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Some of you have reported problems with your Wii console after updating to the Wii System Menu 4.2. The symptoms most people are describing usually occur when the Wii has been modified. However, some of you also mention your system has never been modified.
We'd like to help get your system working properly again. If you're experiencing problems with your Wii console after downloading Wii System Menu 4.2, and you believe your system has not been modified, please give us a call. If we find that you have a normal system and the update caused your system to not work, we'll repair it at no charge.
Please call our Customer Service Department at your earliest convenience, 1-800-255-3700. We are open 6 AM to 7 PM, Pacific Time, 7 days a week. - NoA tech forums statement
It looks like Nintendo is more than willing to work out any kinks that the upgrade has caused. Just give the number a call, and things should be easy to fix from there. Thanks to TDuck for the heads up!
Story Feedback
Good thing I didn't update.
Here in Mexico we would have more luck leaving our wii with people the informal market when we have to deal with this problems than trying with NOA official procedures. So, thanks, but no update for me.
Here in Brazil, I doubt.
@Scarpine
Most, not all. Even then, you have to consider that most homebrewers know that they shouldn't update without feedback, so cases are random.
Nintendo, with this update, is attempting to do something they've never done before - they're attempting to patch the Wii's boot-loader, known as boot2. Wii's sold before some arbitrary-date-I-cannot-remember use older versions of boot2 (boot2v2 and boot2v3), and are therefore susceptible to an exploit which allows some software known as "BootMii" to be ran. BootMii allows for quite a few nifty things to be done (which I won't bother to describe here, Google it if you're interested).
At any rate, Wiis shipped AFTER that arbitrary-date-I-can't-remember have the un-exploitable boot2v4 installed. This update attempts to install this version of boot2 on all Wiis (I have no earthly idea if they attempt to install it on Wiis which already contain boot2v4, but given Nintendo's usual laziness/sloppiness concerning thier software architecture, it probably does). The code which they are using to do this is highly shoddy and obviously untested, and will often not bother to write any error correction code. This means that if something screwy happens during the update - from a power failure to an internet issue to a memory error to gremlins - your Wii is gone. Kaput. Completely and totally destroyed. Short of replacing the entire motherboard, you'll never be able to get it to work again.
Needless to say, yeah, this "update" is extremely dangerous to anyone - not just those who've installed the HBC. It contains absolutely no new features or bugfixes, in fact, the only thing it does contain is a new Shop Channel (now that they're almost certainly going to prevent older versions of the Shop Channel from connecting in an attempt to force people to update - ironic, isn't it? They're trying to beat the pirates/homebrewers by taking the Shop Channel away from them). This horrid and ugly thing is nothing short of a malicious, misguided jab at the homebrew community, and worst of all, can have and is having dire consequences for those who haven't installed the HBC and/or don't even know what it is.
I reiterate - any bricks have nothing to do with "modifications" being made to the system, no matter what the lying liars at Nintendo's "Tech Support" Board may say. Nintendo has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they couldn't give two pieces of monkey crap about their customers when it comes to waging their holy war on homebrew.
I hope you're not being facetious, because I've never had anything but great involvement with their customer service.
It's not a jab at the homebrew community. It's a jab at the PIRATING community.
The problem isn't their customer service. The problem is that they put this "update" live in the first place.
This is right up there with Sony's rootkit and Microsoft's updates that break Windows in terms of nastiness.. in fact, I'd say it goes a step beyond them (then again, Microsoft did do the same thing with the 360 about a month and a half ago).
Playing with the boot-loader at any time is dangerous. Playing with it for no good reason/when you don't absolutely have to is foolhardy. Playing with it without even informing people that you are, or what the associated risks are, is underhanded and despicable.
Right. Because if it was a jab at the homebrew community, they'd send out an almost hilariously easy-to-circumvent "delete order" for the title IDs of HBC/DVDX and fudge with boot2 rather than go after the USB loader (the preferred method of pirating Wii games) or implement more validation code in their games or perhaps even work with the folks behind the HBC who are no fan of the pirates, like they're actually doing.
Oh, wait...
Now that the sarcasm's out of the way, let me paint the real picture for you - Nintendo doesn't differentiate between pirates and those who use homebrew for legitimate reasons. They see the HBC as infringing on their "right" to be the sole provider of content on the Wii. Now, whether or not you see it my way (i.e. that we're not in the midst of a game industry crash and that anyone should be allowed to develop for the Wii, including producing free apps) or theirs (ZIEG HIEL! LONG LIVE TEH MONOPOLY!) is irrelevant; that's a debate for a different day. The situation here is that, regardless of who they're fighting, they're putting every single Wii on the planet at severe risk with this update.
Problem with Nintendo is that they don't see a difference between the two. They just want them all to disappear.
Which is sad because if Nintendo actually look at some of the stuff Homebrew is doing and just stole some of their ideas, a lot of people wouldn't have homebrew to begin with.
Like giving people VC games that they want, having a movie player, dvd player, mp3 player, etc etc.
The best way to combat real piracy is to give consumers what they want, not give them even less.
It's like starving someone. They're going to get so hungry that they'll end up doing things they wouldn't normally do to get food. The same goes for electronics, it's being human.
Give in to consumer demand Nintendo. Until then, you'll so nothing with these updates.
"Like giving people VC games that they want, having a movie player, dvd player, mp3 player, etc etc."
People want that in a video game system? This is why I hate homebrew. Aside from bypassing region lock and hacking a few games (which I can see, as I miss Action Replay), the rest of it is stuff that my PC can do better.
So, you find its use to bypass region lock (borderline piracy), as well as its use to hack games, thus allowing their online modes to become infested with cheaters, to be legitimate - yet you find its use to unlock the DVD-playing capabilities of the Wii (which grants electronically inundated guys like me the convenience of not having to dig through and change cables when we want to watch a movie) to be inappropriate...
I used the HBC to just patch my grass in AC. My bills from play asia can act as proof I don't pirate software.
All I want to do is play my import games that are not going to be released in the US in peace.
It's like Nintendo wants to punish people for finding some good uses for their underutilized console.
If you updated, and nothing happened, you should be ok. The wonkiness is in the update code, not in boot2v4.
@DoubleDragon
Eh?... What are you guys talking about? I meant that Nintendo's customer service is willing to repair your Wii if this update really "bricks" it.
Just saying that its as expected of Nintendo's quality customer service.
Nothing but respect for Nintendo in this regard.
but those guys really need to be more careful :s I cant send my Wii to USA from Mexico...
Did getting the HBC effectively patch Animal Crossing? Doesn't that mean Nintendo could easily do patches for other games legitimately?
