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See the original image at arstechnica.com

New Wii update hacked, homebrew lives on

arstechnica.com — Earlier this week, Nintendo released firmware version 3.3 for the Wii in the hopes of deterring some of the homebrew work being done for the console. The update nixed the commonly-used "Twilight Hack," which made use of a modified save file to launch homebrew applications. It didn't take long for the community to respond, however...

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  • d1gg3r1, on 06/21/2008, -26/+6Not really my thing, the Wii; still, the news is quite interesting ;)

    I can't wait to see a hack for the PS3!
    • scabbers, on 06/22/2008, -3/+11Why?
    • RyanBlack, on 06/22/2008, -20/+15PS3 sucks.
    • Murdats, on 06/22/2008, -13/+16no one cool cares about the ps3.
    • KloroFormd, on 06/22/2008, -8/+20You can already run homebrew on the PS3. It's a feature...
    • Technohamster, on 06/22/2008, -3/+5You're like encouraged to screw with the PS3. They have a linux distro for it.
      • KloroFormd, on 06/22/2008, -0/+13Downside is the GPU is locked for homebrew. :(
  • davidhallstrom, on 06/21/2008, -13/+5Interesting.
  • agentb111, on 06/21/2008, -1/+44that was quick.
  • mindfeck, on 06/22/2008, -0/+55I updated the Wii this morning, worried I might regret the decision if I ever decide to plunge into the seedy world of Wii homebrew. Now I can rest easy.
    • Furkle, on 06/22/2008, -2/+23There's nothing seedy about Wii homebrew, it's the ones that go looking for isoloaders and pirating wiiware/vc games that are seedy.
      • kevro, on 06/22/2008, -1/+25you can do isoloaders and pirate wiiare/vc games!! thanks for telling me.
      • masterspy7, on 06/22/2008, -2/+2I'm pretty sure there are no homebrew iso loaders, yet...
    • AdmiralJimbob, on 06/22/2008, -2/+1I'm still wondering what's going to happen with my Freeloader and imported copy of Brawl. =(
    • dukeochutney, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1be nice if they got some decent homebrews for it. like maybe linux mce?
  • 2clone, on 06/22/2008, -18/+3Wii is so oldskool.
  • deltron, on 06/22/2008, -8/+4I never saw this coming!
  • Thekirby45, on 06/22/2008, -2/+31Wii the new psp?
    • dilbertmouse, on 06/22/2008, -8/+52Yeah, except it actually has a couple of descent games.

      /ducks
    • FriedTurkey, on 06/22/2008, -9/+5I hope not. The PSP got screwed on the piracy. If you look at the number of PSP sold vs. PSP games it is not good. I know fanboys would like to see systems die but the rest of sane people like to see games produced and not get killed by piracy ala PC games.
      • Psythik, on 06/22/2008, -2/+6Homebrew is not synonymous with piracy. Get your facts straight before you make such an ignorant statement.
        • FriedTurkey, on 06/22/2008, -1/+6Who the ***** said anything about homebrew? I am not talking about homebrew. I am talking about piracy. Ignorance is just assuming I said homebrew when I didn't even mention the word.

          Oh and emulators are not homebrew.
        • solid12345, on 06/22/2008, -1/+7Well when there are 10,000 leechers on TPB downloading Crisis Core and 10 downloading a PSP calculator obviously you know why people were so keen to hack their PSP.
      • piwy, on 06/22/2008, -0/+3Actually i'm of the impression that the psp sold MORE units because of the homebrew scene. Not less.
        • SoulDesigner, on 06/22/2008, -0/+6I bought one specifically for the homebrew....like err, the isoloader.

          oh wait.....
      • Unknown038, on 06/24/2008, -1/+0first of all, when exactly was pc gaming killed by piracy. second, the reason so many people pirate psp games is because most of them suck ass, so theres really no reason to waste money. the only difference that a no-piracy psp would make is that less people would care about it.
    • Tahiri, on 06/22/2008, -9/+9http://www.metacritic.com/games/psp/scores/
      113 games rated green/great/75% and higher
      238 games rated yellow/good/50% and higher
      142 games rated red/poor/lower than 50%

      http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/
      38 games rated green
      137 games rated yellow
      83 games rated red

      PSP has 3 times the number of great games, 2 times the number of good games.

