EA have announced that this autumn will see the release of EA Sports Active 2.0 (that's a working title). It looks like a major step up from Sports Active and Sports Active More Workout, solving a number of bugbears that people have along the way.

Improved Controllers

Out goes the Wii Remote and Nunchuck and the constant switching between hands and the leg-strap. In comes a set of wireless controllers for the leg and arm, shown below. These should mean that you'll have far more freedom of movement, and will never get tangled up in the dratted cable ever again.



Heart Rate Sensor

Even with the likes of Your Shape's camera, or the Wii Balance Board and controllers, fitness games have always had to try and infer how mow much work you are doing through very indirect means. Therefore calorie estimates have tended to be a bit out, and it isn't really possible for them to tailor your workout to how well you are doing. I have a heart rate monitor and from my experience the games have been at least 10% out in their calorie estimates.

EA Sports Active 2.0 will add a heart rate sensor which it can use to monitor your progress, and so tailor the intensity of your workout to how easy or hard you are finding it. This should mean that workouts are more efficient and more effective for weight-loss, which requires you to sustain a higher pulse for at least 15 minutes. It should also mean that it can better assess the calories burned, which will great for data junkies like me

Online Sharing

Active 2.0 will let your record your progress online, and share and linkup with friends. As many people here can attest to, it's much easier to keep going when you have help and support from other people like the lovely folk here

It's not clear if you'll be able to get to your data from the web. I hope you ill, it will be great to be able to record things while away from your Wii.

Multi-platform Support

Along with Wii, Active 2.0 will also be released on the PS3 and even the iPhone/iPod Touch. It's not clear how the iPhone version will work, but I hope it at least allows you to record activity while away from home. With the iPhone's built in sensors, it should be possible for it to record your walking automatically, I'll be surprised if EA don't take advantage of this.

EA Sports Active has always been one of the best fitness games on the market, and if 2.0 is as good as it looks then the rest of the competition will have a lot of catching up to do.

The downside of knowing about a major improvement is that I was thinking of getting Ea Sports but as it is so close to spring (please) I think I will now wait. Thanks Paul.

All of the EA Sports Active programs are stand alone so if you were interested in starting them I wouldn't wait. The 2nd one called More Workouts is my favourite and is really a great workout with lots of variations. If you got it now you'd be in great shape for the fall when the new one comes out!

Likewise, I'm sticking to More Workouts at the moment and it's great. I appear to have stomach muscles for the first time in a very long time

I've developed a 2 pack which is a vast improvement over the keg look!

LOL Mokey41;
I still have the keg, but working on it

This sounds great. I am looking forward to it becoming available! I love the idea of the wireless controllers - I am often getting tangled up with the wore and the resistance band and it's so fiddly dealing with the leg strap/pouch!

OK, you've got my curiosity up, what pray tell is a "wore".

I'm thinking wire since the i and o are side by side and that would make sense.

Ah...I should have thought of that, thanks!