Logitech ChillStream GamePad - Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	Logitech
Gaming console type	PC accessory
Accessory type	Game controller
Model name	Logitech ChillStream
Compatible Game Consoles	PC
Connectivity Technology	Wired
Manipulator	D-pad
Features	Built-in fan , Rubber side grips , Logitech ChillStream technology
Interfaces	1 x USB - 4 pin USB Type A
Cables Included	1 x USB cable
Windows Vista ready	Yes
System requirements	Windows® XP, or Vista™ PC with Pentium® processor or compatible Available USB port
Package contents	Logitech® ChillStream™ Controller User guide Gaming software
Warranty	One year

Nintendo launched the gamecube as a competition to the Xbox and the Play Station 2. As we all know, good things come in small packages. With the Introduction of the Gamecube which has a size of a small lunch box, they are certainly heading towards proving their point. Unlike its competitors, the Nitendo Gamecube does not aspire to be DVD players or living room mini computers, it is just a simple and exclusive gaming console. The gamecube is a fun console that has a number of titles that does not aim kids, teens or adults, but anybody who enjoys being entertained by interactive gaming.

Nintendo has made a clever decision by not opting for the highest performance, which actually does not contribute to the development of the software. The main aim had been to create a developer friendly next generation TV gaming console that still retains the standard capabilities. In order to accomplish their aim, Nintendo has removed the bottle necks that hinder the path to an efficient system.

Compact design:

The Nintendo GameCube Game console is an extremely portable gaming console having dimensions as just 4.3″ x 5.9″ x 6.3″ (H x W x D). The bundled controller is designed in such a way that it fits comfortably in both small and big hands. The GameBoy Advance can also be used as a controller. A single word that describes the portability of the Gamecube is “Compact”. Gamecube is the first video game console to include a handle. At the time of release, it was available only in purple, now it is available in black and orange too.

The buttons, controls and ports:

It has a basic rectangular casing that features a top-loading optical disc drive, reset and open buttons on the top front corners, and a power button on the top back corner in the left-hand side. The Nintendo GameCube Video Game console includes four controller ports, two Digicard memory card ports, a standard audio/video-out port, and a digital-out port for HDTV. The bottom of the GameCube features a high-speed serial port, an expansion port, and a network adapter port for a 56K modem or broadband adapter.

Features:

The Nintendo Game Cube Console has some powerful technical specs as well as a cast of exclusive characters unrivaled by any other gaming system.

Processor:

The Gamecube runs on IBM PowerPC “Gekko” processor with a processing speed of 485 MHz of data width 64bit and X86-to-RISC instruction set.

1T-RAM technology:

Nintendo has employed the 1T-RAM technology in the Gamecube, which has a minimum of delays, into the main memory and the Graphics LSI Mixed Memory. A secondary cache memory with a large capacity has been implemented in the MPU. This is a very successful combination, creating a reliable functionality that could be possibly used with some actual games.

As in the case of the Xbox, the gamecube does not have an internal hard drive and there is no news of any additions in the future too. Hence, you will have to buy extra memory cards to save the progresses of your games.

GPU:

The GameCube’s graphics processing unit (GPU) was developed by ArtX. You will have to spend extra in order to get the component video connector and HDTV in order to take the full advantage of the superior picture quality. When a third party S-video connector is connected in, the picture quality is quite sharp and hence, as long as the game has been optimized for the GameCube console from Nintendo, the graphics quality is in par with the PS2 and the Xbox. Yet, you will be able to note that the Xbox has a slight edge of graphics and performance over the other two.

Graphics effects:

The graphics effects that Nintendo Gamecube is capable of producing are, Shadows, Fog effects, MIP-mapping, Bump mapping, Anti-aliasing, Alpha-blending, Texture lighting , Bilinear filtering, Trilinear filtering, Anisotropic filtering and Texture compression (S3TC).

Audio:

The visual treat that the GameCube offers is decent but the big audio dynamite of the digital audio outputs are missing. This might be one of the ideas of cutting the manufacturing costs. The programmers seem extremely happy with GameCube, reaffirming that the system is attractive for the developers.

Online games:

Since Nintendo has taken the gamecube online, you will be able to buy either a modern adapter or a broadband adapter. The selection of the online titles include the famous Sega’s PhantasyStarOnline I and II, an additional subscription fee has to be paid in order to be played. More of expansions in the list is expected, which is mostly in the hands of the developers to support online play for their games.

