Wii update stops homebrew installs dead in their tracks

Oh Nintendo, did you really have to go and crush the dreams of so many homebrew faithful? Seems a Wii System Update released last night blocks new installations (existing installs are unaffected) of anything fakesigned like the Homebrew Channel. Perhaps the increased corporate vigilance comes in direct response to the very real threat posed by the Wii Backup Loader to run pirated Wii games. Regardless, this isn't the first time that homebrew developers have had to work around Nintendo's meddling. We'll let you know what they come up with -- until then, however, you might want to hold off on the IOS51 update if you're thinking of going homebrew anytime soon.

[Thanks, Matthew P.]

[Wiigee @ Oct 24th 2008 2:06AM]

"didi you really" nice spell check.

Lame, oh well, im sure it will be hacked through within a week.

[ctgaffney @ Oct 24th 2008 9:11AM]

"I'm sure" they fixed it by now.

[therpham @ Oct 24th 2008 2:17AM]

Even though I have it installed already, I'm not going to update until I'm sure it's safe.

[Rob @ Oct 24th 2008 2:19AM]

Crap! I knew I should have waited. The update claimed it would only update the shopping channel with a newer version!

[Amz @ Oct 24th 2008 9:04AM]

lol, you actually believed them. How sweet.

[kal326 @ Oct 24th 2008 9:33AM]

@Rob
Even if you HAD read all of the release notes of the update, I'm pretty sure they would not have included the information about how they are going to kill homebrew. Its kinda like how they leave out the part about raping your soul and devouring the next 72 hours of your life after you try to upgrade a Microsoft OS to the latest version.

[J. Evans Turner @ Oct 25th 2008 5:08PM]

In the update notification that I received from Nintendo, it specifically stated that "Save data that has been modified in an unauthorized way will be deleted." This is what it said in the last update that deleted the Twilight Hack's installer's modified Zelda save.

[J. Evans Turner @ Oct 25th 2008 5:19PM]

The notification that Nintendo sent to my Wii does specifically state: "Save files that were modified in an unauthorized way will be deleted."

[J. Evans Turner @ Oct 25th 2008 5:20PM]

Oh, great. FINALLY my first post appears...

* grumble, grumble

[ManekiNeko @ Oct 24th 2008 2:44AM]

D'oh! I guess that's why my Wii has started glowing ominously. In that case, I'll have to give that update the 'ol thumbs down. Does that mean I can't access the Wii Shop at all until I upgrade?

[TareX @ Oct 24th 2008 2:48AM]

Is it hurting their blooming real SNES sales?

[Bondtastic @ Oct 24th 2008 11:36AM]

No, but it is hurting their Virtual Console sales, which is more robust and updated more often than their Wiiware store. And we all know how well their standard games are doing with the "hardcore" gamer.

[Garrett @ Oct 24th 2008 2:57AM]

"...hold of on..."
Seriously guys, proof-read before submitting please...

[ethana2 @ Oct 24th 2008 3:11AM]

It's actually easier to proofread after submitting. You get it out there fast, people get the idea, and then you spell check rapidly and make minor revisions while others start to come in and point things out that you may have missed yourself.

'course, if someone who leaves a comment here can't do it, it'd be unfair if the editors could, imo..

[Jason @ Oct 24th 2008 4:41AM]

C'mon guys, I think it's pretty obvious Thomas Ricker doesn't have a very good grasp of the English language; he's not a native speaker, and this wouldn't be the first time a post by him been riddled with grammatical and spelling errors.

I'm not sure if he should be an editor of a widely-read English language blog, but still....

[Jason @ Oct 24th 2008 4:44AM]

Jeez, HAS been. That's what I get for posting at 4:45 AM without proofreading.

[j_g_puff @ Oct 24th 2008 4:49AM]

Not so easy, is it Jason?

[elle @ Oct 24th 2008 5:11AM]

especially since he's getting paid so much to comment

oh wait

[Bjsfreaked @ Oct 24th 2008 4:48AM]

that sucks!! Why did they have to go and do something like that?
Although - he is right - homebrew will work round it and come up with something funky

[alexdodd @ Oct 24th 2008 7:02AM]

Damn, i blindly updated yesterday, that my homebrew down for a while, i'm sure someone will work something out though...

