List of Wii modchips

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Wii modchips are electronic devices that modify or disable the built-in restrictions of the Wii. At present, all mod chips operate by modifying the Wii’s DVD drive physically. As a result, they are often referred to as drive chips. Most modchips are capable of circumventing region coding and copy protection of the Wii. This allows users to play games created in different regions as well as play copied DVDs, Dual-Layer DVDs, and GameCube discs on their Wii. In addition, all major modchips support the use of unlicensed third-party homebrew software. Development of many of the homebrew applications began on the GameCube and, with the Wii’s legacy support for the GameCube, continue to work on the Wii.

Contents 1 Software Modding 2 Chipset Revisions 3 Solderless modding 4 List of modchips 4.1 Argon Wii 4.2 Chiip 4.3 CycloWiz 4.4 D2CKey 4.5 D2Pro 4.6 InFeCtuS 2 4.7 OpenWii 4.8 Wasabi 4.9 Wi-ic 4.10 Wii-Boss 4.11 WiiD 4.12 WiiFree 4.13 WiiJii PIC 12F629 Test Kit 4.14 WiiKey 4.15 Wiinja 4.16 Wiip 4.17 Wiip2 4.18 WiiRez 4.19 YAOSM 4.20 Yowii 5 References

[edit] Software Modding

Datel has recently released the FreeLoader for the Wii, which can play imported games without backups, and without the danger of breaking the Wii through the modding process. However, the Datel method of modding a Wii has been countered with a firmware update from Nintendo, and does not allow you to play copied games or homebrew.

[edit] Chipset Revisions

Due to later hardware revisions, most older modchips do not support newly manufactured Wii systems with a D2C drive chipset or newer. As of February 2008, only a handful of modchips support the D2C or newer drive chipsets, and all require a more difficult installation than older modchips. The current modchips with D2C support are the D2CKey, D2Pro, Argon, and Infectus. The Wasabi chip is capable of modifying consoles of all drive chipsets.

As of May 2008, Nintendo has released a new batch of Wii systems with drive chipsets (D2C2) that look identical D2C drives but could not be modified with any modding existing at the time.^[1]. As of early June 2008, D2Pro supporting D2C2 is available and Wasabi is announced.

Most older modchips are compatible with the following chipsets: GC2-DMS, GC2R-D2A, GC2-D2B.

Modchips designed for D2C are compatible with the following chipsets: GC2-D2C (excluding certain newer Wii systems)^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Solderless modding

There are available chip-clips for some of the listed D2C modding solutions below(Argon Wii, D2CKey/D2Pro, Wasabi). These ones simplify the install process and prevent unexperienced users from spoiling the console board of improper soldering. The number of solder points is a non-issue when using chip-clips and extends the range of future possible solutions.^[2]

[edit] List of modchips

[edit] Argon Wii

The InFeCtuS Argon Wii^[3] is based on an 350 MHz Actel A3P-125 FPGA, which is programmable through a JTAG connector - in conjunction with either an InFeCtuS 2 device or an Injectus programmer. It has features similar to the D2CKey, and as of firmware v1.3 supports region-free play.

The InFeCtuS team have said a soon to be released firmware will lower the wire count from 16 to 10 for the D2C chipset as a result of the new competition from the Wasabi modchip. It will also introduce support for all the current Wii chipsets rather than just the D2C chipset (wire count for non-D2C chipsets will be 6). Also the update will grant the ability to upgrade the modchips firmware via DVD - despite InFeCtuS recommending the JTAG connector as the preferred upgrade method.

Solderless clip is available.

Availability: Available (Released in December, 2007)

[edit] Chiip

A modchip created by Cadex, the first free Wii modchip to be released. The latest firmware, v0.9.1, supports features such as original game playback (Wii and GameCube), backups from the same and different regions (Wii and GameCube), GameCube homebrew, DVD+R/DVD-R/DVD+RW ability without the need for bit-setting, DMS/D2A/D2B chipset ability. The firmware is designed to run on ATmega8L-8 and ATmega8-16 AVR chips.

Although the project claimed open source from the beginning and a code release has been announced^[4], so far no source code has been released. With none of the announced updates to the web site and project data in several months, the project is likely to be considered abandoned, even though its last version remains available and operational.

Availability: Available (Released in 2007)

[edit] CycloWiz

The second Wii modchip to be released. This chip is able to play not only backups of its own region, but it also partially supports playback of backups from a different region (for example PAL discs on an NTSC Wii). The CycloWiz's firmware can be updated via DVD, so more options will become available in the future.

