Nintendo’s Wii console has become the best selling consol of its generation, out selling both the technically superior Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 dramatically. In fact, in terms of worldwide sales, the Nintendo Wii has almost sold as many units as the Xbox 360 and the PS3 combined.

The arrival of the Wii Fit created even more of a buzz around the Wii as people were cottoning on to the health benefits of playing on the console, something not normally associated with games consoles and the people who play on them.

People are beginning to use the Wii to keep fit instead of using more conventional exercise equipment such as bikes, rowing machines and treadmills. Some gymnasiums are even using the Nintendo Wii as part of their equipment.

The Wii Fit gives players the opportunity of choosing from 40 exercise games in the categories of aerobics, yoga, balance and strength. The question is though, how much can the Nintendo Wii really help people wanting to keep fit?

Joseph Donnelly is the director of the Energy Balance Laboratory, University of Kansas:

Electronic games like the Wii are not substitutes for regular exercise. They cannot give you the same workout as a regular workout.

Some health experts have stated that you would need to have an eight hour workout on the Wii to replicate the effects of a normal 15-30 minute workout in the gym.

For example, a game of Wii tennis uses up 179 calories per hour for the player, but actually playing tennis uses approximately 270 calories per hour.

So perhaps the Wii Fit isn’t going to replace regular exercise, it’s still better for you than the Xbox or PlayStation. Plus it does act as an introduction to exercise, or as a supplement to regular exercise.