Package contents:

The package contents of the Gamecube includes the Nintendo GameCube video game system, one controller, manuals, cables to connect to TV, 4-game controller ports built in, AC adapter.

Warranty:

Nintendo offers Nintendo Gamecube one year warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

The Nintendo Gamecube is a little surprise. The portability and cost of the console are irresistible, but what is disappointing is a fact that it has no support for DVD or audio CD and the availability of very few online titles. Though when you consider feature by feature, the Nintendo Gamecube lags behind, it is well positioned for the casual gamers as it has a few titles that would make any kid happy. The most tempting point and the seller feature of the Gamecube is its price tag.

Read Latest Game Console Reviews, exclusive Nintendo Wii Fit Review in our website.

Nintendo GameCube Gaming Console - Technical Specification Details

Manufacturer	Nintendo
Model Name	Nintendo Gamecube
Form factor	Compact
Dimensions (H X W X D)	4.3″ x 5.9″ x 6.3″
Display	None
Weight	5.3 lbs
Colours available	Purple, black and orange
Colour Support	Yes
Media Type	Nintendo GAMECUBE disc
Processor type	IBM PowerPC “Gekko”
Processor speed	485 MHz
Instruction Set	X86-to-RISC
Data Width	64 bit
RAM Installed ( Max )	24 KB 1T-SRAM - Integrated
Cache Memory	256 KB Write-Back
Expansion slots	Three
Storage	Nintendo GAMECUBE drive - 1.5 GB - Top-load
Graphic Effects	Shadows, Fog effects, MIP-mapping, Bump mapping, Anti-aliasing, Alpha-blending, Texture lighting , Bilinear filtering, Trilinear filtering, Anisotropic filtering and Texture compression (S3TC).
Supported Video	HF TV signal , Component video , Composite video
Sound Output Mode	16-bit / Stereo
Input device	Game pad
Connectivity	Four controller ports, two Digicard memory card ports, a standard audio/video-out port, and a digital-out port for HDTV, high-speed serial port, an expansion port, and a network adapter port for a 56K modem or broadband adapter
Power Device	Power adapter - External
Warranty	One year

Microsoft Xbox 360 LIVE Vision Camera Overview

Pros:

• Compatible with both windows and mac
• Tiny and so can be fit in anywhere.
• Balances well to almost place on any hard object.
• USB cord is long enough to position it any way you want.
• Sending pictures is possible.
• Video Chat runs smooth.

Cons:

• Camera will become mildly hot after 15 minutes of use
• Cannot create your own background themes.
• Not too many games use the service yet.

The complete Review:

When the Xbox 360 gaming console was released, we were all quite sure that a camera was going to be one of the accessories of the console. But we had expected its release to be done pretty soon, by Microsoft took its own time. When the spring updation was done to the Xbox 360 by Microsoft, one thing that all the gamers were quickly able to notice was the extra camera settings tab in the system blade. This is for the Xbox LIVE Vision camera which is essentially a standard PC style webcam. Xbox LIVE Vision puts a face to your gaming experience and allows you to get the most out of your Xbox LIVE Vision packages. Though we cannot say that bringing in a camera to the gaming console did not revolutionise the gaming experience, yet it brought in some excitement and added some more interesting things to a few of the existing games.

Design:

From a design standpoint, the Microsoft Xbox LIVE Vision camera is a pretty nice piece of gear. It matches the Xbox 360’s colouring, it tilts and swivels nicely, and it is meant to propped up on top of your TV or any flat surface.

Prominent features:

The USB2.0 is the most welcome support as it allows the console to be used in anything and everything that has support for USB2.0. The camera features a VGA resolution of 640×480 at a rate of 30 frames per second which is not that bad. The LIVE Vision camera is capable of taking still images at 1.3 mega pixels.

Xbox Live Vision setup:

Set up of the Xbox 360 LIVE Vision camera is extremely easy. First of all, once you unpack the device, find a nice place to put it next to your gamer. Then connect it to the nearest USB port available in the Xbox 360. And guess what? That is all that you need to do. There is no software to install. Of course if it had been ages since you had updated your Xbox  then just have an update using the Xbox Live. Switch on your Xbox, and immediately a ring of light around the camera will light-up to indicate that the webcam is connected. The ring of light looks absolutely gorgeous, it glows green if video capturing is going on. Not having to swap discs around or fiddle with PS2’s online service gives it infinitely more appeal than its only real console competition.

