Official NintendoAge LifeFitness Exertainment Thread
Exertainment Mountain Bike Rally/Speed Racer (MBR/SR) board pic -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=155818
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=133874
(Pic originally posted by snescentral in above thread)
Mountain Bike Rally Variants -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=140144
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=94270
Prototype (Mountain Bike Warrior) - http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=29&threadid=56356
MBR/SR PAL version (prototype) -
https://assemblergames.com/threads/what-is-this-snes-prototype-worth.67090/
MBR/SR NTSC Prototype (pic below):
A NintendoAge member (who prefers to remain anonymous) allowed me to share about their find in May 2018. They were able to purchase a 9XS bike that came with a development cart. The story goes that the father of the woman selling it was an engineer that worked on various projects for Nintendo including the 9XS bike and the larger Game Boy kiosk that was in stores. Once he obtained the bike he had the cart dumped and reported:
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https://imgur.com/a/mRkr3q4...
Definitely a prototype. Has a beta build screen of 5/29, and the physical stickers on the eeprom chips are dated 1995, putting this build at 5/29/95. In the above, you'll see pictures of how the game should look, and what this beta build looks like. Of interest is the fact that there is no sound in this build.
Also, the menu interacts differently from the retail build. Some menu's in speedracer that cannot be accessed on the retail build without being connected to the bike are accessible on this beta build. You can get past them, despite the severe graphical glitches, but after 3-4 screens you cannot go further as the bike is not connected.
These facts, combined with the fact that this unit came with hardware (video unit) that has not been seen in other units (A roctec PIP), and the fact that this came from a family of nintendo employees, the father being a 30 + year engineer for nintendo, heavily implies that this was a prototype bike.
And here's a link to the dump -
https://www.xbins.org/iriez/Exert...
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Exertainment Module (XMOD) -
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=29&threadid=75682
PCB of an XMOD -
Graphics Overlay Module (GOMOD) -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=135838
LC3500 Exertainment Home kit -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=29&threadid=81220
Promotional Mail-order VHS tape -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=155518
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=29&threadid=79964
Nintendo Power promo jacket (not a lot of info right now) -
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=3&threadid=130535
Exertainment gifs -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=159607
PhearedPhool's 9XS Score -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=148980
attakid101's 9XS Score -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=141782
Crabmaster2000's 9XS Score -
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=82321
theirontoupee's LC3500X Score -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=133821
Pics showing the standard LC3500 model (Exertainment compatible) -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=29&threadid=102717
Discussion on Rerez's LC3500X video -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=159114
Kelsey Lewin's video -
MBR/SR sealed discussions -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=147212
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=3&threadid=142829
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=8848
http://74.86.217.179/forum/messageview.cfm?StartRow=26&catid=3&threadid=68335
Other information/previous questions/threads -
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=29&threadid=160720
http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=159841
French blog post about the 9XS over in Europe -
http://www.cocole.com/velo-super-nintendo-exertainment/
I measured my 9XS version (in case you're thinking of shipping one) and here is what I found:
The bike portion is approx. 55" tall from floor to the highest points on the handlebars, 23" wide at the widest part of the legs/base, and 56" long from the edge of the seat (which sticks out past the back leg/base bar) to the nose tip of the front.
The monitor base portion is approx. 56" tall from floor to highest points at the top, 23" wide at the widest part of the leg/base, and 25" deep from the back of the metal part where the front of the bike would sit to the edge of the front leg/base/bar (not including the TV which sticks out even farther forward and you wouldn't want to ship it with a TV attached just in case).
I would guess it weighs about 200lbs total, not including the weight of a pallet or shipping materials. The problem is that a standard American pallet according to Google is 48x48 so you'd have to have one of those larger custom pallets to ship this unless you want it hanging off the edge a lot. Make sure you add extra space around everything for adequate packing materials and such because these measurements are as close as I could get them for exact specs. Also, based on my crapstorm of a move across country, I learned that the plastic pars on this bike can easily shave/chip off so keep that in mind!
