The Wii has figured prominently in areas mostly detached from the video gaming sphere. Still, this one made me do a double take. The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly using Wii Balance Boards to figure out if people entering an airport have hostile intent.

There's still a lot of doubt about fitness games on the Wii actually making anyone fit, but Everlast seems to think that they could make sure that you do, at least a little bit. For that, they're gonna turn your Wiimotes and Nunchuks into your very own Wii dumbells. Can't quite picture it? Hit the jump and see for yourself.

It appears that the Wii Vitality Sensor aims to do more than just "provide information to the users about the body's inner world." Herald Sun is reporting that Nintendo staff at E3 discussed how the peripheral can measure fluctuations in the electrical conductivity of skin - much like in polygraphs, aka Lie Detectors.

Let's talk some more about this curious little peripheral for Tony Hawk: RIDE (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii), shall we? Yes, I am referring to the skateboard controller that you will use for the game. This motion-sensing controller allows for "unprecedented freedom and movement," so said Activision's press release. And what's this? You can actually use it for non-Skating games?

The seven-week gap between the launch of the standalone Wii MotionPlus accessory and the first MotionPlus-supported Nintendo game, Wii Sports Resort, has resulted in a bit of speculation regarding the addition of MotionPlus support to existing Wii games. Sadly, that's not gonna be the case.

Over the years, there have been some criticism about the Wiimote's sensitivity, more specifically the lack of it. Nintendo's new Wii MotionPlus peripheral seeks to remedy that, but according to Electronic Arts, it could also swing the criticisms to the other extreme if developers aren't careful.

Despite Nintendo's best efforts to keep its gamers from playing "backups," modders just keep getting the best of them. This new one, called FlatMii, lets you play backups straight from your PC via USB. It can render your Wii drive virtually obsolete.

Thanks to digicron for the tip!

Good news for Wiibrewers who were unlucky enough to brick their console. Team Twiizers comes to your rescue with the SaveMii Recovery Dongle, which is now available on Amazon.

There's been some rumors and whispers lately that Nintendo might be upgrading the built-in motion-sensing technology for Wiimotes - an internal MotionPlus accessory, so to speak.

They've denied it though, dismissing reports as "purely rumor and speculation."

Let's have a show of hands: Who's having problems with the drum pedals in their music game of choice? Apparently, the number of gamers who do is high enough that Nyko has announced plans for a "more durable foot pedal" called the Metal Pedal. Specs after the jump.