Iwata: Wii Vitality Sensor is more than a simple pulsimeter

Like most of Nintendo’s previous Wii peripherals, when the Wii Vitality Sensor was announced, many people were skeptical of the accessory’s functionality. The Vitality Sensor is still pretty mysterious, as we only truly know that it has the ability to “sense the user’s pulse and a number of other signals being transmitted by their bodies.” However, Satoru Iwata promised investors at the Q&A session of the company’s latest financial briefing that it is more than a simple pulsimeter.

“If Wii Vitality Sensor is simply a pulsimeter, we did not need such a grandiose announcement. It is a tool to analyze various biological signals by scanning the pulse, in order to make something invisible visible. The point with that is you can figure out your current conditions. I believe many of you have figured out with “Wii Fit”, by weighing yourself every day you could figure out how the weight would change according to what you had done. Personally I have figured out how dining-out exactly affects my weights. And there are still more invisible factors, which Wii Vitality Sensor can make into something visible, by putting your finger on that every day.

I have to refrain from disclosing too much to keep the surprises of announcement; but please note that Wii Vitality Sensor is not a simple pulsimeter. I have a strong feeling something fun will appear around this gadget, and am planning to put it as one of the next year’s main topics.”