#116154 - thegamefreak0134 - Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:44 pm
I realise I'm jumping the gun considerably, but we (as in NewFolder Productions, we have a name now) have aquired a Wii and are interested (of course) in Wii Homebrew. Is there an official site for this yet, or is the community still in the process of figuring out how to get it to run un-licenced code?
I googled this already with un-fruitful results. Thanks for any info.
-thegamefreak
_________________
What if the hokey-pokey really is what it's all about?
[url=http:/www.darknovagames.com/index.php?action=recruit&clanid=1]Support Zeta on DarkNova![/url]
#116159 - Dan2552 - Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:00 pm
wiili.org
#116162 - Dwedit - Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:47 pm
You can do gamecube homebrew on a wii.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."
#116196 - tepples - Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:29 am
But you can save $150 by doing GameCube homebrew on a GameCube, just as you can save $50 and gain link cable support by doing Game Boy Advance homebrew on a Game Boy Advance SP. Or can programs running in GameCube mode use the Wii's Bluetooth transceiver?
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#116226 - Optihut - Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:49 pm
| tepples wrote: |
| But you can save $150 by doing GameCube homebrew on a GameCube, just as you can save $50 and gain link cable support by doing Game Boy Advance homebrew on a Game Boy Advance SP. Or can programs running in GameCube mode use the Wii's Bluetooth transceiver? |
I wouldn't consider that saving money. Buying a GBA or a cube now strikes me as a waste of money, when a better backwards compatible system exists.
#116233 - zzo38computer - Tue Jan 23, 2007 3:47 pm
I don't know if Gamecube software on Wii can use the bluetooth, but I think I read somewhere that it can use the SD card (I'm not sure). One thing I would like to see on Nintendo Wii is a built-in BASIC interpreter channel.
_________________
Important: Please send messages about FWNITRO to the public forum, not privately to me.
#116236 - Dwedit - Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:08 pm
It does not use the SD slot of the WII, it uses the Memory Card to SD adapter. You use a game shark, combined with a SD Gecko or similar device. You enter a big long boot loader as a gameshark code, then format the SD card with a boot sector containing gamecube code.
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."
#116249 - tepples - Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:55 pm
| Optihut wrote: |
| Buying a GBA or a cube now strikes me as a waste of money, when a better backwards compatible system exists. |
Even if you have to pay eBay scalpers?
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#116264 - thegamefreak0134 - Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:56 pm
Wow. OK, so no one has figured out a way to run un-licenced code quite yet. I can deal with that for a while. It\'s very cool that the Wii-mote is bluetooth, because that means I can start playing with the coolest part of the wii (the controller) from the comfort of my own PC. Nice...
Once they release all of these internet based things for the Wii (besides opera, except for maybe the beta version) it should be just a matter of time before someone finds a way. Till then, I\'m making ping pong for the computer. Yay!
-thegamefreak
_________________
What if the hokey-pokey really is what it's all about?
[url=http:/www.darknovagames.com/index.php?action=recruit&clanid=1]Support Zeta on DarkNova![/url]
#116403 - HyperHacker - Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:56 am
I heard in a YouTube video discussing GCN and Wii hacks that the Wii's protection is effectively the same as GCN's, only adding digital signatures, and that it's already possible to run backups (not homebrew due to the signatures) using the same exploits. Specifically, they say the GCN drive firmware had two backdoors - a hidden serial port and a "password" you could send to it to enable a debug mode. On the Wii the port was moved and the password was changed to lowercase. However, I find this hard to believe (why no mod chips? Why didn't they fix the exploits?), it conflicts with my (admittedly little) knowledge of GCN hacks (last I heard it was confirmed there was no serial port), and outside of that video I've heard nothing about this. Anyone else have more info?
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.
#117764 - thegamefreak0134 - Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:30 am
I was going to start a new topic, but I figure I can recycle this one.
Ok, I bought a WiiMote today, and successfully got it to communicate with my PC. In fact, using GlovePIE and a homemade script, I won a Gold Cup in MK64 using the wiimote to "tilt" and steer. Very cool.
