digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

See the original image at engadget.com

Wii fit is selling like gangbusters in Europe

engadget.com — Nobody really expected Wii Fit to be a flop, and obviously the rampant success in Japan should've tipped us off, but it looks like the little exercise-centric peripheral is really doing alright for itself over in Europe. Dixons.co.uk says it sold a Wii Fit every four seconds on Friday, and Amazon.co.uk says they sold out within 24 hours. No word on

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • yohnstoppable, on 04/28/2008, -4/+30This is going to work so well until I get lazy and use my hands to race. Just like with the nes power pad.
    • Farmer77, on 04/28/2008, -0/+6You just wanted to beat Cheetah.
    • zongamin, on 04/28/2008, -2/+3its not a racing game
    • PaulOwen, on 04/28/2008, -0/+6My wife is doing yoga on it in the living room.

      I've already tried cheating the Wii on boxing and the other exercises. It doesn't work with the Wii Fit because it senses that the weight on the board is different after doing the daily body test. Drat!
    • twishart, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2I confess, I jumped OFF the power pad for the long jump. Probably why I'm overweight now.
  • STKD, on 04/28/2008, -1/+9Spent three hours trying to find somewhere with it instock yesterday, and another few hours hunting in shops today. Sold out everywhere.
    • KingGorilla, on 04/28/2008, -0/+70At least you got a workout
      • dafragsta, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1Best reply... well, in a long time.
    • REBELinBLUE, on 04/28/2008, -0/+6Yeah my brother and his girlfriend tried about 15 different shops on Saturday, everywhere was sold out, same with a friend who ordered it last week from Play, sold out awaiting stock. Luckily I pre-ordered mine back in mid-march :D
    • zongamin, on 04/28/2008, -11/+1maybe you should have ***** pre ordered it, idiot.
  • KingGorilla, on 04/28/2008, -8/+1It's a start...
  • alexthecritic, on 04/28/2008, -20/+2buried for use of "gangbusters"
  • mushrooms538, on 04/28/2008, -1/+37three magic words and it sells like hotcakes in the US:
    weight loss program
    • CobaltBlue, on 04/28/2008, -1/+8And in Japan and Europe.
    • ElAssoWipo, on 04/28/2008, -7/+664 words and half of america can't buy one: 300lbs weight limit.
      • geartype2, on 04/28/2008, -2/+4hahahaha, you sir have made my day.
        • JudgeMonkey, on 04/28/2008, -11/+3Mine too, prejudice and stereotyping is awesome.
          • ElAssoWipo, on 04/28/2008, -1/+9Lol prejudice, even your pets are fat ffs.
    • sethkinast, on 04/28/2008, -2/+3That's actually five words (three hundred pound weight limit) :D
    • robbob, on 04/28/2008, -1/+2They don't claim Wii Fit to be a weight loss game. Its for you to get "it tune" to your body
    • afterlife23, on 04/28/2008, -8/+3your wrong, nintendo is on top because they made there products look like the ipod
      • h4ppydotcom, on 04/28/2008, -1/+5I hope you're doing that on purpose...
        PLEASE learn the difference between both YOUR and YOU'RE and THEIR, THERE and THEY'RE.
        It's not difficult and it stops people from feeling ill when they see your comment.
        • afterlife23, on 04/29/2008, -4/+2please learn i dont care about grammer
          • REBELinBLUE, on 04/29/2008, -0/+6Then you'd better start learning how to flip burgers.
          • afterlife23, on 04/29/2008, -5/+1actually im learning to become a videogame concept artists, so scew you
          • StandardsDT, on 04/29/2008, -0/+2Being in the Game Design major myself it's still a good thing to have proper grammar. Even though you are going to be a concept artist you still need to type things up especially for the Game Design Document. However the user could have gone about another way of correcting you in a more friendlier manner but yet again this is digg were talking about. Good Luck in the Game Design field!
          • REBELinBLUE, on 04/29/2008, -0/+3Yes it was a bit of a flippant comment but that was my point, it wasn't meant to be taken too seriously.

