Gadget Gift Guide 2009

Woo Hoo!  It’s that time of year again, when Gadget Geeks all around the world tremble with barely contained excitement over this year’s crop of gadgets, in hopes that one (or all) of them will make it under the tree this year.  This year saw some huge jumps by certain manufacturers to solidify or regain their leads in their respective sectors.  There may not be as many new gadgets this year as in years past, but this year’s collection easily offers the best bang for the buck, especially in the categories of cameras and MP3 music players.  For this year’s guide, I’m going to focus on the best in digital cameras, MP3 players, and the best video games for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii.  So lets kick things off with my favorite gadgets, digital cameras!

Digital Cameras:  Last year Nikon handed my Canon boys their rear-ends in the SLR camera department, but this year Canon pulled out the stops and in my humble opinion retook their lead as the top digital SLR leader on the market (before you Nikon Nerds blast me with emails, this is not a knock against Nikon as a whole which makes fabulous cameras, it is just that right now, Canon owns the top spot in almost every sector of digital SLR market).

Pro-Level D-SLR: While Canon did just come out with the 1D Mark IV recently, and it is a beautifully capable camera for sports photography, I still have to say that for overall versatility, last year’s late entry the 5D Mark II is still the best in class.  People a year later are still marveling at its 21-megapixel quality.  Also, while I considered its ability to shoot 1080p HD video at a movie 24 frames per second (think big screen movie style) to be a kind of cool, what some budding and professional cinematographers have produced with this camera is nothing short of stunning.  While it would still be great if they could find a way to work autofocus into the movie shooting, it obviously hasn’t hampered the pros in how they do their business.  It still isn’t cheap by any means at $2500 but what you get with this camera beats out cameras that cost three times as much.

Semi-Pro/Serious Amateur D-SLR: Canon’s new 7D, which only hit the street a few weeks ago is my new object of lust.  While it may not pack the 21 megapixel, full-frame sensor of the 5D Mark II, the 7D certainly breaks ground as the first camera in a new series by Canon in a decade (it fits between the 5D series and the xxD series, of which the 50D is the current model).  The new 18 megapixel APS-C sized sensor (smaller than a 35mm film frame and identical to the xxD and Rebel series cameras) seems to violate the laws of physics by packing a ton of pixels onto the same size chip without the usual explosion noise that many sensors tend to exhibit once you reach a pixel density like this.  It has to be the work of the camera’s software that makes this possible but whatever it is, this camera turns out some stunning photos even in really low light situations (still can’t beat the 5D Mark II but it costs a &1000 bucks less).  The real beauty of this camera lies in its improved ergonomics and new 3” screen, which improves its usage in outdoor situations.

A real first though is the new viewfinder for the 7D, which now provides 100% coverage of the frame (most only show you 95% of the frame and you sometimes get elements you didn’t want in your picture that you have to crop out later).  The other really cool thing about the viewfinder is that it now has a transparent LCD screen overlay that allows you to turn on and off information that is shown in the viewfinder such as horizon lines, a real boon if you are like me and seemingly unable to maintain a flat horizon in your pictures without assistance (perhaps I should just lay off the booze while shooting photos, but that takes away half the fun).  The 7D has the same cosmic movie shooting capability as the 5D, though without the full frame sensor, but it should start producing similar stellar results.  The 7D isn’t cheap at $1750 (body only) or $1900 with a 28-135mm lens but this camera should meet the needs for many photographers for years to come.

Super-Zoom Compact: The Panasonic FZ-35 is yet another upgrade to the whole FZ-18/28 line and continues to have all the features that keep it continually at the top of almost any super-zoom review list (such as a superb Leica lens, great image quality, and a very good viewfinder).  They also continue to add refinements that keep it just one step ahead of their competition (to include Canon).  This year, just like every other camera it would seem, video is where it seems to be.  The FZ-35 is not a slouch here and provides 1080p High Def video with stereo microphone inputs cleverly situated right in front of the flash.  The sensor is a respectable 12 megapixel sensor, and while other superzooms may go up to a 20 times zoom factor, the FZ-35 kept theirs at 18 times zoom, which probably explains why it continues to still produce good photos while a lot of those pushing the zoom envelope actually saw a drop in quality (there is only so much you can ask from the lenses in these cameras).  The great thing about this camera is that you can easily find it for just a little over $300 on Amazon and it beats out cameras that are hundreds of dollars more.

