arstechnica.com — None of the console manufacturers is particularly enamored of mod chips, but it seems rare for one of them to talk about them directly. Nintendo is bucking that trend with a recent notice on their European site. It's pretty straightforward
Apr 24, 2007 View in Crawl 4
Closed AccountApr 25, 2007
Does installing a wii modchip screw with your ability to take the Wii online? As MS did with the original xbox, does Nintendo lock you out of their online network if they detect a chip in your system?
notyavgkatApr 25, 2007
I can't believe that they are so worried about this, when they have let's say 50 million other people, just actually trying to get their hands on a Wii. I mean I've been trying since Nov to get my hands on one, and it's impossible. Cmon Nintendo, ya'll really have bigger fish to fry than worried about a dumb lil mod chip right now. Let's try making some consoles, so that we could actually have a reason to buy a mod chip!
straxusApr 25, 2007
"Sony probably could have made disks that attempt to flash any detected modchip with garbage"While Microsoft was certainly in a position to reflash *some* modded consoles, Sony never was. Even if Microsoft had, it wouldn't have taken much (access to another $15 modchip) for the owner to reflash the chip or TSOP, write-protect it this time, and be right back up and running. Just saying...
peynisApr 25, 2007
giving out a press release about Wii modchips was the dumbest thing Nintendo could do...I guess that around 98% of all Wii owners didn't even know it was possible to mod their Wii...just like most people never knew you could play backups and imports on a Dreamcast without any modification, or that it's possible to play homebrew and backups on a PSP (without modification in most cases)as soon as people know about modchips/exploits, they'll start modding their consoles and playing pirated games...the cheaper and easier it gets, the more people will do it...Wii modchips already are very easy to install (5 soldering points, ANYONE could do this) and pretty damn cheap: I got my Wii modded for 25? ..
dalexandruzApr 25, 2007
would i be arrested if i ripped the cpu out of the wii since im messing with the insides. ppl could do whatever they want the console since they bought and own the product. now they want to come into your home and make sure you dont do anything to the machine you bought.
jonshipmanApr 25, 2007
They could detect it with a game. Have a game detect it. But that would be very counter-productive.
jonshipmanApr 25, 2007
There is a check - it's called if it's not the correct Wii the disk won't work. The mod chip removes this limitation and therefore the check.
m00nstoneApr 26, 2007
The issue is not the mod chip itself. It's just a piece of hardware. It's the code that circumvents the security in the game system.Think about it. I sell you a chip with some wires and blank flash rom. How could this possibly be an illegal act? Performing the mod chip install is perfectly innocent. You open an electronic component that you OWN, and install an additional circuit board...It's all about the code that breaks the system. All of the physical stuff should stay legal forever and ever amen.
0olongApr 29, 2007
Toys R us has had them in stock for the longest time... The whole Wiis flying off the shelves stuff is old and tired