BUT
after the 4.0 version it gets slower and slower with every update...WTH is wrong!
@ ALL
Actually,it does more than fighting the homebrew channel...It fixes the infamous spawning glitch in the "The Conduit".
I know, I was saying that their CS isn't the problem. This was a huge mistake by Nintendo's software engineers and the boneheaded manager(s) who decided to push this update live.
I'll believe that when I see it. Unless the fault of the spawn glitched lies in the IOS which TCon uses (which it may very well), it couldn't be fixed this way.
I'll continue to snoop around and find out whatever information I can regarding the problem as I'm not choosing to update (though I may update using Waninkoko's 'safe' firmware updater - which skips out on killing HBC/DVDX and messing with Boot2/cIOS - once I find out if it really is safe).
Yo Wiggymaster, you seem to be the most knowledgeable about all this. I'm really intrigued about Wiifolder's thing where he's effectively patching Animal Crossing. Does this mean the Wii is perfectly able to have patches, but Nintendo are just not allowing it?
Nintendo put your unmodified and perfectly clean console at risk of bricking to "fight" homebrew/piracy. And I used quotes because they didn't really fight it, aas workarounds are already available. So your dear ninty put YOUR console at serious risk for basically a stupid attempt. If you're ok with that...
Restoring your grass with the ACToolKit is not patching. All it does is restore you grass to full but it can still wear away. There is no possible way to stop it from wearing away.
Anyway, all I used my HBC was for was restoring my grass from time to time in ACCF, didn't use it for ANYTHING else and refused to do anything related to pirating. I removed the HBC from my Wii before I did the update just in case and everything is smooth for me. In fact, my Wii actually used to take a while on the main menu with switching pages and now it happens instant. So something definitely makes the Wii run somewhat faster.
However, I do think this is the stupidest thing Nintendo's done since the Virtual Boy. (red and black games in 3D hurt your eyes.)
Also, what Wiggymaster said.
For non-technical people, Nintendo tried to update pretty much THE important file needed to turn the Wii on and for some, the update breaks it. If this file breaks, then there is no way to turn your Wii on, nor will a simple Nintendo "repair disc" work.
And FYI, updates for the HBC are already out so if you do plan on updating to 4.2, the latest version of the channel avoids the 'newer' security measures.
Wow.. you paint a pretty nasty picture. I will definitelly wait a while next time Nintendo sends a system update.
I can understand that they're trying to fight piracy issues, but this was just too risky and I guess they were fully aware of what might have happened and were relying on their customer support service to clean up after them.
It may sound nasty but if regular techies know about the risk, how can Nintendo not know?
Also think about the hassle people who don't live in the US or Japan or Europe would have to go through.
Sorry, if you used your homebrew for quasi-legal purposes (yes, believe it or not modifying the software does violate the end-user agreement which means in legal terms you are breaking the contract between you and Nintendo), but the fact is that people often use it for cheating and stealing. Nintendo has every right to and should go after that.
If Nintendo built a better security model for their system, we wouldn't be in this mess.
We're not saying they don't have a right to do this, but the way they went at it wasn't done correctly. The fact that a bunch of Linux geeks living in their mom's basement (for the record, I moved out of my mom's basement 5 months ago) figured out the issue before Nintendo even started to take a look at it tells you something about the QA of their "OS" department.
Nintendo didn't do anything wrong, and has every right (not to mention a serious business justification) to update the boot2 loader because of rampant piracy introduced by homebrew hacking. Nintendo's code might not be tight, but (despite claims by overzealous homebrew fans) hasn't caused any problems for the overwhelming majority of people who have updated their consoles.
The whole "danger" is grossly overstated, being little more than a bunch of homebrew fans trying to make themselves look, sound, and feel cool. So why are we still talking about this?
Again, we're not saying Nintendo has no right to do this. They do. It's their system. The Homebrew users love the fact that Nintendo wants to stop piracy because they're against it too.
However ask ANY computer person and they will tell you that you don't screw around with a bootloader. Period.
Any time you modify critical system files (be it Windows, Linux, MacOS, 360, PSP, DS, etc) there is ALWAYS a risk of something going very very wrong.
No, it's like getting pissed at the town sending police squads, outfitted in full riot gear and armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, to pillage and destroy the property of random citizens because of thieves robbing City Hall.
As stated at least a dozen times in the previous comments, this update can kill your Wii whether or not you've made any modifications to it whatsoever. Again, since your skull seems to be thick:
This update can kill your Wii whether or not you've made any modifications to it whatsoever.
Any justification they could possibly use for destroying peoples' property is utterly baseless and irrelevant. This is malicious destruction, nothing more, nothing less.
Furthermore, we have every right to do whatever the hell we want to our own property, regardless of what you or Nintendo says. EULAs cannot legally forbid modifications to software, provided you're not distributing those modifications for resale (which would fall under copyright infringement). There are several legal precedents, a couple of which actually involve Nintendo, that already establish this fact. And there's certainly no way that a vendor could legally justify destroying the good which they sold you (and yes, the Wii is a GOOD, not a SERVICE) based upon based upon "unauthorized" modifications. If you brick your system on your own, that's one thing. If Nintendo bricks your system for you, that's an entirely different ballgame - one that they are legally responsible for.
You fools who are so quick to surrender your liberties and rights out of sheer fanboy loyalty never cease to amaze me. Just sell your bloody soul to Nintendo and be done with it. Maybe they'll lock you away somewhere where I and the rest of intelligent humanity won't have to read your drivel on the internet.
...I think you need a hug.
I'll agree with you, there are people here with a tiny bit of knowledge, huge egos and are providing inaccurate information. You're one of them.
Nintendo has done something wrong. Updating the boot-loader is not going to prevent one pirate from pirating - it's merely being done to kill BootMii, which for the most part, ironically enough, is used to provide brick protection to people who want to add themes/custom system menus to their Wii, modify IOSes, and do other non-piratey things. All that's needed to pirate on the Wii is an external media loader or disc reader, which HBC can be and often is used for running, but as I stated before, in the same way a kitchen knife can be used to kill someone. If the pirates had to, they could run the same loaders without the HBC by using the SAME EXPLOITS that the HBC itself uses to run. The pirates would have to do a little more work, yeah, but the end result would be the same.
If Nintendo wants to go after the pirates, they could easily add greater security measures to their games. They could go after USB devices specifically as well as another layer of security to the way the Wii reads discs. They could even work with the guys behind the HBC to try to squash the pirates, which they'd be HAPPY to do. Instead, however, they're putting thousands of their customers at unnecessary risk.
