Get your exercise shopping for Wii Fit

Nintendo wants you up off your sofa and working it with the new Wii Fit ($89). But it could be awhile before your exercise program begins. As with the Wii console, it's looking like the Fit (Click on images for closer looks.) will be a tough purchase.

A check of several online retail outlets, including Game Stop, Wal-Mart, and Amazon, led us to messages like "not for sale," "temporarily out of stock," and "preorders sold out." If you started shopping extra early, you may have been lucky enough to have bought a coupon for $5 to $10 that guaranteed you a Fit. Those seem to be sold out now, although double-checking with your local retailer may not be a bad idea. Once the product is launched on May 19, check frequently both online and in stores. If Wii sales are any indication, retailers will get shipments and quickly sell out, so you'll need to hit the right store at the right time.

At the very least, sign up with Best Buy, Circuit City, or another store for e-mail notification of availability.

You'll double your challenge if you're pumped for the Fit but don't yet own a Wii console. It's still hit or miss when you walk into most retail stores, and sites like Best Buy don't sell it at all online. You'll have better luck if you don't mind shelling out about an extra $100 for a bundle that includes several games. Retail price for the Wii console alone is $250. Think about grabbing one now if you can, before demand for the Fit diminishes supplies even more.

Meanwhile, in the U.K., where the Fit has already been on sale since April, it looks like demand remains high. We were able to find a few units of the Fit at Amazon's U.K. site and several online stores, while others were sold out. But don't exercise notions of buying from one of these U.K. outlets. They probably won't ship to the U.S., and besides, we saw them selling for almost double the U.S. price at about 95 pounds, or $170.

We'll be testing the Wii Fit for its health benefits in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on Consumer Reports.org and on Consumer Reports Health for our findings. For an early look, check out this Wall Street Journal review.

—Donna Tapellini