Nintendo Wii , installing the Homebrew Channel
 

First of all, I'm not trying to do something illegal, just trying to make the Wii even more fun :)

Basically, I'd just like to add the HomeBrew Channel for the Wii:
http://hbc.hackmii.com/

I already contacted my reseller who told me that only legal way to do is, is using a softmod (without any hardware mods that allow DVD-r).

Questions:
1. Is this indeed legal.
2. Does their exist a way to do this without using an SD card writer? (It's based on a flaw in a save file for Zelda).

It isn't illegal as far as I am aware. The channel doesn't include any copyright code, and wasn't built with Nintendo's SDK; so no software licenses are being compromised here. It does go against the Nintendo EULA, but I don't believe that it is held as a legally binding agreement.

It does require an SD writer though, to get both the installer and homebrew binaries on the card. You can install with DVD-R, but you said you don't want to actually use a drive chip in it, so that is out.

Also be aware that Nintendo has taken some steps to block the installation of homebrew on the Wii (or more specifically, disabling the Twilight Hack). The latest version of the Twilight Hack counters the firmware update Nintendo put out to block the older version, but it is only a matter of time before there is yet another firmware update that fixes the issue. This cat and mouse game will likely continue for the life of the Wii, but a general rule of thumb with such things is to get in while you can. If you want to install the HBC, do it fairly soon and don't update the Wii until you have it installed.

I agree with absolutely everything MS3FGX said, but still will drop my 2 cents. Get a SD card, those things cost like 7 bucks for a 2GB and it is the easiest way to get homebrew on the Wii. I'd highly recommend you this site for a cool tutorial:

http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Main_Page

Remember to follow the tutorial and buy the correct SD card, etc. Everything is well described. I am not sure why you want to install the HBC (or any other homebrew for that matter). I was mostly interested in Emulators and for the most part, Wii works ok with that. Some are pretty disappointing though, not supporting the Wii-mote or the classic controller, so have a GCN controller at hand. Some won't even let you get back to the main menu or reset the Wii. And God forbids you placing ROMS where they should not be... you will need to hard reset the console :S

Other emus are poorly documented and adding a .xml file manually for every emulator is time consuming and kinda unnecessary.

Indeed, emulating games on the Wii has potential and I am sure it will get better, but as it is now, expect a lot of stability, compatibility and performance issues.

Thanks,
finding someone with an SD writer shouldn't be that difficult (a friend of mine is a photographer who uses them all the time).

Well, it also adds some nice functionality like data and audio/video streaming. HBC's online updater makes it also very easy to maintain.
... and I really like playing online-chess with a cold beer from my couch ;)

Why do companies care what you do with a system that you own? If you want to hack your own system, what should they care? Those who are doing the hacking have to purchase a specific game, which only puts more money in Nintendo's pocket. And if someone screws up the machine in the process, they'll have to buy another one, which means even more money.

Hello, this is the 21st century. If it's electronic, it's gonna get hacked. :)

Unfortunately, it isn't that simple in the real world.

The main concern is of course piracy, as any hardware modification or method of running unsigned code will eventually lead to running burned games or game images. Infact, it often works out the opposite, there were drive chips for the Wii only a few months after it's release, while homebrew (at least practical homebrew) has only just started to be developed.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is the warranty to consider. The vast majority of people today refuse to take responsibility for their own actions, so even if they damage their console through a software or hardware modification, they are going to try and get a replacement through Nintendo. This wastes both time and money for Nintendo, as they have to process falsified warranty claims. The same thing happened with the PSP, many people bricked their handhelds in the early days of PSP firmware hacking, and would try and get Sony to replace it saying they had no idea why it stopped working.

I realize that piracy is an issue. That's going to happen whether they want it to or not. It has continued, through the history of computers, removable media, and the Internet, and will continue, as long as people want to do that sort of stuff.

Unless they place the firmware hard coded on a chip, which they really can't do nowadays, people are going to find a way to change it. I do understand the company's issues with people returning a "defective" product, and I agree with the company. But one would hope, unfortunately unrealistically, that people would take responsibility for bricking their devices, and just purchase a new one.

Hi,

Sorry to bring this thread back to life, but have any of you tried GeeXboX? They've ported it to the Wii and so far, it looks very, very promising. The only problem I have with it so far is that WiFi is not supported, so I can't stream movies from my computer to the Wii. However, it can read USB HD's without a problem, so it is almost good enough for my needs :).

I still use the old Xbox to stream movies from my computer to the TV, but it is too big and loud and my wireless controller is not working, so it feels like it is about time to retire the old Xbox.

The Wii on the other hand, is tiny, sexy and wireless. Amazing the amount of homebrew available for the Wii now... and you don't even need a modchip. How cool is that :D

Sweet.
I tried it some weeks ago, but it didn't have Wii-remote and USB-drive support at that time.

Streaming does work using FTPii.

Hi there jens :)

How did you manage to stream via FTPii? I also have it installed. I can upload files to the Wii just fine with it, but only to the SD Card. If I could manage files on the USB HD connected to the Wii would be sweet :)

Cheers!

MplayerWii worked for me.
I'd like a bigger SD card though.

Edit: Using mplayer like this is an ugly hack though.
...but it it's all improving very fast.

Yeah, tell me about it. The 2GB SD Card is killing me. Anyway, once the streaming is working with GeeXboX/Wifi my problems will be solved. I am not buying any USB adapter, I like to keep it as wireless as possible :).

It won't still be as killer as the Xbox. Having a huge HD full of games and movies was awesome. But I do like the little we can already do with our Wii's :)

I am considering getting a new USB HD (or pocket drive. Those are pretty small and sweet. 320GB is also very affordable) to always have connected on the Wii. I also would prefer a pocket drive because they run without an external powersupply. But I am not sure that would work, because I think the Wii still uses USB 1.x as far as I know...

Hmm, time to google again :(

The patches/hacks MplayerWii uses to speed up usb1 work very well though.
Before their last release, it wasn't even possible to play "good" video from usb drives.

Xbox? Apart from the drive, it's just a regular and noisy PC with extra firmware. It's still in the dark Button-Ages ;)

Don't know if you've tried it now, but it worked pretty nicely for me. I just tried with small files though (about 180MB, South Park episodes :)).

LOL. I used to be a big defender of the classic Xbox, but I will have to agree with you here :)

It seems that my old SD card isn't fast enough for good performance.
Any recommendations for a fast 2GB one? Those with a Nintendo logo seem to cost twice as much...