What you see above is not a Tibetan sky burial for a dearly departed console, nor an attempt at extremely modern art. It's a
Wii that has been... augmented with a Linux-running module called the Wii Optical Disc Emulator, or WODE. It clips onto the system board where the machine's optical drive should go and allows it to read Wii and GameCube ISOs directly from USB storage devices. It sports a small LCD and four-way joystick for setting options and scrolling through your assuredly legally acquired game images, while a future iteration is said to allow for direct-to-device torrent downloads -- a feature that we won't even bother to say could be used for anything other than piracy. There's no mention of availability or price for the thing, but we're guessing it won't be showing up in retail storefronts. Oh, and while the Sisters of Mercy track accompanying the video after the break is totally awesome, it is rather unsafe for work. So, put on those headphones before clicking through.
posted Sep 23rd 2009 8:41AM
first love
you can do this with just software mods. maybe im missing the point?
1. Simply because you can
2. The developers claim that a Wii firmware upgrade will not be able to lock out the WODE)
1. Yep, takes about five minutes, your little sister could do it.
2. The developers are idiots, because nintendo has tried to block this scene, but the wii just wasnt built for security; they're never going to stop it.
this is cool for proof of concept, but it will fail because the whole point is simplicity- which this is not. Although I'm unsure if wii USB loader can run GC titles yet, haven't looked back in a while.
Also, you can make a softmodded wii legit again, not so with this one (as far as warranty, ie, you opened it.)
No you can't. GameCube ISOs can only be loaded off disc atm.
You guys are completly off the point, this is the exact opposite of reading from an ISO (Wii perspective.)
This turns an ISO into a (from the Wii's perspective) completly legit disc in your drive.
Simply because this is software pretending to be your drive, see: "[...] the Wii Optical Disc Emulator,
or WODE. It clips onto the system board where the machine's optical drive should go [...]"
This allows for GC games to be run (as mentioned in the article itself) so if anything, it's the "optimal" solution, tricky but optimal.
--Deepy
I believe all the current solution still requires the optical drive to remain connected to the system mainboard. Someone tried to take out the optical drive and stuff a hard drive in, but it just wouldn't work.
wow, it's been quite a while since i heard the sisters of mercy.
Bang Your Head
In theory the torrent to drive would work if you have a Wii cafe, like a internet cafe. Then you would be able to load games on demand and protect the discs etc
USB loading of wii and gamcube iso(s) has been possible for years already. And w/o the need to purchase an external module. Softmod.
As mentioned above: Wii games load from USB, but not gamecube. Reason why: when the wii boots a gamecube disc, it literally becomes a gamecube. Wireless controllers don't function, network doesn't functions, usb ports don't function, because GC doesn't have any of those features. Its the same reason why you have to use GC memory cards and GC controllers physically plugged into the side.
I have this setup through the Homebrew channel, it's called : "wii usb loader" , alot quicker & easier then this setup!!! :S
I don't get why people always have to chime in and say that there's a softmod and we should all be happy with that - This is a great alternative for those of us who still want to go online and not get killed by the mod police / firmware updates, etc. When one of these is ready for non-genius consumption, sign me up!
6 month too late. it already exists and is called flatmii ( http://www.flatmii.com/ ) and is a lot better than this as you can
a) Keep you original drive connected as well
b) Can be mounted inside the wii
c) No software on the wii itself, no way nintendo can block it
"6 month too late. it already exists and is called flatmii ( http://www.flatmii.com/ ) and is a lot better than this as you can"
Erm, let's check the feature list
a) Keep you original drive connected as well
Check, Wode includes passthrough mode
b) Can be mounted inside the wii
Check, this is development hardware, finished hardware is much nicer
c) No software on the wii itself, no way nintendo can block it
Check, no homebrew required with Wode
d) PC or Laptop next to Wii while playing
Nope, haven't got one of those, we recommend users turn on a hairdryer while using Wode :(
e) Not possible to use WiFi, limited future expansion potential
Oops, you got us there too, damnit!
Wode: Next Gen Tech
f) Availability
Fatmii: is available and in stock
WODE: Who knows
g) Price
Fatmii: € 25.90 and it can be yours (ej http://www.dvdbarato.net/b2c/index.php?page=pp_producto.php&md=0&codp=2044 )
WODE: Who knows
Flatmii? The dumb FPGA device that requires a PC, hairdryer or Wode to drive it? Oh, ok, but we want a fair comparison so we need a Flatzii too, no?
f) Availability
Flatzii: Who knows? Sometime after I drop the first GPL'ed Wode code I imagine
WODE: Mid November, maybe earlier if we don't sleep
g) Price
WODE: Less than you think ;)
Fatmii + Flatzii: € 25.90 + who knows. More than a Wode & that's for sure ;)
This is already done through SoftMod.
No need to connect any of that stuff. no need to even open the wii.
Nice. Too bad it's on a Wii.
SSB looks cool though.
Its nice to see that they've made a token effort with the interface.
this is the strangest thing i've ever seen. Apparently, the developers of this thing decided no one has solved this problem yet, so they went ahead and re-invented a wheel that no ones need.
interesting.