Speaking to investors, president has told the world that the Wii's unusual Vitality Sensor is set to launch in 2010. The sensor will make the player's pulse a factor in gameplay, according to the platform holder.

"We would like to deliver the actual product not too late in the year next year," Iwata offered in a Q&A released over the weekend.

The new peripheral will reportedly be used to create new kinds of 'relaxing' games, although what this will actually entail from a software perspective is of course anyone's guess.

"We are conducting some tests internally at Nintendo, and found some patterns among our employees, like improving automatic nerve condition as the weekend nears or vice versa," Iwata-san tells us.

"Seeing what their condition is actually like, they can 'visualize' how they are looking forward to weekend. And see completely different patterns on each individual person."

By Luke Guttridge