It would seem that the hacking community has finally cracked the Wii, as they've figured out a way to get code up and running on the console. It's a feat that hasn't been performed before and was accomplished after many
Bothans people sacrificed time and energy to complete this task. See, inside of the Wii, the Hollywood chip doesn't just handle graphics, it's got a whole lot to do with authentication (you know, to make sure you've got a valid Wii or GC game disc in there). Well, these hackers have found out that upon booting up a GameCube game, this chip will turn off all of the cool Wii functionality (bluetooth, USB, etc.) and restricts the area of memory you're allowed to access. But, there isn't any kind of encryption dealing with the memory, so this is where the folks knew they should focus.
Now, the next part gets too technical for us, but just know that they found a way to get these authentication codes from the memory and trick the Wii into believing it was loading a Wii game (in this case,
Lego Star Wars). This then allowed them to load their own code into the Wii. Judging by the clapping in the video, it's a pretty big deal and means that homebrew on the Wii is that much closer to being a reality.
Oh, and if you don't get the Angelina Jolie reference, head past the break.
[Via
NeoGAF]
_thumbnail.jpg "Rune Factory Frontier")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-28-2007 @ 4:15PM
BrandonIT said...
5 bucks says we get a new "system update" by the end of January to fix this.
"Look, we updated your system! Keeping you safe from those nasty hackers..."
Reply
12-28-2007 @ 4:41PM
Psy said...
A system update that doesn't render my Wii nothing more than a rectangular GameCube just because I'm playing a GameCube game on it? I'll take it.
12-28-2007 @ 4:51PM
Shadow31 said...
No, this will be the system update:
"Lookit! We updated the Wii Shop channel so it loads half a second faster, and we somehow made the Everybody Votes channel slightly more detailed but nobody will figure out why! ...you done downloading? ...good. By the way, your system is unhackable now! Congratulations!"
12-28-2007 @ 5:03PM
raindog said...
They didn't just find a way to run custom code, they reportedly got the Wii's encryption keys out of memory. Assuming it's not another hoax, this is an achievement on the level of DeCSS (or the far more difficult HD-DVD and Blu-ray equivalents.)
It may very well mean that Nintendo can't lock them out without locking out every disc made to date from every console made to date, and unlike mod chips, the technique may be undetectable by the Wii itself. But I guess we'll see.
12-29-2007 @ 10:33AM
ssuk said...
With this they can:
1) Make custom games and have them boot without having a modchip
2) Make custom firmware updates (patchable through the disc channel) that stops normal games requiring the Wii console to be updated.
Besides this fact, a Wii update wont do anything to stop the user once they have the encryption keys, because if they're universal to all Wii games, that code can't be changed without stopping a large back catalogue of games for playing.
Face it, Nintendo are well and truly buggered with this development, which is fan-fuckin'-tastic for me, it means there will eventually be a homebrew boot disc/Wii firmware update which will allow me to boot import Wii and Gamecube games (And ActionReplay GC again) on my PAL console. I will probably not pirate games, because 3rd parties REALLY need support on the Wii, however I am a prolific importer from Asian regions. This is nothing but music to my ears.
12-28-2007 @ 4:50PM
zerocool said...
Hack the planet!
Reply
12-28-2007 @ 4:56PM
Evangelist Pinto said...
As long as they dont screw with ssbb online I'm okay
Reply
12-29-2007 @ 10:35AM
ssuk said...
There will be people who WILL use this to cheat, but there's nothing for them to really gain out of the hole venture, plus a large portion of people wont bother hacking the game, nor download different hacked variations of the game when they're at a good 3-4.7GB in size.
12-28-2007 @ 5:05PM
Christmas NiGHTS said...
But does it only allow the homebrew to be run in GC mode, which limits you to GC specs?
Reply
12-28-2007 @ 5:44PM
Nigeria said...
I admire your name.
12-28-2007 @ 7:04PM
thethirdmoose said...
That has been out since the Wii came out. The news here is that you have full Wii capabilities
12-29-2007 @ 2:29AM
Ztrl said...
No, it allows you to run homebrew in Wii mode. You'll now have full access to RAM, USB, and Wi-Fi.
12-28-2007 @ 9:09PM
comtar said...
I remember when the Hackers movie website was hacked by real hackers because they were offended by the way they were shown in the film as crossdressers. Those were the days.
Reply
12-28-2007 @ 11:12PM
raindog said...
I think the term for someone who breaks into a computer they don't own is actually "cracker", but then, the film got it wrong too.
12-30-2007 @ 5:15AM
Onomah said...
No I'm pretty sure a cracker is like a hacker but with phones instead of computers. And if you think that screwing about with phones is easy...well compared to computers it is, but it still ain't easy.
12-29-2007 @ 9:39AM
tek428 said...
How do I get in touch with the author of this article? I would like to speak directly with him about something.
Thanks.
Reply
12-29-2007 @ 12:29PM
Tobias104 said...
http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/bloggers/david-hinkle
12-29-2007 @ 12:38PM
Hlynur Sigmundsson said...
Am I the only one who gets the "Bothan" joke & feels like a huge nerd...:)
Reply
12-29-2007 @ 2:42PM
MountainLionLink said...
Don't feel bad, geeks are everywhere.
1-02-2008 @ 1:50PM
Kilo said...
Nope. RotJ is one of my favorite movies.
1-02-2008 @ 1:55PM
Kilo said...
Check out 2:13 into the movie trailer. ;)
Reply
1-04-2008 @ 12:28PM
Findarato said...
If you are looking for better, check out gia, there are plenty of "2:13" moments ;-)