The much-rumoured Wii Fitness project has come to fruition at this year’s E3 Media and Business summit in Santa Monica, California. Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto unveiled not a Wii Channel as many had predicted, but Wii Fit - standalone software that integrates a Balance Board.

“Have you all been getting a sweat on lately?” joked Shigeru Miyamoto in reference to the punishment so many Wii owners have put themselves through during long sessions of Wii Sports and other such energy-sapping games on the console. This was the preliminary statement before he (with the help on an on-stage translator) announced Wii Fit - Nintendo’s new attempt to blend the Wii, exercise and to get the whole family using the console.

Let Nintendo help bust that gut!

The centre piece of the whole shebang is the Balance Board, a device that looks a bit like a slim set of bathroom weighing scales. By applying pressure to it (by standing or pushing with your arms during press ups etc.), it can measure your actions and relay them to your Wii. Examples showed stepping, push ups, hula-hoop motions, heading and dodgying soccer balls, dancing, yoga and simple ball-rolling exercises where weight is shifted from one foot to other.

Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aims then took centre stage to demonstrate the Balance Board’s power to read players’ Body Mass Index (BMI), a scale that measure fitness in individuals. Miyamoto explained that users’ BMI’s could be tracked over time to see how their fitness levels were, whilst comparing the results with those of other members of the family.

Check out some key features:

The hit combination of Wii Sports™ and the Wii Remote™ brought golf swings and tennis serves into people’s homes. Now Nintendo turns the living room into a fitness center for the whole family with Wii Fit and the Wii Balance Board. Family members will have fun getting a “core” workout, and talking about and comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu.

• Lean to block soccer balls, swivel hips to power hoop twirls or balance to hold the perfect yoga pose. As users stand on the Wii Balance Board, included with Wii Fitness, their body’s overall balance is tied to the game in a way they’ve never experienced before.
• Wii Fitness also uses the Wii Balance Board for daily tests. These evaluate two key measures that a household can track via progress charts:
• Body Mass Index (BMI): A weight evaluation based on a ratio of weight to height.
• Wii Fitness Age: The Wii Fitness Age is measured by factoring the user’s BMI reading, testing the user’s center of gravity and conducting quick balance tests.
• Wii Fitness includes more than 40 types of training activities designed to appeal to all members of a household. Training falls into four fitness categories:
• Aerobic Exercise: 10-minute exercises that are designed to get the heart pumping.
• Muscle Conditioning: Controlled motions using arms, legs and other body parts.
• Yoga Poses: Classic poses that focus on balance and stretching.
• Balance Games: Fun activities, such as ski jumping and heading soccer balls, that challenge the player’s overall body balance.

Miyamoto explained that Wii Fit was the kind of idea that Nintendo had in mind for the Wii ever since its inception, as a way to capture the hearts and minds of everyone introduced to it. No release date was confirmed, but we’ll keep you posted.