      I hate you anti-PSP morons.
      • nyrol2, on 06/22/2008, -4/+7It also has practically double the amount of games than the wii has.
      • Tahiri, on 06/22/2008, -7/+4And yet 3 times as many are rated highly. You just made it look worse for Wii
      • Blah_Blah_Blah, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2oh and you forgot to mention that the PSP has been out almost twice as long and has only one competitor whereas the Wii has 2. Give it some time.
  • knoxchris, on 06/22/2008, -1/+763 months to build and test.... 6 hours to crack. Definition of an "uphill battle" by Nintendo.
    • d1gg3r1, on 06/22/2008, -0/+40Even better: Remember this? : http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/HD_D ...

      YEARS of development, torn down in a few measly months
    • tavisjohn, on 06/22/2008, -0/+12Nintendo has had this battle before. The Game Genie was hated by nintendo. Nintendo sued to get it taken off the market. Nintendo lost, so they started modifying their consoles to stop working if the Game Genie was used... So what was the solution? Galoob offered free trade ins for a newer version of the Game Genie that worked on all consoles, even the new ones. Nintendo invested a ton of time and money to prevent the GameGenie from workin... Galoob fixed it in a matter of weeks, and did not really loose mutch money (Just shipping costs) as they just reflashed their new Game Genie's with the new firmware! So you sent in your old Game Genie, and Galoob would send you a new one. Then they would flash your old one, and send it to someone else!
      • Shaflugi, on 06/22/2008, -0/+2I actually remember sending in my N64 gameshark once. Except they actually replaced it with a new one. The one I sent in was black, the one I got back was black with white specks on it.
  • kevdotbadger, on 06/22/2008, -4/+7I still haven't tried out homebrew on the wii.

    needs to get hold of a copy of twilight princess.
  • holysin, on 06/22/2008, -4/+8Suspect I'll regret asking this, but this workaround only lets you run homebrew apps (a version of mame perhaps), not copied wii games right? (as at the moment you need a chip to override the copy protection aspect of game images that are.... around.?)

    Thanks for setting me straight :)
    • Protoss, on 06/22/2008, -1/+10Correct. They haven't discovered a software only way to boot unsigned games....yet.
    • piwy, on 06/22/2008, -0/+3There was a way to load VC games tho. Not sure if it still works with the new crack.
  • smacksaw, on 06/22/2008, -6/+58I'll say it again - if I can buy a compilation of old games for $9.99 in the bargain bin as the shovelware it is, charging me $5+ for one game is criminal. Some of these compilations have 10 or more games. That's not even $1 per game.

    If Nintendo sold the old games for $0.25-$1.00 I would buy them. Homebrew hacks FTW.
    • mem2, on 06/22/2008, -4/+14Its my tired old argument to (google wiicr). Nintendo markets at people who dont know any better (same as apple *duck*).
    • NipGrip, on 06/22/2008, -6/+6So because a company might charge more than you feel something it worth, they are the criminal despite the fact you've gone on to steal the item instead? The whole emulator/ROM debate aside, at least man up to the fact you stealing games has nothing to do with the cost of the games offered, you'd still steal them as would most folks that hack their systems. Calling Nintendo offering a product and service that is selling well "criminal" because you find it too high and in return you choose to steal it is just stupid.
      • Technohamster, on 06/22/2008, -6/+13Stealing is when you take something and they no longer have it.
        • NipGrip, on 06/22/2008, -4/+3^^^ Most retarded post of the day.
        • solid12345, on 06/22/2008, -2/+1Can I have your social security and credit card number, after all it is just a bunch of 0s and 1s?
      • smacksaw, on 06/22/2008, -1/+6Your analogy is like saying I should buy 3 copies of a CD I own because it goes on my MP3 player, it goes on my media server and it goes in my car CD player.

        Most of us already own these games. Why would we be paying for a digital copy of games we already own? So we can let Nintendo load them on our Wii instead of loading it ourselves? Is that really a $5 service?

        And like I said - I'd pay $0.25 for Balloon Fight and I'd pay $1 for SMB3 or Bonk's Adventure.
        • NipGrip, on 06/22/2008, -2/+4You really have no clue how this works do you? I bought movies on VHS, then rebought them on DVD. I've also bought cassette tapes then rebought the CD's. When new platforms come around that offer even the very same product in a different delivery method or format, and the company is charging for it, if you obtain it without paying, you have stolen the media, plain and simple.
        • NipGrip, on 06/22/2008, -4/+3Not to mention, I don't think I even made an analogy. I was addressing you calling a company offering a media product on another platform (despite it being released previously for another) at a certain price that many have found affordable a criminal move. If the consumer thinks is not worth it, their dollars will speak for it and the company will change their ways, that's how we grown ups handle things. Not breaking laws then defending it by calling the one you've stolen from a criminal for simply overcharging for the product.

