Hardware Wii U Fit Meter?

[K3Nv4]

This is my first time seeing this and I can't believe people are acutally buying this product and using it and giving it good ratings.

http://www.amazon.com/Wii-U-Fit-Meter-nintendo/dp/B00FF9MLQW

 

[Taleweaver]

Then prepare to be amazed, as I'm using that very product RIGHT NOW.
(in fact...I've clocked in at a distanc of 1196.7 km and a height of 6194 meter).

Ahem...while that isn't a lie, it's not exactly the best product ever. And my response would be that I don't get why people would be buying it NOW and giving it good ratings NOW. There was an action last year that you could download the wii fit u demo for a month. If you synced a wii u fit meter with it, it would permanently unlock the game. Since I already had the board, buying a meter for 25 euro's was a pretty good deal. Even though the game itself isn't very good.

I already complained about a simple lack of chronometer on that thing, but since then, I noticed the step counter is completely off the wall as well. I live next to a park with a jogging area with milestones every kilometer. So I tested it: synced all my data, went for a 16 km jog* (and a couple 100 meters extra of getting to the starting point), then synced again. The thing insisted that I ran only about 12 km. By itself, this is pretty normal, as the thing counts your STEPS. But there simply is no way to calibrate the damn thing. I remember having another pedometer at some point that was so cheap that it was being given away at a sports event. But that thing allowed you to set your average step length and included a chronometer.

In other words: I hate to say it** but those reviewers giving it 4 or 5 stars are dolts. They probably never done sports seriously before, so rather grade it for what it has to offer rather than what it SHOULD offer (though in defense, I gotta say that virtually climbing the mount everest is kind of a motivation to drag that thing everywhere ).


*I was practicing for the Antwerp ten miles at that time
**not really: I actually love to pity them

 

[K3Nv4]

Then prepare to be amazed, as I'm using that very product RIGHT NOW.
(in fact...I've clocked in at a distanc of 1196.7 km and a height of 6194 meter).

Ahem...while that isn't a lie, it's not exactly the best product ever. And my response would be that I don't get why people would be buying it NOW and giving it good ratings NOW. There was an action last year that you could download the wii fit u demo for a month. If you synced a wii u fit meter with it, it would permanently unlock the game. Since I already had the board, buying a meter for 25 euro's was a pretty good deal. Even though the game itself isn't very good.

I already complained about a simple lack of chronometer on that thing, but since then, I noticed the step counter is completely off the wall as well. I live next to a park with a jogging area with milestones every kilometer. So I tested it: synced all my data, went for a 16 km jog* (and a couple 100 meters extra of getting to the starting point), then synced again. The thing insisted that I ran only about 12 km. By itself, this is pretty normal, as the thing counts your STEPS. But there simply is no way to calibrate the damn thing. I remember having another pedometer at some point that was so cheap that it was being given away at a sports event. But that thing allowed you to set your average step length and included a chronometer.

In other words: I hate to say it** but those reviewers giving it 4 or 5 stars are dolts. They probably never done sports seriously before, so rather grade it for what it has to offer rather than what it SHOULD offer (though in defense, I gotta say that virtually climbing the mount everest is kind of a motivation to drag that thing everywhere ).


*I was practicing for the Antwerp ten miles at that time
**not really: I actually love to pity them

Every single website I've been looking at is giving it 4+ ratings lol.

 

[shinkodachi]

I have a Fit Meter and I want to be 100% honest with you about it:

1) I bought it to unlock the promo version of Wii Fit U on eShop (promo has already ended) so I'd save money on Wii Fit U, which at the time I found interesting. I've never played Wii Fit before, as I didn't own a Wii, so this was my first venture into the series and I wanted to be cheap about it without paying too much for it.

2) Initially, I thought the Fit Meter was cool and the software updates to Wii Fit U actually make it usable now (e.g. you can sync the Fit Meter right upon launching the software, whereas before you had to go all the way in and navigate to the Fit Meter menu making it bothersome to use).

3) It's one of the most accurate pedometers I've used and that says a lot as I've (unfortunately) put a lot of money into other products like this (i.e. Nike+ sensor with Nike+ shoes, Garmin GPS watch, Jawbone UP bracelet, etc.). It's also sophisticated for what it is (it even has a pressure sensor) and so I recommend you read through this Iwata Asks article that takes a closer look on the Fit Meter: http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/fit-meter/0/0. It's an interesting read if anything.

