Should I download the homebrew channel?

[Nicktendo]

*I will not be carrying out or discussing illeagal activity, just so you know;)*

I have an American Wii and I'm finding it incredibly expensive to import games of late, with ye old credit crunch and all associated rubbishness. So, I've read there's a glitch in Zelda which you can run this homebrew channel malarky meaning you can play games from different regions. Now, my Wii is nearly 2 years old but I have an immense collection of VC games which I would rather not lose due to crashes etc. Is it worth it? Pros and Cons, etc...

I really want to play Wii Music, Mario Kart and a few games from the Wii's back catalogue I can't find cheap from the US / ebay. Plus the upcoming games look rather tasty to say the least and don't really want to be spending £30+ on them when I'm on a budget tighter than a nun.

Ideas, thought, experiences?

[ShadowV7]

Might of been better in the General Thread since this might start a debate and people saying it's legal/illegal etc.

But to answer your question, in your case, you should really give it a download. The pros is that it's easy to download and install and use, only con I can really think of is that it would void the warranty, but 2 years old and NTSC, this shouldn't really apply. Another slight con is that a firmware update might remove the channel, but you can just not update till there's a solution/see what update does.

[Emasher]

Go for it. The chances that it bricks your Wii are pretty darn small. I'm not even sure its happened to anyone with the latest version.

[Tellyn]

Not really a good idea if you're planning on using the Wii Shop Channel at all in the future, or if you buy anything from the UK which contains a firmware update capable of deleting the Homebrew Channel. If you have the latest firmware, I don't think you can download it anyway, but Nintendo are doing stealth WC24 updates now to catch out hackers.

[Nicktendo]

Not really a good idea if you're planning on using the Wii Shop Channel at all in the future, or if you buy anything from the UK which contains a firmware update capable of deleting the Homebrew Channel. If you have the latest firmware, I don't think you can download it anyway, but Nintendo are doing stealth WC24 updates now to catch out hackers.

Hmmm I use the shop a fair amount as I often splash out on VC and Wiiware games although they've become pretty pricey recently. I just dont wanna fork out for a UK wii...

[ShadowV7]

You can download it with the latest firmware i'm sure. Just a slightly different way of doing it.

Also with the HBC, there's no need to worry about the Wii Shop Channel either.

[Tellyn]

Wait, I read your post wrong. You have an American Wii, not a UK Wii. This is more Shadow's forte, I'll let him give you some pros but I'm here to balance it out with cons, since I honestly don't think it's worth losing the ability to download VC and WiiWare games over a hacked piece of software which could easily be removed permanently at any moment by Nintendo, rendering any UK games you buy useless. (There may eventually come a time where a workaround for firmware updates becomes nigh impossible.)

[ShadowV7]

You can always download the HBC, get the Region Free Loader working and buy UK games etc, but if you do and they have any updates, you're gonna have to make sure you never update from the UK games since it'll brick your Wii.

You can have the HBC, update your firmware with an application via HBC to the latest firmware just now, use Wii Shop Channel, then downgrade your Wii firmware back to 3.3 or something so you don't get automatic updates. Then for each stealth firmware update, you'll need to wait and see what it does to the HBC. If it gets removed, you'll need to wait for a work around to be released, and as Tellyn said, they could eventually entirely block out any Twilight Hacks from working.

[Mokong X-C]

If you have the latest firmware, I don't think you can download it anyway, but Nintendo are doing stealth WC24 updates now to catch out hackers.

It works with v3.4, and so does the latest Twilight Hack to install the HBC, Nintendo's stealth WC24 updates can easily be sorted by turning off WC24, assuming you don't send/receive a lot of messages or use the Nintendo Channel much (which I don't)... no effect on my Shop Channel I can still buy VC games etc, just fine.


(There may eventually come a time where a workaround for firmware updates becomes nigh impossible.)

And there is coming a time when firmware updates won't have any effect on HBC... once BootMii is finally completed ;)

[Nicktendo]

You can always download the HBC, get the Region Free Loader working and buy UK games etc, but if you do and they have any updates, you're gonna have to make sure you never update from the UK games since it'll brick your Wii.

