First Wii Mod Chip Shipping Out

Via Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog, and their commentary on the device, a review of the first Wii mod chip at the MaxConsole site. The review offers step-by-step instructions for putting it in place, and then rates the resulting options opened up by the device. Most interestingly the chip is apparently updateable via a DVD, allowing for new functionality to be released for as time goes on. At $50 and with just a little soldering to get in place, the Wii CycloWhiz sounds like a great deal for anyone looking to do some outside-the-box thinking with Nintendo's console.

Comments

Re:Updateable via DVD?

[Chairboy]

You appear to have mistaken "DVD Movie Playback" with "Support for the DVD disk format". The Wii has a DVD drive.

How very awkward.

Unfortunatly

[Tainek]

There is still no chip for imports, as much as i love my Wii, i Refuse to pay $80 a game (UK)

Hopefully a *>Pal Chip will come soon...

Summary

[drinkypoo]

The modchip works. It lets you play Wii and GC backups. It lets you play GC imports, but PAL games don't work on NTSC without GCOS, the first version of which was just released for the Wii. It makes SOME PAL games work on an NTSC control. No idea about NTSC on PAL. Wii imports DO NOT WORK. It's $50. Personally I'd wait for the next version, unless you're buying it only to play backups. I want region unlocking.

No homebrew though.

[noretsa]

From the article it sounds like this hack is very similar to the XBox360 DVD firmware hack in that it tricks the system into thinking the disc is a different type than it really is (pressed as opposed to DVD-R). However, the executables are still signed and the only thing this enables is "back ups" aka piracy.

This strategy will not enable custom user applications which is what a lot of us really want. However, this is definitely a step in the right direction. Even though the executables are signed, it is likely that the data on DVDs is unencrypted. Maybe by modifying this data a more effective exploit can be found?

Fact check: summary, articles all inaccurate

[nxtw]

- The Wiinja chip was announced first.
- No chip is actually shipping yet to end users -- CycloWiz has however been shipped for review to MaxConsole. Foundmy lists it as being in stock starting Thursday.
- The CycloWiz appears to be selling for around $40, not $50.
- The CycloWiz (NOT CychloWiz) is NOT firmware upgradeable.
- The WiiKey is reportedly firmware upgradeable.

The Wiinja requires wires to older it in, while the CycloWiz has a "quicksolder" interface that lets you directly solder the chip to the motherboard. (I think I'd prefer wires -- but you can still use wires with the quicksolder interface.)
The WiiKey supports both, apparently -- I assume this means that you can solder the chip using wires if you prefer and that the chip facilitates this easily by having pads for soldering wires directly.

Re:Fact check: summary, articles all inaccurate

[ProppaT]

I would be somewhat hesitant about a modchip like the WiiKey that can be firmware upgradable via DVD. What's to stop Nintendo from including a flash in future games and/or WiiConnect24 update that would flash the mod to render it useless?

Custer's Revenge

[cdrguru]

The first two words about "unauthorized" games on any platform needs to be this. If you haven't seen Custer's Revenge, you need to understand that this was a completely unauthorized independently developed game for the Atari 2600. It sold out before the Atari lawyers managed to get a TRO stopping sales of the game, it was that popular.

Of course, it was an incredibly lame game. But, it was the first game that really showed what people wanted on a video game - naked women. And men with huge penises.

If it wasn't pulled by Atari the morning it appeared on store shelves, it probably would have been blocked by local or state action. And might have stopped sales of the game console itself. Things are a little bit looser now, but still there is the opportunity for an independent developer to release something so utterly vile as to enrage people.

Because of this manufacturers are pretty careful to make it very, very difficult to release such unauthorized games. This of course means the primary purpose of such mod chips isn't to allow anything except piracy.

Re:Custer's Revenge

[Daemonstar]

of course means the primary purpose of such mod chips isn't to allow anything except piracy.

Yes, allowing the Wii to play backup discs will enable piracy, but the intention is to play backups (insert comparisons to guns for murder, CD-R/DVD-R drives for piracy, etc.)

Similar example in a computer repair department: Instead of plugging the monitor in and out every time we work on a different PC, we attach a VGA extension cable to it and use that. Eventually, the pins get bent or the cable gets snafu'd and the monitor has a red tint to it. If the extension cable weren't there, we'd be out a monitor. Instead, we just replace the cable and all is well. Same thing. Instead of potentionally destroying my $40-$60 game, I can use a backup. When it gets to where the drive can't read it anymore, simply make another copy. The original is always safe. I do this with all my CD's and software (either making copies or shoving ISO's on the file server).

I agree it does have the potential for abuse, but so do a lot of things, even the Wii without a modchip. :)

Re:Custer's Revenge

[drinkypoo]

Because of this manufacturers are pretty careful to make it very, very difficult to release such unauthorized games. This of course means the primary purpose of such mod chips isn't to allow anything except piracy.

Uh, the real reason they want to make it hard to release unauthorized games is that they don't get licensing fees when one is sold.

Re:Custer's Revenge

[DrXym]

If it wasn't pulled by Atari the morning it appeared on store shelves, it probably would have been blocked by local or state action. And might have stopped sales of the game console itself. Things are a little bit looser now, but still there is the opportunity for an independent developer to release something so utterly vile as to enrage people.

Surely the same could be said for DVD players though?

Seriously though, copy protection is there to stop piracy. Mod chips are there to aide piracy. All this bullshit about "backups" or imports etc., is simply that - bullshit. While there may be people who actually do play backups, it's pretty clear what the vast, vast majority are sold for.

I wonder if Nintendo and MS wouldn't be better off doing what Sony did and dropping regional controls altogether. It's one less excuse for modchip makers to hide behind. That's probably one good reason Sony did it in fact.

I love the smell of BIAS in the morning

[twistedsymphony]

I would suspect the Max Console review is a bit inaccurate... considering the shop that manufactures and sells the chip also runs the servers that host Max Console... No conflict of interests there or anything.

Also Firmware upgrades via DVD was supposedly added to the CycloWiz at the last minute, you're right on your other accounts though.

Re:So how long for homebrew?

[Torne]

They advertise it as running Gamecube Homebrew, but the Wii has been capable of that since day 1 without a chip.

Only NTSC Wii's can run Gamecube homebrew without a chip - it requires an Action Replay to boot the loader, and the PAL Action Replay is not compatible with the Wii for some reason, it refuses to recognise it as a gamecube disc. You can't use an NTSC Action Replay in a PAL Wii as the region protection is not bypassed until you already booted it. :)

So, there is still some value in this for homebrew if you live in a PAL region.

Re:Updateable via DVD?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hopefully they've put some type of restriction on this (like you have to jumper it to enable the updates). Otherwise it would seem Nintendo could just have games wipe the chip on bootup.

Re:But if it's updatable via DVD...

[HappySqurriel]

I could just be paranoid but what I would be afraid of is people posting 'images' of games that actually bricked your system...

You really only have to be successful with a couple hundred/thousand systems before word gets out and the average consumer will be afraid to install a mod-chip and download games.

The two faces of Slashdot game coverage

[Dorceon]

Face 1: Games are getting uncreative. There are too many Maddens and not enough Shadows of the Colossi. Down with EA!
Face 2: Yay, modchips! Now we don't have to pay for games!
Madden's margins are so fat it can afford to lose 10% of all sales to piracy much more easily than more creative fare that needs those sales to live, especially when it weeds the competition out of the industry. To paraphrase, a rising tide lifts all ships, but a hurricane sinks the small ones first.