There is an increasing proliferation of announced games which support the Wii Balance Board (take a look at my Balance Board Games Table if you need proof) and this is of course a good thing. No, it's a great thing. Okay, some of the games look pretty dire, but there are a few potential gems in amongst the potential rubbish.
Irrespective of the quality of the games, the Balance board lacks something, and that is movement. If you're playing, for example, a skateboarding game and you lean to the left, wouldn't it be good if the balance board also tilted a little in that direction in order to give you a bit more tactile feedback? Without such movement it's akin to having a joystick that performs an action but which doesn't actually move, something which would be considered ridiculous.
Obviously the Wii Balance Board was initially designed for weighing and exercising, the idea of it being used for skateboarding games and the like possibly wasn't a prime consideration when it was being designed (if it was then I wouldn't be writing this - or perhaps it was omitted due to wanting to keep the price down?).
So what's the solution? Are any manufacturers designing a low profile spring loaded board that will sit underneath the balance board itself and so allow it to move a little?
Would such an add-on spring loaded device cause problems with the sensor pads on the Balance Board itself, so causing games to not function correctly or need to be 'tweaked' for use with such a device?
Naturally such a device would need to have the same 'footprint' as the Balance Board and have a hard, flat surface (there's no point in putting a spring under each corner of the Balance board as this will cause it to twist, possibly giving bad sensor readings and also maybe damaging the board).
Does Nintendo have such a device in the works? Or will such functionality be reserved for a future revision of the Balance Board?
With a tilting Balance Board there is of course the added potential for injuries as people lean too far in one direction and fall off, but you can't properly enjoy yourself without a bit of risk from a broken bone or three.
Has anyone reading this tried to make their own spring loaded device to place under the Balance Board? If so, did it work? I'd love to know. Please Click Here to contact me if you have and I'll publish any info on my site.
Oh, and if this article inspires anyone to make such a device and they earn themselves a small fortune, I claim 10% of the Royalties ......
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