Nintendo launches new fitness video game in U.S.

By Scott Hillis

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd launched its "Wii Fit" exercise game in the United States on Monday, hoping to get gamers off the couch and appeal to new audiences such as women and older people.

Nintendo is banking on "Wii Fit" to further broaden the appeal of its Wii gaming console, which has already become a smash hit due to its motion-sensing controller and simple, easy-to-learn games.

"There has been fitness software before, but with the positioning of it, the marketing might behind it and the product itself, it's the biggest health product for a video game system I've ever seen," said IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon.

"Wii Fit" is the latest major title Nintendo has launched this year, one that is aimed most clearly at a nontraditional audience of mothers and older customers who are uninterested in established franchises like "Mario" and "Pokemon."

The game, which costs $90 and comes with a shoulder-width "balance board" that senses shifts in posture, should also help Nintendo address concerns over the tendency of Wii owners to buy fewer games than owners of Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 and Sony Corp's PlayStation 3.

"The secret weapon of the Wii is getting more people within the household to play. Each one of those people is going to buy fewer games than the hard-core gamer would, but it adds up," Pidgeon said.

Pidgeon and other analysts said they expect sales of "Wii Fit" to be limited only by how many units Nintendo can make, with some estimating that up to 30 percent of the nearly 10 million Wii owners in the United States will buy the product in the next few weeks.

In a sign of strong demand, the Web site of retail giant Wal-Mart said it had sold out of its pre-order allocation of "Wii Fit," and Amazon.com said it was out of stock as well.