EA Announces Wii Fitness Game

By Geoff Duncan Published November 13, 2008

EA Announces Wii Fitness Game

Mega video game publisher Electronic Arts has announced it will launch EA Sports Active for the Wii in spring 2009 (we presume they’re referring to the northern hemisphere) as the first is what the company is claiming will be a new line of fitness products. On the Wii, EA Sports Active will compete with Nintendo’s own Wii Fit, launched earlier this year, and will join a growing number of titles (including one from Jillian Michaels) designed to get normally sedentary video gamers up and moving around.

“EA Sports Active and our entrance into the fitness space is an exciting and groundbreaking milestone for EA Sports,” said EA Sports president—and former Xbox chief—Peter Moore, in a statement. “As we continue to expand our brand, we have a real opportunity to redefine the home fitness experience with a more Western cardiovascular approach and exercises that will appeal to a diverse audience, getting people off the couch and into shape while interacting with our products in a way never before possible.”

EA Sports Active will feature a virtual trainer and “30 Day Challenge” that will offer a new 20-minute workout every time a player exercises and offer a road map for players to reach their own individual fitness goals. Each circuit will offer different intensities, and focus on offering players positive encouragement and feedback on technique in every workout. Users will also be able to create their own custom workouts, and the game will support the Wii Balance Board to add additional functionality to exercises and routines. Exercises will target the upper and lower body, as well as offer cardio workouts. EA Sports Active will also support two players so friends and/or family can work out together.

EA Sports Active will be priced at $59.99—which EA wants everyone to know is less than a gym membership.

EA has not announced any details of additional products it plans to launch as part of a fitness line.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

Everything announced at The Game Awards 2023

The Game Awards live show.

We've come to the end of 2023, and after a year of gigantic, highly anticipated releases and delightful surprises in the video game world, we've come to the expected conclusion. Some of the biggest games of the last few years, like Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2, battled it out for the top prize amid a varied string of announcements Thursday night, with Baldur's Gate 3 eventually emerging with six wins, including Game of the Year and Best Performance for Neil Newbon. Alan Wake 2, which had the same number of nominations as Baldur's Gate 3, received three awards and stole the show with the Herald of Darkness live performance. Elsewhere, Cocoon and Sea of Stars scored in the indie categories, while Forza Motorsport snuck in with two wins.

However, the main focus of The Game Awards is the announcements, which set the stage for the next year of releases. Not only did we get details on Hideo Kojima's Xbox game, but we also got reveals for Monster Hunter Wild, God of War DLC, Arkane Lyon's new game, and so much more. Check out all the biggest announcements below.

Gaming

Play these 3DS and Wii U games before Nintendo shutters their online features

Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In April 2024, Nintendo will discontinue online services across its Wii U and 3DS consoles. While the eShops for both systems were shut down in March 2023, this will remove the online functionality of many apps and games, making gaming on either of these platforms an almost entirely offline experience. As a result, many games on those systems will lose important features and never be quite the same to play afterward. So, you'll need to get some gaming time in by next April if you want to refresh and preserve the memories of playing online on these two underdog Nintendo platforms.
While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
While far from balanced, Kid Icarus Uprising's Together Mode is one of the most entertaining competitive multiplayer experiences exclusive to 3DS. It can be played locally, using bots to fill in empty spots, so thankfully it won't stop working entirely. Still, it's not easy in 2023 to come across multiple people near you who have copies of Kid Icarus Uprising and want to play. As such, check out this cult classic 3DS game's hidden gem of a mode before praying that the rumors of a remaster eventually become true.
Nintendo Badge Arcade

Gaming

Nintendo is shutting down online services for 3DS and Wii U next April

Mega Man and Mario fight in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U,

Nintendo confirmed it will widely shut down online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games in April 2024, which will be just over a year after it discontinued the Nintendo eShop on those systems.
This deactivation of most of the online services for those platforms was revealed on X (formerly Twitter) and Nintendo's support site early Wednesday. "In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution," the message says. "We will announce a specific end date and time at a later date. Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned. We sincerely thank players for using the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software over a long period of time and apologize for any inconvenience."
Essentially, this means that after April 2024, you won't be able to use any online features in things like 3DS Pokémon games or Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U anymore. Nintendo does say in the Q&A section of its support article that people will still be able to play games offline and redownload updates and games from the Nintendo eShop for the foreseeable future. Pokémon Bank will remain unaffected, so it'll still be possible to transfer Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire all of the way to Pokémon Home. However, SpotPass support and other online-focused applications like Nintendo Badge Arcade will stop working entirely.

Just like the Wii U and 3DS eShop closure that caused a ruckus earlier this year, this move is a blow to game preservation and will forever harm some games not available anywhere else. While it's understandable that Nintendo might want to move on from these systems' dated online infrastructure, it's still a disappointing move for those of us who spent a lot of time playing games offline and online on these systems.