Wii hacked with LPT cable instead of modchip?

This Wii hack set-up looks a bit dubious, at least at first glance, but may hold something promising for mod maniacs. Textb00k posted a video of his modded Wii playing a backup of Red Steel where he ditches the trusty modchip for a couple wires soldered to the drive board and routed to his PC's parallel port. The setup (PC only) also requires a patching program like Syndicate or WAB's "ISO Loader" or "WABModCheap" to make sure the Wii's firmware allows backups to load. He stresses that the video's purpose is to illustrate a cheap and easy hack alternative (about $3 and a trip to Radio Shack) to a modchip, but we say do it at your own risk, and if you're a Mac user, please return to playing your Wii as is.

[Via Digg]

[Loban @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:06PM]

"and if you're a Mac user, please return to playing your Wii as is"

Because if you're a mac user, you probably don't know what a soldering iron is, let alone how to use one. ;)

[BrandonLehman @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:33PM]

Hey just because I'm a mac user doesn't mean I don't have a Linux box running samba as a wan music server. Because I do. I'm going to go sulk now (That's a mac stereotype right?)

[Thomas S @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:33PM]

^Yeah, they just throw it away and get a new one.

[DoSomeResearch @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:38PM]

This has been out for weeks. The program just makes the computer act as a mod chip. You still have to solder the cable to the board.

[macfanboi @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:44PM]

"and if you're a Mac user, please return to playing your Wii as is"

ha ha Engadget, such subtle tech humor.

I'm an obedient Mac user; I only upgrade what Apples tells me I can. I buy a new iPod every 6 months. And I [i]never[/i] feels the urge to 'mod' or 'hax0r' my hardware.

btw, what's a parallel port?

[xSmuirf @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:57PM]

I definitely agree with macfanboi. What's a parallel port? Is it the thing I usually emulate from my mac using a microcontroller?

[FrankTheCrank @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:16PM]

Breaking the law is cool. NOT!

[James @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:32PM]

Remember, this isn't *just* good for piracy -- if somebody can figure out how to use this to patch the BIOS every time it boots without the need for a PC hanging off your Wii (e.g. the Bert and Ernie font exploits on the original Xbox), it would open up the path to softmodded homebrew, and I don't mean that as a euphemism for playing stolen games.

The Wii has a cool, innovative pointer interface, a wireless network connection built right in, and the ability to display progressive-scan (if low-res) video. It's cheap (compared to almost any PC you can buy today), small, and pretty. Hacked Wiis would make great media centers, or even servers, if only one could run arbitrary unsigned code. I wouldn't give up WiiConnect24 or future VC functionality to hack my Wii, but I would like to see the opportunity to put on user-created content.


And even if people start buying and hacking Wiis just to use as Linux boxen, Nintendo still makes a profit on the hardware. Everybody wiins!

[Matt @ Mar 2nd 2007 6:25PM]

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=45048

[Matt @ Mar 2nd 2007 7:41PM]

Yeah, but can he play it on his iPod like this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSje-sBKxQA

[Adrian Williams @ Mar 2nd 2007 9:12PM]

thats fake shouldnt the Wii drive light be on

[Sukaru Kiddo @ Mar 3rd 2007 12:08AM]

No it shouldn't be on. It only lites on when you get a new msg or a new update on your Wii, or if you mod the drive light for it to always be on.

[Pal @ Mar 3rd 2007 1:07AM]

I think what Jeannie was trying to say is that Apple products don't have a parallel port. Talk about defensive!