Find a good place for your Xbox Live Vision:

The only thing that us very tough in the part of installation is finding a right place to put you’re the LIVE Vision camera as in most of the cases, the Xbox 360 is in the living room connected to the TV and most of us usually tend to sit far back from the television set and so, you would look very tiny on the screen during video capture. However, having known this, Microsoft has added the zoom feature to the software program. This zoom feature allows the camera to focus over a specific portion of the screen. If you are having any doubts, all that you will have to do is, just hit the Guide button in the center of the pad and it is all fairly self-explanatory.

Compatibility:

Here is the answer for the question most of you are longing to get. Yes! LIVE Vision can also be used as a webcam for your Windows XP machine. Nice feature in case you do not have a webcam for your PC yet.

Compatibility with PS2 and PS3:

The LIVE Vision Camera is compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2 using USB 2.0 connection. It requires a microphone for audio when used on a PC. Drivers are not included with the Vision Camera, but must be downloaded by Windows when prompted. One problem with using the Vision cam on the PC is that it will not allow you to record videos with it only take pictures, unless you download additional supported software.
Mac OS X 10.4.9 added support for the USB video class group of peripherals, including Vision Camera. They work in iChat, Photo Booth and other applications that use Quicktime for video display, such as Skype. Connection over USB2 is also mandatory. The Vision Camera is also compatible with Sony’s PlayStation 3 but requires firmware 1.54.

Environmental Adjustments made:

You will be able to configure, test and play around with the video portion of the camera through the systems tab that can be seen in the Xbox dashboard followed by Xbox Live Vision. In this section you have got options for setting the room and lighting arrangements. For the room setting, the options available are, Auto, Light wall and Dark wall and for lighting, the options include Auto, Daylight, Fluorescent and Incandescent. As and when you are adjusting the lighting conditions, a grey ring swivels around the nose of the camera itself allowing you to refocus.

Visual effect:

Dashboard gives you another way of determining if the webcam works or not. The background has a watery effect and the current video feed is blended into the background of the current theme. The effect is very stylish, nifty and good looking. But, if the console is running for a long time, the camera has a tendency to warm up a little.

Getting the focus:

The operation of the Xbox 360 LIVE Vision camera from Microsoft is quite straightforward as all that you will need to do is simply point the camera at the object that you want to record and start to show off your shooting abilities. Since there is no auto focusing facility, if the object that you are trying to focus is unclear, then you will have to rotate the lens until you get the focus right.

Personalised gamer images:

The Xbox LIVE Vision camera can be used for video chat, personalised gamer images, still images and gaming video chats. The use of the camera is great fun when you use it with video games that come with support for camera. Some of the famous Xbox Live Arcade games that support the LIVE Vision camera are, UNO and Texas Hold’em. The real fun can be experience when you use it with the world series of the Poker Tournament of Championsx game. You will be allowed to create a Digimask face out of the snapshots taken by the camera. When you take personalized shots, you can also add predefined effects to the picture to just add some snazzy to the overall look and feel of the shot.

Digimask support:

The digimask face mapping support is available in games including FaceBreaker Football Manager 2007, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets and World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions.

In-game support:

The in game video support is given by the Xbox LIVE Vision camera for games including Battlezone, Band of Bugs, Bankshot Billiards 2, Bomberman LIVE Burnout Paradise ,  Carcassonne, Chessmaster LIVE, Civilization Revolution, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Domino Master, Duke Nukem 3D, Gin Rummy Hardwood, Backgammon, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades, Lost Cities, Pinball FX, Rocky and Bulwinkle, Soltrio Solitaire, Spyglass Board Games, Texas Hold ‘em - 4 person video chat, Ticket to Ride Uno - 4 person video chat, Uno Rush - 4 person video chat, Vigilante 8 Arcade, Warlords, Wits and Wagers and Word Puzzle.

Your picture in profile:

As and when you play the game, you will be able to get Live video feedback from the player under the gun. The anticipation and excitement is great. Your gamer profile can be updated using your Xbox LIVE Vision camera by taking a personal shot of yourself. Using it to customise your gamer picture is incredibly simple. Pull up the edit-profile page and you can take a photograph to replace whatever your gamer picture currently is. The personal picture can be seen only by your friends which is a good option as this prevents others from abusing you and misusing the camera. But if you have to talk to someone who is not your friend, you can still have a video conference.

When you are taking a picture, you have three seconds to get ready before the camera actually snaps the picture. After the picture is taken, you have the choice to add effects or take the picture all over again. As of right now, there is over 20 effects to choose from such as, black & white, a night camera effect, and the double Vision effect. Image quality for still photos is pretty mediocre.