4) I've not used Wii Fit U in many weeks now. I'm busy with work and other parts of life, so by the time I have some leisure I want to play other games and Wii Fit U just isn't interesting enough for me. I can hardly call it a workout and the activities seem bland for the most part, though there are fun activities as well. That's saying that I don't like having to use the Fit Meter with Wii Fit U. It'd be better if I could just use it standalone.

5) I keep the Fit Meter in my pocket. I rarely notice it and I forget it's there. I don't remember to check it. I'm just not the kind who wants to know numbers. However, by the time I do take it out of my pocket, it's nice to see the stats. I may even grab the Wii U GamePad, launch Wii Fit U, sync the Fit Meter, and watch as I complete one of the Fit Meter "challenges" that make your Mii run up mountains (counting your altitude score) or tracks (counting your steps) all the way from New York running course to climbing Mount Everest. It's fun and does sort of make you motivated to check in more often with your Fit Meter.

6) It's not unnecessary, but it's also not necessary. It's a good accessory, works perfectly well, makes you that bit more motivated to walk the stairs vs. taking the elevator, but that's pretty much it. I'm just amazed a small thing like the Fit Meter is more accurate than expensive sports gear that does the same thing. Its battery seems to last forever as I've never had to replace it (a CR2032 coin battery).

----

Verdict: Yes, people buy them. It's a good product, though it's limited in use. Make of it what you want, but it does live up to its claims and for that deserves a solid ranking.

 

[lordelan]

Fast forward 10 years (lol) and that amazon link still works so thanks for that, OP. Just bought it from there as I wanted the black one rather than the white version. I'm also going to buy the official black balance board now and for the first time in my life I'll be digging into Wii Fit (U).

Why? Because I just wiped the dust away from my Wii U last week, updated from Haxchi to Aroma and fell in love with it again. At the same time my fear of hardware (like this) disappearing from Amazon and eBay raises so I try to get what I can while I can. Wii Fit U in particular looks fun for a few days. Reviews say it's worth than Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus (I'll be checking those out too) but the mini games kinda go in that Wii Sports Resort direction that I like.

The only sad thing is that there is no way to either sync the Wii U Fit Meter to Google Fit or (even better) sync my Google Fit (for which my smartwatch counts steps) to Wii Fit U. That would be pretty awesome.
All I found is an unfinished homebrew to sync the Wii U Fit Meter to a 3DS lol.

 

[Taleweaver]

...did I just got a like for a post from 10 years ago?
(note: apparently my equally old review's link from wii fit u is broken. I hope this one still works: https://gbatemp.net/blogs/wii-fit-u-isnt-very-good.9605/). I just reread it, and...it's kind of fun reading back to what I was thinking back then.

Even more hilarious...did you seriously bought a wiiu fit meter? Now?
Knowing nintendo, it probably still works as well, but...to be honest, I wouldn't want one even if it was free. Which...probably technically IS free, since it could very well be it's under a layer of dust on the attic somewhere. I still jog, but using the free app strava is far superior if you can avoid signing up. It just uses your GPS coordinates rather than relying on steps that could be at best "in the area of your movement" if you're the average height of the average Japanner.

Wii fit board is cool, though. In fact, I'll probably dust off mine soon to entertain my 4 year old.

 

[lordelan]

Even more hilarious...did you seriously bought a wiiu fit meter? Now?

I did. It should arrive any day now (had to import it).
I'm a sucker for the Wii/Wii U, especially since I just recently revived my Wii U with Aroma. I've never had a balance board so I just went all in for both, board and meter now. Balance board (of course a black one) should arrive this week as well. I know that I probably won't be playing any of the three Wii Fit titles for too long but a few mini games looked fun (kinda like Wii Sports Resort) and I figured I'd rather get all the needed hardware before it disappears from the market.

I still jog, but using the free app strava is far superior if you can avoid signing up. It just uses your GPS coordinates rather than relying on steps that could be at best "in the area of your movement" if you're the average height of the average Japanner.

That's great and all but it won't sync to Wii Fit U. I also use my Smartwatch to track everything and have it on both, Google Fit and Samsung Health but since there's no way of syncing that to a Wii U (sadly) I guess I'll carry the Wii U Fit Meter with me for a few days and see whether I enjoy it or not.