Exertainment 9XS kiosk numbers and owners:
9545 - PhearedPhool
9546 - PhearedPhool
9547 - ThosYoung
9549 - RpgCollector
9704 - TheIronToupee
News Articles/Press -
NintendoAge E-Zine issue with Crabmaster2000's Exertainment article -
http://static.nintendoagemedia.com/ezine/Issue_05-2013.pdf
Popular Mechanics article discussing the upcoming release of the Exertainment setup -
https://books.google.com/books?id=A-QDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA43&lpg=PA43&dq=exertainment+life+fitness+catalog&source=bl&ots=wWbCXLwjM2&sig=TDkp02XRsoiC5V-4y8TUzNzDm0w&hl=en&sa=X&ei=IFMVVNLhJJDkoATfzYH4Bg#v=onepage&q=exertainment life fitness catalog&f=false
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"Next: Video Games That Get Physical"
March 24, 1994| Associated Press
CHICAGO — You need to exercise, but you'd rather play video games? Do both, says Life Fitness Inc., maker of Lifecycle exercise bikes that plans this summer to unveil an "Exertainment" version with game maker Nintendo.
The bike, expected to retail about $1,000, is for use with a separate Nintendo system. Success at the games depend on how consistently riders are able to pedal within a target heart rate.
A system by HeartBeat Corp., a licensee of Sega, already sells a device that includes "Outback Joey" video games in which a character sweats profusely and falls from dehydration if the exerciser's heart rate gets too high.
Virtual reality could crank up the movement, said Justin Hall-Tipping, who founded HeartBeat. "I expect we will develop exploratory games, like pedaling through . . . France."
Source - http://articles.latimes.com/1994-03-24/business/fi-37778_1_video-games
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"Video bike helps bored exercisers win mind games"
September 13, 1994|By Rusty Coats | Rusty Coats,McClatchy News Service
Forget Nintendo thumb. Get ready for Nintendo buns.
Or something like that. Exercise-equipment-maker Life Fitness has hooked a Lifecycle to a Nintendo N.E.S. deck, hoping to turn the drudgery of aerobic exercise into a video game. The system -- called "Exertainment" -- puts exercisers in a choice of eight tracks and pits them against other racers, obstacles and an occasional turtle-chucking villain.
"One of the biggest complaints in exercise is that it's boring," says Tom Flickinger, Exertainment manager for Life Fitness. "This turns working out into a game where the harder you play, the healthier you get."
Lifecycles and other stationary bikes generally use an L.E.D. screen of dots that symbolize upcoming hills, while at the same time flashing numbers for how many calories burned and miles traveled. The Exertainment system hooks the bike to the deck, and then shows scenery through a television screen.
The result is game-quality scenery that changes as the rider pedals or steers the bike. Riders steer through Nintendo keypads hooked to the bike's handlebars.
"As you climb a hill," Mr. Flickinger says, "the pedal resistance increases. It gets harder as the hills get steeper."
Since it's Nintendo, the views are anything but sedate. Riders choose between eight virtual worlds, from the tropical Sunshine Island to the futuristic Alumnitech City. The roads vary in texture, taking the rider through rough rock, rivers, snow, ice, tar and mud.
"The game sends the program to the bike, so the resistance changes and the pedal feel changes," says Jim Fox, software producer at Life Fitness.
"Then the bike sends the RPMs to the game, so if you speed up, the game character goes faster."
In addition, riders can choose between eight on-line personas -- such as California Jack, Wind-rider, Mountain Demon or Shadow Rider -- for each course. This has little to do with exercise, Mr. Fox said. But it has everything to do with making exercise more like a game. It also comes with program-manager software to log miles, calories burned and specific workout information -- such as which track, and how fast the rider completed it. The program manager lights up the television set like the L.E.D. screen of a normal Lifecycle.