Video chatting with Live Vision Camera:

And finally coming to the most obvious application of the Xbox LIVE Vision camera apart from using it for gaming purposes is, for video chatting with your friends. Just like the other webcam applications, it is not necessary for your friend also to have the LIVE Vision camera. You can have a video conference with your pal irrespective of the fact if he would have a cam or not. Once you accept the invitation, and the connection is been made and you can get a decent-size video stream of the other, while you can chat away using the bundled headset. Picture attachment messages can also be sent to your friend.

Their favourite feature though is the way you can make the other person’s pad rumble by holding the left or right trigger buttons. Presumably it is meant to be a sort of MSN Messenger style nudge function.

Microsoft Xbox 360 LIVE Vision Packages available:

The Xbox LIVE Vision camera can be purchased in two different packages. One is that, you could get the LIVE Vision camera with one month trial Xbox Live Gold Membership, Xbox 360 Headset and games UNO and TotemBall. The other package is that, the Xbox LIVE Vision comes with  Xbox 360 Headset, Twelve month Xbox Live Gold Subscription, 200 Marketplace Points, Robotron 2084, UNO and TotemBall games.

Verdict:

The long awaited release if the Xbox LIVE Vision camera is worth it. Microsoft’s slickly designed Xbox LIVE Vision for Xbox 360 is relatively inexpensive. You can expect more games to support the camera feature from Microsoft. The base package is inexpensive and will instantly add a new level of enjoyment to certain games as well as the Xbox 360 in general. Aside from that, the video-chat system and general integration with the dash is robust and inconspicuous, with little evidence of lag between you and the on-screen version of you, and little evidence of lag during video-chats either. Xbox LIVE Vision as a whole, though, has little to criticise about it. Being an answer to Sony’s EyeToy camera, the affordable Xbox LIVE Vision Camera for Xbox 360 is a success.

Microsoft offers Xbox 360 LIVE Vision Camera 2 years limited warranty.

You may also be interested in review of Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System Game Console.

Xbox 360 LIVE Vision Camera - Technical Specification Details

Manufacturer	Microsoft
Model Name	Xbox LIVE Vision Camera
Type	Accessory
Accessory for	Xbox 360
Accessory type	camera
Interface	USB 2.0
Colour	White
Video resolution	640 x 480 pixels
Video rate	30 frames per second
Still images resolution	1.3 mega pixels
Compatibility	Windows, mac, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3
Digimask support	FaceBreaker Football Manager 2007, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets and World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions.
In-game support	Battlezone, Band of Bugs, Bankshot Billiards 2, Bomberman LIVE Burnout Paradise , Carcassonne, Chessmaster LIVE, Civilization Revolution, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Domino Master, Duke Nukem 3D, Gin Rummy Hardwood, Backgammon, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades, Lost Cities, Pinball FX, Rocky and Bulwinkle, Soltrio Solitaire, Spyglass Board Games, Texas Hold ‘em - 4 person video chat, Ticket to Ride Uno - 4 person video chat, Uno Rush - 4 person video chat, Vigilante 8 Arcade, Warlords, Wits and Wagers and Word Puzzle.
Package 1	LIVE Vision camera, one month trial Xbox Live Gold Membership, Xbox 360 Headset and games UNO and TotemBall
Package 2	Xbox Live Vision, Xbox 360 Headset, Twelve month Xbox Live Gold Subscription, 200 Marketplace Points, Robotron 2084, UNO and TotemBall games
Power device	None
Warranty	Two years

Video games, which were first meant to be only for kids, slowly took over the adults too and since then, a major complaint that kept cursing off the video game manufacturers was that video games have took over their daily routine of exercising and is of no good. Just then Nintendo came up with a great solution called as the Nintendo Wii Fit. Before we go into the actual review of the Wii Fit, we will give you a small wrap-up on what the whole console is about, for those who are not aware of it.

Nintendo Wii console -  An intro

Nintendo Wii is an innovative gaming system that uses the motion sensor technology that allows the gamer to control the on-screen movements by his/her own movements. If you are very keen on knowing more about the Nintendo Wii gaming console, read our Nintendo Wii Review in this website.. While for a gamer the Wii offers plenty of Wii sports style games, for the sake of fitness, there are series of exercises that range from yoga to circuit training. Nintendo Wii Fit is designed in such a way that whatever you choose to do, you get to play and keep yourself fit at the same time.

