Wii Hacks · Hacks, Cracks, Mods, Homebrew, Utilities

Good News For You To Hack Your Wii! 

News Submitted by Nintendo-Hacks member Jimmy

February 27, 2007

Didnt see this posted yet its great news.

http://www.tcniso.net/Nav/Wiip/

SMALL PREORDER AVALIBLE
https://www.tcniso.net/shop/product.php?productid=41&cat=6&page=1
They had 100 at the time of me sending this email they have 41 left so be quick!

Update (Feb 26th):

Everything is running at 200%. Our first run production boards are arriving soon and we will be shipping them immediately. On the official launch day of the Wiip, we will also release the source code for the Wiip so you can build one yourself. For all of those who can’t wait, here are the parts you will need: an Atmel microcontroller (we recommend the AT90S2313), a 4-MHz resonator (or crystal), two 22pF capacitors and 4x 220 ohm resistors, along with a DB25 case and solder cup, some pref-board, low gauge wires, etc.

Over the past week we have received a lot of emails. Here are a few of the most common ones:

Is your Wiip firmware based on another modchip?

No, our code was developed and built using by us. It is not stolen code.

How many wire do I have to solder?

At least five. Three for the console connection and the voltage and ground. On the port we have these labeled 1,2,3,V,G. We also have one spot labeled A (Auxiliary) that may be used for an additional feature in the future.

Does your mod work with D2B chipset?

We have not confirmed %100, but we just purchased an off the shelf Wii with such. So the answer is, yes (with an update).

Does your chip come preprogrammed?

Our first run boards will not be preprogrammed with Wiip code. However you can easily program it yourself by connecting the included programmer and attaching it to your computer’s LPT port.

What software do you use for programming it?

Most freeware AVR programming software will work, such as PonyProg2000. However, we are working on our own standalone app that will program it (for Win2000/XP).

Are you offering Pre-Orders?

Up until today, no. But now that we have secured a large quantity components, we are now offering pre-orders (up to 100) here. And yes, it’s a first come first serve.

Does your chip allow for a region hack?

This feature we have not worked on yet. We do plan to code it in or someone from the scene will add support for it.

Do you have a final version of the PCB board available?

Yes, you can download the Gerber files here. And you can print them yourself but you can not sell them. We plan to build and release a few more versions over time.

Everybody Should Vote on the Relevance of this Addition

By Colin Geddes

February 20, 2007 – In a surprise unannounced addition to the Wii Channel interface, Nintendo recently released the Everybody Votes Channel. This was available for download in the Wii-Ware section in the Shop Channel after a Wii system update. Fortunately the download is free. I can’t imagine Nintendo charging customers money for such a shallow addition to the Wii Channel interface.

I don’t see how this channel is at all practical, or relevant to the Wii experience. All I see is a way for Nintendo to disguise their market research in the form of a free channel download. If you look at the poll results (especially the World Wide results) it reveals the trends of member opinions based on their location, and sex.

Sure, the questions they ask seem harmless, ex. What is your favorite colour? Blue or red? Could this not be a possible hot topic issue at Nintendo for future costume development for a new character? Or maybe some Nintendo exec’s are arguing over the release of coloured Wii systems and there was a dispute over which colours to release.

At any rate, I can’t see the use of this channel becoming a staple in any Wii owners daily dose of gaming. There is so much potential for some really useful channel additions and the Everybody Votes channel seems like a joke.

Everyone should vote on whether or not this channel is a welcome addition, or a clever way for Nintendo to more intimately know their customers preferences.

Mod your Wii for $20 (including shipping)

By Colin Geddes

February 15, 2007 -TCNISO has confirmed the release of an open source / open architecture Wii Modchip called the Wiip. The Wiip, among other things, will allow users to unlock Gamecube Homebrew on your Wii. It will be available for a mere $20 retail (including shipping!) and will appear in their online shop around 2/27/07, or the schematics, code, and software will be available so you can make one yourself for less than $10!

“This mod works by utilizing a cheap and simple microcontroller that communicates with the serial port of the Wii’s hybrid DVD drive and overrides certain parts of the media’s data stream. The most important part of this project, is that it is open source! In addition to releasing the Wiip chip, on this page you will soon be able to download the PCB schematics, Wiip firmware and documentation! We hope by creating this project, other users will make modifications to our code for newer updates in the future (if needed).”

Read more about Wiip here

Comments (6843)

Yet another channel has been added to the Wii lineup.  The new channel is called the “everybody votes” channel.  If you are connected to the internet the blue light on your Wii should be flashing right now.

Rumor has it that this update also has upgraded the Wii firmware and rendered the Wiija mod chip useless.  More info to come on this as we learn more.

The One and Only Written Review of the Wii Photo Channel

by Colin Geddes

February 8, 2007 - One of the most interesting additions to the Wii hardware is the ability to insert SD cards into the core system. The Photo Channel so far is the only software (with exception to Excite Truck) to utilize this function. The Wii will instantly recognize when you insert your SD card into the slot and will instantly display the pictures, and movies. You can also store music files on the SD card and play them during the slideshow presentation.

