16 replies to this topic

[tremoloman2006]

I recently got a Nintendo Wii and realize that some of the games are expensive. Since my console is going to be used by kids 7-12 years old for a good portion of the time I would like to install a modchip so I can play backups of my purchased games. I know it's only a matter of time before my originals will be all scratched to hell if I don't take proactive steps to protect them.

Thus far, I've found the Drivekey solderless modchip for only $39 and a review of it here claims it's pretty good.

My only concern is that it may interfere with online gameplay and features.

Do any of you have experience with this mod?

Best regards,
Trem

P.S. Wii controllers are WAY overpriced... $40 a whack?!? I bought Wheel Of Fortune only to discover I need 3 Wii remotes to play multiplayer. On my old PS1 it let people take turns swapping controller 1. *sigh*

[remowilliams]

Best way to go - softmod the Wii and get a little usb external drive to sit on top, then copy your originals to the drive. Voila!

[Fixitguy74]

I don't know antything about the mod chips, but I got an aftermarket controller for our Wii for $32 at a local game store and works perfectly. The even had several color choices so I could match our red Wii.

[tremoloman2006]

remowilliams, on Fri Dec 31, 2010 3:47 PM, said:

Best way to go - softmod the Wii and get a little usb external drive to sit on top, then copy your originals to the drive. Voila!

That sounds GREAT!

May I ask how does one go about doing this? (Mine is the red model if it makes any difference). I've done some searching around and there seems to be many methods. I'd prefer to follow one that a fellow member has successfully used rather than take a shot in the dark.

Thanks so much!!!

-Trem

[RevEng]

I have young kids too, and won't buy a modern console without a modchip, as I can't afford to replace games. I'm running with first generation modchip and softmodded Wii, but I'm fairly well versed with the alternatives.

Drivekey will do everything you're asking of it - allow you to boot backups without worrying too much about updating your console, playing online, etc.

If you want to softmod or run homebrew - emulators, media players, games, etc - than you'll need to be more particular about what updates you load onto the console.

If I had to make the decision again today, I'd probably go with a Wode. Its more costly, but can play Wii and Gamecube games directly from a hard drive (faster load, no discs to worry about) and you don't need to load anything on the Wii. (though it does have a game disc selection software you can load on the Wii, if you want)

Quote

P.S. Wii controllers are WAY overpriced... $40 a whack?!? I bought Wheel Of Fortune only to discover I need 3 Wii remotes to play multiplayer. On my old PS1 it let people take turns swapping controller 1. *sigh*

I ordered a bunch of knock-off controllers. The differences between the knock-offs and the stock controllers are minimal, and buying stock controllers are not worth the price difference.

Edited by RevEng, Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:07 PM.

[phaxda]

I had not seen the Wode and somehow missed the pricing on there? Looks... interesting.

[RevEng]

phaxda, on Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:23 PM, said:

I had not seen the Wode and somehow missed the pricing on there? Looks... interesting.

Like a lot of modchip dealers, they don't sell direct. If you go to the "distributors" link and pick one you can get pricing.

They average about $100, but it looks like modchipcentral.com has them for $80.

[Lord Helmet]

tremoloman2006, on Fri Dec 31, 2010 3:58 PM, said:

remowilliams, on Fri Dec 31, 2010 3:47 PM, said:

Best way to go - softmod the Wii and get a little usb external drive to sit on top, then copy your originals to the drive. Voila!

That sounds GREAT!

May I ask how does one go about doing this? (Mine is the red model if it makes any difference). I've done some searching around and there seems to be many methods. I'd prefer to follow one that a fellow member has successfully used rather than take a shot in the dark.

Thanks so much!!!

-Trem

First go to Wilbrew.org and install the homebrew channel. There are very detailed directions there. After that you'll install usbloader gx.

[MitchSchaft]

Mod chips are a waste of time/money for the Wii. Put it on the wii's memory card and be done with it.

[RevEng]

MitchSchaft, on Fri Dec 31, 2010 9:11 PM, said:

Mod chips are a waste of time/money for the Wii. Put it on the wii's memory card and be done with it.

If it's your own Wii, then softmod/homebrew is the way to go. You just need to understand that you need to side-channel any updates.

If you need to worry about [other person] sticking a game with an update in the Wii, or selecting "yes" to an update when they want to access the Shop channel, then it's not the best choice.