            In all seriousness, no matter what field you go into, if you just "don't care" enough to use language correctly you aren't going to get very far (unless you are incredibly talented or lucky of course). I am not one to correct people, we all make mistakes, I know I make more than my fair share of them, but there is a difference between making a mistake and just not caring. It isn't as if h4ppydotcom chastised afterlife23 about a subtle or complex grammatical mistake, it was the use of your/you're andtheir/there/they're, hardly difficult stuff. ;)
  • dxprog, on 04/28/2008, -15/+6If fat, hardcore gamers play this and get thin does that mean a nerd will get laid? It could be the end of the world as we know it!
    • strathound, on 04/28/2008, -5/+4No, they'll just come out with Wii Pron. :)
      • sevvo, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2They did: the recharge mechanic in 'No More Heroes' is pretty close to fapping.
      • rabidbob, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1With anamatronic add on?
    • Lewiji, on 04/28/2008, -0/+3I don't think any game can overcome crippling social inadequacy

      :'(
  • sleepyjjk, on 04/28/2008, -3/+40Are videogames the solution to everything?

    First Brain Age, then Wii Fit, what's next?

    Wii Global Warming? Help the environment?

    Actually, if these games can actually get people to start working out and start exercising their brains, that's fantastic. It would be great if video games could be used to get people enthused about other things in the world. It's such an easy way to motivate people to do these things - such as exercise their brain or body.
    • MsArtGeek, on 04/28/2008, -1/+9Not saying their a universal solution, but games are actually a really good tool for learning a good many things.. the right game can teach some concepts much quicker than a textbook or lecture. It's experience-based, it's dynamic, it's hands-on, and it shows how things change when we change our choices and actions. Not saying that we should all just jack in to the Net and never go outside, but I'm interested to see how interactive and game-based learning expands in the coming years.
    • blahtastic, on 04/28/2008, -2/+1We've had ddr for how long now? That provided more than enough of a workout to lose weight, and nobody does it. I don't see this as being very effective as an actual exercise device. Some of the stuff does look fun though, and I'd like to be proven wrong.
      • MsArtGeek, on 04/28/2008, -0/+6DDR has been successful enough to spawn several versions as a couple of knockoffs. It has a smaller niche though (IMHO), something like wii fit covers a bunch of stuff. People who don't want to do high speed dance steps might like the yoga, or the skiing, or whatever.
        • blahtastic, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2I agree that it's popular, but for the most part people don't use it for exercise, which is unfortunate because it provided great aerobic exercise. I lost about 50 pounds a few years back, and a good amount of it was due to that.

          It just seemed to me that after a short period the actual wii fit game will get boring, and people will move on to Family Ski and whatever else comes out that is decent for the board, if in fact something does.
      • dafragsta, on 04/28/2008, -0/+3DDR made crazy money and was the party game to play before Guitar Hero. I think you are just being a curmudgeon. Wii Fit is actually geared at exercise. No part of DDR involved leg lifts and pushups.
    • slightlygifted, on 04/28/2008, -2/+1arent you people ever motivated to go outside and train to say be on a sports team?
      • jbcsee, on 04/28/2008, -0/+5Not really, team sports require a time commitment most working adults cannot meet. However, I personally train for cycling races and 10k runs. Just the same I am tempted to get Wii Fit just because I never have time to make it to the gym for yoga classes, and yoga really does help your balance and breathing which are critical for the activities I do. Now I realize I could make it to yoga classes, which has the benefit of meeting many women, but see my first point (time commitments suck if you have a real job).
    • dillibob, on 04/28/2008, -2/+2ps3 can help cure cancer...
    • skywake, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1In Japan they have milked the "brain training" idea a hell of a lot more. They have Brain Training, Sight Training, General Knowledge Training, Calligraphy Training and a whole pile of language learning games. Its to the point that schools in Japan are using this software as a learning aid for their students. I don't know about you but if in High School if I was given a copy of "Italian training" and there was some sort of score board in place I would have done a hell of a lot more learning and a hell of a lot less "pretending to do work while I try to spell out words on my calculator".
  • peaceninja, on 04/28/2008, -11/+2id hit it
  • jerrycan, on 04/28/2008, -0/+44Is that more or less than hot cakes?
  • steelclash84, on 04/28/2008, -3/+9I think it is a neat concept, but I don't think it should replace typical exercise routines (gym, running, out-door sports, etc). I foresee this being a decent supplement to the aforementioned
    • jerrolds, on 04/28/2008, -0/+10it's better than sitting on the couch with a controller in your hand, i suppose.
    • macaddct1984, on 04/28/2008, -0/+7It can only replace an exercise routine if people are exercising to begin with...
    • zongamin, on 04/28/2008, -2/+4Its for lazy ***** like me who do NO other excercise
    • o0joshua0o, on 04/28/2008, -4/+2Be sure to consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
  • soundsofreason, on 04/28/2008, -8/+2Hopefully it sells just as well in the U.S.