The Photo Channel features slideshow presentations, a photo editor, and a mosaic puzzle game. The slideshow is very impressive as it dramatically cycles through photos and movies. The photo editor allows users the ability to enhance images and movies as one would with a very basic adobe photo shop. There is a doodle mode that is very similar to the SNES Mario Paint that potentially can turn a work of art into a work of graffiti. Using a palate of colours and stickers it’s possible to add some hilarious oversized sunglasses and stink lines to add humour to an otherwise generic slideshow. The mosaic puzzle game is equally entertaining. Users can take their favorite photos and have them sliced into square pieces, shuffled, and then using the Wii Remote arrange the mosaic back to it’s original image. With some pictures, this isn’t as easy as one would think—once the image is completed to it’s original state, your time will be prompted. I was surprised to see how long it took me to rearrange my first puzzle!

The navigation of this channel is extremely user-friendly. I couldn’t imagine even my grandmother having difficulty operating the Photo Channel. Considering the ease of use, functionality, practicality, and the quality of the software I rate the Wii Photo Channel 8/10.

The Photo Channel will not in any way replace Adobe Photoshop, it is a practical useful tool to display pictures in an entertaining way from your living room. The Photo Channel is far better for displaying pictures off your TV than it is by directly connecting your digital camera. It not only looks better, but it’s so much easier to slide your SD card into the Wii than it is to plug in all those pesky cables! Although more features are desired, and would have been appreciated, a Wii owner should appreciate the addition of such a useful channel that was included in the purchase of the system.

As we have seen in the past, owners of first generation consoles are usually rewarded with hardware or firmware that allows them to mod their system (think PSP). Unfortunately, the same seems to be true with the Wii and the long term effects are not yet known. As it stands, the 3 mod chips currently available will only work on certain Wii systems, most of which were purchased before January. This is bad news to some of you who have recently purchased the system and really bad for those of you in Europe.

Below is a picture of the chip on the DVD drive PCB. You have to open your Wii up to see this. If you have either of the two chips listed below you are able to mod your Wii.  If you do not have one of these chips and you have a DB2 or some other chipset, you are out of luck!

It appears that the powers who be have finally worked out most of the bugs and have released a program capable of dumping (backing up onto your computer) Wii disks. This is obviously essential for the new mod chips. You can now make a dump your game to your computer when you buy it, burn it to a DVD and play it in your Wii with a mod chip installed. This will allow you to store your precious original disk safely in your safety deposit box or fireproof safe!

You can download the program from the group that released it by going here.

What the Future May Bring
By Colin Geddes

February 2, 2006 – There has been much speculation in terms of what future Wii Channels will offer. Rumours have circulated the internet predicting future channels like stock watching, movie trailers, Nintendo DS game demos, among others. Although Nintendo hasn’t announced anything specific in terms of new Wii-Ware downloads, they have announced there will be downloads in the future. In order to predict what will be offered in the future, it is important to review what has been released. The Wii is packaged with the Photo channel, Mii channel, and the Shop channel. Wii owners can also update and download three additional channels; the Internet channel, Forecast channel, and now the News channel.

It’s fair to say the Nintendo Wii is still a toddler in terms of its lifespan, but lets pretend there is a pattern occurring. The three channels shipped with the Wii are very much practical channels, inviting gamers to participate in a similar way one would play a game. These channels are fun, immersive, and very unique. The three new channels that have been made available since launch can be viewed as less practical, but more for reference. The new channels seem to be catered towards the casual gamer market. It seems Nintendo is hoping these new channels will entice the casual gamers to turn to their Wii, instead of computer to browse the internet, or check the weather and news. Why get up from the couch when one can just turn on the Wii for the same information?

What may the future of Wii channels bring? It’s anybody’s guess. Wouldn’t a game demo channel, exercise tracking, or movie download channel be sweet? Lets hear what you think…

Three new titles added to the Wii Shopping Channel
By Colin Geddes

February 5, 2007 – I distinctly remember posting news that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was released two weeks ago. North American Wii fanboys were rejoicing the release of this highly anticipated title. A week later, Mario Kart 64 was released to the praises of Wii fanatics. Mario Kart 64 was another highly anticipated title, arguably even moreso than The Legend of Zelda for SNES. Two weeks later the Wii Shop Channel receives three new titles including another biggie Super Mario World. The two other titles that are likely to be overshadowed are Vigilante and Gain Ground.

During the first three months of the Nintendo Wii being released, many Wii owners complained about the virtual consoles’ lack of selection and the questionable quality of games. Much has changed over the past three weeks. Nintendo has pulled out some big guns with The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart 64, and now Super Mario World.

One would be wise to save his pennies during the coming weeks as more quality titles are likely to roll out. If only it were possible to get back the Wii points from impulsive virtual console purchases made by impatient consumers like myself! I’m still kicking myself for purchasing Gunstar Heroes and F-Zero simply for something new to play!

Wii are looking for someone out there to redesign out logo and color scheme. The prize is respect.. and we will of course provide you with a reference and give you credit for the design.

Send your logo designs and color scheme ideas to info at nintendo-hacks.com (use the @ symbol of course).

We will most likely have our forum users decide on the top few choices. So get your designs in ASAP.