@t27duck:
No. I will say Nintendo has no right to do this. It is not their system - it is my system, and it has been my system since I purchased it in November of 2006. Nintendo has no right to take my system from me regardless of what's on it.
And you know I'm right, so stop trying to appease these know-nothings. Or are you just trolling me again?
Nope. It's only homebrew pirates whining.
C'mere big guy.
But it wouldn't make much sense to malicious destroy your own product, disabling customers from purchasing more software. Even from a purely selfish side it doesn't make sense.
And Wiggy, it may be your copy of their system, but they made it, and if you don't want to do things their way, no one's forcing you to. Don't download the update. Isn't that pretty straight-forward? If people have modded Wiis that they're using to pirate games what difference does it make to them if the Shop Channel is gone? They're not using it, anyway.
Now, all of the people who aren't pirating ought not to be modding their Wii without having some sense first, anyway, and being careful to download updates -- once you do something like that, you kind of void Nintendo's responsibility for it continuing to function correctly, isn't that right? That's not just game consoles, as far as I understand.
People who didn't mod their machine and still got bricked, well, THAT is definitely a mistake on Nintendo's part and they'd damn well better correct it and I feel bad for those people.
I guess I don't really know what to make of this update, really -- my Wii is perfectly fine, so...~shrug~
A right to try to stop piracy: Sure
A right to jam a rod down the middle of the very fabric that makes their system work without a failsafe or fallbacks that puts non-homebrew users at risk: Not so much
@Else
The fact is, we wouldn't be having this conversation if this truly truly TRULY only bricks 100% of all Wiis that have BootMii and/or HBC installed.
Homebrewers know (or should know) the risk of mixing real patches with unofficial code. General users who don't "take the plunge" shouldn't have to worry about this crap.
To me, ignorance is the greatest form of malice.
I'm pretty sure malice has to be intentional.
Ignorance is the opposite of intentional.
Actually, sometimes you can be intentionally ignorant...
But I very much doubt it was their intention to brick any non-modded Wiis.
Which means that obviously they should have done some more homework if it's happening to people.
@T27
Right, homebrewers ought to know better, it's the poor people who didn't do anything that Nintendo ought to be busting ass to accomodate for.
I'll agree with you there. But that's just the thing - modifying boot2 isn't going to stop the pirates, and they can't possibly think that it could if they knew the slightest thing about how this sh¡t works. And they have to know! They developed it, right!?
There's no justification they can give for messing with the boot loader that'll jive with me. None.
It was a half-joke. But honestly, ignorance, as far as I'm concerned, is a cardinal sin.
If you want to do something, you learn what it takes to do something right. If you screw up, ok, admit that you screwed up. You made a mistake, and you'll fix it. But to blame someone else, to go on making that same mistake and say, "I didn't know any better" as an excuse? I suppose I can tolerate that from a five year old. From an adult, no way.
From a collection of adults that make up a multi-million dollar corporation?
Are you sh¡tting me?
Thing is, even ignorance doesn't jive with me in this case. If the software engineers at the largest gaming company in the world don't know that messing around with a boot loader is a bad idea, then there's something seriously wrong over there. I mean, it comes down to one of two things:
a) They're employing chimpanzees, or
b) They knew full well what could and would happen when they did this
Being that I've yet to see one chimp wearing a Nintendo hat aside from Diddy Kong, I'm going with b).
Also, I know fully well that I can choose to ignore the update. I plan to. That's not the issue. I'm merely stating to the opposite side of the crowd - the side that acts as though Nintendo has the right to choose whether or not my or anyone else's system will continue to operate - that they're full of malarkey.
I am not saying that maybe they should have had tighter security on their firmware before, but just because it is so easy to exploit doesn't mean that it is right to exploit it. Is it a risky thing to fix? Maybe, but I have yet to see one person who have had their systems bricked. Hell, any random update to Windows can cause a blue screen.
@Wiggymaster
Dude, chill the f*** out. Surrendering your liberties and rights? Yeah, because my freedoms are being infringe because Nintendo sent out a software update that could maybe possibly but not probably brick my system in order to attempt to control the amount of cheating and pirating going on. Then the a****** are going to fix my Wii for free if that does occur. That sounds like tyrannical big brother to me. f*** Stalin and Pol Pot don't have s*** on Nintendo.
Nintendo sold you a product. You have a right to f*** it up as much as you want, that is true. Nintendo also has a right to update the product to attempt to combat piracy and update the firmware to improve the perform and experience for users. If it happens to screw up your stuff, because you screwed with it, that is on you not Nintendo. They are not libel for any modifications that you made. And if you didn't make any modifications they will fix your Wii for free. That sounds like a decent deal to me.
Dude, you're an idiot.
Keep on talking as long as you want and calling out Nintendo for trying to protect their business model or me for being sick of listening to bullshit justifications and accusations from people who are the reason this update was pushed out at all... but the hot air that you spout won't change the fact that you are wrong on a fundamental level.
If Wiggy doesn't like the update, he simply shouldn't do it.
But please stop making such a big deal out of something that is actually pretty normal.
Just dont update your wii leave it at that.
You're right, the Wii is yours. I support your right to do whatever you want to it, even if it contradicts the EULA, which what you're doing does btw. But, once you break the EULA, you are really on your own. Anyone who breaks a EULA needs to be man enough to accept that. Period. Once you break the EULA Nintendo is not reponsible for what happens. If you use homebrew, that's fine, but don't complain if you or anyone elses stuff breaks and Nintendo doesn't help you out.
Because if you're not using homebrew, NINTENDO WILL FIX YOUR WII IF THEY SCREW IT UP!
I see nothing to cry about here.
Lol.
The tell-tale sign of defeat in a debate? When the other side cannot form any sort of argument as to why they take the position they take.
You obviously comprehend none of this. It's a shame that folks like you, who can never seem to step out of their own shoes and into those of another, are never the ones who end up like this guy. One minuscule difference in space, time or fate and you'd find yourself plunged into the opposite point of view.
Then again, perhaps I'm wrong? Perhaps you'd be perfectly happy having Nintendo fry your Wii in the name of punishing "people [like me] who are the reason this update was pushed out at all." Perhaps you'd blame me, a man you don't even know, for being the "bad apple" which caused all the troubles you have, or the government for not doing enough to stop me. After all, blaming the friendly corporation who provided you with this great bricked system would be so ungrateful! How dare I even suggest that a corporation lacks the right to own you?!
Hey, I'll bet you're a Republican, aren't you?
I bet you know who the shooter on the grassy knoll is don't you.