[vypergts @ Oct 24th 2008 8:31AM]

What else does the update do? Is there any reason to get it?

[Steve Handjobs @ Oct 24th 2008 8:47AM]

hahah nintendo is just like Apple.... shitty. they'd rather brick people's systems than let them do what they want with them after these consumers "drank the koolaid" and bought their shitty hardware.

[Magallanes @ Oct 24th 2008 9:00AM]

Hi Steve Bj:

No, this new update will not brick your console, so Nintendo is not acting as a assh*le (at least this time), they just protecting their own investment.

AFAIK Wii Music came with this "trojan" (called as "firmware update").

[7on @ Oct 24th 2008 9:37AM]

So when MS/Apple patches security holes it's a good thing, but when Nintendo does it they're the bad guy?

[telepheedian @ Oct 24th 2008 10:42AM]

When MS/Apple patches security holes, its usually to keep out viruses and exploits that could harm the software (game console vs. operating system). When they patch a hole that allows some homebrew/innovative hacks (iPhone, Xbox 360), they get the same amount of blame that Nintendo is getting right now.

[NickBeamin @ Oct 24th 2008 9:48AM]

I only updated cuz my wii hypnotized me with the blinking blue cd drive. bastard made me do it.


will this block me from installing homebrew apps if i already have the channel?

[pezhore @ Oct 24th 2008 10:47AM]

So *that's* what the blue light means. I was getting all freaked out when I came back from work and my wii looked like it had just loaded a disc.

[Mr. Picklesworth @ Oct 24th 2008 10:25AM]

I've said it many times before:
These game publishes have to get it through their thick skulls that geeks like to tinker with their game consoles. If they don't want any collateral damage caused by reverse engineering, they have to release a free development kit with the right controls in place to prevent piracy. Thus, the system is never successfully reverse engineered. Simple as that.

Hell, if they really need an example, it seems to work for Microsoft with XNA.

[Ozzman_79 @ Oct 24th 2008 11:25AM]

I'm sure they don't much worry about the 10% of geeks that like to tinker with their game consoles. I'm sure they're more concerned with the 90% of geeks that will use it to pirate software instead.

[Eric @ Oct 24th 2008 1:15PM]

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I use a Wiikey to play my games instead of the Homebrew Channel. Much more difficult to create firmware that pawns modchips.

[Druke @ Oct 24th 2008 10:05PM]

it only blocks the home-brew channel installation. If you have the channel already, you cang et new apps to your liking.

[killer @ Oct 24th 2008 3:06PM]

Stop Hombrewing!!!!!You guys ever heard of the Sega Dreamcast....go buy some games and support your console...

[KeegdnaB @ Oct 24th 2008 3:07PM]

Just a note....it won't kill your homebrew channel if its already installed, it just prevents the possibility of installing it post-update. This isn't the first time they've done the exact same thing and if you've already hacked it nothing will change (unless your system's chipped in which case they have every right to brick the thing)

Also, I'm sure they wouldn't make as big a deal of it if people weren't using it for piracy....or at least not bragging to the internets that they are.

[Max @ Oct 24th 2008 5:26PM]

When I saw the blue light, I didn't turn on my Wii, but I found this out, and I unplugged it. But now I learn that the update will only install if I tell it to? Is that how it works? Or will it just install as soon as I turn the Wii on? I'm hoping to install the homebrew channel soon, probably this week. (I don't have a working copy of Zelda right now)

[Virtuous @ Oct 24th 2008 6:44PM]

Nintendo is no better than Sony when it comes to homebrew.

[m-p{3} @ Oct 24th 2008 11:17PM]

I learned from the previous update to not update until we are sure of what it does. Looks like I did the right move by not updating.

[robert @ Oct 25th 2008 4:31AM]

http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii_Shop_and_IOS51_installer if you want to install it. This is a hacked version of the update for those who want to update with out losing the ability to homebrew. I can comfirm that it works and I didn't brick my wii.

[Ozl @ Oct 26th 2008 11:59PM]

of course it fixed by now you can even Still install the homebrew channel with the latest october 23 wii update...
more info:
http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Main_Page

[anilM @ Nov 13th 2008 9:03AM]

will this update brick my console if i have it chipped to play copied games?