The Nintendo Wii Fit Balance Board:

The Nintendo Wii Fit makes use of the interactive capabilities of the Wii console to develop ones physical fitness. The whole set up includes a 11″x9″ (WxD) inches balance board which is the main control of the Wii Fit over which you will stand on and the gaming software. It is an elegant and sturdy peripheral that features several internal scales that detects changes and pressures. The board has four rubber feet to help prevent it from slipping on smooth surfaces. The balance board is designed in such a way that it is tested to withstand all the gamers, yet has a weight limit of 150kgs. This balance board senses your center of gravity and weight by measuring the amount of pressure that you apply on each foot. The balance board works on 4 AA batteries that are included in the package. Similar to that of the Wii remote, the balance board is also very intuitive to use as you do an exercise or game.

Your first session:

On your first session with Wii Fit Game Console, it calculates your body mass index and gives your ideal weight, which is based on your height and once this is done, it displays your Wii Fit age, which would be a bad news for you most of the times. This takes into account your age, height and weight, and basically unless you are an athletic type, it humiliates you in bright letters on the screen in front of you. Suddenly the investment in a big TV will not be looking all that wise. Yet, you cannot leave it as it is and so, you will be compelled to do something about it. The Wii Fit from Nintendo will help you out by giving you daily workout of sorts which has a series of various activities that bother your body parts in different ways. Only one Wii Fit Age result can be recorded daily, although you can practice the variety of balance tests as many times as you want.

Tracks your fitness:

One thing that we liked to most about the Wii Fit is that, it keeps giving you immediate feedback on your progress and also keeps track of your work outs for a long period of time helping you to know if you are really improving or not. Another thing that we think that Nintendo has to make changes is that, each time you complete doing a pose, you will have to stand up and click over the next pose to continue. It would have been better if there was a flow.

The balance board is used by the Wii Fit to keep track of your weight on a daily basis too. The body weight is evaluated based on the BMI (Body Mass Index) and Wii Fit age. The Wii Fit games are fun and good workouts. For instance, if you take the skiing game, you go down a slope slalom style moving shifting the balance from your right to left foot. Which is a fantastic way of getting into practice for the real skiing. There are over 40 types of training activities that are designed to appeal to appeal people of all ages.

Problematic calculation:

The calculation of the BMI can prove to be problematic for some as the judgements such as that of the BMI and the fitness levels are not accurate. Nintendo does not explain the science of these measurements. While the BMI is good for measuring ones weight, the Wii Fit does not inform the user that variables such as muscle mass and age can significantly affect a score which results in rating a healthy, muscled person as over weighed.

Hard earned accesses:

You will not have access to everything at the beginning. You will have only little sessions of whatever you have unlocked. You get access to more only as you build up your training. You can also choose a password to protect your Wii Fit profile so that, the other users of the console cannot enjoy the access that you had got out of your hard work. And any unlocked activity can only be played with the profile that gains it.

Training:

The training falls into four major categories that are, Aerobic Exercise, Muscle Conditioning, Yoga Poses and fun balance games. The games and workouts are quick and linear as in the case of the Wii Sports. There is muscle building, some yoga, a lot of balancing works and even workouts for specific areas. For some of the activities, you will need to put yourself completely over the balancing board and for some others, you need to pick up your Wii remote.

All these categories have workouts form very basic stuffs to more strenuous ones. For instance, if you consider the muscle toning section, you get the basic lungs and then moves on to the strenuous parallel stretches and push-ups. The aerobic and balance activities have 18 games to choose from. The game options that you have with aerobics include hula hoops, Wii Sports-like boxing, step dancing, jogging, and more. The balance activities are what most casual users of Wii Fit will first gravitate to, and include ski jump, ski slalom, snowboarding , a table tilt game and more. Snowboarding asks you to turn the balance board sideways. Each activity features an onscreen indicator showing you where your weight should ideally be placed.

Actually cheaters are going to love this stuff as the board cannot actually track on what you are doing with your upper body.

The Yoga feature in Wii Fit:

Coming to the yoga sessions of the Nintendo Wii Fit console, the first thing that you will have to do is, select a trainer who can be a male or a female, which is your choice, to work along with. The trainer that you have taken will show you the poses, each of which will last for around 30 to 40 seconds. And as you are imitating the trainer, a graphics will appear on the display that indicates your balance. One thing that you must make sure is that, you must keep your TV at your eye level so that you can keep track on your progress without straining your neck. The standing balancing postures of the Wii Fit gives you amazing results and corrections. The yoga postures like the king dancer and tree are especially very important to know your center of gravity. You will be able to see a steady progress in your poses as you practice the poses regularly using the Nintendo Wii Fit.

