Nintendo's Wii console has undoubtedly revolutionised the way people play games. Forget the eye-candy high-definition visuals on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3... The motion-sensitive Wiimote controller has enticed a whole new demographic into the videogames market.

Nintendo's 'casual gaming' strategy is resonating strongly with buyers - the Wii is poised to overtake the Xbox 360 as the world's best-selling next-gen console. And Nintendo's not resting on its laurels either. At this year's E3 Expo, it revealed yet another new and unique controller - the Balance Board.

Wii Balance Board

The Wii Balance Board might look like a set of futuristic bathroom scales, but it's actually a pressure-sensitive controller. Stand on it and the Balance Board measures acute changes in your weight distribution, allowing you to control a game by leaning and moving your body in different ways.

Just as Nintendo packaged the Wii console with the superbly playable Wii Sports game, the Wii Balance Board will be sold with Wii Fit. Like Wii Sports, Wii Fit is a simple set of mini-games that encompass both fitness and party-style play.

Nintendo is yet to put a price on the Balance Board bundle, but £50 is the estimated figure (which is reasonably cheap if accurate). Although a release date is also yet to be announced (it's expected out before Christmas), tech.co.uk had an early chance to try it out.

The Wii Fit regime

The surface of the Balance Board itself is completely rigid - it doesn't move or tilt at all as you shift your weight around. It doesn't contain giant buttons either, like a PlayStation 2 dance mat. Instead, the Balance Board operates by using multiple pressure sensors housed in both sides of the board.

We emphasise 'both sides' because, as we found with one of the yoga mini games in Wii Fit, this means that the board can interpret your balance (via your weight distribution on the Board) even when you're standing on one foot.

It's extremely accurate, too. Before you start playing, a marker appears on screen to show how it is calculating your position. Even while we were trying to stand as still as possible, the board was able to highlight even the slightest twitches and shifts in balance.