You've had your laughs at the Wii Vitality Sensor, at least in part thanks to Nintendo's utter inability to explain what the thing is actually for. Well, during a Q&A with analysts, Nintendo's Satoru Iwata has shed a little light.
The concept for the sensor came about a few years back, around the same time Nintendo were working on their face training game for the DS. During those intervening years the company have sought the input of university professors, along with other people with experience with medical equipment, in getting it just right.
But just right for what? Just what kind of games - or programs - are Nintendo working on? While acknowledging the potential for horror titles, Iwata says the software the company "are trying to propose first" is:
...a video game with a theme of relaxation, which is completely opposite from traditional ones, to enrich the users' lives. Especially among those who are constantly busy, I am sure you have experienced not being able to go to bed even when you are so tired after a busy day at work and coming home late at night... What if you were able to visualize how to unwind and relax, or check the condition of your automatic nerve by simply inserting your finger in the device once a day? We are conducting some tests internally at Nintendo, and found some patterns among our employees, like improving automatic nerve condition as the weekend nears or vice versa. Seeing what their condition is actually like, they can "visualize" how they are looking forward to weekend. And see completely different patterns on each individual person.
Sounds a lot like Wii Fit and Brain Training, only instead of jumping on some scales or tapping at your DS, you're slipping your finger in the Vitality Sensor and measuring your stress levels. And when you look at Brain Training and Wii Fit's sales, maybe you should get that laughter out of your system now...