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World's First Custom Firmware For Wii Released
Croakyvoice writes "Waninkoko has released the world's
first custom firmware for the Nintendo Wii, which is installed using the twilight
hack; among its features is the ability to allow writeable DVDs to be read
in emulators. From the readme: 'The Custom Firmware installs as IOS249 and it does not modify
any other IOS so it is secure to install and has been made to be used ONLY with
homebrew
software. This is a custom IOS, an IOS modified to add some new features not
available in the official IOS.'"
There is the Mt Everest answer and there is the "it isn't as weak as you make it out to be" answer. I don't plan on installing this firmware (not till the first wave of guiniea pigs test it for me ^_^), but I do have several Wiibrew games installed, some of which are WiiPorts of old games that have been released to the wild (GPL'ed or put in the public domain) and though the Wii homebrew scene isn't quite as polished as say the DS homebrew scene, they still have some impressive things out already.
In the end though, the real question is "why not?" Do you only drive your car from home to work and back again? Sometimes something doesn't have to have a strict utility or direct benefit to have fun doing it.
Actually no you can't. It was even stated in the summary this only works for homebrew software, not comercial rips, and on purpose. The people who are doing most of the cool stuff in the Wii Homebrew scene are fairly ethical folk.
What this should mean however, is now people can start making DVD's of their homebrew software and popping it in like a normal game instead of having to cram everything in a 'small' memory card.
I know of at least a couple that were released before.
Let's get this straight.
The drive in the Wii is NOT a DVD drive. In a DVD drive, the speed changes so the laser reads at the same speed all throughout the disk. This puts a strain on the motor (different speed and etc)
A Wii drive does NOT spin at different speeds, only one. The laser reads at variable speeds all throughout the disk. This makes the drive like a tank.
One is not the other, at least not without a firmware mod.
I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
Jail? Your not serious are you?
Just in case your not kidding, it is not illegal or even close to anything remotely criminal to put custom firmware on ANY PIECE OF ELECTRONICS THAT YOU OWN.
That may just be what Sony is trying to push with their PR campaign throughout the world, which is that they have complete and total control of their equipment everywhere and to go against that is a crime... and kills puppies.
Which is why the Wii has proper ventilation. There are large vents out the back and bottom of the unit. These allow heat to be dissipated while hiding the bottom vents with a stand underneath the unit. (Check it out sometime. The stand has a huge hole in it and notches on the side.)
Heat with the Wii is primarily a problem when it's "turned off" in WiiConnect24 mode.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
A PAL DVD is 576p.
Waninkoko's "custom firmware" is just a ripoff of PatchMii with reduced functionality. PatchMii actually downloads the IOS from Nintendo's servers, patches and install it. It's even easier to use. Waninkoko has a bad reputation on the wiibrew community for stealing credits, and, as always, he releases a new tool days after someone else do all the hard work and release it for free under the GPL. PatchMii was created by bushing, one of the creators of the twilight hack. The unencrypted dvd read patch is by svpe based on an earlier patch for IOSes older than 30.
That the wiidev guys don't know where to start with correcting it. Seriously. For one thing, wanky borrowed these features from patchmii. Just as he borrows for everything he does. The version he released yesterday was almost 100% Nintendo copyrighted code. He cannot code. Fact. Sad slashdot, sad.