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Author Topic: Wiikey  (Read 136 times)

xboxbman

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Wiikey
« on: February 02, 2007, 09:29:00 AM »
finally, an upgradable chip.  Still, it's a dvd drive chip, how much can be done when it is connected?  I actually might get this one....
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Perplexer

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Wiikey
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2007, 09:46:00 AM »
Hmm...

I'm extremely skeptical of a DVD firmware chip which can be updated from within the console...

Such a chip would need its own O/S in order to facilitate the upgrade.  This would also not be transparent to the system, like the current Wii chips are...

I'll believe it when I see it.  I think this is an attempt to buy some time and swing buyers away from the Wiinja / Cyclowiz.
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jon_jon

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« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2007, 11:34:00 AM »
The upgradeable firmware sounds good.  I am sure they will be a number of other upgradeable chips coming along.  Good to know that the Wii dev community is quite active.
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twistedsymphony

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« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2007, 12:08:00 PM »
QUOTE(Perplexer @ Feb 2 2007, 11:53 AM) View Post

I'm extremely skeptical of a DVD firmware chip which can be updated from within the console...

Such a chip would need its own O/S in order to facilitate the upgrade.  This would also not be transparent to the system, like the current Wii chips are...


Not necessarily.

If it works anything like the Saturn modchips did it basically intercepts the signal from the disc and changes whatever it needs to change before feeding it tot the console. COMPLETELY transparent.

Basically the console asks for certain disc data and when the disc responds with "this is a DVD-R" the chip replaces that with "this is an original disc" and the console continues on it's merry way.

Upgradeable from disc basically says to me the console checks the disc to see what it is and the chip intercepts the update data as the response.

Becides, Nintendo seems to rarely do things to quash piracy. I think they take up the opinion that it's a very niche market and not worth the effort as long as it's too advanced a procedure for Joe gamer.
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Perplexer

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« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2007, 12:49:00 PM »
If that's the case, I hope there's a hardware switch which will disable updating the chip by disc.  Although I agree with you on Nintendo's stance up to this point, I'd hate to see a retail game with code that cripples the chip.
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gordita37

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« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2007, 01:03:00 PM »
Oh man, first theres nothing on wii mod chips. Now were swimming in them! Even though the 3 known ones so far are pretty much identical.
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the lobo

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« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2007, 01:44:00 PM »
idk about that. it seems to me that this one, and the other most recent chip are PWNING the Wiinja.
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Alex548

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« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2007, 03:02:00 PM »
After looking at the wiinja install, I think that's the easiest chip to work with.
Just 5 wires and simple soldering required. Link to wiinja installation: Click Me

The Cyclowiz is a nice PCB, but I've never been a fan of quicksolder method.

This new chip hasn't even been shown yet. All we have is a rough draft of what the chip looks like.
Concept image:
IPB Image
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Perplexer

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« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2007, 04:41:00 PM »
QUOTE(RaDuKa @ Feb 2 2007, 10:12 AM) View Post

Expected shipping date: February 7th, 2007

From concept image to shipping in five days?  unsure.gif

I stand by my belief that this news is to keep buyers from buying the "other" chips right now...
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Alex548

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« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2007, 05:07:00 PM »
Another new chip: WiiOMNi
Obviously fake though.  tongue.gif
IPB Image

I have a ton of those 1.6 LPC rebuild boards. Maybe I can make my own chip too.  laugh.gif
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SR388

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Wiikey
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2007, 10:18:00 PM »
this is all that the masterful admins have granted us for now, lol
it isn't all that bad though, just unorganized atm


edit:
btw, i want to make a preorder for 50 of your chips alex! biggrin.gif
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telo{+}

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« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2007, 09:05:00 AM »
QUOTE(Perplexer @ Feb 2 2007, 05:53 PM) View Post

I'm extremely skeptical of a DVD firmware chip which can be updated from within the console...

Such a chip would need its own O/S in order to facilitate the upgrade.  This would also not be transparent to the system, like the current Wii chips are...


WOW. I know twistedsymphony already corrected you on this, but your post could not be any more wrong at all. here is a tech explanation why

If they are tapping in at the DVD's read stream and just buffering the data onto the wii... well, I think they are just tapping into and modifying by holding the line low to make a 0 into a 1 or vs when they detect the DVD mfg id tag, that of course assumes an active-low bus, and that the signal just happens to be changeable in that way. Anyway, point is they can update via DVD. They just set the chip to wait for a specific dvd stream that tells the chip to start updating the firmware with the next XXXX bytes of code.

This would require no OS. Thats just not how hardware works. An OS allows other programs to run without being specifically written for a set of hardware. THIS code is firmware, which of course is/was written for this and only this hardware. Try google.

The problem with that is that, yes retail games 'could' cripple the chip, but only if the code they use is not ciphered. Which is unlikely b/c then other 'scene' releases could use their code on a different chip. So, for a game to disable this chip it would first want to to (unlikely) and then also it would need to know not only the cipher and protocol they used for uploading a firmware image, but also a crc algorithm, the correct dvd stream that tells the chip to start updating, and a new crippled firmware image that would only be effective if it overwrote the bootloader with garbage.

There is also nothing that would make this non-transparent to the hardware. Nothing more then the current chips are.


Your statements that it probably can't update from firmware, that it would need an OS and thus would be visible to the wii are so completely false and that I can only assume you wrote them in your sleep or while very high. Who knows.

edit got twistedsymphony's name wrong
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Alex548

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« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2007, 04:44:00 PM »
Looks like this chip is out in the wild already.
It's for sale on ebay.  blink.gif
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Perplexer

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« Reply #13 on: February 08, 2007, 09:36:00 PM »
QUOTE(telo{+} @ Feb 5 2007, 11:12 AM) View Post

I can only assume you wrote them in your sleep or while very high. Who knows.

Wow!  No need to be condescending.  It may have been a poor choice of words on my part (I meant "app" when I said "O/S) and I didn't consider the way it would be upgraded (as mentioned, prob. GC homebrew).

But anyway, I preordered a Wiikey a few days ago; it seems to be the best choice out there at this time.  Can't wait to mess with it (the only time I really enjoy my consoles is when they're in pieces tongue.gif)
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EverestX

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Wiikey
« Reply #14 on: February 09, 2007, 09:01:00 AM »
QUOTE(Perplexer @ Feb 8 2007, 10:43 PM) View Post

(the only time I really enjoy my consoles is when they're in pieces tongue.gif)

 You and me Both!
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