Compact: This category actually is the story of one sensor in two cameras.  Canon decided to buck the trend and instead of cramming more pixels into every camera they made, the sensor they use in both the G11 and S90 actually has fewer pixels than the previous generation (they went back down to 10 megapixels from 14 megapixels).  With that extra breathing room they made the sensor more sensitive to light and made it produce good quality shots where other cameras would just produce noise.  This is a move I have been waiting for years for a major camera manufacturer to make. I’m glad to see Canon took the lead on this one.  The megapixel race has run it’s course and really they need to focus more on the camera’s low light capability since most people use their cameras indoors at parties or during the prime outdoor shooting times of dawn and dusk.

G11: The G11 is the (reasonably) compact camera that every owner of a D-SLR wants when they can’t lug around their big camera and all of the equipment and lenses that go with it.  This line of cameras has often been cited by pros as the one they most often pull out when an SLR is either too bulky or obtrusive to use.  This thing is built like a tank and has tons of knobs and switches, which may seem counterintuitive for a pro-camera, but the pros don’t have time to go digging into menus on their camera’s screen to change settings, they need to be able to switch them quickly and shoot.  The G11 makes sure that you rarely, if ever, have to dig into a menu to change an important setting.  The camera also took a step back in the screen size on the back (down to 2.8 inches from 3 inches) but brought back the swivel screen which allows for shooting from a greater number of angles and allows you to swivel the screen so it is against the body of the camera and protect it better (helping to maintain it’s tank-like ruggedness).  I got this camera the day it hit the street in November and I see it going with me many places. I would have missed a lot of photo opportunities just because I didn’t want to lug all my SLR gear.  Unfortunately the G11 is priced like an entry level D-SLR at about $500.

S90: The S90 is the super-sexy version of pair and boosts the sensor’s already impressive low-light capability by pairing it with a very fast f2.0 lens allowing for a ton more light to get through to the sensor than virtually any other compact camera out there.  This is the camera you want in your pocket or purse if you are always taking pictures at indoor parties.  You will be able to get blur-free photos where everyone else just has smears of color on their screens.  This camera is arguably the king of the compact cameras (for a few months at least until someone comes up and trumps Canon) and would be an awesome camera for anyone who wants a truly compact camera to take with them wherever they go that will not let them down in virtually any photo situation.  The S90 is a tad expensive at $400 but you will not find any compact that can do what the S90 can do with even half of the quality for less than this.

MP3 Players

I’m going to reiterate my statement from last year and just say there is NO reason why everyone should not just go out and get an iPod.  While I might have made a few caveats last year saying that the boys and girls at Apple need to get off their duffs and add in a few features (such as an FM radio tuner, for gym use not because anyone really listens to the radio any more) that many other brands include in their players; those same boys and girls answered all of my gripes and even one-upped me.  The new iPod Nano line has the FM tuner I have been squawking about for years and just like every other gadget in the world this year, they added a camera!  (Just as a side note, is there going to be ANY device in the next few years that doesn’t have a camera on it?  Do I really need a camera on my bread maker showing me bored for hours waiting for the bread to mix and bake?)  Not only is the Nano a pro at taking pictures, but it also shoots great video clips as well, as if it were possible for you to miss that little fact after Apple’s iPod advertising blitz this season.

With the addition of the FM tuner and the integration of the Nike+ system into the Nano without an attachment, the Nano has become the hands-down winner of the best MP3 player for the gym since you can now use it to tune into the broadcasts that many large gyms use for the TVs in front of all the cardio equipment as well as use it with your Nike+ shoes to track your exercise routine in or out of the gym.  The camera though is actually a step back for it in this realm since I really don’t think we need any pictures of ‘naked hairy guy’ from the locker room posted on the web.  The Nano is still a steal at $149 for the 8GB model and $179 for the 16GB model.

As for the rest of the iPod lineup, the Touch remains a great iPod for those who want the Apps of the iPhone without the Phone (though it was surprising to see that it didn’t get a camera as well, but sources would have you believe that that will be corrected in the spring of next year) and the Shuffle got a new sleek form factor and a bump up in capacity with a loss in its ease of use and battery life.  The 64GB Touch is $399 and the 4GB Shuffle is $79 ($99 if you want the cool polished stainless steel look).

