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.