Game Guide · NexWave Games
Which Wii games work with the Wii Balance Board?
You found a white Wii Balance Board in the attic. Can you just play every Wii game with it? No, the board responds to how you stand on it and only works with games that support this control. With the right game, that forgotten accessory suddenly becomes the center of the living room.
Start with Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus
Wii Fit is the best known game for the Balance Board: you use the board for balance games, yoga and exercises. Wii Fit Plus builds on this with additional activities and ways to compose your sessions. For both, the game disc and the board are separate parts. If you buy a used disc without a board, your set is not ready for the exercises for which the game is made.
Some other games also support the board, for example Step to the Beat. The support varies by title and sometimes even by activity within a game. Therefore check the accessory icon on the cover or consult the specific game manual. Just because a game appears for the Wii doesn't mean the Balance Board does anything.
Wii Sports Resort uses something else
The name sounds like you have to stand on both feet, but Wii Sports Resort revolves around the Wii remote control with Wii MotionPlus or a Wii Remote Plus. A Balance Board is not a substitute for that. If you put the boxes of Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resort next to each other, you can see why it is wise to look at the required accessories instead of the sporting title.
Wii Fit U on the Wii You can also use the Balance Board along with features of the Wii U GamePad. The corresponding Wii U game is a different purchase than the original Wii Fit disc. If you have a Wii U, check which version you buy and read at the game which extra controls you need for the chosen activity.
That's how you test a used sign
Turn over the board and check the battery compartment. It works with four AA batteries; old leaking batteries can affect the contacts. Put it on a flat, solid floor, not on a thick carpet, and see if the four feet are intact. Then start a supported game and connect the board according to the on-screen instructions. A lightning light alone doesn't say the measurements are good.
Do a short balance activity to see if the weight and motion are normally recognized left and right. Ask with a used set if the battery valve is present. A seller can also show a photo of the active game, but a trial where you are on the board tells more.
If the sign was previously on another Wii, you need to sync it again with your console. The game will guide you through the clutch. Give the board time to calibrate while no one is on it; do not step up until the game asks. This way you prevent a wrong measurement from being seen as a defect.
What do you buy for a complete set?
For a simple start: a Wii, a working Wii remote control, Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus on disc, a tested Balance Board and four good AA batteries. Always check if the board is included in a loose game; check if the game is missing. You don't end up with a very neat gym box that you can't use yet.