Video Games

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – (Mature; Very, VERY mature) This game is the First-Person Shooter to end all First Person Shooters (at least until Modern Warfare 3 in 2011).  This game made $530 million dollars in its first week on sale!  That beat the opening week of any movie ever made by a couple of hundred million or so.  This game has so many jaw-dropping moments in it’s single-player campaign that alone justify it’s $60 price tag but you more than get your money’s worth with the multiplayer that will keep you playing till all hours of the night just to rank up one more level and unlock that next cool weapon or item for you to use.  Be warned though, there is one level that the game gives you the option to skip if you are faint hearted.  I’m not squeamish by any means, but even I found myself taking a bit of a ‘gut check’ playing it (I won’t give it away for fear of ruining it for you or your gamer loved one, but it is a doozy).  It is out for the 360, PS3, and PC.

LEGO Indiana Jones 2 – (Everyone 10+) The first LEGO Indiana Jones game was a hoot even for older players (maybe more so since we remember seeing the good Indiana Jones movies  in the theaters- you know, all the ones other than the last one).  While this game focuses primarily on the rather lame ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ movie, it does still hit on all the old favorites and provides a lot of the antics that the LEGO games are famous for.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – (Teen) The follow-up to 2007’s smash hit, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted 2 follows Nathan Drake’s continued adventures in search of lost relics (think of him as a male Lara Croft from Tomb Raider) and continues to serve up some of the best graphics and gameplay of any game on the PS3 system.  It is only available for the PS3 but it, and its predecessor, are such good games they are almost worth the cost of a PS3 to play.

So that is it for this year’s annual gadget guide, I hope you or your loved one gets all the gadgets their little geeked out heart desires.  As always, if you have any gadget question, or request for a review, feel free to write me at jeff@healthandleisureonline.com.  Have a very happy holiday!

Hands Hurting from Texting, Typing, Video Games?

Here are tips to help your tech injuries

With millions of teenagers and young adults texting, pushing buttons on video game controllers, and tapping on computer keyboards for hours at a time, it’s no wonder they’re complaining of pain in their hands and wrists at a younger age.  Even students in elementary and middle school have reported physical discomfort in their hands, wrists, necks, and backs!

In fact, researchers tracked 476 elementary and middle school children who used computers and played video games. Their study showed that as the children became older they started to complain about physical discomfort in their hands and wrists along with neck and back pain, according to a 2005 Work journal article.

So what can teens and young adults do to prevent discomfort from keyboarding activities? Correct posture and taking frequent breaks from the computer, video games and smart phones can help prevent problems in the hands and wrists.

“It likely is not the act of using the keyboard or other gadgets that is the issue, but the position in which people are using them that makes them more prone to problems,” says orthopedic surgeon Rachel Rohde, M.D., who specializes in upper extremity surgery.

With respect to promoting healthy keyboarding, Dr. Rohde offers these tips:

• Your keyboard position should allow your elbows to be at 90 degrees or straighter and your wrists to be in a neutral position, or just slightly extended. Make sure you are able to maintain appropriate posture and that your feet are flat on the floor, not dangling, which can contribute to poor posture.
• Your mouse should be at the same level as the keyboard. This is easier on the tendons and muscles in your forearm and wrist.
• Your wrist rest should only be used when you are not typing. Leaning the wrist on a pad can contribute to nerve compression or tendonitis.
• Take a break every 30 minutes to stretch your muscles and relax your joints.

So what do you do if you are experiencing discomfort during keyboarding or game-playing activities?

“Most of these aches and pains are temporary and will resolve with a few simple measures,” says Dr. Rohde.

She suggests:

• rest (including temporary splinting)
• ice and/or anti-inflammatory use to reduce inflammation
• posture adjustment

“If these do not give you relief, or if you have bruising, swelling, numbness, or tingling, see your doctor for evaluation. Many people benefit from hand therapy or ergonomic education.”

Dr. Rachel Rohde is an orthopedic surgeon at William Beaumont Hospital and specializes in upper extremity surgery. She graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, followed by a Fellowship in Hand and Microvascular Surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Gadgets!

It’s that time of year again, when gadget geeks all over the world hope and pine for the latest and greatest in electronic gizmos and when Santa (i.e. loving spouses and parents) go nuts trying to figure out what to get their incorrigible little gear-heads. Of course I’m here to help you with my second annual holiday gear buying guide, because that’s the kind of guy I am. No thanks are necessary, it’s worth it just knowing that I’m helping to bring a smile to a little gadget geek somewhere.