I want to do something more though. I will need much more stable access to the Wii than GlovePIE gives me to accomplish my ultimate goal: I want sound generated through the speaker to sound like more than some ugly hiss, which is the best I could manage to get using the built in scripts.
To do this, I will need some way to send reports to and from the WiiMote via bluetooth inside programming code, preferably C or something similar. I know this has to be possible, or programs like GlovePIE would not even exist in the first place. Can someone give me the information required to see and access the wiimote (via bluetooth mind you) from code? Thanks.
-thegamefreak
_________________
What if the hokey-pokey really is what it's all about?
[url=http:/www.darknovagames.com/index.php?action=recruit&clanid=1]Support Zeta on DarkNova![/url]
#118497 - HyperHacker - Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:42 pm
I tinkered with it last night too. I made the mistake of deciding to try it just before I went to bed, and found out I had to install a Windows patch and they wanted me to install WGA to get it (haha no) and then I had to install some proprietary Bluetooth driver and reboot 20 times and WiinRemote won't let you assign Alt or Alt+Tab and argh.
Is there a free replacement for Windows' Bluetooth system that supports using the Wiimote with my Bluetooth adapter? Windows' built-in system doesn't and BlueSoleil or whatever it's called costs money and appears very bloated. It's a USB Cambridge Silicon Radio Ltd adapter.
Also it seems any time I want to connect my Wiimote to my PC, I have to first go to the PC and have it scan for Bluetooth devices, and then press 1+2 on the 'mote (I'd like to keep it synced to my Wii if possible) to connect. I was hoping to use it as a remote control (control the computer from bed :-D) and having to get up to activate it kinda ruins that. Is there some way to have Windows/BlueSolwhatever automatically scan every few seconds or so, so I can just press 1+2 and the Wiimote will connect and I can start doing stuff? Is it a security risk having discovery turned on and no passkey required (e.g. can people with other Bluetooth devices browse my hard drive or something silly like that)?
I noticed too you can use the motion sensor to move the cursor in WiinRemote, however it's very difficult to use. If I move the Wiimote to the right, the cursor will move to the right, but it tends to just keep going; I point the Wiimote at the left wall and if I'm lucky the cursor stops (but doesn't move left). It works great in Excite Truck and Zelda though. Is this just a problem with WiinRemote? Would using the IR sensor be more accurate?
Finally, I was wondering about that IR sensor. How fast can it be polled? Does anyone know if the Wii can turn the sensor bar on and off through software? I'm thinking point a TV remote at the sensor to "learn" its IR codes, then have the Wii blink the sensor bar to send them back out. Your Wii could control your entire entertainment system!
(Yeah I know there's no way to run homebrew on it... yet. <_<)
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.
#118691 - Dracker - Thu Feb 15, 2007 4:28 pm
Note that the wii modchips out now do not enable wii homebrew - just piracy and cube homebrew (and the latter can already run through a softmod anyway, no point chipping it).
#119023 - HyperHacker - Mon Feb 19, 2007 3:54 am
I figured out what's up with WiinRemote's mouse control when using the motion sensor. You tilt up and down to move the cursor up and down, but you have to rotate on the Z axis to move left and right! O_o
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.
#119250 - josath - Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:24 am
| HyperHacker wrote: |
Finally, I was wondering about that IR sensor. How fast can it be polled? Does anyone know if the Wii can turn the sensor bar on and off through software? I'm thinking point a TV remote at the sensor to "learn" its IR codes, then have the Wii blink the sensor bar to send them back out. Your Wii could control your entire entertainment system!
(Yeah I know there's no way to run homebrew on it... yet. <_<) |
The IR sensor is in the wiimote, not in the sensor bar. The sensor bar is just a couple of LEDs that are always on (they don't blink or send out any codes or anything)
#119266 - HyperHacker - Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:50 am
I'm aware of that. This is really two separate, related ideas:
1) If the sensor bar can be turned on and off by software, then it can send IR remote control codes to other devices in the room.
