Electronic Arts has announced today that EA SPORTS Active, their contribution to the Wii fitness trend, is now available for purchase in North America.  A worldwide release has been dated for May 22.

Developed by EA Canada, EA SPORTS Active was also conceived with the help of fitness experts like exercise physiologist Bob Greene, which EA no doubt hopes will give them an edge over first-party competition.

“The EA SPORTS brand is known for award-winning sports video games, but today marks our entrance into the entirely new genre of virtual fitness as EA SPORTS Active hits stores,” said Dave McCarthy, VP of EA SPORTS.  “Now more than ever consumers are seeking economical solutions to getting exercise and living a healthier lifestyle, and with EA SPORTS Active we’ve designed an experience that will appeal to a variety of audiences and deliver a truly fun yet challenging workout in the home.”

Users can pick from over 25 different activities that target various parts of the body, as well as cardio workouts.  Like a virtual personal trainer, the game provides instructions, feedback on technique, and encouragement with visual and oral cues while helping you keep track of calories burned.  Preset workouts are designed by experts, and each one can be customized based on what your fitness goals are.

EA SPORTS Active comes with a leg strap that holes the Wii Nunchuk in order to track lower body movements and a resistance band to increase your upper body workout.  The game supports up to two players, and is now available for $59.99, or $19.99 for just the leg and resistance straps.

“Helping the challengers use such an innovative program to reach their fitness goals was a truly rewarding experience, and showed me what a powerful product EA SPORTS Active can be,” said Bob Greene.  “Anyone looking for an in-home fitness solution will appreciate the combination of a fun and effective workout.”

We'll see in the coming weeks how EA's workout game fares against heavy hitters like Nintendo's Wii Fit.