I do have to say though that this year is much harder than in the past, due to the fact that there hasn’t been anything really big and new this year. Mostly, we have just seen incremental upgrades or significant price drops from last year. If you held off from buying some of the hottest gear from the past couple of years, the manufacturers have really sweetened the deal with some serious bang for your buck this year.

So here it is, my list for some of the best gadgets and gear for the holiday season.

Game Systems: Nothing really new here per se, but 2008 saw some significant upgrades to the current generation of game hardware and in some cases, some serious price drops. We have also had more than a year to add some incredible games to libraries of all of these systems, making a game system pretty much a no-brainer – if you don’t already have one.

Xbox 360: A huge price cut and a bigger hard drive, plus some free games to boot? I would still argue that the 360 is the dominant game console of the generation, perhaps not in total numbers sold – that honor would go to the Wii – but definitely in overall game experience and bang for the buck. The 360 Arcade version is now the cheapest game system at only $199 and while it doesn’t have a hard drive, it does come with some great games for kids and it gets you into the next generation on the cheap. The 360 Pro version is, in my opinion, THE system to own because $299 buys you the unquestionable system leader for the hard-core gamer, with the new 60GB hard drive and two free games (Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda, the first of which is awesome, the second… not so much). There really is no reason to shell out another $100 for the Elite version unless you really need another 60GB of hard drive space or really want a black Xbox.

Also, by the time you read this, Microsoft will have released the New Xbox Experience which adds some decidedly Wii-like game avatars and a completely upgraded interface. Unlike the previous software tweaks, the new Experience really is a game changer both literally and figuratively. With support now for you to rip your game from the disk to the larger hard drive, you can eliminate the need for the system to keep the disk spinning in the drive which drastically cuts down on system noise and can speed up load times (though you still need the disk in the tray to play it). Also, if you have a Netflix account, you can stream your movies straight through your Xbox now, totally eliminating any need to get off the couch or even leave the house for that matter! Finally, Xbox Live! remains the leader in online play and with the latest crop of games, your little gamer is going to be fragging n00bs from all over the world, w00t! (For a translation, read the Oct 08 G&G).

Playstation 3: While the PS3 has come down in price over the last year (now $399), I would argue that should be expected when you actually take stuff away from the console. The system is no longer backwards, compatible with literally hundreds of games from the PS1 and PS2, and they have removed some of the card inputs from the 1st generation, though admittedly those were pretty useless in the first place. While the PS3 does push out some beautiful visuals, it still has not delivered in the games department. There are only a handful of truly awesome games that can only be played on the PS3 and the Playstation’s online system still has not delivered on its promised upgrade that was supposed to be out this time last year (showing that while the PS3 online service is free, you get what you pay for). Also, one of the most compelling reasons for buying a PS3, the fact that it was the cheapest Blu-Ray player you could buy, is no longer the case. The PS3 is a very good game system; it’s just not the best (that would be the Xbox 360).

Nintendo Wii: The Wii has not come down in price or added anything really new, but why should it, since for the last two years Nintendo has been able to sell every Wii system it has been able to crank out. The undisputed leader in terms of total number of units sold, it is still by far the weakest system as far as performance and quality of games goes. Now, there are some Nintendo fan-boys out there that will squawk about Super Mario Brothers Galaxy, but for every must-have game for the Wii, I can put up five must-haves for either the 360 or even the PS3. Still, for $249 you do get a cool system with some thoroughly cool games to play with friends and family, but serious gamers will be left wanting.

If you already have one of the above systems or are looking for some games to go along with your new system, here are my picks from this year’s crop (game rating in parenthesis):

Fallout 3 (Mature): From Bethesda Softworks, the makers of the 2007 smash hit, Oblivion comes a game that can best be described as a post-apocalyptic Oblivion. Don’t worry if you or your little gamer (well they shouldn’t be too little since this IS a mature-rated game) never played Fallout 1 & 2 (though they were great), this game stands on it’s own with an awesome story and fabulous game play. I have already lost several days of my life to this game! (360 and PS3)

Dead Space (Mature): In space, no one can hear you scream, but my wife has no problem hearing me scream like a little girl whenever a necromorph springs out of the shadows to scare the bejeezus out of me. This is the sleeper hit of 2008 (much like Assassin’s Creed was last year) and will go down in history as one of the scariest games ever. (360 and PS3)

