EA Sports announced yesterday that a full sequel to the tremendously successful, critically acclaimed workout program EA Sports Active is currently in development, set for release this fall. The sequel, tentatively named EA Sports Active 2.0, is reaching out to more customers — it’s coming to the PS3, iPhone, and iPod Touch as well as the Wii. The product will come with leg and arm straps, both of which will include their own motion sensors, and a heart rate monitor to, uh, monitor your workout.
People who bought EA Sports Active and its expansion pack (More Workouts) on the Wii may be disappointed: it looks like the PS3 version is going to be the most attractive option, if only because it will offer downloadable workouts and exercises. Curious indeed is the omission of a Project Natal version — it seems like Microsoft’s new control scheme would be ideally suited to an exercise program. Perhaps Microsoft is working on its own workout software, or maybe EA will announce a 360 version of EA Sports Active 2.0 at a later date.
Another impressive-sounding feature is the ability to upload exercise data to an online hub that will allow you to track your workout progress and share it with users around the world. I can see it now: “Sally, you lost 30 pounds in two months? Oh, hell no. I’m coming for you, woman! Ain’t nobody going to seduce my man!” This time around, you’ll be able to work out wirelessly, and Active 2.0 will include a nine-week “total body conditioning” program. It’s not clear at this point if the PS3 version will support the PlayStation Motion Controller, or if the iPhone/iPod Touch version will let you, say, track your daily run.
Folks, here’s some free advice: your significant others or spouses probably won’t be too happy to see EA Sports Active 2.0 under the Christmas tree, even if you mean well, so don’t go out and get it for them as a helpful nudge — unless they’ve explicitly asked for it. Seriously.
