A user review
Background: Why I decided to modify my Nintendo Wii.
When I first heard it was possible to modify my game console I really didn’t pay that much attention. My friends were raving about it, but at the time I owned an original Xbox and was happy with it how it was. It wasn’t until my Xbox and games were stolen that I realised my mistake. I’m not a hardcore gamer, but I do enjoy my games, so the loss of between 50-70 games was an expensive lesson. As my friends enjoyed pointing out, if I had backed up my games and put away the originals, I would have only been out of pocket by one modified Xbox and $50 in dvd-r discs.
So when I got my Nintendo Wii, the first thing I decided to do was see if it could be modified. I did a lot of research first to find out what modchips were available and what they would allow me to do. I also wanted to find out the legalities involved. I came across some very interesting information during the course of this research, some of which I will list here. Probably the most important was that in Australia, modchips are completely legal. So is backing up your own games so you can put the originals away for safekeeping. In some other countries, using a modchip is illegal because you can also play pirated games. Pirating games is still illegal in Australia, so if you were planning on getting a modchip for that reason, I wouldn’t recommend it.
The reason that modchips are legal in Australia is because the Australian High Court ruled that Australians should be allowed to use modchips for legitimate reasons. For the Nintendo Wii, these reasons include:
- Playing imported games. Some games aren’t released in Australia, but unless you have a modchip, you can’t play imported games or games you purchase overseas. The reason for this is that games are locked to those regions consoles.
- Backing up games you have purchased to keep the originals safe and undamaged (my main reason)
- Playing dvd movies on your Nintendo Wii
- Running Homebrew games and applications.
- Playing imported GameCube games
Now the part that really caught my attention was the homebrew games and applications. Homebrew games and applications are made by groups and individuals as a hobby generally without the intention to make financial gain. Some of these programs are surprisingly professional and really add to the enjoyment of your console. Some of the applications include:
- Wiideo Center: Wiideo Center is a small application which can stream all videos from your PC directly to your Nintendo Wii Console.
- BlueTunes: Remotely control your pc music.
- Wiimote Driver: Use the Wiimote as a Windows mouse control.
- Wii DVD Player
- GameCube Linux: Linux for the GameCube and Wii
- Emulators: Emulators let you play games from older consoles.
- Good for a trip down memory lane and lots of fun. Some of the emulators for the Wii include:
- Nintendo 64
- Sega Genesis
- Gameboy
- Gameboy advance
- Sega Master System
- Super Nintendo
This is by no means a complete list. It’s just scratching the surface really. I had to stop since this article is becoming longer than intended already.
Which modchip? Why I chose the Yowii modchip:
During my research I found out that I had plenty of choices when it came to Nintendo Wii modchips. Some were obviously low quality and I ruled them out immediately. Many lacked important features, so I ruled them out too. At this stage I was left with three choices. I was already leaning towards the Yowii modchip at this stage simply because I couldn’t find anything negative about it. It also had the same features, plus some additional ones and it was priced lower than other chips. I had also heard a number of times that it was the easiest to install which was important to me. What really convinced me on the Yowii modchip was how quickly I got replies to my email enquiries. They were fast, helpful and honest. I liked the fact that they were Australian too. They had clear guides on their website, so I knew what I was getting into before I started. At this stage I was fairly confident that I had chosen the best Wii Modchip available.
The Yowii modchip arrives: First impressions.
One of the great things about ordering something from Australia is that it doesn’t take a week or two to arrive. The Yowii modchip turned up in less than 48 hours. My first thought when I saw it was, ‘wow, its small’. It came packed in anti-static protection along with a multicoloured cable which is used for external installation. Examining the chip itself, I could see that it definitely was very high quality.
Installing the modchip in the Nintendo Wii.
According to the guides, I had a choice between a quicksolder install, an internal install or an external install. I chose to do an external install because I wanted to be able to see the status lights. Following the guides from the Yowii modchip website, with no soldering experience and a borrowed soldering iron, I was able to install the Yowii modchip in just over 30 minutes. The actual soldering took less than five minutes and was much easier than I expected it to be.
I plugged the Wii back in and turned it on, half expecting it not to work, but it loaded up like normal. There was also a nice blue glow coming from the back of the console. I put in one of my original games and it played normally. At this stage I realised I didn’t actually have any backup games to test the modchip and I wasn’t ready to make a copy of one of mine, so I visited a friend and borrowed a couple of his backups. They played flawlessly and I was suddenly very impressed with both myself and the Yowii modchip. The next step was to try out some of this Homebrew. I downloaded some homebrew games and applications to try. Burned them and before I knew it, it was 3am and I was still playing the first homebrew game I had loaded.
If I hadn’t decided to write this article, I would have left the Yowii modchip connected externally to the Wii and been happy, but I was intrigued by what I had heard about the quicksolder install being so fast and easy. So, being overly curious and already confident from my last effort, I decided to pull apart the Wii and try the quicksolder install. This time opening the Wii console took less than five minutes. It is amazing how much faster it is with a little experience and confidence.
Removing my previous external install was simple. I put the plug in cable for the external install aside in case I wanted to use it again. Quick soldering the Yowii modchip into the Wii was actually just as easy as I had read. It definitely took less than a minute and possibly less than 30 seconds. I won’t go into details on soldering technique since I’m a beginner myself, but if you follow the install guide, it really is that quick and easy.
Overall impressions:
Everything about the Yowii modchip was impressive. From ordering it to installing it to using it. I can’t imagine that another chip could be quite this easy and from talking to friends who have tried other modchips, it seems that I made the right choice. If you are looking for a modchip for your Nintendo wii then buy a Yowii modchip. You won’t regret it.
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