Lego Indiana Jones (Everyone 10+): Anyone who loves the Indiana Jones movies (we’ll ignore this year’s movie) will love this game. Yes, it is cutesy with all the Lego characters running around, but it delivers in both gameplay and in sly humor for those adults who are fans and are paying attention. This game is one of the few games for which I have a perfect score, because I wanted to explore every nook and cranny. (360, PS3, PS2, and Wii)

Tom Clancy’s Endwar (Teen): For your armchair generals, this game will suck up hours upon hours of their life. This is one of the few games to really use voice commands and really do it well. You can pretty much play the entire game without ever touching the controller; though that does mean that you are going to have to hear your little general yelling ‘Team 1, attack Hostile 2!’ which may or may not be such a good thing. (360 and PS3)

Little Big Planet (Everyone 10+): Arguably one of the cutest games of all time, this one also has a lot of creativity going for it, to which you can add your own by custom designing levels for you and your friends to play. (PS3 only)

Gears of War 2 (Mature): I really wasn’t a fan of the first Gears game but I do have to give it praise for its superb graphics and frantic gameplay. I am an outsider on this one, virtually 99% of all gamers love this game, but for some reason it just did didn’t grab me, though there is a very good chance that your gamer will love it. (360 only)

Metal Gear Solid 4 (Mature): The Metal Gear series will go down in history as one of the best game series of all time and rightfully deserves the reverence that people reserve for movie classics such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Schindler’s List’. This is supposedly the last chapter of this sometimes strange but always engrossing story, and it unfolds through bleeding edge graphics that will make your High-Def TV whimper for mercy. (PS3 only)

Cameras: 2008 has seen some decent upgrades to some top cameras of the past few years and here are my picks for best camera in each of the different classes:

Compact – Sony Cyber-Shot DSC T700: Sony has always been one to make stylish cameras and the T700 is no exception. With its incredibly thin form factor and brushed aluminum casing, you would be hard pressed to find a sleeker camera. The real beauty of this camera is the fact that it can also double as a portable picture album. The memory of the camera has been bumped up to 4GB which pretty much eliminates any need to buy a separate memory card and allows you to hold literally thousands of pictures in the camera. With its 3.5 inch touch screen on the back you can then show off all your photos to friends and family right there on the back of the camera. One drawback to the touch screen, as is the case with virtually all touch screens, is the fact that you will have a ton of fingerprints on the screen. Carry a screen cleaning cloth with the camera though and you have a great camera and portable photo album all in one.

Superzoom – Canon SX10 IS: The current king of the superzoom class with a 20x zoom on it, the SX10 is the first real upgrade to this series of camera since they were created. With a 10 megapixel sensor, a 2.5 inch screen that can be rotated so that it is protected by the camera body, and a zoom equivalent of 28 – 560mm, you really would be hard pressed to find a better all-in-one travel camera. Granted, you are giving up some photo quality by packing that much zoom into one lens but you are also cutting out about 15 pounds of camera gear at the same time, if you were to try to cover the same range with an SLR camera. Though the Panasonic FZ-28 (which I also mentioned in last months article) is also a serious contender in this class, I gave the SX10 the nod mostly due to the 20x vs. the 18x zoom and the better ergonomics (the FZ-28 is a bit small even for my medium sized hands).

Entry Level D-SLR – Canon Rebel XSi: With its 12.2 megapixel sensor, 3 inch screen, blazing speed, and huge lens line-up, the XSi is easily the best of the entry level D-SLRs. There may be others that are a little bit cheaper, or may have a higher resolution screen on the back, but none can match the whole package that Canon put together in the XSi. Now I fully expect Nikon, Sony, or Canon themselves to come up with something that will blow the XSi out of the water some time next summer, but until then, and even after, you would be well served by the outstanding Canon Rebel XSi.

Semi-Pro D-SLR – Nikon D90: Being a Canon fan-boy myself, it pains me to say this, but Nikon handed Canon their rear-end in this class of cameras. My Canon 40D and even the newer 50D have been trounced by this beautiful camera. While the 50D might have outdone the D90 in terms of the quality of the LCD screen on the back (and just barely at that), everything else about D90 trounces anything Canon has put out in the same class. While the D90 might have a smaller megapixel sensor than the Canon 50D, that is actually not a bad thing because I think that both the Canon XSi and the D90 have proven that 12 megapixels is the sweet spot for this class of cameras (remember more pixels does not necessarily mean better). This camera almost makes me want to switch to Nikon… almost.