    Then maybe we'll start seeing less people with missing milkshakes wedged in between their buttery butt cheeks.
  • over900000, on 04/28/2008, -19/+18Another gimmick.
  • incognit0, on 04/28/2008, -20/+5People are simply excited that they actually have an excuse to turn on the Wii again.
    • BenKenobi88, on 04/28/2008, -0/+18I dunno, I bought Mario Kart yesterday and it's great.
      • Steinr, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1thats the one I have been trying to buy for the whole day and no luck, finally succumbed to mail delivery from amazon. But it had the effect of exercise that the Wii fit is supposed to give.
    • MaTT2011, on 04/28/2008, -4/+6speak for yourself, douche.
      • zongamin, on 04/28/2008, -3/+5He's too busy things about playing yet another first person shooter on his ***** xbox
  • REBELinBLUE, on 04/28/2008, -0/+17Got mine on Saturday, it is great fun. Of the 11 hours playtime Wii Message board says I had on it this weekend, only about 80 minutes of that was mine, everyone wanted to play it.

    Great fun, and hey if it gets people to think about their bodies more that'll be a huge bonus.
  • cimordnilap, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2a couple days ago in liverpool i saw plenty in various shops. today i saw a couple shops with signs saying they are sold out, but im sure if someone looks hard enough theres still some out there
  • Supernova36, on 04/28/2008, -2/+38What the hell is a gangbuster?
    • zeldafan, on 04/28/2008, -1/+29Well it's kind of like a ghostbuster, only different.
    • over900000, on 04/28/2008, -0/+5gang bang on a completely different scale.
    • MrSidnet, on 04/28/2008, -1/+2Never knew ghostbusters sold.
    • xkorbin, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2Guns firing, police sirens, mass chaos and action.
    • bebop717, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2gang·bus·ter (gngbstr)
      n. Slang
      A law enforcement officer who works to break up organized criminal groups.
      adj. also gangbusters
      Extremely successful: an experiment yielding gangbuster results; a profitable, gangbusters quarter.
      Idiom:
      like gangbusters Slang
      With great impact, vigor, or zeal: came on like gangbusters at the start of his campaign; a career that took off like gangbusters.
      knowledge is power for real!
    • o6uoq, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1Someone who walks into gangbangs, and busts them up.
  • gametavern, on 04/28/2008, -4/+11how many people will start saying "yeah, but GTA will sell.."