You can have the HBC, update your firmware with an application via HBC to the latest firmware just now, use Wii Shop Channel, then downgrade your Wii firmware back to 3.3 or something so you don't get automatic updates. Then for each stealth firmware update, you'll need to wait and see what it does to the HBC. If it gets removed, you'll need to wait for a work around to be released, and as Tellyn said, they could eventually entirely block out any Twilight Hacks from working.

Hmmm I see them blocking out the Twilight hack fairly soon. So undecided... If someone could give me a UK machine, no pads or cables for £80 I'd bite their hands off... Life's never that simple though. Somehow being able to play Manhunt 2 / Trauma Center a year early and VC games in their original form doesn't seem worth it anymore *sigh*

[ShadowV7]

Ah yes BootMii. Let's hope it can get completed before a firmware update can knock the HBC out making it useless. It's the saving grace for HBC users.

[Nicktendo]

Ah yes BootMii. Let's hope it can get completed before a firmware update can knock the HBC out making it useless. It's the saving grace for HBC users.

What is it? Something that blocks out firmware updates?

[ShadowV7]

Basically yeah. It prevents Nintendo from removing the HBC. It loads files from the SD Card in the Wii before anything else is loaded.

[Shino]

Basically yeah. It prevents Nintendo from removing the HBC. It loads files from the SD Card in the Wii before anything else is loaded.

So it loads the channel from the SD card or is it already installed?

[Mokong X-C]

Yeah its a new thing the HBC people are working on, with the BootMii on your SD card inserted into your Wii, when you turn your Wii on it loads up the HBC directly from the SD card long before any of the Wii's major systems have started up, take out the SD card and the Wii works as normal, should be firmware update proof... hope they finish it soon, like before the "Fridge Solution" is released

I think how they describe it is that as it is now, Homebrew creators are users of the Wii's systems and subject to it's rules. Once BootMii is finished, they are making the Wii's system work for them.

[Shino]

But you still have to modify part of the firmware to make it read the card right? And what's the Fridge Solution?

[ShadowV7]

I'm not exactly 100%, but as far as I can tell, the Wii gets redirected to run the BootMii code/application straight from the SD Card instead allowing the HBC to load up before the Wii system menu, then from there you can do what you want.

EDIT- Damn Mokong beat me.


But you still have to modify part of the firmware to make it read the card right? And what's the Fridge Solution?

You won't need to since the SD Card hacks the boot2 files, making it read from th SD Card instead of the Wii. Fridge solution is next firmware update which speeds up the SD Card tranfer times.

[Emasher]

Fridge solution is next firmware update which speeds up the SD Card tranfer times.

It had better do more than that.

Even if the channel is broken by the update, there will most likely be a fix within a week of the update. Nintendo isn't about to brick a bunch of Wii's either because that would mean less of a market for their games.

Plus its not firmware, its software. Firmware would be what tells the machine to boot into the OS.

[Shino]

Plus its not firmware, its software. Firmware would be what tells the machine to boot into the OS.

But that seems exactly what the BootMii will do.

[Mokong X-C]

Plus its not firmware, its software. Firmware would be what tells the machine to boot into the OS.

exactly... maybe this is a better way to explain it.

When a Wii is turned on it always starts the same way, going through a set process booting various files in order.

When a SD card with BootMii is inserted, when the Wii starts and begins opening it's various files/programs in order, the BootMii file is inserted nearly right at the begining of this process, so it begins running long before the Wii's own firmware is, something weird like that

Here watch this video... but make sure to read the description on it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oAQ9i4FMeg&fmt=18

[Emasher]

But that seems exactly what the BootMii will do.

Why does that matter? Every device has Firmware.

[Shino]

Ok, just like I expected BootMii needs to be INSTALLED, it does not run automatically from the SD card. Here's the comment from the coder behind this on youtube:

FFS, just ignore the damn LCD. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BOOTMII. BootMii is _SOFTWARE_. It needs to be _INSTALLED_. It will help you fix your Wii if you break it _AFTER_ installing it. If you need a comparison, it's like FlashMe for the DS.

It makes sense now, the Wii wouldn't just be reading code from the SD card without any trigger.