Again, they have a right to update the system as they feel fit. If it is a dumb move that bricks a lot of Wiis it will cost them money a lot of money. If it does not and only bricks a handful, well it sucks that it happened, but it is not the end of the world. They are going to fix it for what again? Free.
Crying? No, I'm angry, not crying. And just because you're a selfish fool doesn't mean that I'm ranting for selfish reasons. This has nothing to do with anything Nintendo has done to me, rather, YOU, and their customers at large. What separates you (assuming you updated) from this guy is a roll of the dice. Nothing more.
My Wii isn't bricked. I knew enough not to update. I'm mad not for me but for the innocent people who are getting and are going to get screwed over by this.
I'm going to say this one more time since none of you seem to get it - This update can kill your Wii whether or not you've made any modifications to it whatsoever.
You smart off and cry, "YOU BROKE THE EULA! BE A MAN AND ACCEPT IT BLAH BLAH BLAH!" ... Yeah... I've done that. Again, my system's safety isn't in question. For me, the issue is principle, as I have empathy for those who HAVE been borked due to no fault of their own.
I am a tech, and understand these things. The people who are being hurt aren't techs - they don't understand these things. All they know is that their $250 system is suddenly a rock, and they have no idea why.
I'm standing up for your rights, and you're heckling me... why? Because you adore Nintendo so much that you believe they have the right to put the stuff you buy from them at risk?
Wait... so, you acknowledge that they might have made a mistake which will end up costing them money, yet they had the right to do it?
Wouldn't the case be, if they had the right to do something, that they wouldn't have to end up paying the cost of fixing it?
Yeah, I'm done with you clowns. You can't even keep your own excuses straight. You don't want to hear it from me, that's fine. Live in ignorance.
They are liable for putting out an up that might mess up their own product. Any company has the right to do something that can screw up their product. Just like you have the right to throw a temper tantrum on a forum, doesn't mean it is a good idea.
You don't have much understanding of law do you? If you have a product you have the right to update that product to improve the experience or protect the product from exploits that may allow for piracy or cheating. That said you are liable for any damages that may occur because of that update. Now, you can choose to say that it is not the update and refuse to fix the problems, but that leaves you open to lawsuits and lawsuits can be much more costly than simply fixing the broken Wiis.
Call people clowns and ignorant as much as you want, but it still doesn't change anything.
What annoys many is that the homebrew community ALWAYS tries to justify itself with the most petty, completely insignificant features it provides; being able to change the colours of a Brawl character or play a DVD don't mean s**t when compared to the threat of those using homebrew for wrong (yes, all of them using the HBC which is the easiest way by far). Yes, it is stupid for Nintendo to not release games in all regions, but that still equates to nothing in the face of losing real cash which the HBC is partly responsible for.
The Wii is not YOUR system, the design is the property of Nintendo. You have simply bought the license to use it, and they must respect that (bricking the Wii's of innocent users is a no-no). Using Homebrew is a violation of that which gives them no obligations, there is no grey area to run to.
Nintendo clearly didn't think this through from what you're saying, even though I don't see why the code couldn't have been written to detect which boot loader is being used and how to act accordingly. Guess what, it has already been proven time and again that they are stupid at times as we all know, but the update has yet to prove itself to be as wicked as you describe. Chill out.
When there is actually proof, and I mean real evidence that consists of more than some forum users whining, then you can get on your high horse.
Personally, I think they should just update the online servers (I know The Conduit relies on them) to not accept any modded Wii's.
What? What? I bought the LICENSE to use it? I don't physically own it? So that means that Nintendo can swoop down at any time and physically take it from me?
You know what... I'm done with that side of the coin. You guys must've been taught social studies and economics by Russians or something. If you can't differentiate between a good and a service, or understand what legal ownership is under a free society, that's fine, I'm done - believe what you want there.
But here's the kicker - it's irrelevant! It makes no difference whether or not someone has modified their Wii, because this update is breaking those which haven't been modified. Ok? That means Nintendo, that lovable cute cuddly corporate bedfellow who you love so very very much is ruining legitimate systems. Sure, they're offering to fix them, BUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE THEM RIGHT TO BREAK THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
There IS no gray area - I'm not even suggesting that there is! To quote Willy Wonka, it's ALL there BLACK AND WHITE CLEAR AS CRYSTAL! Nintendo did a stupid, irresponsible and nasty thing by putting out this update the way they did, and it shows that at the very least their software development team is willing to go to any length - even nuking their customers - to wage war on "unauthorized content".
That doesn't mean I agree with pirates. It is theft and therefore should be punishable, but it's not up to Nintendo to enforce it - and definitely not by doing an update that isn't guaranteed to work only on modded wii's.
What they should do is increase security of their system, and find ways to track and stop pirates.
And for people going "if you don't want it bricked, don't do the update.", that's a silly argument. If you bought a wii, and an official update comes for it, you should be able to download it without fear. Would you like it if you bought a dvd-rom and you couldn't access the last stage because it requires a patch but it doesn't work on your computer? No. Since the update fixes something in the Conduit, it has purpose to all wii owners, and therefore should be available freely and safely to all.
PS. Before anyone jumps out and says "well you probably are a modder." I have never modded (or gotten someone to mod) any game system in my life. I do not believe in piracy, and as long as a homebrew app isn't illegal (no copyright infringements, nothing dangerous like "how to make a bomb" app), it should be allowed. Nintendo should embrace homebrewers as some of them make great apps. If they allowed homebrewers to submit apps to them, have them reviewed for quality and safety, alter the code if needed so it works on non-modded wii's, and then be put up for all to download, it'd be great.
Jesus Christ, finally. I thought there were no sane people left.
Hold me.
Nah, it's just us other sane people tend to stay away from such fanboy/girl-attracting topics. You do know true fanboys/girls won't listen to other people's opinions (not that I'm saying my opinion is absolutely right, but it should at the very least be considered and thought about and then be properly rejected using coherent arguments).
I suppose, I guess I'm just let down (more like SHOCKED) that not only are more people unconcerned that Nintendo takes such a cavalier attitude toward their stuff, but are embracing Nintendo's position even though it's so utterly contrary to their own best interests.
Of course, I do see it happening on the news almost every day, so you'd figure I'd be used to it. I guess I just didn't expect to see it strike so close to such a sacred cow as gaming.
I mean, fanboys blindly praising/bashing Nintendo's decisions, good or bad, regarding games/hardware/graphics/design/marketing/etcetera is nothing new to me. All that I can understand... but this is so much more important.
This is the first time Nintendo has ever had the power to physically destroy a system they've sold you... and their "right" to do this is truly up for debate?
