Wii hacked to run backup discs? Maybe.

If you've got a hefty hankering for a totally unverifiable Wii hack on video, complete with a horrible soundtrack and shaky-cam cinematography, then boy do we have a present for you. YouTube's finest, a certain pimmysays, has uploaded just such a video, and is making the notable claim of hacking the Wii to run game backups. Just like the rest of these fools do, pimmy's video quality is horrible, and there could easily be a cut at 1:16 -- or just about anywhere else, for that matter -- where pimmy could've stopped the camera and swapped in an actual Zelda disc instead of that burned DVD the video shows being loaded at the first. Luckily, we won't have to wait too terribly long to find out: pimmy is promising "something special" on New Years, implying an unveil of the hack for all to see. We're not holding our breath. Peep the video after the break.

[Via MaxConsole]

[zach @ Dec 18th 2006 12:55PM]

this is cool but hard to tell if its edited for the Zelda swich

[DrC @ Dec 18th 2006 1:01PM]

Doesn't the Wii disc rotate in the opposite direction to a standard DVD? That was the main copy protection used on the Gamecube...simple and almost impossible to get around too.

[KaosDG @ Dec 18th 2006 1:03PM]

jesus the reverse spinning disc crap is such MISINFORMATION.

Just open up your GC and LOOK at it spinning.

[Mark Deab @ Dec 18th 2006 2:18PM]

People get confused, the disc doesn't spin backwards, the data is just written so it reads it from out side to in. There is hack however that involves final fantasy on-line if you really want to rip them.

[roberto @ Dec 18th 2006 1:06PM]

big fake.

[Alexander @ Jan 19th 2007 12:20PM]

The biggest blunder in this video is he has left the proper copy of Zelda to the right of the TV. Take a look on the desk far right, u can clearly make out the legend of zelda box.

[Wonderboy @ Dec 18th 2006 1:13PM]

If it's a fake, that's not a bad editing job...

If he's reading this blog and wants to prove what he's done... I wanna see zelda playing then a burned disc being taken out in a smooth shot.

[Jeff @ Dec 18th 2006 1:17PM]

I'm unconvinced.

[dov @ Dec 18th 2006 1:28PM]

lol..
2 wiis, and a funky jpeg will do the magic.. :D

[mitch @ Dec 18th 2006 6:08PM]

nah.. cant be two wiis because the wii would have to be behind the TV so we didn't see the component cables running, and you can see the outlet where there is only two plugs, one for the TV and one for the wii.

[Michael Bailey @ Jan 26th 2007 3:58PM]

2 Wiis is the first thing I thought of as well - about 5 seconds into the video.

[Vidikron @ Dec 18th 2006 1:29PM]

"Legit" hackers rarely release videos of their hacks before releasing them to the public. This video is almost certainly a fake.

[Tony Rayo @ Dec 18th 2006 1:37PM]

Insecure hackers do. I've seen a lot of hacks for the PSP and such shown as videos first before released. Hacking isn't what it used to be, sure there were always some people using the credit cards they stole, not just proving that they could do now, but now you mostly have money-making hackers (the modchip/cart/etc makers) and the attention-whore hackings (some release groups and people like this). Thankfully there are still a small majority, sometimes working on their own or in small communities keeping the spirit alive. As for me, all I want for xmas is a PS3 with linux running on it so I can get some coding/gfx work done in 1080p =p.

- Tony R.

[Anu @ Dec 18th 2006 1:31PM]

regarding the soundtrack, what do you have against Boston and the dropkick murphys? :-p

Of course this could be a devkit which if i recall correctly do play burned disks

[Ben @ Dec 25th 2006 8:56PM]

That's not a Wii devkit in the video, though.

This is:
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/8050/bb10ub2.png

[Mark D @ Dec 18th 2006 3:36PM]

Tony, you are aware that you can do this "coding/gfx work" on your PC with higher than 1080p resolution right? My widescreen LCD does, and pretty much any decent CRT can do 1600x1200.

[DuncanC @ Dec 18th 2006 1:42PM]

Do you know the name of the song played in the video?

[oqnet @ Dec 18th 2006 1:45PM]

I just don't click on any links like this until they are verified that way your not supporting fakers. Its not really news until its verified anyways.