2) If the remote's IR receiver can be polled fast enough, it can probably receive IR codes from remote controls, which a program could then beam out via the sensor bar.
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.
#119275 - tepples - Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:07 pm
| josath wrote: |
| The sensor bar is just a couple of LEDs that are always on (they don't blink or send out any codes or anything) |
Go to Wii settings > Wii Remote > Sensitivity. The IR LEDs blink.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#119338 - SeanMon - Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:32 am
I'll check this out with my video camera's "nightvision mode."
If the LEDs blink, why can two candles be used instead of the "sensor" bar?
_________________
null
#119339 - tepples - Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:42 am
Does the sensor bar turn off when Wii is in GameCube mode? If so, then the sensor bar is likely under control of the Wii OS, and the menu is programmed to blink the sensor bar to distinguish it from other IR sources.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#119566 - HyperHacker - Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:31 am
I guess one could do this...
-Link their Wiimote to their PC and use a program like WiinRemote to check out the IR info. See if there's anything coming from the sensor at the menu.
-Boot a Gamecube game, and repeat the process to see if the sensor is still on.
I hadn't thought of using Gamecube mode, that's a good idea. However it could be like DS's GBA mode, where you can turn it off but not back on without a reset. I'm too lazy to try it right now but I'll post this so I don't forget. :-p
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.
#119655 - HyperHacker - Sun Feb 25, 2007 2:38 am
Well I did some testing and found a few interesting things.
It's possible to reset from Gamecube mode back into Wii mode, though not necessarily from Gamecube code. Try it: Get to the title screen of Mario Kart: Double Dash, remove the disc, and hit Reset; you go back into the Wii menu. This seems to be a soft power cycle, actually turning the system off and back on; it looks like a similar process is used when returning to the Wii menu from anywhere else. Basically what they did with the DS, except you don't have to press Power yourself. You'll notice any time the Wii Menu is being loaded, the sensor bar will turn off briefly.
Of course, even if there's no method provided for Gamecube code to reset into Wii mode, that doesn't mean there's no bugs that will allow it... <_<
It does seem to be possible to turn the sensor bar on and off in software, but I can't tell whether it's possible to do this independently (i.e. without doing anything else). I tested with WiinRemote, then realized video cameras can see IR and so tested further with my webcam. The results were unusual:
-The sensor is off the entire time you're in Gamecube mode.
-When you start Excite Truck (which doesn't use the sensor at all), it gets turned off, then back on and remains on during the game. From the Home menu, you can reset the game or return to the Wii menu. Either of these options will actually turn the sensor off and back on again. This suggests that the sensor can't be controlled by user code, only by the Wii OS. However, I imagine replacing or modifying the Wii OS would be a fundamental part of writing homebrew, if only to remove signature checks.
Since the only time the sensor is off is when software is being loaded or when playing Gamecube games, it's possible that there's no convenient "sensor control" register, and that this is tied to some other hardware. Just as on the DS, there's no register you can write to to enable the GBA BIOS; this can only be done by entering GBA mode.
Also, you ever hear those ghost stories, where someone takes a photo and sees nothing unusual, but in the resulting image/video there's a mysterious blue light? Seeing the IR beam on a camera while being completely unable to see it with my own eyes made me think of this, because it looks exactly like these photos! I bet a lot of them are just cameras picking up stray IR light. :-p
BTW, can anyone tell me what happens if you run MKDD on a Gamecube, open the lid, and press reset?
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.
#119664 - tepples - Sun Feb 25, 2007 3:48 am
I skipped MKDD and went straight for MKDS, but if you play ACPG on a GameCube, open the lid, and press Reset: The screen turns black, the GameCube logo appears and spins, and the system menu appears.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#119728 - zzo38computer - Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:56 pm
If you put MKDD and open the lid and push Reset, then it will fade out slowly and then blue (probably no signal) and then displays the GameCube logo and menu immediately without the animation
_________________
Important: Please send messages about FWNITRO to the public forum, not privately to me.