I agree that you can modify your Wii as you see fit, it is not Nintendo's job to make their firmware compatible with every change that users themselves have made.
Now, does Nintendo have the right to remove those changes? Of course they do. You also have the right to not update so you can keep those changes. Is it a bad thing if the update bricks Wiis all over the place? Yes and I am glad to see that Nintendo is willing to fix the mistake for free, but they do have the right to update the firmware in anyway that they deem necessary. They are also liable to fix any mistakes that the update may have caused.
: holds :
Well I certainly agree the update doesn't have to be compatible with every change people make. However (and I'm not a technical person so I may be wrong on this), in this update it doesn't seem to be a matter of incompatibility - but rather going out of their way to make it brick.
If it were just "oh well my dvd player mod no longer works because they changed this part of the code and now it's up to me to update it again to make it work", that'd be more of a normal incompatibility issue - one for which I definitely wouldn't blame nintendo. This just seems far beyond that.
Of course since Nintendo is wiling to fix non-modded wiis that were bricked for free, at least they're taking responsibility. However those people who are using homebrew for good purposes are left hanging. (and yes I realize the % of non-pirate homebrewers is probably low, but it's not non-existent so you still have to think about them).
If only there were clearcut worldwide guidelines on how console makers can prevent pirates. While some are caught and end up jailed/fined, they're just not caught fast enough. Maybe we need a worldwide digital distribution police
Sure I wish the Wii did more stuff, but then again as a gaming platform it works just fine and I'd rather keep it that way.
From what I understand is that it is an attempt fix a boot exploit. But I could be wrong. I do feel bad for those who use homebrew for legitimate purposes, but really there is no feasible way to distinguish between the pirates and cheaters and those who simply want to watch a DVD.
I agree with you on going after the distributors as well.
Lesson learned - don't go and update your Wii Menu if you use unauthorized software.
Wii EULA
Wii Code of Conduct
You paid for the product and you can do whatever you want with the the shiny plastic, but they don't have to take care of you anymore after you tear up the license. Simple concept.
What right do they have to take such drastic action? The one capitalism affords them. They are protecting their product in the same way that they would sue someone that unknowingly infringes on their copyright, and if they harm normal users then they can be accused of being pricks that deserve to suffer the consequences (which this article shows them preparing for).
Don't compare hardware (or Squimpleton at least) that is constantly maintained and made money on by Nintendo, with a piece of furniture that someone would get one payment for. Different industries have different rules and the Wii is a bigger investment to Nintendo than some table.
Millions of Wii's were sold at launch, if this update breaks the early version of the boot loader (as you said it does), Nintendo will be f**ked in a big way for taking the risk. Until then you are raging for little.
I thought you said you were done anyway?
I'm a computer technician and I'm totally on your side in this argument!
It would seem that you are stupid.
All firmware updates have potential to brick a device. I recall Xbox and PS3 firmware has bricked systems on more than one occasion.
I've also bricked my PC with a motherboard firmware update. Crap happens.
If your legitimate, following the EULA and not a modder, Nintendo will fix you up - as always.
The amount of people it actually affects is extremely small and most are consumers that have modded consoles (or someone that obtained a used Wii and has no clue that it had been previously modded).
I am willing to bet that a majority of so called "unmodified" consoles were affected when the impatient user thought the Wii update hung up on them (it can take awhile to install it - longer than normal and looks like it isn't doing anything) powered off the console which of course bricks it. Don't power off the Wii during a firmware update!!!!
Pretty sad how blown out of perspective this has become.
"Crying? No, I'm angry, not crying."
Really? Cuz it sounds a lot like crying?
"I'm mad not for me but for the innocent people who are getting and are going to get screwed over by this. "
You mean you're overreacting because someone you don't even know got a bricked console? Yeah, right. Now you sound totally self-righteous. You're just "angry" because Nintendo is doing things that makes your life difficult.
"I'm going to say this one more time since none of you seem to get it - This update can kill your Wii whether or not you've made any modifications to it whatsoever. "
Well, I'm going to say this one more time since ONE PERSON seems not to get it. (you)
If this update bricks your wii, NINTENDO WILL FIX IT FOR FREE!!!
And the vast majority of users are having no problems whatsoever. Only a few overreacting homebrewers are making a mountain out of this. "OMG THEY MESSED WITH THE BOOT CODE!@ HOW DARE THEY!"
"I am a tech, and understand these things."
Maybe, but your comments come off like an angry 13 year old.
"I'm standing up for your rights, and you're heckling me... why?"
Well, who appointed you to stand up for MY rights? It sure wasn't me, so please stop. I would never want such someone who sounds like you to stick up for me.
"you adore Nintendo so much that you believe they have the right to put the stuff you buy from them at risk? "
Not at all. I think Nintendo has a right to update machines they sell as they see fit. As long as they give the user the option to opt-out (And they do), then that's fine. You don't have to do the update. You can do what ever you want with the console. So please leave the grownups to manage their consoles as they see fit and go complain to some other forum where people agree with you. Thanks.
Exactly. Jesus... This thread only further proves that Nintendo fans [in general] whine the hardest about every little thing.
And where are all these unmodded bricked Wii stories then guys?
It sounds like you're unfamiliar with whats happening here, which is unsurprising, if you have read anything that wiggy has written.
Here's the situation.
Nintendo released a core Wii update.
Its completely safe by itself. It's even safe to use for homebrewers as far as bricking systems.
Repeat, this update will NOT brick modded wiis. Although, in some cases, it will delete modded files and exploits.
The problem here is that the update also updates the Wiis boot code. Because of this, if you have an interuption in the update process, or if the update fails for some reason, your Wii won't be bootable.
That's it.
If the update fails out, your Wii may no longer function.
Nintendo is not targetting anyone. They are not punishing modders. They are simply updating their console in a way that certain people consider too risky.
I've worked with boot code. Yes, it's risky, but guess what, we do it all the time. It often has to be done. And yes, if it fails, it's painful.
But don't believe wiggy or anyone else who says this update is DESIGNED to brick consoles. If it bricks your console, that sucks, and Nintendo will fix it as long as your console is not modded.
The only reason for this is because Nintendo relinquishes any warranty on modded consoles. This is normal and EVERY console manufacturer does the same thing.
No one is saying that working with boot code isn't risky. No one is saying that NIntendo's update is the best way to do things. In fact, I'll agree with Wiggy, it's probably not.
But that doesn't change the fundamental facts here. This update is generally fine and 99 percent of people INCLUDING MODDERS will never see a bricked system. Period. If this bricks your system, it has nothing to do with homebrew. It's because the update failed during the process.
