[xiaNaix]

The weekend brought some interesting news.

From TehSkeen...

It's time for another exclusive video from TehSkeen. This time our feature presentation is a demonstration of the work in progress Nintendo Wii Backup Loader coded by the infamous and often controversial hacking guru Waninkoko. Yeah, read the first sentence again if you're at a loss for words.

The ISO Loader works like this. You create a legal backup of a game you own, convert the ISO file with a special program then burn it. After this, you copy over the ISO Loader to the Homebrew Channel and run it. It will boot the legal backup. Pretty simple. Oh, and no modchip is required. However, it does require you to have Waninkoko's Custom IOS installed.

This is a unprecedented moment in Nintendo Wii hacking history as is probably going to cause a massive movement in the scene. Too bad Nintendo didn't take Bushing's advice on blocking the method of doing this. Maybe they will now? Of course, this sort of thing isn't condoned by the "general" homebrew scene and when it's released will ultimately lead to some turmoil.

TehSkeen doesn't support piracy. We don't index releases, we don't spread torrents, we don't run contests to dump VC/Wiiware games. Heck, we don't host any tools to inject WAD files with. Waninkoko's motivation for creating the ISO Loader is unknown, but it is illegal and morally wrong to use it for booting illegal copies of games you don't own.

With that all said and done, what do you all think of this milestone in the Nintendo Wii scene? Do you support the project? Do you think it'll force Nintendo to take some sort of action against the "scene"? Oh, please keep out all of the "it's fake" BS in your replies. It's real. Period.

From Console-Scene...

The latest rumors going around the scene indicate that Waninkoko will soon be releasing a iso loader for the Wii. Our sources, who have been testing the app, tell us that it will not run the currently available isos or any backup discs you currently have, since the iso files will need to patched first. Compatability is also rumored to be nowhere near 100% This sounds more like a proof of concept than a functional softmod.

In better news, we have been in contact with another coder who has assured us a 100% solution will also be available soon that requires no such patching.

WiiNewz can confirm pretty much everything in these articles. These apps will be appearing soon. Whether or not they perform as well as installing a chip remains to be seen.

[chucklesjh]

I am not sure whether or not I support this. I am generally not a large purchaser of Wii games on account of the fact that the majority of them suck completely. I like being able to sample games before I buy them, which is why I purchased a WiiKey. I also like being able to play backups so my originals don't get messed up.

While releasing this would be more of a convenience than anything, it will be abused by people no matter what anyone does.

[Avenger]

I imagine the benefit of a chip will remain as being able to do firmware updates, as well as not having to patch or modify image files. Not to mention the ease of removing the mod to make a warranty claim.

[notsofat]

seriously though its not exactly burn with roxio and play is it?
i mean you need a fair bit of knowhow to do it.

the scene is still around after all, this wont destroy it.

i support this because waninkoko isnt running a wii copying business, theres no real profit in it for himself, and its not like every wii development thus far hasnt in some way contributed to this (and piracy).

on with progress, until the day i get my custom dbz wii menu skin

Originally Posted by Avenger

I imagine the benefit of a chip will remain as being able to do firmware updates, as well as not having to patch or modify image files. Not to mention the ease of removing the mod to make a warranty claim.

agreed.

[ozmodchips]

I can see a lot of people doing this...but so many wiis that i mod are mums/dads that would NEVER be able to perform task like patching an iso and streaming it from a PC/USB gecko (if that is what is required)

All they want to be able to do is insert a disc...


This just being the start though - i am sure it will become insanely easy to do so in the future

as fair as the whole warranty claim thing...
If no modchip is required, im guessing nintendo will be flooded with software corrupted wiis. Nintendo will probably have to fix it.
I dont think they local repairman have the tools to look inside corrupted firmware to see how it happened. Then again, it can't really happen without soft modding the console....Hmmm

[fluidmax]

price for installs and modchips will likely go down if we can get this thing to run at 99-100% compatibility. I can imaging many installers and chip shops (as much as they will most likely deny) are looking very closely at the development of this right now.

[VrtclHykr]

I have to pipe up about the history of PS2.
For all you kids that were not around the beginning of PS2 days. Our first mod chips for Ps2 used an iso loader principle. In general....people hate it. Having to put a loader disc in everytime does not seem like much but in the end I find people don't like the hassle. Once direct boot mods started coming I switched many many from the swap mod to direct boot.
Our situation here is that we already have direct boot.

[krzysto]

If softmod is possible, then I'd imagine the Wii could become a viable hardware for all sorts of things -- mostly via Linux-driven OS... it will even control your Lego Mindstorm... but it's too early to say any of this...

[EmuandCo]

Well, i will support this tool. I always did it this way before buying a game: I loaded a copy into a emulator or flash Card. If it was good, i bought it. Otherwise not. I do so on all consoles i own and it would have been the only reason for me to buy a modchip. I am a poor student. I cant buy a game and afterwards find out it sucks.

[niemand0815]

this still sounds like a backup loader, not an iso loader.

iso loader: load iso file from media (harddisc or whatever) with no need to burn it.

backup loader: load a burned backup of a game (it doesnt matter if its patched or not).

so from what i read this seems to be definitely a backup loader, not an iso loader.
though i do really hope that i am wrong :-)