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Nintendo‘s latest wonder, the Wii console hit markets a short year ago, and people are still raving about it. It offers a new dimension in game play, where you actually get into the action by swinging the racquet, the bat, the golf club, etc. I tried it out myself just this weekend in a Budapest shopping mall, and I gotta tell you that even at the age of 25, I do not think that I would be too old for such fun.

But the Wii can go where none of its rivals have ever gone before. In an interesting experiment conducted by doctors at the Minneapolis Hospital, researchers are trying to help stroke victims regain their bodily functions. Patients use the Wii’s motion-sensing controller to simulate real-world actions, helping them recover balance, dexterity and motor control.

Jerry Pope, a 77-year-old former pro tennis player, suffered a stroke in June and has been using Wii Tennis along with regular rehabilitation techniques to recover lost function.

Because of the interaction of the game, I get the physical sensation of playing tennis, it can fool me into thinking that I’m doing what’s happening on the screen.

We’ve seen reports of soldiers returning from Iraq using Wii as part of their rehab and a way to help them heal. We’ve heard directly from several cancer patients telling us the Wii is an integral part of their recovery and rehabilitation, and it makes a huge difference in their spirits.

Nintendo’s Perry Kaplan said.

Wii consoles have also been employed in similar programs at other hospitals. For example, in Edmonton, Alberta, a hospital was recently reported to be using a Wii system to help a boxer recover from a brain injury. More on this.