Those people with bricked systems will get free repairs as long as their system was not modded. Simple. Legal. Fair.
: gives coupon for "One Free Internet" redeemable at his/her local Wal*Mart :
Maybe that's where you went wrong: there is no debate here.
People are making a mountain out of a molehill, and then a few obnoxious trolls (yes, that means you) are standing on top proudly waving their flags.
I'm done replying to anyone who doesn't have a legitamite complaint, simply because it's not worth my time. If your non-modified Wii isn't bricked then the only thing worth complaining about at all is how rampant piracy is forcing innocent bystanders to have to waste their limited gaming time with pointless updates. Oddly, I don't blame Nintendo for that.
But don't you get it? He's protecting US.
We should be thanking him, not heckling him.
I can't speak for you and I'm not so self-righteous as to appoint myself the protector of the entire Wii nation but I get the impression from reading sites like this one that we're all smart enough to figure out what to do with our Wii if you know what I'm saying. We don't need some self-appointed Joan of Arc to protect us.
The System Menu 4.2 and random IOS updates are the pieces which actually deletes all of the homebrew and makes it stop functioning. If Nintendo wanted to accomplish stopping/annoying homebrew and pirate communities, they already did that with the typical system updates.
Updating boot2 did basically nothing except for stop Bootmii from working. Once again, Bootmii has one feature -- backing up and restoring your Wii's memory from a total system brick. The only thing Bootmii needs to run is minimal memory space and boot2.
Imagine that boot2 is a computer BIOS. You don't want to update the BIOS unless you have to, because if screws up and dies, you need a new motherboard or need to reprogram the thing in the factory. Nintendo, having chosen to update boot2, only served the purpose of deleting Bootmii -- which is incapable of causing monetary damage to anyone -- and also ran the risk of botched updating, which totally ruins the Wii.
In summary, this update consisted of two things: the homebrew blocking measures, and the boot2 update. The homebrew blocking measures are encased in the System Menu update and IOS updates. This is perfectly understandable and responsible. The boot2 update served no purpose other than to erase Bootmii, which is ONLY a system backup/restoring utility; Bootmii can't even RUN homebrew code, it only serves its single purpose to backup and restore the memory in case something goes wrong.
Did Nintendo have the right to update boot2? Yes, it's basically like a BIOS update. Should they have updated it? No, they shouldn't have. It was irresponsible.
As of yesterday, the Homebrew Channel, DVDx and BootMii can be installed on all Wiis (a first).
The good news is anyone who updated won't be able to pirate anything (for now at least) but of course most simply won't have updated or they will just use homebrew to update, keeping all or most of the vulnerabilities intact.
I would update (still on 3.4) but I now load all my games (that I still have the disc for) via HDD.
It is a case of two unlucky things happening at once. If I understand correctly it needs a bad block in a certain place on the NAND (NANDs can ship with 40/4096 blocks being bad but usually have far less than 10...do the maths on chance here...). It then needs the EEC code not to be written.
If I were to pull numbers out of my ass I would say the bad block is a 0.1% chance (so 50k Wii systems) and ECC writing going wrong is 10% (so we're down to 5k systems out of 50 million).
Still, it is shocking Nintendo didn't think "why are hackmii using their own code to write to boot2 and not our own code?".
Edit: got number wrong, NAND has 4096 blocks; not 2048...
Seriously, HDD loading is totally awesome. I can just take my Wii and a small HDD to my friend's house instead of a huge stack of games, not to mention my whole game library sans Metroid Prime Trilogy (isn't very compatible with it) is there at all times.
Anyone who says that HDD loading is only pirate territory is blind. On the PC side, until the recent DRM fad, PC games have always been install to harddrives. Many companies are retroactively making discs optional (Bizzard games, Civilization games), and with the advent of Steam, you can take your legally purchased games basically anywhere.
On the console side, the Xbox 360 has limitedly shown how HDD installs can reduce loading times. Though the Xbox 360 still requires the game disc, if it didn't imagine how awesome it would be. Logically, there is really no reason why the games should require the disc; after all, if you have to use a legitimate retail disc to copy the game to the HDD, by the time pirates figure out how to put games on the HDD, it means they'll already have figured out how to make the Xbox think that copied games are real.
the best thing and the best service is to release secure and tested updates.
the reality is tha nintendo hopes that the bad of bricking wiis is compensate by smashing th hbc...
totally useless since TT realized a new version in ONLY ONE DAY.
piracy already won.
so why so money and time on stopping homebrew???
the more there will be homebrew games the more the console will sell...
Nintendo should change their economic model to let homebrew come legally on wii.
in one year wii will be too old.
for the same price people could have a 1080 console
and most of gamers will have 1080 display in their home for 300 euro or less more...
so why spend so much money and time against homebrew instead of developing wii successor????
"the updated bootloader serves no other purpose than to get rid of Bootmii, an application that has absolutely no use for pirates or even homebrew. Bootmii is merely used to backing up your NAND in case something bad happens."
Either you don't know what you're talking about or you're lying, because both those statements are flatout false.
BootMii basically give yous control over the system at boot and allows you to do nearly whatever you want, if you know what you're doing, not just back up the NAND. And you have no idea what other things were fixed with Boot2v4. I've read several different respectable sources who state that they fixed the general fakesigning exploit not simply bootmii as well as a few other things I won't mention here. It'll take a few weeks even for the best of the best to figure out what all was changed.
So get your learn on before you spout. I'm no expert on the Wiis boot code, but I work with other types of boot code in my job and it's easy to figure out both your statements are totally false.
You are the one that does not know what you are talking about.
Bootmii, through it's original developers, currently has nothing written for the Mini library. Therefore, it serves no purpose other than to backup and restore your NAND if something goes wrong.
The only thing that is fixed in Boot2v4 IS the fakesigning bug. Other than that, absolutely nothing has been changed.
The only other software that has been written for MINI(to my most recent knowledge) is used to reinstall a fakesignable IOS.
@Wiggymaster
Thanks for actually being knowledgeable of what's truly going on, Nintendo's horrible update code.
"Bootmii, through it's original developers, currently has nothing written for the Mini library. Therefore, it serves no purpose other than to backup and restore your NAND if something goes wrong."
It doesn't matter what the original developers wrote for it. What matters is what it can be used to do. And you can use it to do a LOT more than just back up your NAND. What you're saying simply isn't true.
And BootMii isn't the only fakesign exploit, so fixing that does more than just eliminate the use of BootMii.