I softmodded a Wii for a relative of a friend. Despite several warnings to avoid updates, the Wii lasted a week until someone decided they wanted to browse the Wii Shop channel.

[tremoloman2006]

RevEng, on Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:00 PM, said:

I have young kids too, and won't buy a modern console without a modchip, as I can't afford to replace games. I'm running with first generation modchip and softmodded Wii, but I'm fairly well versed with the alternatives.

Drivekey will do everything you're asking of it - allow you to boot backups without worrying too much about updating your console, playing online, etc.

If you want to softmod or run homebrew - emulators, media players, games, etc - than you'll need to be more particular about what updates you load onto the console.

If I had to make the decision again today, I'd probably go with a Wode. Its more costly, but can play Wii and Gamecube games directly from a hard drive (faster load, no discs to worry about) and you don't need to load anything on the Wii. (though it does have a game disc selection software you can load on the Wii, if you want)

Quote

P.S. Wii controllers are WAY overpriced... $40 a whack?!? I bought Wheel Of Fortune only to discover I need 3 Wii remotes to play multiplayer. On my old PS1 it let people take turns swapping controller 1. *sigh*

I ordered a bunch of knock-off controllers. The differences between the knock-offs and the stock controllers are minimal, and buying stock controllers are not worth the price difference.

+1 Rep for the link! Those sure look like a great deal for the price. I'm going to order some now. Thanks a lot!

[RevEng]

tremoloman2006, on Sat Jan 1, 2011 4:00 PM, said:

+1 Rep for the link! Those sure look like a great deal for the price. I'm going to order some now. Thanks a lot!

You're welcome! The el-cheapo wiimotes also make it less stressful for you when the kids drop them.

[GregadetH]

remowilliams, on Fri Dec 31, 2010 3:47 PM, said:

Best way to go - softmod the Wii and get a little usb external drive to sit on top, then copy your originals to the drive. Voila!

This.

[tremoloman2006]

Thank you to EVERYONE here who has helped me get the ball rolling towards getting backups to run on my Wii. I have some questions about getting the backups going once the Homebrew Channel has been installed but I'll start a new thread for that since it's a differnt topic.

YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

[gtmtnbiker]

I would discourage people from buying knockoff controllers. They're junk. Maybe Dealextreme has better ones but I bought one from Ebay that the guy was touting as official. It was a very good copy.

But trying to use it, I found the built-in rumble to be tinny and not as smooth as first part. The sound was crap. The wiimote tracked poorly compared to the official one.

[frank_c]

i bought a knockoff Classic controller on Ebay and it wasn't detected when plugged into the remote. maybe just a bad one, but i sent it back.

i hit the used/"exchange" stores for extra controllers after that. Micro Center sells refurb controllers, too.

Edited by frank_c, Fri Jan 7, 2011 9:44 AM.

[keilbaca]

tremoloman2006, on Sat Jan 1, 2011 4:00 PM, said:

RevEng, on Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:00 PM, said:

I have young kids too, and won't buy a modern console without a modchip, as I can't afford to replace games. I'm running with first generation modchip and softmodded Wii, but I'm fairly well versed with the alternatives.

Drivekey will do everything you're asking of it - allow you to boot backups without worrying too much about updating your console, playing online, etc.

If you want to softmod or run homebrew - emulators, media players, games, etc - than you'll need to be more particular about what updates you load onto the console.

If I had to make the decision again today, I'd probably go with a Wode. Its more costly, but can play Wii and Gamecube games directly from a hard drive (faster load, no discs to worry about) and you don't need to load anything on the Wii. (though it does have a game disc selection software you can load on the Wii, if you want)

Quote

P.S. Wii controllers are WAY overpriced... $40 a whack?!? I bought Wheel Of Fortune only to discover I need 3 Wii remotes to play multiplayer. On my old PS1 it let people take turns swapping controller 1. *sigh*

I ordered a bunch of knock-off controllers. The differences between the knock-offs and the stock controllers are minimal, and buying stock controllers are not worth the price difference.

+1 Rep for the link! Those sure look like a great deal for the price. I'm going to order some now. Thanks a lot!

Another +1 for the link. They look a lot better than the other 3rd party ones in the stores, the D-Pad looks like its the original, I wonder how good it plays?

At any rate, that's DIRT cheap for an entire set. I'll order 2 at the end of the month.