Nintendo Wii Fanboy

With the "Twilight Hack" now available to the public and enabling users to run unsigned code on their Wiis, basement programmers are wasting no time in releasing their unofficial software to the incipient homebrew community. After all, they've waited over a year since the Wii's launch for this opportunity.

Here's a list of homebrew developments from just today.

• How To Get Homebrew Working on the Wii
  Tutorial on what you'll need and how to run homebrew software
  
• Linux for Wii
  A "small usbgecko-enabled proof of concept mini-distro"
• MP3 Player
  Get your MP3 of "Poison" ready
• DOL to Elf Converter
  Convert and run GameCube homebrew in Wii mode
• SNES9xGx.wii 0.01b Emulator
  Keep it legal and homebrew, kids
  

What do you think will be released next?

[Thanks, Craig!]

"Team Twiizers" have just released a hacked save file for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess that allows unsigned code to run. It requires nothing more than an SD card and a copy of Twilight Princess -- no hardware modding needed. Check out the video above, which features not only a demonstration of the hack at work, but also some neat chiptunes from Thomas Detert.

This is just a proof of concept at the moment, but at the end of the video, the group promises an ELF loader, which would allow the Wii to run Linux. This isn't the first time someone has hacked the Wii, but it is the first time the tools have been made available. We look forward to the inevitable rush of neat Wii homebrew applications, if this hack is actually developed to a useful stage.

[Via NeoGAF]

Remember those dudes that hacked the Wii? Brushing, the guy who presented the exploit at 24C3, was recently interviewed about his future plans for the system. The natural first step, according to him, is to implement a version of SDLoad for the Wii. Then, once that's out of the way, he would like to see a Linux Channel for the console. Still, Brushing notes that it will probably take a while before he and the groups he worked with are able to reach these goals.

Also, if you're worried about this development opening the floodgates for piracy on the Wii, don't be. Brushing seems hesitant, at least for the time being, to release the hacked information and keys to the public.

To read the full interview with the author of the Wii exploit, go here.

[Thanks, Craig!]

Ah, Linux. Your nerdy appeal has won many a gamer. For the uninitiated, Linux is an open-source operating system that is vastly scalable and customizable for various platforms and applications, and as such, is perfect for homebrew development. One of the first tasks of any "console cracking" team is to get a version of Linux running on the box, as it opens up a myriad of possibilities. Certainly, the Wii would be a prime target, but ....

Nintendo may have already beat them to it. According to a rumor from Ars Technica, Nintendo is actually using a modified version of Linux as its primary operating system on the Wii. Though some security measures will certainly be in place, it probably won't be long before some clever haX0r figures out a way around the protocols in place. Exciting news for the homebrew community, to be certain. We recommend checking out the entire article; it's a good read.

[Thanks, Probot!]

[Update 1: Just about as soon as this article went live, Ars Technica posted that the rumors were in fact untrue. Oh well ....]