New Wii homebrew hack unlocks region-free gaming

Homebrew coders over at TehSkeen have manged the near-ultimate hacker achievement of enabling region-free gaming on the Wii via a software hack -- no mod chips or Freeloader disc required. Implementation of Gecko Region Free couldn't be simpler: you just load boot.elf from the chain loader, stick in your Wii game and hit reset. The hack claims to have borrowed zero code from Nintendo or Datel, making this pure homebrew. You'll still need to use that Twilight Princess hack to get thing started, and Nintendo could always rain on this parade, but for the time being the world (of foreign-released games) is your oyster.

[Via Wii Fanboy]

[Flashpoint @ Apr 16th 2008 10:33AM]

WOW This is FANTASTIC !

Now I can finally play...

...ummm...

...uuuuhhhhh...

...wait a minute... there isn't anything worth using this with.

[darkstar @ Apr 16th 2008 11:03AM]

HAHAH
thats pretty funny.
im still waiting for a ps3 hack. whats the hold up?

[Alexander @ Apr 16th 2008 11:31AM]

@darkstar: Maybe for more than 4 people in the world to own one, for starters. :P

But seriously: Are you going to buy the PS3 ($400-450) and the Blu-Ray burner ($350-500) and the discs ($15-25) just to 'save' money on games?

Just seems kind of silly thinking if you ask me. Spend as much as 10 games just to be able to burn the first game... Then spend half as much as it costs to buy it retail to burn each game after that.

By contrast the Wii ($250-300) and a DVD Burner ($30-60) and a cakebox of 50 discs ($30) is a much more attractive deal.

This is why the Wii has had the most attention focused on it from the 'Homebrew' scene.

[Chirag @ Apr 16th 2008 11:45AM]

@Alexander: Disk Image :)

[dizzy @ Apr 16th 2008 12:08PM]

I think theres a game out in Japan thats basically a girl in a bikini and a cowboy hat, killing armies of zombies with a sword. Sounds interesting enough.

[Alexander @ Apr 16th 2008 12:55PM]

@Chirag: That would require accessing the HD through homebrew, tricking the OS to loading the ISO from the HD instead of the optical drive, and then finding a way to transfer the large ISO's onto the HD... which the PS3 is seriously lacking space in the first place.

BR discs can hold up to 50GB (dual layer) and they already said the MGS4 was coming out on TWO discs... So, even the 80GB version would be too small for just a couple of games.

Now your talking about upgrading the HD... Something that isin't all that difficult, but with SATA 2.5mm drives being $200 for a 320GB... I don't know if people would shell out that kind of cash just for a couple of games.

Keeping in mind that you'd still have to download 50GB worth of data from 'somewhere' and then transfer it over to your PS3. It would take weeks to download the ISO, then about 4 hours to transfer it to your PS3.

I think Sony figured out how to stop piracy: Make everything too dang big. :P

[jpxdude @ Apr 16th 2008 10:34AM]

This hack doesn't work very well yet, but is just a sign of good things to come! i.e, compatibility is kinda poo

[kev @ Apr 16th 2008 10:36AM]

Thank you! Now I actually have my own personal final reason to get the Wii!

...and I do read/speak/write Japanese, so unlike the first commenter, I get something out of this. :P

[kev @ Apr 16th 2008 10:36AM]

Thank you! Now I actually have my own personal final reason to get the Wii!

...and I do read/speak/write Japanese, so unlike the first commenter, I get something out of this. :P

[kev @ Apr 16th 2008 10:37AM]

Nice, I pressed it once, and Firefox hiccuped.

[y3k.nik @ Apr 16th 2008 11:03AM]

Are their any games that are released in Japan and not released in the states eventually, that are worth playing?

[Flashpoint @ Apr 16th 2008 11:23AM]

NO


Playstation 1 and 2 were the grandfathers of international region hack folklore.

[Nimmo @ Apr 16th 2008 12:41PM]

For me that would be usefull, as Smash Brothers hasn't come out in the UK yet and it has been out Stateside for quite some time.

1st June by the looks of things.
http://www.game.co.uk/Wii/Fighting/~r330130/Super-Smash-Bros-Brawl/

[Matt @ Apr 16th 2008 11:43AM]

sweet

[swingin' dick hero @ Apr 16th 2008 11:13AM]

true wiiware

[Brian @ Apr 16th 2008 11:43AM]

This isn't fully working, unlike the freeloader which works with every wii game thrown at it.

[Phoenix @ Apr 16th 2008 11:43AM]

This is great for people in Britain, where SSBB hasn't been released yet. If it really works.

[Brian @ Apr 16th 2008 12:31PM]

brawl doesn't work with this.

[Phoenix @ Apr 16th 2008 1:00PM]

i just realised :( Pissed off at that.

[TavisJohn @ Apr 16th 2008 11:53AM]

Now there is region-free homebrew. What next, Soft Modding?

[Alexander @ Apr 16th 2008 1:18PM]

We can only hope... Although, I'm not holding my breath. The firmware is encryped... So, it's going to take a while.

[STNC @ Apr 16th 2008 12:37PM]

I am very excited for further homebrew developments, maybe DVD playback???