Now available in stores, the Exertainment system costs $799. Later versions will link game software with Life Fitness treadmills, stair-climbers and recumbent bikes, Mr. Fox said. And future software for the bike will include such games as Pac-Man and Speed Racer.
Another company, CyberGear, offers a similar -- if more advanced and more expensive -- system coupling a recumbent bike and sophisticated interactive software. The bike comes with a video screen attached to the frame. The bike runs a program that simulates a ride through a fictional New England hamlet named Sweeney Town.
Like the Life Fitness model, the CyberGear bike increases resistance on the pedals as the scenery changes. But unlike the Life Fitness model, the CyberGear bike allows riders to invent their own ride -- steering off course and actually discovering the landscape of Sweeney Town.
Plus, if riders get halfway up a hill and get tired, they can turn around and coast down.
"We've provided a whole virtual world," says CyberGear president Mike Benjamin. "You can jump cliffs, interact with other people, make it more like a ride in the country. A half-hour later you're still a sweaty pig, but you haven't noticed the time gone by."
Manufactured by Tectrix Fitness Equipment in Irvine, Calif., CyberGear costs $7,495.
Both bikes have been recently released, so few stores carry them in stock.
Source - http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-09-13/features/1994256133_1_exertainment-nintendo-life-fitness
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Comments
Originally posted by: PhearedPhool
Amazing job man! Thank you for doing this! Hopefully I will have stuff to contribute after I get to thoroughly go through your post.
Thanks! No problem! This was everything I could find via NintendoAge and a handful of stuff from google research. I tried to not post repeats of the same information (literally scanned through every Exertainment post on NA back to 2008) so hopefully this is a condensed, concentrated and applicable resource for people!
Forget Nintendo thumb. Get ready for Nintendo buns.
Hahahaha! Amazing.
I was always curious on how strong/solid the bikes themselves are. Could you do a rigorous workout with one without fear of breaking or damaging the bike or is it something you have to treat with care? Is there a weight limit to the bike? and is it adjustable for people with long legs or are really tall?
The home version is built for moderate use with the weak points being the handlebar shaft as it's only secured with two small bolts, but if if that did fail, it would just spin around rather that fall off. The gym version is built like a tank since it was for heavy use. I am 6' 1" and 285lb of collector goodness. The home version has never given me stability issues when I have used it, but my legs did feel a bit cramped. I would have to adjust the seat more to make a solid judgement. I guess it also depends on what your definition of a "rigorous workout" is like going downstairs for a Mountain Dew refill or doing an Iron Man marathon...lol
I was always curious on how strong/solid the bikes themselves are. Could you do a rigorous workout with one without fear of breaking or damaging the bike or is it something you have to treat with care? Is there a weight limit to the bike? and is it adjustable for people with long legs or are really tall?
The home version is built for moderate use with the weak points being the handlebar shaft as it's only secured with two small bolts, but if if that did fail, it would just spin around rather that fall off. The gym version is built like a tank since it was for heavy use. I am 6' 1" and 285lb of collector goodness. The home version has never given me stability issues when I have used it, but my legs did feel a bit cramped. I would have to adjust the seat more to make a solid judgement. I guess it also depends on what your definition of a "rigorous workout" is like going downstairs for a Mountain Dew refill or doing an Iron Man marathon...lol
Thanks for the info I guess my meaning for rigorous workout would be if you peddle as fast as you can giving the bike your all, does it wobble back and forth badly? Does it feel like giving yourself a good workout will damage the unit? Imagine a slider bar, on the left side is novelty gaming hardware and on the right side is serious workout equipment. How close to the right could you get The exertainment bike always intrested me and since I have never seen one in person I always questioned its stablilty.
Originally posted by: GreatGadon
Originally posted by: theirontoupee
Originally posted by: GreatGadon
I was always curious on how strong/solid the bikes themselves are. Could you do a rigorous workout with one without fear of breaking or damaging the bike or is it something you have to treat with care? Is there a weight limit to the bike? and is it adjustable for people with long legs or are really tall?
