The NY Times reports on and reviews a new arm of Nintendo’s hugely successful Wii product: Wii Fit.

Wii Fit builds on Wii’s active-play console by building an exercise regimen that is far cheaper and for many far more convenient and manageable than going to a gym. Using a small Wii balance board, users interact with an avatar who guides a person through an exercise regime or plays games such as soccer.

It’s worth a look at the Nintendo trailer, just to see how deeply avatars and virtual worlds are becoming embedded into mainstream products: