You thought the Wii Fit was an original idea? Well it looks like Jackie Chan got there first. Two years ago Jackie brought out the Jackie Chan J-Mat, which bears a striking resemblance to the Wii Balance Board, as well as the features and games that the Wii Fit has.

Need a video game to inspire exercise? Jackie Chan has you covered with Jackie Chan J-Mat Fitness. One mode has players step on specific buttons, sort of like Dance Dance Revolution except you follow Chan’s aerobic patterns. Other modes include a reflex test and a running test, which are essentially stomping mini-games. OK, Jackie Chan’s J-Mat Fitness has limited modes in comparison to Nintendo’s fitness program.



Similar to Wii Fit J-Mat's program logs data like how many calories you burned. The downside is Jackie Chan J-Mat Fitness is pretty expensive. The game alone has a MSRP of $90 and you need the $80 XaviXPORT console to use it. I doubt many people will choose J-Mat Fitness over Wii Fit now, but in 2005 maybe.

2005? That’s right. Jackie Chan J-Mat Fitness launched two years before Nintendo announced Wii Fit. Here’s another interesting tidbit about the XaviXPORT, it’s a host for motion controlled sports games like Tennis, Bowling and Baseball... just like the Wii.

Miss Razz via siliconera.com »