Topic: Don't Use Mod Chips, Says Nintendo UK

[Willi]

Since I'm not eligible for warranty as an European NTSC import user, I won't care if I voided my warranty which never existed to begin with. I'd love to register my games and all but since they all say "For sale, rental and use only in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Latin America" I better not.
I have no interest to mod my Wii whatsoever, still I find this topic rather interesting.

On to the Super Paper Mario issue:

My leaflet in SPM merely says:
"Please note that when first loading the Game Disc into the Wii console, the Wii will check if you have the latest system menu, and if necessary a Wii system update screen will appear. Press OK to proceed."

Latest system menu.

So when you first try to run SPM, the Game Disc will check if you have already the newest System Update installed. Maybe Nintedo put this in place for those unfortunate console owners who do not have internet access. By regularly adding the newest Firmware on major releases Nintendo can make sure pretty much all consoles are up to date irregardless of a working internet connection.

Right now there are at least three mod chips out there: Wiid, Wiikey, and CycloWiz. The best of the bunch obviously being Wiikey as of now:

Homepage: http://www.wiikey.cn/
Forum: http://psx-scene.com/wii/portal.php?styleid=28

As has been said the mod chip merely allows a Disc to be read which isn't supposed to be read. Thus the forums can confirm that having a mod chip in place in no ways seems to hinder further System Updates:

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/499544:

I did a system update right after my Wii-Key was installed. No problems. Besides, Wii-Key runs in stealth mode.
or
internet --> system updates would be fine even with a modchip without the stealth mode feature (im using wi-ic and it doesnt have stealth mode but the update was successful its a sucky modchip though)

However, the bricked Wiis due to SPM are a logic consequence of a modded non updated system:

Your game selection will be limited due to Nintendo putting the system updates on newer game titles. Example: (Paper Mario) Which will install the update automatically to the newer version if your version is lower then what is on the game disc.

This already has become a problem with some Wii owners with region free modchips installed. Some users have bricked their Wii due to playing an NTSC game disc (Paper Mario) on their PAL system without updating their system. Paper Mario did a system update and flashed the NTSC system update on their PAL unit which then bricked their Wii due to region lock on the hardware of the system.

It is important to keep your Wii updated if you have a modchip installed. If you do not want to update your Wii due to a softmod that could be exploited later in time then you will need to know what titles have the system update on them and stay away from those game titles.

The correct steps to play a game like that:
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1107329/?show_files=&page=3

I have a (launchday) pall Wii firmware 2.1E, Wiikey, Game patched with RegionFrii 1.2.
Can confirm SPM works on pal (downloaded from another site however)

- turn on your wii without a game disc in
- perform a system update and follow it until the system reboots
- perform system updates until you get a message telling you there are no more updates available.
- boot up your wii then insert the game disc
- when you go into the disc channel, you will be asked to perform an update
- make sure your internet connection is available then click OK to perform the update
- once your wii reboots, you can play this awesome game!

In summary, all NOE had to do to brick lots and lots of modded Wiis:

- build a new NTSC firmware with no changes but incremented version number
- include a similar update mechanism as in SPM in a new major US title such a Galaxy
- do NOT include such an update mechanism in the same major title to be released in Europe
- do NOT include this update in the PAL market so it is not available for non NTSC consoles
- release the major title in the US but delay the title considerably in Europe

-> every attempt to play this game on a non NTSC console will brick the modded Wii until the time a newer
update is released in the PAL market.

I wonder if a bricked Wii like this could still be later updated and fixed "blindly". A pal console with NTSC firmware couldn't display a picture anymore but other than that could in theory still work, right? So assuming we have a broken Pal Wii due to bad firmware, could this Wii be repaired by blindly updating the Firmware to a new legit Pal System Update provided one was available?

If so, NOE only had to modify the above procedure slightly to add enough changes to the Wii to deliberately brick a Pal onsole which applies this patch.

[Nephilim]

modchip + internet = solution?
Also blaming NOE?

pirates are dumb
wouldnt be suprised if nintendo pulled a xbox live for strikers, brawl and other games

[Willi]

Who is blaming NOE?

The bricked Wiis due to Super Paper Mario are to be blamed fully on the carelessness of the mod users. This certainly didn't happen on purpose by NOE. In closing, I only described one method NOE could deploy if they really wanted to deliberately brick modded Wiis, which they don't, as of now.

[UncleBob]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
Bob: You can make any claims on the box but they aren't necessarily binding if the judge finds that other claims on the box contradict it (or just finds that you have no rights to make such claims). Making a computer program that is deliberately damaging computers you don't like is a crime (cf. Sony rootkit class action lawsuit). Committing a crime against a criminal is still illegal and the criminal has all rights to sue you. Having it happen by accident is one thing (though you can expect future modchips to automatically prevent firmware updates) but designing the product in order to cause such damage is illegal.

Meh... like I said, it would be an interesting court case.  Not only would you have to attempt to tell the judge that you were trying to play the game on an unauthorized, (probably) illegally modified system after being told not to do so, but if the events happened similarly to the Super Paper Mario incident, you'd have to create an international lawsuit (since NoE and NoA are two seaperate companies, you couldn't really file for civil damages against NoE for a game released by NoA).  Additionally, you'd have to tell the judge that you were attempting to play a game in Europe that says it's "For [...] use only in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Latin America".

I can only imangine Judge Judy's response to this.

[KDR_11k]

I wonder if we'll see modchips that can be set to return any version number soon?

[BranDonk Kong]

The thing is, the Wii OS cannot detect the chip. Nintendo knows the chips exist, which is why they modified the Wii motherboard to try and thwart modders (which didn't work), rather than releasing a software update to "fix the problem" because it isn't possible without physically flashing system, or desoldering the modchip. Also, Nintendo's warning inside the game label is just a threat, just like their stance on emulation, and isn't based on any actual law. Up until the DMCA a few years ago, modding your console and LEGALLY backing up games that you own was perfectly legal. Again, I'm just promoting chips for homebrew here.

[UncleBob]

And again, you could take it to court and possibly make a case and possibly win.  I'm just saying it'd be an interesting court case.

[Ceric]

You know Nintendo is slacking.  The Cube took a while to be truly modded but they made it idiotically simple to region mod it.

[BranDonk Kong]

Well the Gamecube's region coding was purely hardware based, like all of their previous consoles, the Wii's is software (and hardware?) based, which makes it harder to bypass using only software.

[JonLeung]

I guess if we're not talking about pirated games, I could understand the desire to play games from other regions.

I miss the good old days.  Such a simple fix.

*snaps the tabs out of the inside of a Super NES to play Super Famicom games*