Nintendo obviously cares about the wellbeing of its customers, because it’s announced plans to launch an interactive health monitoring channel for the Wii.

The details are in Japanese, but you get the general idea

Although specific details are still somewhat sketchy, it’s thought the channel will be called Wii Fit Check. It’ll enable gamers to measure and track their vital statistics, such Body Mass Index and general fitness, through the Wii’s Balance Board. Additional Wii medical gizmos may be required, though.

Health stats will then be recorded by the Wii and transferred through to medical professionals. After an online check-up, the remote doctor will send back some advice, perhaps: 'You’re pretty fat and your cholesterol is through the roof. Buy Dancing Stage Hottest Party to burn more calories.'.

The Wii acts as the central communications point between gamer and doctor, but DS owners will also be able to hook themselves into a branded pedometer and measure their day-to-day fitness directly through the handheld console.

Your daily movements – we mean distance walked, of course – can then be transferred onto the Wii and assessed by doctors through the console’s health channel.

Nintendo’s developed health channel system in conjunction with Hitachi, NEC amd Panasonic, but it’s unclear what roles each firm played during the development.

A launch date for the Wii Fit Check channel hasn't come through yet. ®