Nintendo Wii
What you need to know
Released in late 2006 by Nintendo (Kyoto, Japan), the Wii is a video game console that uses Bluetooth technology to physically involve players in video games. Special wireless controllers, called Wii Remotes, use a mixture of accelerators and infrared signals in combination with a sensor bar attached to the television to locate its relative position and direction of movement. The Wii Remote would transmit this data via Bluetooth to the console, allowing players to immerse themselves in a variety of sports and action games in which they had explicit control over the movements of their characters arms.
Nintendo later refined this technology with the Wii Remote Plus, making it able to capture complex movements more accurately than ever before.
Release shortly after the Wii was its peripheral balance board to be used with the Wii Fit line of games. Though part of the Nintendo Wii brand, this will be discussed in the Balance Systems page.
Intended Patient Population
Due to its revolutionary technology and relative accessibility, the Wii was identified by therapists as having the potential to be effective in the rehabilitation of gait, balance, and upper limb deficits resulting from neurological conditions. Evidence currently exists for the use of the Nintendo Wii in the following populations:
Evidence
Stroke
Please note that evidence for the use of the Nintendo Wii for balance rehabilitation in stroke patients will be on the balance systems page as they utilise the Wii Fit balance board
Adie et al., 2017
RCT PEDro: 8/10
Technology: Nintendo Wii + bowling, tennis, golf and baseball games found on Wii Sports.
Deficits Targeted: Upper limb function
Kong et al., 2016
RCT PEDro 5/10
Technology: Nintendo Wii + boxing, bowling, tennis, golf, baseball, table tennis, basketball, cycling, Frisbee disk, sword play, and airplane flight control found on the Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort games.
Deficits Targeted: Upper limb function
Park & Park., 2016
RCT PEDro: 6/10
Technology: Nintendo Wii + bowling, table tennis, and canoeing games of Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort
Deficits Targeted; Upper limb function
da Silva Ribeiro et al., 2015
RCT PEDro: 7/10
Technology: Nintendo Wii + tennis, hulahoop, soccer, and boxing games
Deficits Targeted: Upper limb function and balance
Clinical Feasibility of Interactive Commercial Nintendo Gaming for Chronic Stroke Rehabilitation
Kim, Kang, Park & Jung, 2012
RCT PEDro: 4/10
Technology: Nintendo Wii + boxing and tennis games
Deficits Targeted: Postural control, motor function and functional independence
Multiple Sclerosis
All of the evidence concerning use of the Nintendo Wii for MS was focused on the rehabilitation of balance using Wii Fit. As such, it will be discussed on the balance systems page.
Parkinson's Disease
Most of the evidence concerning use of the Nintendo Wii for PD was focused on the rehabilitation of balance using Wii Fit. As such, it will be discussed on the balance systems page.
Lee, Lee, & Song., 2015
RCT PEDro:
Technology: Nintendo Wii + KPOP dance festival
Deficits Targeted: Static/dynamic balance and depression
Cerebral Palsy
Some of the evidence concerning use of the Nintendo Wii for PD was focused on the rehabilitation of balance using Wii Fit. As such, it will be discussed on the balance systems page.
Sajan, John, Grace, Sabu, & Tharion., 2017
RCT PEDro: 7/10
Technology: Nintendo Wii + boxing and bowling games
Deficits Targeted: Static/dynamic balance, gait, upper limb function
Acar, Altun, Yurdalan, Polat,. 2016
RCT PEDro: 5/10
Technology: Nintendo Wii + boxing, baseball and boxing games.
Deficits Targeted: Upper limb function and functional independence
Atasavun Uysal & Baltaci., 2016
RCT PEDro: 7/10 (as graded here)
Technology: Nintendo Wii, unable to determine games
Deficits Targeted: Motor function, balance, ADLs
Shin, Song, & Hwangbo., 2015
RCT PEDro: 4/10
Technology: Nintendo Wii, games unspecified
Deficits Targeted: Eye-hand coordination
Chiu, Ada, Lee,. 2014
RCT PEDro 9/10
Technology: Nintendo Wii + Wii Sports Resort games
Deficits Targeted: Upper limb function
Interested?
Having sold 101.63 million units by 2016, the Wii is one of the best selling home consoles of all time. Therefore, there are plenty of consoles available on second hand retail markets such as ebay.com, where they sell for anywhere between $40 and $130 AUD, depending on rarity and condition.
Nintendo also released the Wii Mini, a smaller iteration of the same console, as well as its successor the Wii U. These consoles retail on ebay.com for $300 and $279 AUD respectively.
