Funny, but as of late, Sony and Microsoft have taken to denying that the Nintendo Wii is even a competitor in the new generation console market. So unflappable is Wii in its runaway dominance, the competition likes to point out that the Wii is a graphical weakling, or more of a family toy than "the next level" of videogame machinery. All true, but then again, if you take a step back from that 3 zillion polygon, high-level-shader tree on your PlayStation3, you'll see a forest of low-shader consumers that simply want to play games as a pastime (for context from left-field, it was Robert Plant of serious metal band, Led Zeppelin, who said "does anyone remember laughter?"). Wii gives them all that -- and quite a bit more if they care to look a little deeper, or just enough if they don't.

Moreover, as Wii Sports, which comes bundled with the Wii console, continues to engage millions of gamers with hopelessly Spartan visuals and utterly simplistic (albeit amazingly innovative) controls, Wii Fit looks to engage them further -- to the point of irrevocably tying the knot.

Again with the hopelessly Spartan visuals, Wii Fit nonetheless gives players of any age, skill level, or videogame devotion something new to do. And therein lies most of Fit's charm: it's entirely new.

It helps, of course, that the game comes bundled with an entirely off the wall controller, the Wii Balance Board, which is a wireless, deceptively complex, adjoined-pair of weight sensors no more conspicuous than a double-wide bathroom scale. And it simply sits on the floor in front of your Wii and TV and expects you to stand on it. Weird, huh?

Weirder still -- to the point of astounding -- is that such an unassuming device can deduce your every move and how efficiently you execute your every move just through your feet. Because it's stereo, so to speak, it actually monitors your body posture and positional center of gravity as well as your weight. From there (for the most part), it allows you to engage in a surprisingly diverse number of mini games and quickie exercises, from Wii Sports-ish ski-with-Mii and Mii soccer ball headers to callisthenic fundamentals like push ups (where the Board monitors load and positioning through your hands, arms and shoulder) and shadow boxing (where you actually step half-off the thing -- and it knows it!).

It's played almost-always in conjunction with the Wii Remote control (Wii-mote), usually just to advance through menus, but sometimes the Board isn't even in play, as with jogging games/exercises (you can't stomp on the thing; it's a sensor, not a prop), which specifically requires the Wii-mote to sit in your pocket and act as a pedometer -- who knew? But so much for Wii Fit Naked.

All told, it makes for some silly fun to just new-way play -- "just another gimmick game" competitors will happily point out --, but Wii Fit's real appeal is its subtly-technological ability to engage you in a genuine, well rounded, competent, passive-aggressive fitness regimen, complete with daily routines, targets and user-appointed goals, all tailored to the individual player and tracked though an on-screen interactive calendar, progress charts, etc.

It's quite cool in a very roundabout way and eventually defies you not to like it. Word of warning: Yoga is waaay harder than it looks but you'll also feel its mysterious Wii beneFits (sorry) almost immediately.

It's not all roses, mind you. Some of the mini-games stretch the Board's function to the point of counter-intuitive, as with the soccer ball thing where it guesses where your head might be in relation to your posture and weight shifting, often wrongly, unless you're a bobblehead. Plus, it skiis like a (ahem) tourist. Basically, you have to learn what motions the Board is expecting, most of them balance-based, obviously, even if the task at hand doesn't (seem to) directly involve balance.

Too, Wii Fit often crosses the line between charming whimsy and annoying hokum, a byproduct of the Spartan graphics and cheeseball audio so patently inextricable from most every Nintendo-made game. And as a virtual trainer, Wii Fit sometimes lacks tact, which is probably due to cultural differences (or ignorance of same) as much as anything, but the thing does come off as condescending or patronizing from time to time, and though many adults may appreciate the pushiness -- or need it, in some cases --, kids might be offended and put off though they might not be able to explain why.

Finally, and ironically, the Balance Board has a 330-pound weight limit; if you weigh more than that, Wii Fit has written you off, sorry about your luck, eat cake..., which is pathetic. Someone should petition Nintendo to make Wii Fit: Industrial Strength Edition. (In fairness, Nintendo asserts that the Board could theoretically hold "probably about 600 pounds," but isn't putting any money on it).

Still, as new-generation gaming goes, Wii Fit introduces a whole new genetic code, one predisposed to healthfulness, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

TIP: In the downhill slalom portions of Wii Fit, you'll find it easier and more intuitive if you set your stance closer to a crouch position even though your Mii icon might be standing a little differently (constipated there buddy?), but real skiers do.

When you have multiple balls on the ball drop game, try first to roll them all into a line instead of concentrating on one ball going for one hole while the others fall off the edge.