Professional D-SLR: Canon 5D Mark II: While Nikon really stepped up their game in the full-frame sensor arena with the D3 and the D700, the Canon 1Ds Mark III blew the D3 out of the water (if you can get a second mortgage to afford it) and the 5D will do the same to the D700. The 5D Mark II trounces the D700 and in some ways even the D3 with a huge 21 megapixel sensor! 21 megapixels I tell you! That is up there with the medium-format cameras that the professional fashion photographers use in their studios. For those photographers who need a full frame sensor, the 5D Mark II is a no-brainer even when compared to the 1Ds Mark III because you can use the $5000 you saved on some sweet lenses!

MP3 Players: I’m going to make this one easy, just go get an iPod will you? I don’t care which one, because quite frankly your little geek is going to be happy no matter which one they get.

iPod Touch: With the software upgrades to the Touch this year and the boosting of the memory up to 32GB all with a decreased prices, you will not find a better all-around media player. Cover Flow is still the coolest music interface and watching TV and movies on the Touch is still stellar. Also, now that the Touch can use programs from the Apps Store on iTunes, you can get some of the cool new programs that the kids with the iPhones have been playing with, including some really neat games.

iPod Nano: The Nano went back to its slender form of the 1st and 2nd generations but added a widescreen display, a better interface, and a cool new oblong body. While the screen is still pretty small, you would be surprised how easy it is to watch video on it even for extended periods. Something new is the ‘Shake to Shuffle’ feature that puts the Nano in shuffle mode just by shaking it vigorously (don’t worry, you have to really try to put it in this mode, it won’t just do it from normal movement). Also, you can get the Nano in a bewildering choice of colors that would even make a peacock stand up and say ‘whoa’ (that is if they had lips to make the whole ‘w’ sound, but I digress). That and an overall increase in memory for the same price, makes this the go-to iPod.

iPod Shuffle: With the increase in memory from 1GB to 2GB (though you can still get the 1GB for about $20 less than before), this remains my pick for best gym music player, heck for just plain all-around music player for that matter. Out of all the music players I have ever owned (and that’s a lot), the Shuffle is still my favorite and most used player EVER. While the Touch is cool to show off, the ease of use and diminutive size of the Shuffle just makes it my all time favorite music player.

So, that’s it for this year’s gadget buying guide. I could have gone on forever on a ton of different items (flat screen TVs, headphones, GPS units, cell phones, etc.) but I only have so much so much space in which to write. If you have any specific questions on some gadget this holiday season, please feel free to write me at jeff@healthandleisureonline.com. Have a great holiday season!

Gadgets & Gear: April 2007

I’ve always said that video game consoles could be good for you. I personally believe that when you have age appropriate games, kids (and adults) can learn a lot about themselves and others by playing video games. You also can develop hand/eye coordination, problem solving skills, and fine motor skills. Now as it turns out, you can also get yourself into shape using your Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo Wii, and Sony Playstation.

Games that get you moving are nothing new, but up until a few years ago you only really found them in arcades. The big game that a lot of people know is Dance Dance Revolution (otherwise known as DDR, go figure). Ever since DDR and its sequels hit the Playstation 2 a few years back, kids and adults have been working up a sweat and mastering dance moves that would make John Travolta cry. A few other games have hit the consoles since then, but with the advent of the Nintendo Wii and it’s innovative controller, the attention has really been drawn to what can be done with a video game console.

A few weeks ago both local and national news covered the story of a man in Philadelphia who conducted his own little Wii fitness experiment. Over the course of six weeks, he played the Wii Sports game 30 minutes a day and kept the rest of his routine the same. During the “experiment” he tracked a wide variety of fitness measures to include weight, Body Mass Index, calories burned, and body fat. What happened was pretty amazing.

At the end of the six weeks, he had lost 9 pounds, his BMI went from 25.1 to 24, body fat went from 19% to 17.2%, and he lost 3.5 inches from his waist! Now the nine pounds may not sound like a lot, but I’m betting that he added some muscle to himself which countered a bit of fat he lost. I was most impressed at the 3.5 inches off his waist. He did this by playing four of the five games on the disk (which comes bundled with the Wii): bowling (yes, bowling), tennis, baseball, and boxing. He didn’t play the golf game since he didn’t think he could get enough into the game to burn a lot of calories.