The home version is built for moderate use with the weak points being the handlebar shaft as it's only secured with two small bolts, but if if that did fail, it would just spin around rather that fall off. The gym version is built like a tank since it was for heavy use. I am 6' 1" and 285lb of collector goodness. The home version has never given me stability issues when I have used it, but my legs did feel a bit cramped. I would have to adjust the seat more to make a solid judgement. I guess it also depends on what your definition of a "rigorous workout" is like going downstairs for a Mountain Dew refill or doing an Iron Man marathon...lol
Thanks for the info I guess my meaning for rigorous workout would be if you peddle as fast as you can giving the bike your all, does it wobble back and forth badly? Does it feel like giving yourself a good workout will damage the unit? Imagine a slider bar, on the left side is novelty gaming hardware and on the right side is serious workout equipment. How close to the right could you get The exertainment bike always intrested me and since I have never seen one in person I always questioned its stablilty.
The handlebar setup would wobble since it's only held on by two bolts. You can even see that in my avatar gif or if you watch the promo video. The gym version is pretty darn solid though. I wouldn't use this for heavy workouts if you buy it for collecting purposes, but light workouts would be fine. You can come over to Minnesota and try it out if you're super curious!
Originally posted by: GreatGadon
Ah thanks, that is a tempting offer I imagine the gym version is harder to find then the home version.
Yes. Honestly, I would say that the standard LC3500 is more uncommon as I have seen less than the LC3500X. Maybe that is because sellers don't market them as Exertainment compatible or maybe they just weren't purchased as much as the X version. I would then say that the gym version is certainly the rarest though since they weren't available to the general public and were sold to gyms so people had to purchase them from gyms that closed/needed space like Crabmaster2000 did for his two and like the previous owner of mine did.
I'll try to post a pic of my bike later. Although, to be honest, it looks exactly the same as before...
I thought I hit the jackpot at Half Priced Books this past weekend. They had their 50% off sale and I found a mint Exertainment Mountain Bikerally for only $25.00, so with the 50% off, I paid around $14.00. Then I realized it wasn't the Speed Racer combo!
Still not a terrible price though!
Originally posted by: theirontoupee
Originally posted by: Retrovision
I thought I hit the jackpot at Half Priced Books this past weekend. They had their 50% off sale and I found a mint Exertainment Mountain Bikerally for only $25.00, so with the 50% off, I paid around $14.00. Then I realized it wasn't the Speed Racer combo!
Still not a terrible price though!
Very true!
@Toupee Pink Gorilla girl just put out a video for ya!
One of these days I hope YouTubers will credit their sources fully and do a bit more research before doing videos on this topic...Brett Weiss got Kelsey and I connected on Facebook for this video. I offered to help her in whatever way I could and sent various links and such, one of which was to the promo video I posted that she used a ton of clips from (without crediting me). I was looking forward to helping her with this project, but she never responded to my messages so I figured she didn't want my help...
@Toupee Pink Gorilla girl just put out a video for ya!
One of these days I hope YouTubers will credit their sources fully and do a bit more research before doing videos on this topic...Brett Weiss got Kelsey and I connected on Facebook for this video. I offered to help her in whatever way I could and sent various links and such, one of which was to the promo video I posted that she used a ton of clips from (without crediting me). I was looking forward to helping her with this project, but she never responded to my messages so I figured she didn't want my help...
Ah, thats a shame!
Guy who worked on the combo cart posted in my latest rankings thread
https://www.reddit.com/r/snes/com...
Guy who worked on the combo cart posted in my lasted rankings thread
Awesome!
I'm curious does anyone have any good images of the cable or a pinout? I would like to try and make that cable and see if I could adapt it to a new exercise bike. Or continuity readings from a multi meter would be cool to see how the pins on the Rj11 and Rj45 and snes connetor connect to each other.
So which parts of the cable are you wanting pics of?