I'll not argue that maybe the update code is horrible. I've haven't looked at every line of the code yet. To my knowledge, no one has. But thats not the point.
The point is whether or not Nintendo is within their rights (yes) and whether or not users need to worry (no).
If you are talking about in the future, then yes, you are absolutely correct. But as of right now, again since you do not seem to understand, BOOTMII CANNOT BE USED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN NAND BACKUP/RESTORE.
How can you say that the code might be horrible, but users do not need to worry?
If Nintendo is fixing users consoles who have never modified them(the real question is if Nintendo's customer service developers will ever be able to tell, since this is a fully bricked Wii with a half updated boot2...how exactly do they plan on finding out if it is "modified"?), is that not an admission by them that their update has bricked "valid" consoles?
As quoted from a popular homebrew blog:
"Updated boot2 — All Wiis that shipped with boot2v2 or boot2v3 (the first 30 million or so) will have boot2v4 installed. There’s no behavioral difference, here, but it will wipe out BootMii if it is installed as boot2."
"I’m surprised that they took the bold move of pushing an updated boot2 — I guess all of the cool kids are doing it these days. Their boot2-updating code (ES_ImportBoot) is not well-tested; they’ve never updated boot2 on retail consoles before, and in our testing we discovered that it often fails to write out ECC data for the new version of boot2 that it writes. We should expect to see some number of bricked Wiis from this; the code is so buggy that we decided to write our own for the HackMii installer. If you had BootMii/boot2 installed, it will be overwritten with the normal, stock boot2, but there should be no other harmful effects."
"The [boot 2 update] code [from Ninty] is so buggy that we decided to write our own for the HackMii installer. It’s really sad, but that wasn’t exaggerated at all. The first reports about bricks due to this official boot2 update are reported on Nintendo’s forums. Replies, which Ninty doesn’t like, are getting deleted. Anyway, it’s up to you if you want to risk it.:"
You also say (note, the ALL-CAPS are yours),
"BOOTMII CANNOT BE USED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN NAND BACKUP/RESTORE."
Either you're flatout lying, or just have absolutely no idea what's going on. Either way, it's particularly funny that you used all caps for something that is false.
BootMii homepage even says,
"BootMii is a set of software that can be installed on Nintendo Wii© consoles to provide added functionality, safety and convenience. "
"BootMii also allows you to directly boot the Homebrew channel or other homebrew from SD, bypassing the "warning screen" and the rest of the menu."
"[Using BootMii] you will have full access to both processors inside the Wii, and can inject code anywhere into the boot process. Want to write your own system menu? Stick it on your SD card and boot it. BootMii is powered by USBGecko -- as with the Homebrew Channel before it, you can upload code and run it via USBGecko. With BootMii, you can upload code to either processor a few seconds after poweron."
Sounds like BootMii is a pretty cool and powerful little piece of code.
Who knows more about what BootMii can be used for? You or the writers of BootMii? Hmmmmmm, let me think....
I'm still not sure if you're just misinformed or a intentionally spreading misinformation.
And of course ANY update can brick valid consoles, so why would Nintendo deny that possibility. If they can't tell which consoles have been modded and which haven't, then they'll likely fix anything. My bet is that they CAN tell, likely by connecting directly to the Wii system memory in their facility and doing a flash dump which they can do whether it will boot or not. We do this in the tech center where I work with bricked Cisco routers all the time to check if users have updated (or failed in attempting to update) the IOS or firmware. This stuff bricks all the time when you update code. It's a constant risk for any firmware updates. This is no different so why are people having panic attacks?
The answer is, most people are not. Just a few overreacting homebrewers, and in the case of self-righteous individuals like wiggy, they claim to be raising hell for everyone else, when really it's obvious they only care about their own little issues and soapboxing on the rest of us.
"The first thing that you need to realize is that BootMii isn’t a single application or hack – it’s a platform for hacks."
A "platform for hacks".
I can't imagine Nintendo wanting to get rid of something as legitimate as "a platform for hacks". What a bunch of jerks.
First and foremost, this will be my last response. Your trolling is annoying, and you seem to be the person spreading lies. Users can decide for themselves. My console is safe. I could care less about anybody else, especially in their ignorance.
I didn't link to those things because links don't copy over when you copy paste.
Okay, let me make this easy for you. Link me to any library that has been written in Mini that can do the things other than directly going to the Homebrew channel.
Again, those things will be possible in the future, but as of yet, NONE of that has been released. Of course, users can write the code themselves, but my ultimate point is that the Bootmii code released by Twiizers does not itself allow for anything other than those things. SOMETHING has to be written for Mini, placed on the SD card, and loaded.
Again, I quote:
"For those who like to tinker, you’ll find an easy-to-use NAND backup/restore suite, a way to autoboot the HBC, and EVENTUALLY(caps mine) a way to run arbitrary ARM or PPC code."
Currently, Nintendo's Customer Service uses a check disk that they insert into unbricked Wii's to search out any modifications.
Quote: "I still maintain that a bricked Wii — one that boots to a black screen, or won’t boot discs — can’t be examined enough to tell what was installed on it … unless you have BootMii installed, in which case the drive LED will flash and suddenly cost you 200€."
Of course they could dump the NAND, but that would be unbelievably time consuming and costly, and chances are they are not going to be switching over to that system any time soon.
Bootmii is alive and well. As long as boot1 is vulnerable on your Wii, boot2 is as well. Nintendo needs to remove the pointless boot2v4 from the update, and this whole dilemma will be solved. But the chances of them actually doing that are slim to none.
A KOREAN WII FLASHED WITH DIFFERENT REGION'S FIRMWARE
...you have the same chances of bricking your Wii as the next guy who hasn't done any of the above on his system.
Wow, cool.
The BootMii homepage is proof enough of the potential to be used for purposes other than NAND flash.
In fact, I suggest you write to the guys who wrote BootMii and tell them they are lying on their homepage. Tell them that maybe if they weren't lying on their page about what BootMii can do, Nintendo wouldn't be so aggressive about BootMii.
But wait, you admit yourself that you can use it to boot immediately into HBC which is a purpose that goes beyond backing up NAND. SO you even contradict yourself!
So, again, tell me (in all caps) can BootMii ONLY be used to back up NAND, or can it also be used to boot directly into HBC? Because it can't be both.
And it doesn't matter if you have to use additional code, or that HBC may already be on the system. BootMii makes it possible to usurp the stand boot process, end of story. What about this are people like you and Wiggy not getting?
I'm quoting this from the blog you quoted from.
Its "a platform for hacks".
That's enough to make any company want to target it from being used. This is simple. Unless maybe that site is lying too?
