In a recent post this blog reported on a new phenomenon that is occurring as a result of extensive and widespread usage of the Wii and the Wii Balance Board. To recap, as more people use the Wii as an exercise tool, they are sustaining injuries in their knees, back and wrists because of overuse and proper planning. Here are a few ways to use the balance board injury free.

First, treat the balance board as any other form of exercise. Warm up and stretch before any session lasting more then a few minutes, and don't do more then you are capable of. After each exercise, remember to cool down and stretch again.

Second, know your limits. You're probably not as in good shape as you were 10 years ago, and you will feel it if you're not careful. Work within your limits to get a good experience from the balance board without hurting yourself.

Third, give yourself time in between games. Play games 3 or 4 times a week instead of everyday, and make sure you get a good nights sleep before playing a game.

Fourth, consult your Doctor. Tell him you are beginning a routine that involves different exercises and stress on the joints (specifically knees, back and elbow). Ask him what suggestions he/she has regarding this type of exercise.

Finally, have fun - realize that the Wii and the balance board specifically are physical games that are new and require some getting used to. At the same time, they are designed to be fun. Try and find the proper balance between the fun part and the exertion part and you will end up having a much better Wii experience.

About the author
When she's not on her balance board, Maya Richard is blogging. Right now she is writing about high speed internet for Cable Modem Help. You can reach her with questions about Internet, Wii and blogging on mayarichard@gmail.com

No, this is not the first in a serious of new Wii fitness titles targeting specific body parts. Instead it's a new Wii-related injury according to an article on The Tech Herald. Now I like to think of myself as fairly active so I wouldn't have expected to hurt myself playing a game, but I've also had my share of Wii related injuries, including Wii elbow from some particularly vigorous games of baseball on Wii Sports. As a result, this latest injury doesn't come as a surprise especially given the increasing number of wii balance boards out there now.

In part, you can expect an increase in Wii injuries as grandparents everywhere suddenly find themselves off the couch swinging wildly in the air and moving body parts they forgot existed, all for the joy of their darling grandchildren. But even regularly active folk are caught off guard as they use previously ignored muscles in strange new ways. I guess we're just not used to a 'game' that challenges us physically. Afterall, when you engage in sport you usually warm up first right? You don't just go at it guns blazing from the start (as you do in a game) and then wonder why the next morning you can't even lift your arms high enough to brush your own teeth.

I'm not sure what it's like outside of the UK, but I'm surprised that the health and safety nannies over here aren't all over this like a bad rash. Maybe they're still working on their 150 page manifesto "Preventing Wii Related Injuries In The Home".

I regularly receive emails from readers wanting to know if it's possible to buy a Wii Balance Board without having to buy Wii Fit. Up until now, the answer has always been the same - no. But that's all changed thanks to Wu Fit, an actual working Wii Balance Board copy (it was only a matter of time).

Now I have to say I was a little sceptical when I first saw news of this on the web but after some investigation, it looks like it really is the real deal. In fact there's already a video review on YouTube. Getting your hands on one may prove to be tricky at the moment but they seem to be distributed by a wholesaler based in China so expect to see them appearing on eBay soon.

And as with any copycat device, it's buyer beware. There's no guarantee that it will be 100% compatible with all balance board games and then there's the question of warranty if it breaks.

Oh and in case you were wondering, it doesn't ship with the Wii Fit game itself which is fine if you only want to play other Wiiboard compatible games. If you want to try out the actual Wii Fit games you'll have to borrow a disk from a friend. But here's a handy tip - if all you want to do in Wii Fit is regular body tests to track your weight and you can borrow a disk, simply install the Wii Fit channel on your console. Then you can continue to do the body tests without needing the disk.

For many years, video games were blamed in the mainstream media for contributing to laziness, apathy, and a downturn in the level of physical activity for those who played video games. When the Wii broke onto the market in 2006, however, gaming became immediately more physical. With the introduction of WiiFit and the Wii Balance Board, the possibilities for more physically demanding games became more far-reaching still.

How does exergaming benefit the people who play these games? The benefits of these games, both physically and educationally, are the focus of this article.