#119764 - HyperHacker - Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:53 pm
Ah, so they soft reset. I guess that's all that's happening then.
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.
#120910 - thegamefreak0134 - Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:42 am
The IR sensor bar has almost got to be controlable from code. The IR calibration screen (the one with the two flashing dots) actually flashes the sensor bar to create the flashing bit. So in my opinion, it has to be software related, even if you can only set a rate for the flash-age.
Anywho, I think the best course of action for homebrew is to get the Wii to "download" an update from a closed network that emulates the Wii Update website. But that's just me. I'll let them get to that later.
For now I'm still having bluetooth issues. However, I wrote a really cool script that lets you use the Wiimote as a trumpet! (deemed "Twiimpet") You use the buttons for valves, and tilt up and down to lip-slur. It's really neat, but it's hard to get it to tilt accurately... ^_^
-thegamefreak
_________________
What if the hokey-pokey really is what it's all about?
[url=http:/www.darknovagames.com/index.php?action=recruit&clanid=1]Support Zeta on DarkNova![/url]
#120943 - tepples - Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:25 pm
| thegamefreak0134 wrote: |
| Anywho, I think the best course of action for homebrew is to get the Wii to "download" an update from a closed network that emulates the Wii Update website. |
Get WMB to send homebrew to a non-flashed DS first. It's the same protection.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#121305 - HyperHacker - Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:34 am
I'm wondering why nobody's yet replaced the firmware by simply popping out the flash ROM and writing to it directly. I'm guessing encryption/signing need to be broken? Or maybe they just can't find the chip. ;-)
However I feel the real potential lies in modchips. Basically we're already running homebrew code on the drive itself, or at least twiddling bits in its memory. I'd bet a sizeable amount that from there, someone finds a way to change what gets sent to the CPU from disc reading, authentication etc and use it to our advantage. Maybe we get lucky with WiiConnect24, but given the use of SSL and the fact that everything seems to be encrypted on this thing, I doubt we'll be sending our own firmware updates anytime soon.
Or we might find a bug in a file format handler or a game's networking/save code as was done on PSP, Gamecube and PSP again respectively. I was thinking something along the lines of huge data in ID3 tags, but Wii doesn't even use those. :-/ I highly doubt crashing the browser/weather channel/news/etc will get us anywhere as I suspect they run in a sandboxed environment. Notice if you crash the browser it just restarts, and after exiting a channel it re-reads whatever disc is inserted.
I've tried at least one JPEG that would crash the browser, but the Photo Channel won't even open it. Other than that, I haven't looked into this avenue much. I'm also curious about the idea of sending malformed data posing as a Wiimote.
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.
#121311 - PhoenixSoft - Sun Mar 11, 2007 1:17 pm
On Nintendo's jobs page (http://www.nintendo.com/corp/jobs.jsp) they have a listing for a Java Developer, and it specifies that it is for the Virtual Console. I wonder whether the emulators are written in Java or perhaps original games for the Virtual Console must be written in Java.
If Nintendo does plan to provide some kind of official homebrew kit, I can easily see them opting to use Java for it. It would provide the protection against piracy, as well as being a simpler alternative to C++ (simpler for the masses, at least).
You heard it here first, folks :p
EDIT: They are looking for an "Assistant to the President" - that means Reggie! I would kill for that job.
#121415 - HyperHacker - Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:02 am
That'd make sense; doesn't the browser already support Java? But then, the browser already supports PNG too and yet the Photo Channel doesn't. :-/
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.
#121480 - tepples - Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:37 pm
| HyperHacker wrote: |
| That'd make sense; doesn't the browser already support Java? |
Internet Channel supports SWF but not Java. Therefore, the Wii homebrew development kit, as far as I can tell, is haXe + swfmill.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#124052 - Abscissa - Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:11 pm
| HyperHacker wrote: |
| Ah, so they soft reset. I guess that's all that's happening then. |
You can also tell that soft reset is used (all the way back since the N64, in fact), because the reset buttons never work when a game has crashed.