    I'll get this. Use it for a week and let it sit in the closet like the rest of my Wii stuff.
    • afterlife23, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2pikmin wii
      starfox wii
      mario tennis wii
      mario paint
      f-zero wii
      another zelda wii
      should all come out and make good use of motion controls
      • D4CH, on 04/29/2008, -1/+1pikmin? eewww...
        In Danish thats "dick mine" or turn it around: My dick.
  • RolltheStampede, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1I like how Zero Punctuation put it. It is selling like "Billy - O"
  • afterlife23, on 04/28/2008, -13/+4VOTE XENU 2008!
  • ifonly, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1For some reason my fat friend beats me on the jogging game, anyone know how the game measures the points?
    • popfrogs, on 04/28/2008, -1/+4By I.Q.
    • REBELinBLUE, on 04/29/2008, -0/+2The jogging game is not to do with speed, it is to do with maintaining a constant rhythm.
  • RebornInFlames, on 04/28/2008, -12/+3Is it just me or is this for incredibly stupid people who can't figure out how to go the ***** outside?
  • andyn8484, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1I'm just waiting for it to be endorsed by Jared Fogle
  • Familyguykiller, on 04/28/2008, -1/+4Ha insane. Video games are really going to grow this year with all the hits from nintendo and of course GTAIV
  • Nerina85, on 04/28/2008, -1/+2I saw this in someone's blog somewhere, it looks like a fun and interactive way to play. Big PLUS is that it gets people up and moving rather than sitting there for hours. Who knows, maybe I start playing video games now!
  • browny1978, on 04/28/2008, -0/+8i bought this, i hope more games are released to use the board, they would be cool
    • Syphon8, on 04/28/2008, -0/+4EA Skate ported to Wii?

      We can only dream.
  • cycledesign, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2I have to mention this when I see that ridiculous use of "gangbusters" http://curmudgeonmanifesto.blogspot.com/2007/01/co ...
  • max1018, on 04/28/2008, -0/+3My dad picked one of these up, just for a bit of fun. Suppose we were lucky at getting one, didn't realise they were selling out so fast.
  • d3dm, on 04/28/2008, -3/+3If you're going to market a video game console to improve the health of people in the UK, there would need to be a game that used the Wii's controller in a "brush down from the top, brush up from the bottom" motion.
  • slightlygifted, on 04/28/2008, -3/+1hear, hear! gather round for my secret to weight loss. stop eating ***** and do 45 minutes of aerobic exercise a day, and go the gym 3 days a week. do i get money now?
    • kravex, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1We all know that, we just don't want to do it.
  • bbqsalad, on 04/28/2008, -4/+5I bet 93% of all the units sold end up sitting collecting dust within 1 month.
  • DeadlyCouncil, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2I've always wondered what the hell a gangbuster is...
  • yujie, on 04/28/2008, -1/+1Does this contain a gang bang'n activity?
  • mikeyeah, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1I'll be buying a Wii Fit this May. I'm also looking forward to the next Nintendo sensation..."Wii Masturbate."
    • MethodOne, on 04/29/2008, -0/+2Instead of having that act in a stand alone game, how about including it along with other sexual acts in Wii Sex?
  • veloscaper, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1Ninetendo, masters of the artificially created demand based on short supply marketing program. Profit margins are good.
    • mustbepatient, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1Short supply? Certainly not relative to the other video game systems.
  • pinje, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1When I bought it on friday pretty much everyone in the queue was getting it. Just hope nintendo and other developers make use of it for games.
  • kravex, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1Already a Ubisoft Rabbid trailer with the board in it on ign.
  • o6uoq, on 04/29/2008, -1/+1I bought this on Friday from HMV in London City. It had sold out by 9am. I was the 3rd last in the queue with one. Everyone in front of me had a Wii Fit either by luck of getting in early, or on pre-order. I have competed in triathlons before, so I know a bit about my body and about keeping fit. Wii Fit is no answer to health - but it is certainly a great supplement. I can do 1-2 hours in the gym 3/4 times a week, but I never bother to stretch properly or find the time to do half an hour of yoga in the morning. The Wii Fit makes it incredibly easily to wake up, do 30mins of yoga, goto work, goto gym, and if need be on non-gym days - do muscle stretches, balance games, and learn more about my body. It is incredibly informative and will probably benefit me in health in ways and knowledge that no gym or gym instructor has to date.

    :D
  • vstinger, on 05/02/2008, -0/+0@06uoq. Thats what I want to do the yoga. I looked around yesterday for a wii fit board, with out luck then ended up finding a wii fit in stock just a moment ago from the stockchecker. Can't promise if there are any more. You'll never know, might be one or two more in stock. http://www.ecbiz.co.uk/wii-fit.htm

  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.