WiiHomebrew
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LetterBomb does game-free Wii hacking for System Menu 4.3
The myth of the unhackable Wii has long since been put to rest, but that hasn't stopped intrepid homebrew enthusiasts from coming up with new exploits. Case in point: LetterBomb. This particular Wii hack is a follow-up to BannerBomb, which was billed as a replacement for Twilight Hack -- all of which are capable of launching the homebrew channel sans hardware mods. BannerBomb stopped short at Menu 4.2, but LetterBomb is carrying the exploit banner, so to speak, for the next generation. Utilizing the console's Message Board, the hack requires an SD card, a Wii running System Menu 4.3, and a Wii MAC address. If you're looking to get your game-free Wii hack on, check out the source link for the full rundown.
Homebrew Wii USB Loader gets demoed on video
Nintendo just rolled out its own pretty significant update for the Wii, so it only seems fitting that the homebrew community has now done the same, with the always prolific Waninkoko coming through with a new USB Loader that'll let you play your "legal game backup collection" from any old USB mass storage device. While it's apparently not ready for public consumption just yet, the video after the break does do a decent job of demonstrating that it does, in fact, work as promised. Of course, there's always the slight chance that this is an early April Fool's joke, but Waninkoko does have a proven track record, and it seems that most of the folks on the homebrew forums have little reason to be skeptical.[Via TehSkeen.com]
WiiGator chomps down on modchips, plays GameCube backups
The WiiGator backup launcher is now available for gamers who'd prefer to keep their shelves untouched. The problem with painstakingly organizing game collections -- in alphabetical or autobiographical order -- is that you're bound to reach for a game the middle of the stack, ruining your careful work.WiiGator allows gamers to play backup GameCube titles using the WiiHomebrew Channel, all without voiding your warranty by installing a modchip. Some known issues with the chipless wonder include: slight hiccups in game play, memory card issues, some titles not working at all and extreme diarrhea. Okay, that last one isn't true but something tells us that if it were true, it still wouldn't be a deal breaker for some of you. Check out the WiiGator in action after the break.[Via Engadget]
Nintendo thwarting Wii modders with epoxy-locked chips; Wii Backup Loader abandoned
A double shot of bad news for the Wii hacking set today -- not only do new Wiis appear to have a modchip-proof layer of epoxy around the DVD-ROM IC chips, Waninkoko has abandoned the Wii Backup-Loader project. The modchip news isn't all that surprising -- Ninty's been fighting a losing battle against chip devs for a while now, and gluing things down with epoxy is a logical solution -- but Waninkoko quitting is a bit of a shock, since we just caught wind of the Wii Backup-Loader a few days ago. Apparently he's not happy that it was leaked this morning, so he's dropping it, but surely an outpouring of affection in comments will change his mind.[Thanks, Linh T] Read - New Wiis have epoxy-locked DVD-ROM chips Read - Waninkoko abandons Wii Backup-Loader
Secret Wii recovery mode discovered, allows backup disks to run UPDATE: Maybe not.
Getting the Wii to run backup disks has never been quite as easy as running homebrew, but that might be about to change -- there's apparently a secret recovery mode that can be accessed with a special GameCube memory card. Not much is being revealed yet, but apparently if a "device" with a unique ID signature is present in the slot at boot, the Wii will drop into recovery mode and happily run whatever you throw at it, from backup disks to homebrew code. Hopefully we'll find out more soon -- video after the break.Update: It looks like the recovery mode is only good for fixing "certain bricked consoles" -- so much for that.[Thanks, brakken]
Wii gets custom firmware, purported PSP emulator
It looks like there's been a couple of developments on the entirely unofficial Wii activities front in the past few days, including one that seemingly delivers as promised and one that remains a bit of a mystery. That former item comes courtesy of Waninkoko, who has released what is purported to be the "first custom firmware for the Wii," which apparently allows writable DVDs to be read in emulators. In related news, the folks from TeamShift have released that tantalizing image above of what they claim to be a working PSP emulator for the Wii although, given that it can only muster between 4 and 8 frames per second, "working" doesn't exactly mean "playable." They are promising to deliver a beta version that brings games up to their normal speed, however, although they're unsurprisingly not making any promises about when we can expect that.Read - Wii News, "Custom Firmware for Wii Released"Read - DCEmu, "PSP Emulator for Wii"
WiiHD's homebrew guide: hacking doesn't get much easier than this
The folks of WiiHD, in honor of the recent Quake release for Wii homebrew, have put together an easy-to-follow guide for getting the Wii homebrew channel up and running on your little white console -- plus a pre-packaged zip file with some ready-to-go 'brew if that's the way you like it. You've really got zero excuse to hold off on homebrew with as purtiful and straightforward all these fine hackers have made the process, but if you're still unconvinced, check out the Quake video after the break.
Wii homebrew channel video released
We've already seen some rudimentary Wii homebrew channel support, but this latest video released by homebrew developer Bushing steps things up considerably, with it turning what was once a curiosity into something that quite a few non-homebrew dabbling folks will likely be eager to get their hands on. As you can see after the break, the channel looks to be about as straightforward as can be, and it apparently includes built-in support for loading ELF and DOL homebrew executables via USBGecko and TCP/IP, in addition to support for loading 'em off SD cards. Sadly, there's no word on a release just yet, but we can't imagine it being kept under wraps for too much longer.[Via DCEmu, thanks Craig]
Wii sees homebrew hackery aplenty, official update
It's only been a short while since we saw the first successful attempts at Wii homebrew, but things now look to have busted wide open, with hacks seemingly turning up left and right these days. Most notably, the folks from the GameCube Linux project have recently let loose a proof of concept Linux "mini-distro" that makes use of the now infamous Twilight Princess hack to turn the Wii into a tiny (and so far not very useful) Linux box. If that's a bit too much you, however, you may be interested in some of the tamer homebrew fare that recently made its debut, including an MP3 player and, you guessed it, an SNES emulator. In related news, Nintendo also just pushed out an official updated to the Wii OS (version 3.2), but contrary to what the timing would suggest, it apparently doesn't do anything to block you from getting your homebrew fix. Read - GameCube Linux projectRead - TehSkeen, SNES emulatorRead - Wii News, Wii Mode MP3 PlayerRead - MaxConsole Forums, Wii Update 3.2[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]
