WiiXT, the newest Wii modchip claims to enable DVD playback

Watch out Wiinja, Cyclowiz, and WiiKey, the creators of the WiiXT have dubbed it the "Ultimate Wii Modchip", and with all the features it purports to have, they may well be right. That is, if it's real. In addition to Wii and GameCube homebrew and backups, apparently the WiiXT also promises region-free DVD playback (wait, huh?), Virtual Console support, stealth operation, recovery mode, and uses 128MB ROM flash memory, 512MB flash storage (presumably for games), and an external USB dongle for enabling and disabling the chip, upgrading, and reflashing. Although there's no proof that this thing exists (or that the Wii can read and play back DVDs, as WiiXT claims), apparently it'll run about $65 should it ever hit the streets. This could be one to keep an eye out for should it emerge from vapor.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Zachary Hinchliffe @ Feb 18th 2007 6:11PM]

That's... improbable. Wii doesn't even use a DVD drive. That'd be like reading an HD-DVD with a Blu-Ray drive.

[electro^plankton @ Feb 18th 2007 6:43PM]

Um, yes the Wii does use a DVD drive. It's just missing the hardware to decode that type of information which apparently this chip has.

[John Doe @ Feb 18th 2007 9:34PM]

Zach, Dude. Rule number one on the net. Get your facts straight before you post. Then again be my guest and don't. That way we can all laugh at you when you make stupid uneducated statements like this.

[Keith @ Feb 18th 2007 6:13PM]

Please be true...

However, I'll be wary of opening my Wii until I can easily pick up a new one, just in case something goes wrong.

[zmanforever @ Feb 18th 2007 7:21PM]

Could be true you never know, lets see what happens. Great if its true, work up some nice homebrew!

[AceMilo @ Feb 18th 2007 6:32PM]

Guys, please, this is 100% fake. Just the fact that they claim stealth + region free is bull, if region free were enabled the stealth goes out the window. Believe me, its total bull.

[Mr.Ortiz @ Feb 18th 2007 6:46PM]

The Wii does use a DVD drive, and Wii games are on DVD discs, they just didn't pay the license fee for DVD movie playback. Anyway, I think it is possible to read HD-DVD discs with a Blu-Ray drive, with proper hacking, as they use the same laser. It's just a matter of having the right codecs and DRM decryption.

[Mark @ Feb 18th 2007 6:56PM]

i hope this is true. it would be nice if the Wii could play dvds.

[Carl M @ Feb 18th 2007 6:56PM]

1. The Wii drive can read DVD discs. It is plausible that this mod can play DVDs.
2. A Bluray drive cannot read HD-DVD discs and vice-versa, without having been made especially to do so. This is because of the differences in the depth at which the information layer is located inside the disc. In Bluray, it's at the surface; in HD-DVD, it's in the middle, 0.6 mm down below the surface. A different lens setup is needed for either case.

[Russell @ Feb 18th 2007 7:08PM]

The reason that the Wii can't play DVD's is all about nintendo not paying for the software decoder licensing, dvd forum logos, etc...

Also it's 480p, so it's going to be a suck ass dvd player. No IR remote, etc... AKA worthless as a dvd player anyways unless it's a bedroom setup where you don't want more than 1 device hooked up.

[Moff @ Feb 18th 2007 7:12PM]

I don't blame them. I wouldn't pay all those fee's for little to no benefit. Most people already have a DVD player anyways.

[Neebs @ Feb 18th 2007 7:31PM]

I wouldn't mind using my Wii as alternative to my crappy combo thing and using the wiimote to navigate menus.

[neonenergy @ Feb 18th 2007 7:55PM]

@russell

"..No IR remote.."

mouth agape

[Banzai @ Feb 18th 2007 8:06PM]

Why would you want an IR remote when the system comes with and uses a BLUETOOTH remote?

[Hawk @ Feb 18th 2007 8:15PM]

Russell, DVDs are 720x480 at their max resolution. So why would the Wii suck at that?

[Jeff Kent @ Feb 18th 2007 8:37PM]

I love it, "no IR remote." If only there was some sort of remote that you could use with the wii. If only....sigh.

[Paul @ Feb 18th 2007 9:23PM]

"Also it's 480p, so it's going to be a suck ass dvd player."

