Wii update renders Freeloader useless
And don't expect Nintendo to do anything about it. The recently released and pointedly punctual Wii system update 3 added limited USB keyboard support but removed the system's ability to run Datel's Freeloader discs. Originally intended for Nintendo's previous console, the Freeloader would (usually) allow the user to play Gamecube games from other regions, an ideal tool to help pass the time between those lethargic localizations. Nintendo told Eurogamer that due to the Freeloader's status as an unofficial product, there was nothing they could do to "fix" the problem.
If you still hope to play your imported Gamecube titles, you can either dig your old system out of the closet or stare at that new Wii clock while you wait for Nintendo to abandon its draconian console region encoding policies.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