Availability: Available (Released in February, 2007)

[edit] D2CKey

One of the few modchips that work on a Wii with the D2C chipset. The D2CKey modchip is specially designed for D2C and newer drive chipsets and as such it will NOT work on other models of Wii. Due to the number and types of soldering that the D2CKey requires (over 30 fine solder points), the team behind it advise that only people with considerable soldering experience install the chip. It also has region free support.

Solderless clip is available.

Availability: Available (Released in October, 2007)

[edit] D2Pro

An upgrade over the D2CKey, coming from the same manufacturer. The D2Pro originally required 15 wires to be connected (19 for region-free support), however it can now function with only 9. As such, it is much easier to install than the D2CKey.^[5] The new D2Pro9 is compatible with the newer D2C2 drive chips as of late May 2008. Solderless clip is available.

Availability: Available (Released in February, 2008)

[edit] InFeCtuS 2

The InFeCtuS 2 is a universal modchip that is compatible with Wii D2C chipsets through a special firmware. The Wii firmware, WIIKTUS, originally required 13-wires(or 16 for region-free support)^[6] for D2C hardware, however it has since been reduced to 9 with the new firmware. An InFeCtuS 2 with Wii firmware is very similar to the Argon Wii, except that it can be flashed to modify other consoles as well (currently the Argon chip only supports Wii and Playstation 2).

Availability: Available (Released in 2007)

[edit] OpenWii

The first GPL-licensed (as of 2.01) open source modchip. Written in C. Source released before or along with binaries. OpenWii is the first open source modchip to support firmware updates via DVD, as well as the first open source chip to support Super Mario Galaxy.^[7] Currently (as of 2/29/08 and firmware revision 2.4), the chip supports DVD9 (Dual-Layer) discs and the Gamecube audiofix.

Availability: Available

[edit] Wasabi

The Wasabi promises to be the first Wii modchip to support all chipset revisions, from DMS to the latest D2C drives. It also boasts 128kB of flash memory for future firmware updates, a massive upgrade from other chips available on the market. The chip is advertised as being more stable compared to other D2C modchips. It requires only 9 wires to solder for D2C (and 5 for older chipsets), a sizeable step down from current modchips.

The website also notes that there are a few kilobytes of data stored on Wii optical discs that are not present in backups of Wii games. They claim that this data can be used by Nintendo to build a new copy protection, and that Wasabi can defend against this because the extra data can be stored in its high capacity flash memory.^[8]

Currently there is an issue with the Wasabi chip and a small amount of Wii's. An excerpt from the website reads:

"We are aware of an incompatibility problem with a small percentage of drives. The LED stays red even if the install is good, and using another chip doesn't solve the problem. The current work-around to solve the problem is to connect a 47µF capacitor between GND and K point. Our technical team is working on another solution. We apologize for the inconvenience, we'll post more info when available."

Solderless clip is available.

Availability: Available (Released in March, 2008)

[edit] Wi-ic

The Wii is capable of Wii and GameCube backup play, supports multi-disc games, GameCube import play with swapping, GameCube homebrew play. Wii import and homebrew play is unconfirmed.

It has 5 wires that can be installed with a quick solder or gold-plated solder pads. Contains a failsafe update mechanism allowing it to recover from a failed update using the Disc Channel or Photo Channel which requires an extra wire to be soldered. An extra wire on the chip allows for a disabling of the chip to be used.

Availability: Available (Released in 2007)

[edit] Wii-Boss

The Wii-Boss is a quick solder compatible modchip based on the PIC 12F629 and includes a programmer kit. It is compatible with any modchip code that supports the 12F629, including YAOSM, Wiinja, WiiFree, and OpenWii.^[9]

Availability: Available (Released in 2007)

[edit] WiiD

The Wii Drive Modchip or simply WiiD shares many similarities with the commercial modchips that preceded it. The WiiD, like its competitors, can also have its internal firmware updated via DVD. The upgrade process is rather primitive where the only indication of a complete firmware flash is a disc read error (DRE) screen. The WiiD supports all Wii and GameCube backups of the same region of the console and as of firmware v02 has become region-free with most titles. V03 has recently been released adding support for Super Mario Galaxy.Wiid does not support D2C.

Availability: Available (Released in March, 2007)

[edit] WiiFree

Another open source modchip for PIC 12F629, 12F675, 12F683, 16F628, and 16F628A chips. It is written in JalV2 and the source code is always released with the binary. It has all the functions of a regular commercial modchips but it's free. To update WiiFree the chip needs to be reprogramed with a Pic Programmer. Development of WiiFree has been discontinued. The developers recommend using YAOSM for a comparable solution.

