When Nintendo announced the Wii Vitality Sensor, people automatically dismissed it as the dumbest idea ever. This is further proof of Nintendo’s commitment to soccer mums and other non-gamers, they said. But what if I told you it had been tried before, on a supposedly ‘hardcore’ console no less?

In 1998, a device called the Bio Sensor (or Bio Pak depending on who you believe) was released in Japan for the Nintendo 64. Admittedly, it wasn’t made by Nintendo, instead being brought to us by a third-party company called SETA, but the idea was the same. Basically, this device measured your heart rate as you played, the only difference being that it attached to your earlobe, not your finger.

And what games were compatible with this device? According to Wikipedia, Tetris 64 (released only in Japan) is the first and only game to ever make use of it. It featured a special mode where the speed of the game changed depending on your heart rate, so if you’re one of those army sharpshooters who are trained to slow down their heartbeat, you might find it pretty easy. It sounded like a fun idea in theory, but in practice, not so much (according to reviews).

This raises an interesting idea. What if someone at Nintendo was looking over old releases and lamenting the missed opportunity of SETA’s original device? What if Nintendo have plans for the Vitality Sensor beyond Wii Fit?

Maybe we’ll see puzzle games that change according to your heartbeat. Maybe we’ll see FPS games where the higher the heartbeat, the harder it is to steady a sniper rifle. How about a game where your enemies can sense fear and react accordingly? Or a survival horror game which springs surprises when your heartbeat is low to maximise the surprise factor?

Or maybe it is only for Wii Fit, and this is all wild speculation that will never amount to anything. But we can dream, can’t we…