Introduction of competitiveness:

The Wii Fit also introduces competitiveness while you are doing your yoga, wondering how, here it is. Once you complete doing your pose, a score is being given that is based on a measurement that is taken on the balance board’s measurement. The balance board measures your amount of success with the pose by calculating if you are holding the correct center of gravity or even based on if you have applied the appropriate level of pressure on your hands or feet. And that score that you have got is compared with the scores of the other people who use your Wii Fit Gaming Console and show you where you rank. The trainer gives you are great deal of encouragement and advice.

Misleading poses:

It would be much better if you know what you are doing before you start doing it regularly. As yoga is strictly based on correct placement of your body and if you do it incorrectly, you will end up with some undesired results. Though most of the postures of the trainer were correct, we were disappointed to see that some were not so. For instance, consider the Warrior II pose where the knee of your front leg must surely not come in front of the ankle, but this is exactly how the trainer poses.  The alignment also seems to be incorrect and the hips should be directly over the shoulders. The downward facing dog instruction is a disaster too. The Wii Fit asks you to place your hands over the board and keeps instructing you to apply more pressure on your arms which is actually not  the correct posture. In this pose, you will have to actually give more pressure on your legs and the pressure must not be evenly distributed. A compromise has been made on the alignment too, as the balance board is about two inches high, most of the poses are such that you will be having one leg on the board and the other off it or the hands over the board and the legs off it, making the posture quite awkward.

Limited access - A pain for some

As we mentioned earlier, you are given only a few postures to start with, then you will have to spend more time with the kit to get access to the other poses. This is a good option for some of them who are new to yoga, it will be good for them to get some good knowledge of the basics and then go to the advanced poses. But, for those who are already aware of the whole system and had got the Wii Fit kit primarily for the purpose of doing yoga, it is going to be annoying.

Verdict:

So coming to the verdict on the yoga portion of the Wii Fit, most of the information offered is quite accurate except the misleads of the trainer that we had mentioned above. Incorrect yoga alignment for the first timers is a bit annoying to think of. Otherwise, the Wii Fit enhances your home practice is a lot of ways which is good fun rather than following any video, which at times is damn boring. The interactive features keeps the system very interesting to use.

If your goal is just to exercise as soon as you get out of your cot, then Wii Fit does its job, but if you are looking for a serious workout, then you would be left alone wanting for more. One improvement that Nintendo can do is, pick out a series of poses and have them done like an actual workout. The whole concept of interactivity and actually involving yourself on a game is great, far better than sitting down with a control pad and doing nothing but exercising the thumbs. And while it will not have you sculpted like a bodybuilder at the end of a few months, you can see where it is going, and it is hard to object. The game encourages you to set a target body mass index, and presents you with the details and statistics you need to hit it. If you are willing to put the time in, and are not the type whose gym membership direct debit is working out more per visit than you would like, then it could be a smart investment.

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Nintendo Wii Fit - Technical Specification Details

Manufacturer	Nintendo
Product Name	Nintendo Wii Fit
Type	Gaming console
Dimensions	159 x 44 x 216mm
Weight	1.7 kg
Colour	White
CPU	PowerPC-based “Broadway” processor, made with a 90 nm SOI CMOS process, clocked at 729 MHz
GPU	ATI “Hollywood” GPU made with a 90 nm CMOS process, clocked at 243 MHz
Memory	512MB built-in flash memory 88MB main memory 3MB embedded GPU texture memory and framebuffer
Storage	Expanded storage via SD and SDHC card memory
Ports	Two USB 2.0 ports. Support for wireless controllers. 4 Nintendo GameCube controller ports and 2 Nintendo GameCube memory card ports. Optional USB PC-compatible 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless attachment.
Media	Slot-loading optical disc drive compatible with both 12 cm Wii optical discs and 8.0 cm GameCube optical discs (1.5 GB) as well as standard DVD discs. 2 Front-loading SD memory card slots.
Display type	4x controller (4-pin USB Type A), composite video output, S-Video output
Audio	Main: Stereo - Dolby Pro Logic II-capable Controller: Built-in speaker
Input device type	Wiimote, Balancing Board
Networking	Wi-Fi by Broadcom
Power consumption	18 watts when switched on 9.6 watts in standby with WiiConnect24 standby connection 1.3 watts in standby
Warranty	12 months