Let me guess, EVERY site on the web is wrong, including the one written by the guys responsible for BootMii, but YOU are the one who really knows?
I'm surprised somebody smart enough to hack their wii can't make sense of this.
Oh, and this is another good one...
"Of course they could dump the NAND, but that would be unbelievably time consuming and costly,"
Actually, it's neither expensive nor time consuming. We do it all the time on lots of devices. You're really striking out here.
You are the most immature and hypocritical person I've ever encountered on this site.
You've yet to give any reason for your position on things. You accuse people of "lying" about things (i.e. BootMii being used to "boot" into HBC, which is worthless unless HBC is on the system - BootMii's main purpose is a safeguard tool, and it isn't "dangerous" to Nintendo whatsoever on its own), yet you lack the technical knowledge to even begin to understand what you're talking about (*waits for a "resumé" post in reply to this statement, as if knowing <insert random technical fact here> meant knowing anything about Wii-modding*).
You claim that I'm a "baby" who is "crying" yet you can't even maintain a civil tone long enough to post one coherent thing; rather, you string together a bunch of name-calling and insults while you quote me, stamp your feet and hollar, "I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE WRONG!"
You attempt to dismiss my point of view as that of an irrelevant minority, and imply that talking about this issue here or elsewhere won't have any effect, but you're hilariously wrong - it's already having an effect. It's got your and everyone else's attention. There may be dozens here like you, parroting Nintendo's EULA and shouting down those who dare to stand up for their own rights, but there are dozens more here - and elsewhere - who while may not agree with me entirely on Homebrew, acknowledge that it was absolutely wrong for Nintendo to put out an update like this. The effect I and those people are having/will have is self-evident; Hell, this entire article wouldn't even exist without us!
I don't care whether or not you "appointed" me to watch out for others. You personally? Fine, but you and I both know that I used the term "you" as a metaphor to refer to "the consumer" - at this point, don't worry, I couldn't give a damn about you personally. Regardless, I don't have to be "appointed" to such a position - it's simply the right thing to do. It doesn't make me self-righteous to know and understand what's right - when a company puts its own interests ahead of those of their customers, that's wrong. You want to debate that? Fine, get in line - there's enough legitimate people who can form legitimate reasons to counter that particular argument. But calling me "self-righteous" because I stand up for the consumer - the person with no knowledge or resources who is at the complete and utter mercy of the corporate entity that wrongs them - is ridiculous. "Self-righteous" is declaring something to be right without knowing how or why and refusing to tolerate the opinions of others, which is, ironically enough, exactly how you're acting here. The notion that this update/Nintendo has made "my life difficult" in the slightest bit is laughable. As I stated before, I haven't ran the update, I don't plan to, and this is not about me.
"Grownups" don't sit and hurl insults like 12-year-olds when someone disagrees with them, no matter what you may see the 12-year-olds in adult bodies do at the town hall meetings on CNN. The grownups were discussing this until you came along and started spitting cattiness like a 5th grade girl on her first period. What's next? "Yo-MAMA" jokes?
You've already struck out. Your attempts to embarrass/humiliate others here who you disagree with has only managed to embarrass/humiliate you. With every word you write, you prove yourself to be everything you're accusing others of being. Like a typical angry child, your point of view literally consists of, "GO AWAY! YOU DON'T BELONG HERE IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ME!" Newsflash: this is a gaming website. Specifically, a Nintendo website. And when Nintendo does something both wholly relevant and dangerous to their customers (i.e. those same people that come to this website), you can expect people to be talking about it.
If you don't like that, perhaps you should leave.
Yeah, in truth it can be a multitude of things - those are some of the more common. Regardless, messing with it in the first place is like doing open heart surgery because a guy complained of a stomach ache.
It's not doing highly advanced stuff like live texture switching. If live modifications like that are possible via homebrew, imagine what Nintendo could do. They would know how to intercept data like maybe a model, or add data like maybe a square box.
They could add animations and other items with a live stream. It'd be hard as heck in games not designed for it, but we could have more Smash Bros. Brawl characters!
"I couldn't give a damn about you personally. "
You know what, you seem pretty nice.
" Your attempts to embarrass/humiliate others "
I never attempted to embarrass or humiliate anyone. I'm not surprised that you have felt embarrassed or humiliated by your rants over the course of this thread, but it was nothing I did to you to make you feel that way.
"you came along and started spitting cattiness like a 5th grade girl on her first period"
So I'm a 5th grade girl on her period huh?
Grow up. Call me hypocritical, say I call you names, then say I'm a girl on her period. Who's the hypocrite?
I'm glad you finally abandoned your entire argument and went after me personally. Took longer than I thought, but I knew you would. Your whining was getting old, so this is is a nice addition
No worries.
"you imply that talking about this issue here or elsewhere won't have any effect"
I never implied any such thing.
And you can try to dismiss my experience all you like. The fact remains, I've updated bootcode literally hundreds of times. No, not on my Wii but on dozens of other devices. MS has released similar bootcode altering updates. This it not out of the ordinary in this industry or others. Just because you think it is, doesn't mean it's true. But, BECAUSE you think it's such a big deal, it shows you really don't have much experience with it because I see updates like this all the time. You're absolutely overreacting, most likely due to your inexperience. Many in the homebrew community are overreacting. Partly because I think they take this so personally, as your angry and personal attack style responses have demonstrated.
And I never told you to go away. I just said to leave us to our consoles and if you want to cry about it further, you should use a more appropriate forum. You have every right to be here. I just said you need to stop overreacting. And I wish you would. Notice I'm not the only one who said this.
Asking you to stop overreacting is just a request. Obviously you've chosen to continue and to further it by attacking me personally so I can't stop you. But, maybe do us all a favor and read this thread again. It's you and like one other person on this near-rant and you're both quoting from the same blog. Everyone else is pretty much saying what I'm saying. So you can take your "dozen" other people who agree with you and have a party. I hope you enjoy yourselves. Maybe you could get one of them to rub your back or something, or give you some cocoa to make you feel better.
Anyway, I'm new here and thought you guys could give me the best answer to my question, so here goes...
I've been wanting a Wii since it came out. With the recent price drop, I'll be able to afford one soon. The news of the 4.2 update scares me though. Should I wait till 4.3 comes out, or should I risk bricking a fresh, out of the box Wii? Thank you for your time.
But if you're honestly worried, then just go buy a Wii when you're able to afford it. Bring it home and update it immediately (before you buy any VC titles or have any save game data). If it bricks, then just return it to the store as DOA and try again, no big deal.
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