          "Hey Best Buy, that Plasma TV only cost $500 to make and you're charging $1700!? That's criminal and therefore I am entitled to it!"
        • arcticblue, on 06/22/2008, -1/+4There is a difference when going from VHS to DVD or cassette to CD though. When you go from VHS to DVD you are getting a much better version of the product with special features, much higher quality, surround sound, etc. From cassette to CD you are getting much higher quality audio and on many discs, special features for your computer (and rootkits if it's from Sony). But with Nintendo, it is the exact same 1s and 0s. There is no change in quality (in some cases, it's worse) with the exception of N64 games being rendered at 480p (but it's still the same 1s and 0s) and there are no extra features. Hell, you barely even get a manual!

          I have purchased my fair share of Virtual Console games, but I won't be purchasing any more because I have come to the realization that they are WAY overpriced and their Wii Point system is designed to make you lose money or buy games you don't really want if you don't want your money to go to waste. If they cut the prices in half, then it would be fair. I would pay the prices they are charging now only if they sent me the original manual and cartridge along with it. That said, I have modded my Wii with a Wiikey and the Homebrew Channel with FreeLoader because I live overseas and Nintendo is ***** retarded with region coding. I'm not buying two Wiis so I can play my games and my Japanese wife can play her games. That pisses me off (and is the reason I bought a PS3. Region-free FTW!)
      • solid12345, on 06/22/2008, -2/+2Next people will be saying they have a right to steal a DVD because the first version was barebones and they release a doubledip.

        Companies are in the business of making money, get over it. You can find an excuse to take anything.
      • xino, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Games for NES, SNES, etc were at least legal up until the Wii came out because it required hardware that was obsolete. That's part of the DMCA. Now that the Wii is out, I am not sure if they are still legal or not.
      • mem2, on 07/16/2008, -0/+1Ngrip, While I appreciate the polite fanboy attack..(by attack I mean your assumption and generalization of myself and all modders) you obviously do not realize I was very heavy into the wii homebrew scene from the start, hence why I had a modchip installed. For myself I will buy a good game for online play or if it is of outstanding quality. Failing that, yes I will simply download the game, check it out and most likely throw it out or give it away when Im bored of it (say 1 hour to 3 days).
    • BlueSkyfish, on 06/22/2008, -0/+5Protip: your computer can run emulators too. And it can support a lot more systems than the Virtual Console. Also, if you have a bluetooth adapter or your computer comes with bluetooth, you can sync your Wii remote to your computer.
      • aydoubleyou, on 06/22/2008, -0/+4Plus you can buy a USB controller. the xbox wired controller for example...
  • infinitus64, on 06/22/2008, -0/+29And another Firmwar has begun
  • JBmtk, on 06/22/2008, -1/+26I am still waiting for homebrew on the 360. Lets be honest, the xbox homebrew simply kicked ass.
    • zwaldowski, on 06/22/2008, -0/+8Coincidentally, somebody is porting an XMBC/mplayer hybrid to the Wii with USB Hard Drive support. Kickass, indeed.
      • tavisjohn, on 06/22/2008, -0/+5If true, could rock!
      • Tahiri, on 06/22/2008, -1/+3I look forward to it. Especially with wifi built in, it'd make a perfect hide-away network media player
    • oduska, on 06/22/2008, -0/+2I just don't understand what's taking so long...
    • dustinjr1993, on 06/22/2008, -0/+2im kind of thinking that microsoft will be smart and autoban brew users
  • jmnugent, on 06/22/2008, -2/+15For all the money companies spend on hardware/software/encryption trying to lock down their platform, they could invest in an open standard that would become so popular it would completely dominate any other companies attempts to come close to competition. I mean seriously. Anything you do gets cracked in a matter of hours... why not embrace the homebrew dev communities ideas?... if nothing else, atleast sponser a summer "Homebrew Challenge" or something. ffs
    • kevro, on 06/22/2008, -2/+4that would be awesome, the problem is third party developers won't want to produce games for a platform unless they (think) it's locked down tight. There will always be other companies more then happy to say come over hear we have great protection. Then there's the fact that if they give the official ok to let unsigned code run on there system then companies may be asking them selfs why that are paying a licence fee.
    • CharlesDance, on 06/22/2008, -5/+3Or just don't be lazy and build your ***** from the ground up, like the PS3. Nobody has gotten close to running unsigned code on that because they built a whole new cell and language to go with it. People haven't even begun to understand the PS3 yet and probably won't crack it for a good 10 years. Just takes a lot of effort is all : )
    • Tahiri, on 06/22/2008, -4/+2Sounds like you want a PS3, which lets you run Linux without hacking.
      • ufee, on 06/22/2008, -2/+3And locks you out of important hardware features.
        Such glory!
    • Andrwmorph, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1They are too busy bathing in their money
  • amenic, on 06/22/2008, -2/+6So let me get this straight - in order to make this work, every single time you want to use the 3rd party apps ala Homebrew, you have to load up TP and then load a save file?

