AfterDawn: News

New Wii menu update takes down Homebrew channels, again

Nintendo has updated the Wii Menu again this week, releasing version 4.3, in an effort to target homebrew and piracy on the popular console.

Posted to Nintendo's support site alongside the update: "Because unauthorized channels or firmware may impair game play or the Wii console, updating to Wii Menu version 4.3 will check for and automatically remove such unauthorized files."



That being said, if you actively use Homebrew channels on your Wii, updating to version 4.3 may not be the best option for you, just yet.

If you do not use any homebrew on the console, the update brings some "behind the scenes enhancements," as well, for improved system performance.

Reads the full update:

Wii Menu 4.3
Unauthorized Modifications
Because unauthorized channels or firmware may impair game play or the Wii console, updating to Wii Menu version 4.3 will check for and automatically remove such unauthorized files. In addition, there are some behind the scenes enhancements that do not affect any prominently-used features or menus but will improve system performance.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Jun 2010 21:20

• Previous article

• Google wins copyright lawsuit over Viacom

• Next article

• Hollywood's new piracy nightmare: Cyberlockers

• 13 comments

• ZippyDSM

  Not for long tho......
  

  Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
  Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
  http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/

  24.6.2010 00:30 #1

• Josipher

  Because unauthorized channels or firmware may impair game play or the Wii console
  
  Bullshit Alert!
  lol seriously nintendo who are you targeting with this seriuosly idiotic post. anyone whos savvy enough to hack his Wii is also smart enough to laugh in your face with the crap you come up :), thanks for the update but ill take myu chances with an "impaired Wii"

  24.6.2010 01:56 #2

• KillerBug

  Originally posted by Josipher:
  lol seriously nintendo who are you targeting with this seriuosly idiotic post. I think they are targeting their customers. I don't see why people care, I mean it isn't like Nintendo ever used homebrew as a selling feature of the unit...it is intended as a workout trailer for middle-aged women; and they don't tend to care about SNES emulation. If they took away an advertised feature, that would change things...but when you hack something to work in a way that it was not intended to work in, you can't complain when the free updates disable those hacks...especially if the updates are not required to keep using the system as it worked before.

  24.6.2010 05:27 #3

• Mr-Movies

  Many people use Homebrew and their old games plus the update isn't free it is forced so HB users are not going to be happy about this. I don't know how much Nintendo makes on the HB Channel but it is revenue for them as well and I have friends that buy stuff online through them.
  
  I haven't updated to 4.2 so 4.3 is just a mood point, for me, however I was going to play with some of the softmods and now I guess I'll have to wait until the new fix comes down the pipe. This is the big problem with softmodding your Wii or using HB but it sure is nice to be able to use a HDD for all of your games and this can cripple that at least temporarily. The wows of modding...
  

  24.6.2010 11:14 #4

• OmriSama

  ...Nintendo was making money of the Homebrew channel? Isn't it illegal? because the Homebrew channel is hacking and allows you to pirate and all of that?
  

  
  

  24.6.2010 12:30 #5

• nonoitall

  Quote:"Because unauthorized channels or firmware may impair game play or the Wii console, updating to Wii Menu version 4.3 will check for and automatically remove such unauthorized files."
  Actually, I have a lot more faith that the homebrew channel won't screw up my Wii, as opposed to an update thrown together by Nintendo just to cripple my console.
  

  24.6.2010 17:16 #6

• KillerBug

  Originally posted by OmriSama: ...Nintendo was making money of the Homebrew channel? Isn't it illegal? because the Homebrew channel is hacking and allows you to pirate and all of that? Piracy is only illegal if you are an individual...countless court cases have shown that major corporations are immune to these laws.
  
  Welcome to the modern age...upgrades are promised and never delivered, and existing features are taken away without permission. Even advertised features are removed, for no reason at all.
  
  The sony lawsuits would seem to indicate that most people don't mind being treated like this...sony claimed that only about 4% of users used otherOS...in the US alone, that is 400,000 people...yet there are only about a dozen lawsuits from the US. Some of us hired lawyers...but most people just rolled over and let sony stick it in...and that means that next time Sony (or someone else) decides to screw users, it won't just be the removal of features or the theft of purchased movies...it will be something really bad...I bet nintendo or microsoft will try to implement some form of "Always On DRM" on their consoles (I would say Sony...but there is no route to piracy on the PS3).
  
  I guess it isn't all bad...all this trouble will probably get some lazy bastards to stop playing video games and go out to find a girlfriend.

  25.6.2010 05:45 #7

• dEwMe

  hehehehe well I haven't even touched my Wii since I bought an Xbox 360...
  
  

  Just my $0.02,
  
  dEwMe
  

  25.6.2010 09:46 #8

• dEwMe

  Originally posted by KillerBug: ...I bet nintendo or microsoft will try to implement some form of "Always On DRM" on their consoles (I would say Sony...but there is no route to piracy on the PS3). They can do what they want. There's nothing that can't be hacked eventualy. As for Sony's PS3? I think they are buying lots of bad will and I fully expect it to be hacked soon. I mean it has been done but expect a hack for the masses soon.
  
  
  Originally posted by KillerBug: I guess it isn't all bad...all this trouble will probably get some lazy bastards to stop playing video games and go out to find a girlfriend. Or better yet find a girlfriend that likes to play games!!!
  
  

  Just my $0.02,
  
  dEwMe
  

  25.6.2010 09:52 #9

• DXR88

  hey guess what 4.3 didn't do a dame thing to my HB channel its still there and it still works.
  
  stick that in your pipe and plum it Nintendo
  

  Powered By
  
  

  26.6.2010 08:25 #10

• lupine25

  Hacking a device is illegal? How about I paid money for it, so I'd like to use it however I want to! Not to play pirated games, there are plenty of free games/utilities that you can use under homebrew.
  
  Welcome to the corporate controlled electronics world, you pay us and we tell you what you can and can't do with it...bwa hahahahahaaha!
  
  This would be like Dell selling PCs, but you're only "legally" allowed to type Word documents on it.

  28.6.2010 17:23 #11

• Maxx Skywalker (unverified)

  Originally posted by DXR88: hey guess what 4.3 didn't do a dame thing to my HB channel its still there and it still works.
  
  stick that in your pipe and plum it Nintendo Is this true. Because I'm being extremely wary about downloading the new update. I need confirmation. Perhaps a YouTube video showing the new Menu Update working with HBC will do?

  28.6.2010 18:12 #12

• rep93

  now nintendo really makes me angry
  stupid 4.3

  21.8.2010 20:00 #13