Why does that matter? Every device has Firmware.

I suppose the point is to bypass whatever Nintendo throws at us. Nintendo can update all they want and it wont affect the hbc.

[or else you will DIE]

definitely yes.

[Rummy]

Bit of a thread hijack!
So with this homebrew channel, is there a way to continue to use your wii/update it, yet also still manage to use the shop channel without peril, but manage to boot foreign discs at the same time? I've got a PAL wii, and an NTSC ssbb, but I'm feeling a bit sentimental about it and all my stats and replays, and trying to figure out if there's any way I can manage to update my wii and things without losing my capability to play the game(which I'm currently doing through a freeloader) nor my ability to play my wii(through it being bricked). Dunno why they didn't just make it a transferrable save. Nor why they made it different for different regions grrr.

[dazzybee]

I'm definitely going to downlaod the HBC on my girlfriends Wii (she'll never even know). I just want to play some US/Jap only games and I don't see why Nintendo should stop me.

I want TAIKO DRUM MASTER DAMMIT!!!!!!!

[ShadowV7]

Bit of a thread hijack!
So with this homebrew channel, is there a way to continue to use your wii/update it, yet also still manage to use the shop channel without peril, but manage to boot foreign discs at the same time? I've got a PAL wii, and an NTSC ssbb, but I'm feeling a bit sentimental about it and all my stats and replays, and trying to figure out if there's any way I can manage to update my wii and things without losing my capability to play the game(which I'm currently doing through a freeloader) nor my ability to play my wii(through it being bricked). Dunno why they didn't just make it a transferrable save. Nor why they made it different for different regions grrr.

Currently what I do just now is stay on 3.3, then if I want to use a Shop/Nintendo Channel, I upgrade, do what I want then go back to 3.3.

[Emasher]

Currently what I do just now is stay on 3.3, then if I want to use a Shop/Nintendo Channel, I upgrade, do what I want then go back to 3.3.

There really isn't any need. I'm running the latest software (3.4?) and the HBC works fine with it.

[ShadowV7]

Yeah but it's the auto-updates I don't want and also my Brawl doesn't work via HBC on 3.4.

[Shino]

The Gecko OS works on 3.4?

[IMJ]

Im looking for ways to play import games on my PAL Wii actually. There's some gems i REALLY need to play. Im heading to Asia in a few months and Im planning on getting Tatsunoko vs Capcom and Taiko Drum Master Wii.

Anyone know if the HBC is easy to implement? I do have a Zelda:TP disc here, but i havent finished it yet. I believe I have put a separate hacked save file on the Wii right? Any helpful tips?

[scubahood]

Those looking to get into wii homebrew i'd recommend checking out
http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Main_Page

[Nicktendo]

Well in the end I opted not to go homebrew. Instead I got a UK wii with 2 wiimotes and nunchucks giving me a total of 4 each! :). Got Mario Kart and Wii Play with it all for a fairly decent price. Gonna go out on Monday and buy House of the Dead, Wii Music and WarioLand: Shake it. Thanks for all your advice but I just figured risking my VC games just wasnt worth it and US machines are pretty tricky to get a hold of at the moment.

[KingJoe]

I have HBC running nicely on my Japanese wii. It means I can play UK games without any fuss at all. It doesn't affect me in any other way - I can still go on the shop chanel etc, but I can also play games in English. Nintendo Japan aren't really into English-language options "this is a Japanese system for Japanese people..."
I recommend the HBC.

[ghost_zero]

Yeah but it's the auto-updates I don't want and also my Brawl doesn't work via HBC on 3.4.

Gecko OS and HBC itself would work even on v3.4 - only Rebooter (part of Gecko OS but not required for region-free play and it only starts manually, so Gecko OS still works) doesn't work (at least not yet).
However, if it is just the Shop Channel or Mii Channel you want: There is an installer that will just install that and works even under v3.2. Some of those even have an option that even FreeLoader would continue to work (though of course it isn't necessary with the HBC).

[ShadowV7]

I know it works on 3.4, it's just Brawl that doesn't work because I don't have a picture of it, only sound. I think it's because I need component cables or something.