[Jake @ Dec 18th 2006 1:50PM]

It's "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" by Dropkick Murphys off the CD The Warrior's Code.

http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Code-Dropkick-Murphys/dp/B0009IOR0C/sr=8-1/qid=1166467772/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-9326355-6215122?ie=UTF8&s=music

[helava @ Dec 18th 2006 1:51PM]

Why do sites persist in calling them "backup" discs, like it's something legitimate? They're not "backups" - they're pirated copies of games people poured years of their lives into making. Calling them "backup" discs provides some, however meager, legitimacy to this BS, and I, for one, won't have it.

[Zorque @ Dec 18th 2006 3:43PM]

There are quite a few legitimate reasons for "backup" discs. First and foremost is so that you can protect the original from damage. Another is that if you lose the original, you still have the game you paid $60 for. In some games, people have created quite a bit of custom content, and in many cases it has been added to the backup because, of course, you can't add it to the original DVD. One game full of custom content that has utilized this method is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In some cases it needs to be loaded onto the PS2's hard drive before using custom content, but with a modified system the content can also be burned to a DVD along with the game.

[helava @ Dec 18th 2006 1:51PM]

Why do sites persist in calling them "backup" discs, like it's something legitimate? They're not "backups" - they're pirated copies of games people poured years of their lives into making. Calling them "backup" discs provides some, however meager, legitimacy to this BS, and I, for one, won't have it.

[DarkSol @ Dec 18th 2006 2:10PM]

Actually, backups are legitimate if you own the original software. We're given that right under "fair use". Unfortunately, what this does do, is that it opens up the doorway for piracy.

[master_of_fm @ Dec 18th 2006 1:56PM]

if it were real he could have ejected the disc at the end and showed it, but with the screen doing dark at 1:16 that is when he switched disks and therefore cant remove the disc without revealing it was fake.

[Danny @ Dec 18th 2006 1:57PM]

hahaah look at 1:19 its fades out its 100% fake

[tk. @ Dec 18th 2006 2:07PM]

I hacked my xbox 360 the same way.

Big deal.

[James @ Dec 18th 2006 2:09PM]

Has anybody tried to read a Wii disc in a regular DVD-ROM drive? I mean, can a PC make any sense of it? If not, how would one create a disc image to make a "backup" in the first place? I guess I could see a "hacker" who runs arbitrary code creating an app to dump Wii discs over wireless (or to a USB hard drive/flash key), but can they be read in a "normal" DVD drive?

[charl.ie @ Jan 20th 2007 10:01AM]

I tried to read the Redsteel disk in M$ windoze:
My DVD Drive didn't even registering the disk, getting: "Please instert a disk into drive D:".
My CD Writer recognised a disk, but didn't know the filesystem and just said that the capicity of the disk was 0 bytes.

[Spencer @ Dec 19th 2006 3:34PM]

Even more unfortunately, the only reason legitimate backup methods open doors to piracy is because of the media owners' decision to try and deny their customers fair usage of the products they purchase. If they didn't use outlandish claims based on imaginary facts as the basis of their "anti-piracy" (read: control) efforts, and just provided a fair-use avenue, there would be a clear line between backups and copies made for illegal distribution.
But of course now that piracy is perceived as such a big problem, any attempt to do this would be a terrible sign to stockholders.. So we get to live with it.

[Bizzle @ Dec 18th 2006 2:11PM]

Looks fake to me, many places could be a post produced cut in the video. I don't plan to play any backup games, the only hack I would go for is one that allows me to play ROM's.

[big_raji @ Dec 18th 2006 2:28PM]

He could've just had 2 Wii's and an AV switcher.

[Jeff @ Dec 18th 2006 2:46PM]

Don't be silly. No one has two Wiis.

(BTTF FTW) =)

[Andir3.0 @ Dec 18th 2006 2:32PM]

Why are you debating the legitimacy of it? Just 2 weeks from now, we'll know if it was publicity for something or if it was real. Then it will be worth arguing.

[Glenn @ Dec 18th 2006 2:33PM]

Notice at 1:21 it says it's playing an AVI?

[Jeff @ Dec 18th 2006 2:43PM]

I'm pretty sure that says AV1, and is being produced by his television, not the Wii.

[Goato @ Dec 18th 2006 2:44PM]

Is that the Zelda disc right next to the system a little before the minute mark? (I don't have a Wii yet). If so, then it's pretty clear that he just swapped them when he zoomed in at 1:16

[Goato @ Dec 18th 2006 2:45PM]

And, it says AV1, so the system reset.

[KaosDG @ Dec 18th 2006 2:58PM]

I will never understand these internet shenanigans for notoriety.