As part of the experiment he also measured how many calories he burned during each of the games to find which gave him the best workout. The device he used is good for measuring calories burned, though there is some argument over whether it accurately measured everything. Either way it gives a good idea of how many calories you can burn playing each game. Here is what he found (each is calories burned during a 15-minute interval):

• Wii Baseball: No Data

• Wii Bowling: 77 calories

• Wii Tennis: 92 calories

• Wii Boxing: 125 calories

Granted he played each of these rather aggressively with full motions and was even doing the dodges and hopping/bouncing like a real boxer would, but these are still some pretty impressive numbers. And to think, he did it all in the comfort of his own living room. He didn’t have to drive to a gym or hire a trainer, and the best part is that he had fun doing it. I think that he may have changed his lifestyle a bit to get these results in just six weeks, but I still think that the Wii Sports helped a lot.

There is another story of a girl, now 21, who over the last four years has played Dance Dance Revolution and burned off over 95 pounds! She credits the game for being so fun that it added movement to her rather sedentary lifestyle and that she enjoyed it so much that it just became a regular activity. She is going to be working with a national group to help teach kids about adding activity to their day to help lose weight and stay fit.

Now I’m not saying that all games, or even most games, are going to do much for you fitness-wise but most of the game systems out there have one or two games that can help give you a workout and be a little fun at the same time.

Here are a few programs and the systems you can find them on.

Dance Dance Revolution (Playstation, Playstation 2, Gamecube, Xbox, Xbox 360, and coming soon to the Wii) – This is the one that got the movement going (pardon the pun). Using a pad that you put on the floor in front of the TV, you try to match your foot movements (by stepping on one of four directional arrows) to the beat and the commands on the screen. This game is not only fun by yourself, but the fun factor goes up exponentially when you have a group of people and goes up even more if you have two of the pads so that you can duel. Only drawbacks to this game are the seizure inducing graphics, “interesting” song choices, and making a fool out of yourself in front of your children and friends.

Wii Sports (Nintendo Wii) – As mentioned above, this game comes bundled with the Wii and has five different sports from which to choose: baseball, golf, boxing, bowling, and tennis. Depending on how much you put in to each of these games, meaning how much you move your entire body, you can get one heck of a workout. Just watch out because they are already talking about ‘Wii elbow’ from people getting repetitive use injuries from these games as well as injuries from flying controllers!

Yourself Fitness (PC, Xbox, Playstation 2) – This “game” never really took off, even though it is executed very well and has a very good exercise program. Perhaps the problem is that it is quite obviously an exercise program (hence the fitness in the title) and people like to be tricked into working out.

Anyway, this program has a virtual trainer named Maya who leads you through a fitness routine of your choosing and even shows you how to properly perform each action and after getting feedback from you, even adjust the program to suit your goals. The program has over 500 different exercises and over 2000 recipes to help you lead a healthier lifestyle. Hopefully they will give this program an update and try again because it really was a great idea.

You may have to hunt for this program since the game platforms (with the exception of the PC), are all last generation and the supplies of games for them are drying up.

Video Camera Games (Playstation 2, Xbox 360) – There are actually a few different games under this category. Both the Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 have little web cameras that you can plug into them. The Playstation 2 device is called the Eye Toy and has a whole suite of games that allow you to interact with the game on the screen. The Xbox 360 has the Live! Vision camera which right now really just adds video messaging and video chat to the system, but it does have one game, TotemBall. TotemBall requires you to hold your arms out in front of you and move them up or down to help steer a ball around the screen. I played this for about 15 minutes and at the end of that time I thought my arms were going to fall off! The Eye Toy games have a lot more variety to them, though only a few of them have the potential to actually give you a workout.

As you can see, video games aren’t always about shooting aliens, blowing things up or driving around a city committing crimes. Some games can help get your rear end off the couch and even burn off a few pounds from said rear end. This is only the start of this trend; Nintendo has already announced plans for a Wii Fitness game that will help expand on the publicity it has gotten from the Wii Sports games. Never ones to turn away from tons of money, I’m sure Microsoft and Sony will have something out as well in the near future. Who knows, perhaps in a year or two, parents are going to be telling their kids to play their video games or better yet, fighting them for the controller.