Wii Mod Chip Selling In China For Less Than $30

[Ian]

Yet another reason to buy a Wii..

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20070313PD201.html

Although the Nintendo Wii has not officially launched in China yet, the game console have been unofficially imported into the country and demand for modifications of the console using modchips has resulted in the price for such modifications to drop from 500-600 yuan a month ago to 200 yuan (US$26) currently, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Demand in China to modify Wii consoles with the Wiinja, CycloWiz or WiiKey modchip is growing fast. Retail stores have recently cut prices to clean inventories of consoles using the Wiinja and CycloWiz modchip under competitive pressure from the more advanced WiiKey modchip, the sources pointed out. The modifications to the Wii allows for the playing of much cheaper pirated game software.

The article also mentions that people are buying pirated games. Stupid question.. but do Wii games come on standard DVD's?

[Wesociety]

The article also mentions that people are buying pirated games. Stupid question.. but do Wii games come on standard DVD's?

EDIT: I thought that they used mini DVD-ROM discs just like the Gamecube. HOWEVER, from what I understand the data is aligned form the outside edge of the disc to the inside, opposite of a normal DVD and the console needs to read it this way. I guess the backup process is pretty complicated due to this.

$26 for a mod chip is pretty cheap.

[dolphinius_rex]

The article also mentions that people are buying pirated games. Stupid question.. but do Wii games come on standard DVD's?

I'm pretty sure that they use mini DVD-ROM discs just like the Gamecube. HOWEVER, from what I understand the data is aligned form the outside edge of the disc to the inside, opposite of a normal DVD and the console needs to read it this way. I guess the backup process is pretty complicated due to this.

$26 for a mod chip is pretty cheap.

Ummm, no.... they use regular sized DVDs. Gamecubes used MiniDVDs. And I'm fairly certain the data track is read the same way as on a DVD player.

[Ian]

More info on reading Wii discs...

http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070316PD200.html

Increasing demand for modified Nintendo Wii consoles has resulted in a surprise boom in sales of LG DVD-ROM drives which can be used in creating copies of original game discs, in the Taiwan market. These read-only drives are sold at NT$600-699 (US$18-21), according to Taiwan retail channels...

...Due to the demand for copying original game discs for use in modified Wii consoles, either for backup purposes or for sale, LG's LG-8164b, LG-8163b and LG-8162b DVD-ROM drives have become hot sellers because they are the most suitable models to read from an original Wii disc, the sources pointed out. The read disc image can then be burned onto a blank DVD+R/-R discs.

[hoxlund]

all the games ive seen so far are regular size dvds

[Wesociety]

Ummm, no.... they use regular sized DVDs. Gamecubes used MiniDVDs. And I'm fairly certain the data track is read the same way as on a DVD player.

Whoops, my bad. Completely wrong ASSumption on my part.
I just heard they could play Gamecube games also, right?

[dolphinius_rex]

Ummm, no.... they use regular sized DVDs. Gamecubes used MiniDVDs. And I'm fairly certain the data track is read the same way as on a DVD player.

Whoops, my bad. Completely wrong ASSumption on my part.
I just heard they could play Gamecube games also, right?

Yup!

It's the *ONLY* slot loading drive I've ever seen you can stick an 8cm disc in, and not have it completely screw up your drive loading mechanism. Another innovation from Nintendo

[algrinch]

Nothing like spending $300 on a Wii and then taking it home and getting out the soldering iron. I wonder how many people end up with broken units as a result of trying to install the mod chips?

By the way, everytime I play the thing I still can't get over how well the controllers work. Good work Nintendo

[dolphinius_rex]

Considering how hard it is to GET a Wii, and what I had to go through to get one on launch day.... there is no way in hell I'm getting it modded. Especially at the potential risk of losing online support.

[Ian]

Nintendo is already changing the circuit layout to prevent modding.

http://digitimes.com/systems/a20070327PD201.html

Nintendo has altered the circuit layout of its Wii games console in order to block the increasing use of modification chips (modchips). However, new-generation modchips capable of working with the revised Wii consoles may become available in less than a month, according to retail channels in Taiwan.

The new Wiis, which are part of new shipments of the console, have an altered circuit layout that makes modification more difficult than in earlier versions. Users attempting to mod the new consoles using current modchips are very likely to damage the system, the sources pointed out.

[Wesociety]

I don't see why Nintendo is even bothering.
There will always be someone that figures out how to solder on a mod-chip.