    Then you can continue with the rest of the apps? Or you only do this once and it creates a channel to access it from then on?
    • autobulb, on 06/22/2008, -0/+13You just need to load the hack once, install the Homebrew Channel, and then you can run whichever homebrew from that channel without ever using the TP disc again.
    • Protoss, on 06/22/2008, -0/+6You throw the save and a boot.elf into your SD card, and put the Hombrew Channel installer as boot.elf, then you will have a channel to do whatever.
    • Chronchitis, on 06/22/2008, -0/+4There is a home brew app that adds the channel for you, just use it the first time you do the hack
  • pcnerd37, on 06/22/2008, -5/+0The Wii is just the new PSP. Nintendo is fighting homebrew like Sony did at first. Sony still hasn't embraced it but at least they have stopped trying to keep people from hacking it. I forget his name, but a guy from Sony said this week that they are coming out with a new system to fight piracy on the PSP, so we will see what comes of that. My guess is its just another method that will be hacked in a short amount of time.
    • Protoss, on 06/22/2008, -0/+4Seems Nintendo tried even less than Sony. They added a simple function that checks for a certain 6 character string in the save, then deletes it. Sony usually just changed the encryption key (which would take a week or so to crack) and maybe throw in a new method to stop the piracy.
    • Tahiri, on 06/22/2008, -5/+1"The Wii is just the new PSP"

      Only without the good games, and firmware updates that actually give us new features.
  • d1gg3r1, on 06/22/2008, -7/+2Story on engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/21/twilight-hack-r ...
  • rednaxela825, on 06/22/2008, -1/+22Nintendo should just quit trying.
    • FriedTurkey, on 06/22/2008, -1/+10If they make it inconvenient enough they win.
    • Garjon, on 06/22/2008, -1/+1They would show us that they quit by not making any more games for it. Genius!
    • jtinz, on 06/22/2008, -1/+0They can't quit trying. As any gaming console producer, they make most of the money by selling licenses to the game developers, not by selling the hardware. Without that money, they couldn't offer the Wii for a competitive price.

      And when you sell hardware, you pay the retailers and you pay import taxes. Only a fraction of the money a Wii is being sold for reaches Nintendo. The license fees are pure cash.
  • jo21, on 06/22/2008, -0/+12wow, hacked even faster than the psp
  • Zap2, on 06/22/2008, -0/+4when will companies open up?

    (sony was getting with ps3...but still needs more)
  • Evi1d33d, on 06/22/2008, -1/+3To stop the hack all they have to do is disable save transfer for Zelda. SSBB and Mario Kart already have save transfer disabled..
    • dbzlotrfan, on 06/22/2008, -0/+3Probably . . except HomeBrew, for whatever reason can transfer saved (& unmoveable data) from the Wii to a SD card.

      Mario Kart is inmovable, yet via HB, I saved the save file an SD card, put that on the computer. Got a "completed" save file, put that on the Wii - it worked, and the game (or the system) can tell any difference.

      @Gogogo111: I hate that too, I don't get what why people do that; they aren't typing a letter, no need to "sign" some name at the bottom
    • zwaldowski, on 06/22/2008, -0/+5Team Twiizers has already stated that they've found other explicit exploits in other games that use different methods from the Twilight Hack.

      Countless other games can use the exact same hack (stack smash using overly long user-configured variables like names), and they're also ready to keep those going. Any save game that has you put a name in for anything - even though you couldn't move the save file, I'll use Mario Kart Wii as an example.

      If they can modify the save-game username of something like Super Mario Galaxy or Mario Kart Wii, they can crash the game by just loading the disc. Hell, why not create a specially-crafted Mii that doesn't require a specific game to crash the Wii?
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 06/22/2008, -0/+4Its because the save file isn't really locked in any way, it merely has a "copy protected" flag set (usually Nintendo does this for games that store online rankings/profiles in their save file), the system itself has to honor the copy protected flag. Homebrew obviously does not, and a hacked save file could easily just have this copy protect flag not set.
  • coadyj, on 06/22/2008, -4/+3hope the 3g iphone takes this long
  • odinfire, on 06/22/2008, -0/+6What about allowing trucha signed discs. I'm not hearing anything about them hacking the new update to restore this functionality.
  • MustangMatt, on 06/22/2008, -8/+1Amazingly fast.