Availability: Available (but development discontinued)

[edit] WiiJii PIC 12F629 Test Kit

A PIC-based kit made for easy install into any project requireing a PIC 12F629. The kit includes a PIC 12F629 chip mounted on circuit board, an external header that gets wired in, and a JDM programer. Programming software is available on the site and works with any JDM programer that supports the 12F629.

Availability: Available (Released in May, 2007)

[edit] WiiKey

The Wiikey, released February 2007, was one of the first DVD-upgradeable modchips to be released for the Wii. It is a first generation chip, and can only be installed on systems with chipset revisions of D2B and older (including systems with “cut” IC legs). The Wiikey has six points to solder on to the DVD drive. This can be done either via wires or through the "quicksolder" method.

The Wiikey’s firmware works by a process of funneling through the debug serial port. This effectively tricks the DVD drive into believing that the backup is in fact genuine, much like current Xbox 360 chips do. Periodic firmware updates are released from the Wiikey development team, as well as configuration discs used to change the Wiikey settings. Both can be found on the Wiikey website.

In addition to complete original Wii functionality, including system updates and online game play, the Wiikey packs an impressive list of features. As of the March 26, 2008 1.9s update available on the Wiikey website the Wiikey supports:

• Direct Boot of Wii Backups
• Direct Boot of GameCube Backups
• Direct Boot of Homebrew in GameCube Mode
• Direct Boot of Different NTSC Region Wii Games/Backups on US and JAP Consoles
• Partial Support for NTSC Region Wii Games/Backups on PAL Consoles
• Boots Different Region GameCube Games/Backups (Partially Without Swapping)
• Supports Multi-disc Games for Both Wii and Gamecube
• Supports DVD-R / True DVD+R and +RW Support (No Bitsetting Required!)
• Supports Full-size 4 GB Discs for GameCube homebrew
• Stealth Mode
• Recovery Mode - Can Recover from a Bad Flash
• Super Mario Galaxy Protection Workaround
• Dual Layer Backup Support for Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Availability: Available (Released in February, 2007)^{[10][11][12] [13]}

[edit] Wiinja

The first announced modchip for the Wii. Supports playback of backup discs but only in the format of its own region. The Wiinja Deluxe, released on February 26, 2007, can upgrade and play imports. The original Wiinja, however, lacks this function and cannot bypass the newer Super Mario Galaxy copy protection.

Availability: Available (Released in January, 2007)

[edit] Wiip

Open source, OpenWii AVR-based modchip design. Gerber files available. ^[14] Note: All Wiip material is currently unvailable from official site as of September 17, 2007 with the explanation: "All content has been removed pending a copyright review."

Availability: Unavailable

[edit] Wiip2

In June 2007, Team Xecuter announced the "Wiip2" modchip to remedy several hardware related shortcomings of the original "Wiip" project. Their web site featured a thorough description, discussions and prototype pictures, however, by now all Wiip2-related material and forum threads as well as the pre-order possibility have been removed from their web site.

Availability: Unavailable

[edit] WiiRez

Another drive chip for the Wii. The installation of this chip is moderately different as the chip is grounded on two points, and requires a separate wire to be soldered for the update function. Also, it requires ANOTHER wire to be installed if the user desires to play multi-disc games. This is the first modchip to have a quick solder option, but require wires to be installed for multi-disc functionality. The installation is difficult, and the functions are less than par.

Availability: Available

[edit] YAOSM

A free PIC-based modchip written in Great Cow Basic. It started as a rewrite of the popular WiiFree and it is the first modchip to use automatic region configuration, as well as the first open source modchip to let users set the DVD Drive's speed via Setup Disc. It's always released with source code and precompiled hex files for a wide range of suitable PIC chips (12F629, 12F635, 12F675, 12F683, 16F627, 16F627A, 16F628, 16F628A, 16F630, 16F636, 16F639, 16F648A, 16F676, 16F684, 16F87 and 16F88.) From v2.0 and on, it also supports audiofix for GameCube games, as well as Super Mario Galaxy backup (from v1.9) and DVD-9.

Availability: Available (Released in April, 2007)

[edit] Yowii

A modchip for the Wii that can be reprogrammed with any precompiled hex file that supports the PIC 12F683. Since it isn't limited to a particular modchip hex, the feature list will be based on the hex the user decides to program it with. It does however come pre-programmed with Yaosm hex. Because the Yowii chip uses the larger PIC 12F683, the full version of Yaosm fits on the chip without the need to remove features. It also supports the Super Mario Galaxy fix (SMG fix). It offers quick solder install or 5-wire install. The 5 wires are attached to a plug which then plugs into a connector on the chip. The same connector is also used for programming the chip and the wire is long enough to attach the chip externally.

Availability: Available

[edit] References