StarQ’s ifit Sports sells for 280 yuan (appx. $41 USD), and instead of a Balance Board, comes with a floor mat that’s more reminiscent of a Dance Dance Revolution controller than something for intended for fitness or sports games. Here’s a shot of the ifit controller compared to the just slightly more simple and compact Wii Balance Board.

For your first position, place your right foot on 2, your left foot on 26, your left hand on 8, and your right hand on 1 – GO! Actually, this thing might be better suited to a game of electronic Twister.

And while the system comes with 80 mini-games, most of them look about as exciting as watching paint dry. Activities include standing on one leg, standing on the other leg, and walking in place. Wow, how much fun is that?

Here’s some video of the slippy floormat controller getting all bunched up during gameplay. Looks like more fun than humans should be allowed to have.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

And from the looks of this clip, there’s even a foot-powered version of Tetris. While I can’t read Chinese, I’m pretty sure it should be called Footris. Or Shitris.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you really want one of these, you’ll probably need to make your way to China and dig around the schlock shops to get yours. Or not.

[via Trendy Net via GamOvr]

Tada! A little wobble for your balance board, perfect, maybe, for games like the Wii Fit titles, or for a little snowboarding. Sure,  you may fall on your face a little at first, but again, this still looks easier than something like the Tony Hawk Ride board. Also? Slightly cheaper at $44.99.

But the real question is… do you have room for more Wii accessories? Well, let’s think positive: if you already have a balance board, this just makes it thicker and a little rounder. But accessories for your accessories? That may be a little much.

[via GoNintendo]

Talismoon’s Wiitality is a neoprene band that’s designed to hold your Wii-mote in place with no need to hold the controller in your hand. The band is fully adjustable, and fastens to your wrist or bicep using sturdy Velcro straps to ensure the controller stays put while you sweat. Since so many of the exercises in Wii Fit require you to put the controller down, and then pick it back up again, this is a great little idea.

You can find the Wiitality over at Amazon for about $3 (USD) each.

Holding second right now is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but it may lose its place to…  Wii Fit. If you were doubting the success of Nintendo’s Wii console in any way, uh, stop. Their consoles really might as well print money.

It’s easy to make jokes about the extra controller being the primary selling point for Wii Play (because it’s pretty much true!), but there’s no arguing with millions of people heading out and buying an expensive video game package like Wii Fit. The exergame and its associated balance board have been a booming success, to say the least.

[IGN via OMG Nintendo]

Thanks to these cushy silicone covers for the Wii Fit Balance Board, your tootsies will get a serious massage while you get your workout.

Just slide this form-fitting silicone cover over your Balance Board, take off your shoes, and enjoy the massaging acupressure dots under your feet. As an added bonus, the bumpy silicone surface should reduce the chance that you’ll slip and fly off of your board as you do your exercise routine. (Although it won’t prevent you from throwing the Wii-mote at the cat.)

You can get your hands erm, feet on one of these over on Amazon for just $9.99 (USD). You feet will thank you.

A couple of guys from DFKI (the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence) took a Balance Board and connected it to a regular old laptop PC. A custom C# application communicates with the controller via Bluetooth, translating simple leaning movements on the board into 3D moves on the computer. By leaning forwards, back, left and right on the Balance Board, the player can move through a typical first-person view game with ease.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While this demo shows off some basic movements within Google Earth and WOW3, I’d venture to say that it could be easily modified to control any first-person 3D game. Imagine playing a FPS in which you hold onto a gun controller with your hands, and move around the environment by leaning. Even better yet, how about an FPS which supported ducking and dodging bullets on the Balance Board? Now that would be really cool. Only time will tell what other applications end up taking advantage of the board’s unique sensory abilities, but I’d lay odds that Wii Fit is only the tip of the iceberg.

[Balance Board Blog via Hack-a-Day]