[E-Tech @ Dec 18th 2006 4:52PM]

I really wish Engadget would stop linking to the total nonsense that maxconsole posts. 99% of their stuff is either fake or stolen from some other website and posted without linking back to their sources.

Maxconsole is controlled by modchip giant divineo that was recently in the news for getting sued by sony. It's not unbiased news there.

[Josh @ Dec 18th 2006 5:12PM]

"" Actually, backups are legitimate if you own the original software. We're given that right under "fair use". Unfortunately, what this does do, is that it opens up the doorway for piracy. ""

This hasn't been true since the DMCA was passed in 1998. It is illegal to bypass any content protection on any medium, regardless of intent.

[Deejay Knight @ Dec 18th 2006 6:36PM]

I would hope that a disc that has spun as "Unable to Read" before you go into a channel wouldn't show up as spun and noticed when you return to the Wii menu.

On top of that, when you leave the Photo Channel, it boots you to the Wii Dash. The only way said preloader would work is if it reset the system on it's own.

[010111 @ Dec 18th 2006 6:42PM]

the other method the Gamecube (and presumably Wii) used in the discs/drive were that they were CAV discs. a normal CD/DVD uses CLV. the difference being ...

CLV (Constant Linear Velocity) means the data stream if "unwoven" from the disc... would be a constant speed / data rate... in disc form the drive needs to speed up or slow down as it moves inner/outer parts of the disc in order to keep the data rate standard. there is no constant RPM. it's a graduated RPM based on what part of the disc is being read.

CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) means the disc has a constant RPM and does not speed up or slow down. similar to an LP. basically the data rate on the outer edges of the disc is higher than the data rate on the inner portion of the disc. as one revolution on the outside part of the disc can contain more data than one revolution on the inner portion of the disc. the Dreamcast GD-ROM discs were also CAV discs.

[pixelbender @ Dec 18th 2006 6:56PM]

"This hasn't been true since the DMCA was passed in 1998. It is illegal to bypass any content protection on any medium, regardless of intent."

You REALLY don't know what you're talking about, do you? I mean, you spout of something you read on /. but you clearly didn't read everything.

It is generally accepted the backing up discs (DVDs) in particular for personal use is OK. You are correct that the two laws conflict, and while it leans the personal backups are ok, I don't believe any court has ever set a precident.

[Marine Dude @ Dec 18th 2006 7:46PM]

I think that song rocks. Just not right for his questionable not-so-much hack. and the song is real tight in "the departed"

[QUOW @ Dec 18th 2006 8:06PM]

Yes, please stop with this whole "disk spins backwards" bullshit. It gets really annoying.

[Rudy @ Dec 18th 2006 9:47PM]

Put the mute on!

[XSportSeeker @ Dec 19th 2006 10:32AM]

On backups: It is legal in some countries, and illegal in others. I think US is still in gray area... it's acceptable, but there are laws or projects of laws, or obscure laws that could be interpreted as illegal.

Now, back to the vid. Maybe it's fake, maybe it's not. But I'm considering it fake 'till I see more info on this.

Questions arise:
1. If he did it, why not giving more info on how?
2. This is a dream to lots of Nintendo console owners (an easy hack to use backup discs). Jackasses with fake videos are to be expected.
3. Video is shaky, blurry, and doesn't prove anything. Could easily be edited.
4. Adding a "release date" as hype is even more suspicious.
5. WII has just been released. It's supposed to have some copy protection on it. I know people can hack stuff pretty fast depending on how the protection was made. But GameCube for one proved that hacking Nintendo stuff is not a ride on the park. Anyways, let's just hope this is not some fake shit. But don't go crazy just yet.

[briaguya @ Dec 19th 2006 5:40PM]

obviously this is fake, the second wii isn't even updated
the bottom thing there is different

[Paul @ Dec 20th 2006 4:39PM]

I think this is totally possible. A lot of people are saying this is fake because it hasn't already been spread all over the internet, but if anyone remembers when the first PSP 1.5 hacks came out the team that released the info waited awhile, posted a release date, got buzz going on it, then finally let it loose. This might be another overflow exploit, but I still dont see how this would allow the Wii to run burned discs

[Paul @ Dec 20th 2006 4:39PM]

I think this may be legit. Remember when the first 1.5 PSP hacks came out? People thought it was a big fake, and they wouldnt release the hack right at first, they set a release date, they got buzz growing around it, they got their name spread all around, then they put it on the internet. Im not quiete sure how loading a picture on here would allow the PSP to run backups unless its some sort of overflow exploit like the PSP saw.