1. Exergaming has a wide appeal. Going to the gym is not for everyone, and neither is going outside to exercise. Exergaming appeals to people of all ages and walks of life, and enables people to exercise on their own time and on their own terms.
2. Exergaming is interactive. For many, the idea of exercise is boring. Exergaming offers an interactive way to stay physically fit and breaks the monotony of exercising alone in a gym. Turning exercise into a game involves people who may not normally have wished to exercise in the first place.
3. Exergaming tracks your progress for you. Rather than maintaining your own records, WiiFit and other games that use the Wii Balance Board save your statistics, making it effortless for the user to track his or her progress. This in turn motivates the user to challenge him or herself to do better, which is the beauty of pairing up exercise and gaming.
4. Exergaming creates interest in other activities. Exergaming is the gateway for many real physical activities. From tennis to skateboarding, players of physically active video games soon develop interests in the real-life versions of the games they play on the Wii. Those who like certain formats also seek out other video games that offer the same interactive physical activity.
5. Exergaming has limitless possibilities. With the popularity of the Wii, WiiFit, and the Wii Balance Board, the possibilities truly are limitless. From more physically demanding games, to educational applications, the integration of physicality into the world of gaming is truly the way of the future for gaming.

About the author
This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick who writes on the subject of graduate school scholarships. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com.

We've all heard of exergaming, but what do you get when you mix a hacked Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner with a balance board? You get exercleaning. Housewives the world over rejoice. Now you can combine exercise and the pesky household chores into one time-saving activity, freeing you up for more daytime telly.

Seriously though, I don't really see any practical application for this particular techno-marriage but you've got to admire the ingenuity.

WiiFlash.org has just released the latest version of WiiFlash Server which now includes support for the Wii Balance Board. WiiFlash is similar to WiimoteLib which I've mentioned previously (see Wii Board Hacks) but in addition to providing a Bluetooth events server for communicating with the Wiimote and balance board, WiiFlash includes an ActionScript API.

And if you think WiiFlash is just 'for fun' think again. Below is a screenshot of a project developed by Fernando Flórez for Visa and the Beijing Olympics. WiiFlash Server also includes support for online applications so expect to see a lot more of this over the coming months.

Ok, maybe I stretched the facts a little bit. Xbox VP David Gosen didn't exactly call the Wii Balance Board a gimmick in so many words but he certainly implied it in a recent interview with develop magazine. When asked about Microsoft's peripheral strategy here's what he had to say:

"What Nintendo have done with the Wii is truly fantastic – there is no question about it. But I think sometimes there is a thin line between gimmick and great gameplay. We've seen some research that says 60 per cent of people who bought a Wii Fit play it once and don't play it again. ...We have to ensure that the peripheral strategy that anyone employs makes sense and delivers a truly game changing experience. Because if it's just 'okay' it will end up in the cupboard under the stairs."

Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive but in my view, I think it's clear what he's implying there. As for the "research" he's referring to, that sounds a lot like the original IT Media poll in Japan which doesn't necessarily reflect what's going on in the rest of the world today, especially if our survey is anything to go by which shows that 56% of Wii Fit owners use it every day.

I don't see the Wii Fit game as a measure of the success or failure of the Wii Balance Board as a peripheral. Yes there are lots of balance boards gathering dust but that's not because it's a gimmicky peripheral. It's because people have gotten bored or frustrated with Wii Fit, and I'm pretty sure that if there were more balance board compatible games available, those Wiiboards would be well used.

You can read David Gosen's full interview here.

Clearly these Aussies have too much time on their hands - but they're pretty adept at Photoshop. Since there's not too much happening right now in the world of balance board, here's a Friday Funny courtesy of gameplayer.

For the most part, their list of "7 Balance Board games they should make..." is pure sillyness with titles like Loungeroom Luge, Word to your mother breakdancing and my personal favourite, Tom Hanks’ Pro Skater 2, with the tagline "Because Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam sold, and it was utter BALLS".

But Marty McFly Hoverboarding - that could actually fly (excuse the pun). Now I enjoyed the Back to the Future Trilogy but I wouldn't necessarily want to go to Hill Valley 2015 to play the game but just the concept of hoverboarding could work. So come on EA/Ubisoft, we know you've got your hands full with skating/snowboarding but surely it's not a massive jump to hoverboarding?

Ever wondered what's inside your Wii Balance Board but been too afraid to open it up in case it never worked again? Well now you know. As with with most tech these days it's filled with mostly .... nothing. A nice solid metal frame and two circuit boards. One board is obviously for Bluetooth - the other is a bit of a mystery to me.

Image source: MyNintendo.ru

In the runnup to the release of Wii Fit, there was loads of speculation on the Balance Board about possible games and potential applications. At the time, the idea of using the Wii Board with driving simulators to control breaking and accelerating seemed a bit out there but it was only a matter of time before somebody went and did it.

That somebody has turned out to be GlovePIE wizz, Mike Sylvester, who has written a script to use both the Wii Wheel and the Wii Balance Board with Need For Speed ProStreet. Check out his Wii Racing Xperiment - it makes for some interesting reading and he's also posted a video showing the script in action.