Nintendo Introduces New 'Fit,' 'Mario' to Lift Wii

Nintendo Co., the main driver of the video-game industry's growth the past two years, unveiled new "Mario" and "Wii Fit" games Tuesday to bolster sales of the motion-activated Wii system after a recent slump.

Nintendo will release "Wii Fit Plus" in the U.S. fall and a four-player "Super Mario Bros" for the holiday selling season, officials of the Kyoto, Japan-based company said today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in Los Angeles. A Wii Vitality Sensor under development will track heart rates.

The games are an attempt by Nintendo to bolster its position as the largest maker of video-game players. Wii sales fell 52 percent in April and 17 percent in March without the benefit of new releases. The industry's challenge is to make games that attract new customers while not alienating the base of core players, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said.

"Ideally, it is still possible to create products that satisfy advanced players and novice players simultaneously," Iwata said from the stage today.

"Wii Fit" has sold 15 million copies and the new version will add six strength and yoga activities and allow users to customize workouts, the company said.

In addition to the four-player game, the company showed a 3-D "Mario" title and "Metroid: The Other M" for Wii. A console upgrade due out this month will increase the controller's precision.

Iwata offered the Vitality Sensor device, in which the user places their finger, as an example of how video games can expand their audience and perform functions such as monitoring the body's internal functions.

Outside Developers

In 2008, Nintendo accounted for five of the top 10 selling games in the U.S., the world's largest market, according to researcher NPD Group Inc.

Outside developers are flocking to the format, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said at today's event. Electronic Arts Inc., the world's second-largest video-game publisher, said yesterday that it sold more than 600,000 copies of "EA Sports Active," a Wii fitness game that competes with "Wii Fit," in its first two weeks.

Nintendo fell 130 to 26,420 yen in Osaka today and has declined 22 percent this year.

The company faces new competition from Microsoft Corp., which announced a new motion-sensitive technology yesterday for its Xbox 360 console to compete against the Wii.