Study Finds Wii Burns More Calories Than Other Consoles

Posted on January 11, 2008

PC World reports that the Wii burns more calories than other consoles like the Xbox. However, it isn't a big enough calorie burner to keep you fit. The biggest calorie burning games are the Wii sports games where you have to move your arms to swing the tennis racket or bowl the bowling ball. The Wii calorie burning study was reported in the British Medical Journal.

For the British Medical Journal study boys and girls between the ages of 13-15 were selected to play both an Xbox 360 game (Project Gotham Racing 3) and Wii games (Wii Sports). Later the Journal would compare calories burned by the kids while playing each of the games.
The results were unsurprising. The Wii used on average 51 percent more energy than playing a sedentary Xbox 360 game. The Wii Sport game Tennis demanded the most energy from study participants with an energy expenditure of 750 kilo joule (a kilo joule is an international system unit for measuring energy). Wii Boxing expended 730kj and Wii Bowling at 700kj. By comparison, playing Xbox 360 games had a mean energy expenditure of 450kj - a measurement just slightly higher than resting (300kj).

If you have ever seen a child of seven or eight play Wii tennis or Wii boxing you will be convinced that they are actually burning some calories. Sure you can stand there and play Wii tennis and hardly burn any calories but small children will often run back and forth as if they are on an actual tennis court. For adults some calories burned is better than none at all. Advantage Wii.