    Glad I haven't updated yet.

    I don't plan to either, till' the REAL fix with atleast less FEWER errors.

    :)

    -Matt
    • Gogogo111, on 06/22/2008, -0/+11Please don't sign your name. No really, just don't. I can't even give you a Bury Shield.
    • Tahiri, on 06/22/2008, -1/+2I agree with gogogo.
  • fudged71, on 06/22/2008, -8/+2I'd rather have my Wii in the condition that it is sold.
    Although, I promote the development of software products on other platforms that utilize the bluetooth peripherals
    • bclinton, on 06/22/2008, -1/+2Who cares dude?
    • zwaldowski, on 06/22/2008, -0/+4Wii Homebrew doesn't require system modding. That's the whole point of this exercise.
      • fudged71, on 06/22/2008, -0/+1I didn't say hardware anywhere, did I?
        • dunnace, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1But then surely you should never update if that's your moto?
        • fudged71, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1I'm not an idiot, if that's what you are implying
  • Lev8mysoul, on 06/22/2008, -1/+7I think Nintendo is hiring the wrong people. If they're going to keep updating firmware, just hire the ones that create the hacks. It's obvious that they're much better than the Nintendo programmers :)
    • shamanking911, on 06/22/2008, -3/+1if that would solve the problem, sony would have hired dark alex from day one
    • Tahiri, on 06/22/2008, -1/+2Sony tried, he declined
    • silentb0b, on 06/22/2008, -0/+2now that is some funny *****.
  • jreinstedler, on 06/22/2008, -0/+6Nintendowned!
  • morpheus9602, on 06/22/2008, -0/+4Horray for computer geeks.
  • mliving, on 06/22/2008, -0/+3Nintendo... embrace the future. Invite the world into your console!
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 06/22/2008, -0/+3They would never do that, the world dosen't run on Friend Codes.
  • silentb0b, on 06/22/2008, -0/+4everything is eventually hacked.
  • shade45, on 06/22/2008, -2/+3Gotta get me a Wii!
  • Zaggynl, on 06/22/2008, -0/+4Ahhh humans vs humans, creating them was a brilliant idea..

    *eats some more popcorn*
  • OdinsFury, on 06/22/2008, -0/+1No big surprise.
  • dustinjr1993, on 06/22/2008, -3/+3nintendo are full of dumasses anyways cus they release the ***** games i never heard of and not there best collections!! like zelda:MM and mario rpg
  • solid12345, on 06/22/2008, -1/+2Is there actually a decent homebrew scene for the Wii?

    The Xbox 360 protection has been broken for 2 years now and yet there is still nothing of value written for it, go to xbox-scene anymore and people just want to learn new ways to play their copied games
  • chromehound47, on 06/22/2008, -0/+1What does wii homebrew allow people to do? play pong on their Wiis? or play actual wii games that've been downloaded?
    • dunnace, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1Let's you emulate, play Wii paint or use the scumVV enginge (Day of the Tentacle and stuff). Not only that but they might be able to unlock the regions on the Wii without a freeloader.
  • DustyinBFE, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1Wow. I was guessing at least a month. GOOD JOB!!!
  • dunnace, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1Can someone 'homebrew' some anti-region locking please?
  • justice7, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1is there any way to softmod the wii yet? I've heard VC games can be installed; but what about backup burns?
  • DarthBrady, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1This has inspired me. I just used it to hack my wii for the first time. Got the homebrew channel, and its kicking ass because I can FINALLY play some MarioRPG and Chronotrigger on my Wii. How long have I been missing out n this *****?!
  • Ashby678, on 06/24/2008, -1/+0omg omg omg. i need new hack now =[ lol =]
  • Ashby678, on 06/24/2008, -0/+1if anyones need the new LOZ: TP hack. without making wii region free use this link to download

    http://www.hackszine.com/blog/archive/2008/06/twil ...

    iv tried and tested works fine. no need to thank me. just digg me :P
  • CCmachined, on 06/24/2008, -2/+1what? why hack the Wii? just so you can be a Nintendo rebel?
    ever want to run homebrew apps on a TV?

    ...

    its called a PC with TV-out. Idiots.
    • DarthBrady, on 06/25/2008, -0/+1TV-Out? that is sooo 1993. idiot. PCs have hdmi out now. get one.
  • dara64, on 06/26/2008, -0/+0So I knew nothing of homebrew till my freeloader stopped working. I just want to be able to play my import games is that such an evil thing? Nintendo have forced me into the world of hacking. BTW After the Wii update I installed the homebrew channel and region free unlock and it seems to work perfectly ;)
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