Electronic Arts has put an end to the ongoing speculation regarding the company’s own Wii Fit rival by unveiling the firm’s newest title, EA Sports Active.

EA Sports Active, scheduled for release Spring 2009, will come bundled with a number of peripherals – or sports equipment – such as a set of two leg straps, a resistance band, as well as a health book. EA says the entire product will sell for $59.99.

EA’s fitness proposal is markedly different to Nintendo’s. Sports Active is designed to burn calories and build tone and strength. It does this with around 20 dynamic exercises, such as running, bicep curls, shoulder presses, cardio boxing and squats.

In line with EA’s purpose of aiming the product at the female market, the software itself will have its own personal trainer in the guise of a virtual Bob Greene (Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer and exercise physiologist) who will offer feedback on the user’s performance.

It is not yet known how thorough or specific the feedback system will be, yet the leg straps and resistance band work with the Wii remote and nunchuk to track movement, so it is certainly possible that the user’s technique as well as rep count can be calculated.

With bicep curls, for example, the resistance band is attached to both arms and runs underneath the feet of the user, who stands upright. As pictured below, a Wii remote is placed on one hand and its tethered nunchuk goes in the other, thus calculating the number of times the user will curl. For lower body excercises, the leg strap will pocket the nunchuk while the user holds the remote.



The game also features a motivational 30 day challenge. Here, a 20 minute workout routine will be set on a daily basis and aimed towards reaching an overarching goal made at the beginning of the 30 day period.

In order to play to each user’s strengths, the software is said to be highly customisable. Users can decide which body parts they would like to work on and to what level of intensity. EA promise that the game will show the users how many calories they are burning in real time, though there was no mention of any external peripherals which could calculate heart rate, meaning the game is likely to calculate calories with age and weight data from the user as well as rep counts. 

The software will not require a Wii balance board, though it is said to be compatible. Details on this remain scarce. EA is also showing its alertness to the power of word of mouth, as each bundle features two leg straps so users can invite friends to join in with their exercises.

“We have a real opportunity to redefine the home fitness experience with a more Western cardiovascular approach and exercises that will appeal to a diverse audience, getting people off the couch and into shape while interacting with our products in a way never before possible,” says EA’s Peter Moore. “EA Sports Active costs less than a gym membership, it provides a variety of exercises unlike a one dimensional in-home fitness contraption, and it delivers an interactive experience that you don’t get from a DVD. This is a true fitness revolution and a space in which we intend to be leaders.”