I hope you realize that the resolution of NTSC DVD video is *gasp* 480p

[John Doe @ Feb 18th 2007 9:37PM]

*fingers crossed* Please let someone come on here saying its impossible because the drive spins counter clockwise. That would complete the trinity of stupidity going on right now.

[haha @ Feb 18th 2007 9:55PM]

It wouldn't work. The drive spins counter-clockwise.

[Josh Lankford @ Feb 18th 2007 9:50PM]

Ok...DVD playback is possible

Otherwise, how, praytell does someone make a Wii dump on a computer?

If someone could put a ported playback software on the chip hardware OR enable it so someone could put a Wii-ported dvd decoding software on a SD disk (i.e. make the SD disk MORE readable, meaning possibilities of an OS for Wii reading off of an SD) this is completely feasible.

I just hope that the Wii architecture and the modchip's architecture work this way...

[Dom @ Feb 18th 2007 11:05PM]

did you all know the drive spins backwards?

i know because of my learning at nintendo co.













[/sarcasm]

[mcheddadi @ Feb 18th 2007 10:07PM]

@Russell
The Wii can output HD resolutions(http://tinyurl.com/33vune) with its RGB Analog Component Video cables (Wikipedia: RGB uses no compression and offers no real limit in color depth or resolution), but for gaming it would lag too much, but since DVD playback is no where as intensive as gaming rendering .My Intel integrated card (Mobile Intel 945GM Express Chipset Family, GMA950) pumps out 720p resolution Quicktime trailers at 60fps but plays halo @ 800x600 barely at 25fps)

And for the remote, it could use a usb IR Blaster (Like the one that is usually bundled with windows xp media center PCs), those are dirt cheap.

If it support upconverting to 720p or 1080i/p(lol) , and if this chip can unlock the HD resolution for the DVD playback, you can count me in!

[Ry @ Feb 18th 2007 10:28PM]

what about region free wii games?

[Jamie @ Feb 18th 2007 11:07PM]

Needs an ultimate modchip to allow dvd playback. Yep, truly next gen.

[Alex @ Feb 18th 2007 11:43PM]

Isn't the updated console they're coming out with supposed to enable DVD playback?

[ShortFuse @ Feb 19th 2007 1:36AM]

The gamecube does NOT spin backwards and neither does the wii. 5 year old inaccurate rumors need to stop.
You can already play DVD movies on a modded wii (as you can on a modded gamecube) because it runs a homebrew MPEG2 decoder on the gamecube side. All this modchip will do is integrate its own MPEG2 software decoder (homebrew) into the chip. the wii remote won't work because it's running unsigned code via the gamecube side (which doesn't allow the wiimote) which means you'll have to control it with a gamecube controller

[jizmo @ Feb 19th 2007 3:33AM]

It'd be interesting to see Wii homebrew unleashed and the first proofs that Wii can indeed output 720p when programmed to do so.

If it would, it'd make an ideal, light system for variety of emulators and such, replacing Xbox as the #1 homebrew box.

[Brad @ Feb 19th 2007 5:04AM]

Guys I know James. This entire thing is completely fake. Y'all just been punked!

[Davideisn @ Feb 19th 2007 3:44PM]

^ oh and i guess the next thing you'll say is that it's fake because wii disks spin backwards.

we might be laughing with something we are not capable of judging really.

[010111 @ Feb 20th 2007 12:54AM]

hey don't "spin backwards" but Wii games (like Gamecube games) are CAV discs vs. CLV discs like a standard video DVD. forcing a drive optimized for CAV discs to play CLV discs might have deleterious effects on said drive.

but then again maybe not. plenty of people did the same when playing "homebrew" on their Dreamcasts.

[Jermey @ Feb 26th 2007 5:53PM]

Stop with the counter clockwiz shit how do you think that the mod chips get the "back ups" to work.

This would be sick and also there is no need to open up the wii and solder i hope its true this would be amazing

[mustafa @ Apr 23rd 2007 12:36AM]

(dvd playing issue)i don't have a wii, but isn't the wii games contains cg video sequences, last time i've checked psx games has video sequences and psx could play vcd, so why the ****** on earth the wii can't play **** dvd's, i guess there is no a problem with the hardware as it exceeds my pc specs lol.
600 mhz p3 with an ati card 16 mb rage fury can play dvd :)