Das Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii was the must have gadget of last Christmas and this year it promises to be just as successful, but even if you can get your hands on one how much will it actually cost for you to get it up and running for all the family to enjoy? The recommended retail price of the Nintendo Wii is £179.99, for that you get the console a Wiimote, Nunchuck controller and a copy of Wii Sports. While it is an attractive price point, assuming you can find one as cheap given their short supply, it only provides you with what you need for a single player. Now if you have a family of four and want to enjoy some multiplayer fun after your Christmas dinner, you will soon see that the console purchase is only the first step and true price you pay will suddenly begin to spiral.

While a number of games for the Wii don't actually require the Nunchuck controller, in order to fully kit four players out so they are ready for everything you are going to need three additional Wiimotes retailing at £29.99 each and three more Nunchuck controllers at a cost of £14.99 each. That is a staggering £134.94 extra you will need to pay to the whole family to enjoy this family console. Of course while the Wii has a copy of Wii Sports bundled with it, it is reasonable to assume you may want a couple of other games to enjoy over the festive period.  Standard new releases retail at £29.99, but if you want this Christmas's' big game Wii Fit complete with balance board that will set you back another £69.99.

So if you want a Wii for a family of four this Christmas with Wii Fit and another game it will cost you a huge total of £414.91. Bare in mind that that is at the recommended retail prices and given the huge demand could well end up costing you even more. The Wii is a great system and it would be unfair to completely single Nintendo out for these kind of extra costs as they also exist on other systems, but the Wii has been marketed specifically at families with communal play in mind and as such perhaps it would be a little fairer if Nintendo were more transparent about the true cost of what they are selling.

The holidays are rapidly approaching and there is no doubt that we all will be taking advantage of those holiday parties and meals. After the holidays are over though, we will likely see some weight gain from all the delicious foods and deserts we treated ourselves to. Do you think you need to wait for the New Year to make a resolution and lose the weight? Think again!

Instead, invest in a Nintendo Wii Fit for your family this holiday season and counteract the negative effects of those holiday treats. The new Nintendo Wii Fit is an add on to the Nintendo Wii video game platform and that is designed to make exercise fun and easy for the whole family no matter what your family's fitness level.

This innovative add on is like basically a balance board you step onto. Once on the board, it interprets and transfers your movements and weight distribution onto your TV set. The board allows you do anything from strength training to increase muscle mass, aerobic exercises to improve your cardiovascular health; yoga to improve posture all from the comfort of your own home.

The Wii Fit system also allows you to set and track fitness goals so that you can track your progression over time. The system even allows you to measure your Body Mass Index and your "Fit" age. You can then reassess yourself after some time has elapsed and see how you have improved over time. It even allows you to track exercises that you complete outside of the system. This is truly an amazing advancement in technology that is designed solely to help you and your family to achieve a healthy lifestyle while having fun.

The system also allows you to add on other games from Wii allowing you to bring physical fitness into existing games. For instance, you could use the system to simulate snowboarding or running. The options truly are endless.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up a Nintendo Wii Fit for you and your family today. You will all enjoy hours of fun and It is sure to be hours of fun and fitness for the entire family. Plus you'll get to burn off those few extra holiday pounds.