wiinja
Latest
Wii circuitry changed to thwart modchips?
Reports are coming in from Taiwan and Germany that Nintendo has updated the Wii's motherboard with its latest shipments of the console. According to MaxConsole, one of the solder points has been removed from the altered board, shutting out quicksolder modification chips like WiiKey. Other similar tools that don't use the missing solder point should not be affected. DigiTimes suggests that these changes to the circuit layout were made with the sole intent of preventing piracy by blocking these warranty-voiding installations. If that's the case however, why did Nintendo only take steps to block just the WiiKey, a modchip that was released only several weeks ago?There were similar concerns in the past about Mario Kart DS updating the Nintendo DS' firmware as an anti-piracy measure, but it was quickly discovered that the handheld was only saving its WiFi settings. It seems far more likely that Nintendo has had the Wii's revised motherboard planned for months, and that locking out any modification methods was an unintended result.
Wii modchips hit a snag, won't work with some recent Wiis
This 1st generation of Wii modchips was humming along so smoothly, but it looks like a recent Nintendo manufacturing modification has rained on their parade for the time being. While the chips do work fine in early Wiis, and that DVD upgradability should keep 'em humming for some time to come, the Wiinja, CycloWiz and WiiKey chips all fail to work with Wiis running the D2B Panasonic chipset, which shows up in certain Wiis, mostly ones purchased in late January / early February. The only way to check for the chipset is to pry open the Wii and look for yourself, and the incompatibility means that even the DVD upgradability won't allow current modchips to run on these systems. Both the CycloWiz and Wiinja teams have confirmed the problem, and are already working on new versions to get around the Panasonic chipset, but you might want to make sure your Wii is compatible before you blow your cash on a non-working modchip.[Thanks, waruwaru]
TeamCyclops announces DVD upgradability for CycloWiz modchip
Oh snap, now it's really on. Those WiiKey kids were so proud of themselves, with that DVD upgradability of theirs, but TeamCyclops just threw down with the announcement of the same functionality in its CycloWiz. Add that to the fact that the CycloWiz is already shipping (a couple more days left for WiiKey) and we can see potential Wii modders being plenty conflicted. At the moment, WiiKey is still the only chip with support for Wii imports of any sort, but we're figuring TeamCyclops isn't too far behind on that front. And Wiinja? Well, it remains to be seen if they have anything else up their sleeves, but at the moment it looks like they've got a lot of ground to cover.[Thanks, Matt A]
WiiKey upgradeable modchip offers more for modders
The Wii modchips are really coming on fast, with Wiinja and CycloWiz already drawing their own shares of fanboys and detractors, but the latest chip on the scene, "WiiKey," from the same kids responsible for the XenoGC modchip for GameCube, looks to be the best yet -- at least on paper. First off, the chip is upgradeable via DVD, meaning new functionality can be added, and future Wii software updates can't easily disable it for good. The even better news is that the chip supports NTSC Wii game imports from different regions, a first for a Wii modchip, and one of the most useful features to actual users. Of course, functions like compatibility with backups, mult-disc games and audio-fix GC titles are all included. No specific word about homebrew of the Wii or GC variety -- perhaps that's just a given -- but the creators stress that "More features are being worked on, and will either be included in the upcoming release or in a future upgrade that will follow the release shortly." Unfortunately, at the moment there's no actual picture of the chip, so the CycloWiz still has the upper hand on the "actually exists front." Supposedly shipping should begin February 7th, so we'll plan on checking in around then to see if this thing actually works as advertised.
Teamcyclops busts out Wii modchip nmero dos
If that whole "no comprender" thing with the Wiinja modchip was getting you down, have no fear: Teamcyclops is on the scene, and they're doing up a Wii modchip of their own for the Engrish speakers among us. Apparently the chip will start shipping next week, and will come as a "Quicksolder" mod for easy DIY modding. Features include the ability to play Wii and GameCube backups, GameCube homebrew and imports, built-in audio-fix for compatibility with certain GameCube games, DVD-R and DVD+R support, and optional chip disable wire, "stealth" even when the chip is enabled, and a multi-purpose LED. No word on price, and it's hard to believe this things before we've really seen 'em in action, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the moment.[Thanks, Ryan]
Wiinja modchip enables Wii / GameCube backups to function
We've seen plenty of Wii hacks since its November release, and we've even seen a completely uninspiring "hack" to run backup discs, but this time, we're thinking it's for real. The Wiinja modchip is on the loose, and apparently it requires soldering to the Wii innards in order to function, but it purportedly allows for Wii and GameCube backups to be played back on the console. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of information beyond that, and there's just a single photo to instruct forthcoming owners how to correctly attach it, but if there's one thing that helps its case, it's the video. So go on, click on through for the YouTube demonstration, and start saving up those €40 ($52) it'll run you when this hits "commercialization."[Via Engadget Spanish]
