Wii Chipping – The Definitive Guide
Nintendo Wii chipping is a broad and complex subject. I recently began researching which was the best way to unlock my Wii easily and safely. I spent many hours searching through various Wii chipping information from various websites and forums and would like to share my first hand experience with you. Please note I have had a lot of experience with modding games consoles and used to fit modchips part time mainly in the Xbox, Xbox 360, Playstation 2 and Playstation 3.
The Benefits Of Wii Chipping
Direct loading of Nintendo Wii backups and copies
Direct loading of Gamecube backups and copies
Can also load games from an external USB hard drive
Loads both Wii and Gamecube games from any region
Can read both DVD-R and DVD+R media
A library of homebrew applications to add new functionality
Nintendo Wii media center
Emulators for past games consoles
Wii Chipping – The Options
There are various different ways to successfully chip your Wii, and these are broken down into 2 categories a modchip and softchip. Both the modchip and softchip achieve exactly the same thing and unlock the true power of your Wii. All that really separates the modchip and softchip is the cost, installation process and future upgrade options.
Modchips
Modchips are the traditional way to chip any games console, in the days of the Playstation 1 you would take the console to a local electronics shop that could solder the modchip into place and allow you to play copied games freely. The same is true with the Nintendo Wii and there are a range of modchips available such as the WiiKey, D2CKey and Cyclowiz.
Modchips cost in the region of $40-$60 and give you all of the features listed above. The main issue with any modchip though is that it does require professional installation which involves dismantling your Wii and physically soldering the modchip into place. Not only can this be quite expensive to get done, but it is also a high risk process that could do irreversible damage to your Wii and it will also void any warranty you have on the console.
Modchip Summary
Costs around $40-$60
Require professional installation at an additional cost
Voids your warranty
Upgrade the chips via a DVD
Softchips
The softchip is an all new and innovative way to mod your Nintendo Wii. Essentially a softchip is a virtual version of the modchip that costs around $30-$35. The softchip is very straight forward to setup, and can be done by anyone without any previous experience.
The softchip follows a simple 3 step installation process which takes less than 5 minutes to do-
- Buy the softchip and copy it to an SD memory card
- Put the memory card into your Wii
- Follow the included instructions
Once the installation is completed, the Wii will reboot and be fully unlocked. If for any reason you need to reverse the process, you can simply reset your Wii back to factory settings and the softchip will be completely removed. This means if your Wii does develop a hardware fault (stops reading discs etc) you still have a valid warranty with Nintendo.
Softchips also come bundled with additional software and applications out of the box such as emulators and games.
Softchip Summary
Costs $30-$35
Can be installed by anyone
Can easily be uninstalled
Detailed video instructions
Leaves your warranty intact
Regular updates, upgrades and enhancements
Excellent 1 on 1 customer support
A range of bundled applications and software
The Best Method Of Wii Chipping
Although I have had previous experience with games console chipping and am more than comfortable fitting modchips myself; the benefits of the softchip severely outweigh the traditional modchip. Not only is it cheaper to buy, but you don’t need to splash out on expensive installation as you can do it yourself with ease.
Why The Softchip Is Better Than The Modchip
- Costs roughly $10-$15 cheaper
- Do not require expensive installation
- They offer the same features as a modchip
- Is a full ‘Do It Yourself’ solution
- Does not void your warranty with Nintendo
- Can be uninstalled quickly and easily
- Includes detailed video tutorials and guides
Choosing The Best Softchip
I came across various Wii Chipping guides online that utilize the softchip method. Although they all offer the Wii Chipping software the quality of service, support and guides do vary between them. When looking to buy a softchip I would recommend you look out for the following-
The softchip must be compatible with all system versions of the Wii
Must include everything you need to unlock the Wii
Beware Some softchips require Zelda Twilight Princess – avoid these!
Detailed step by step instructions that are well written and easy to follow
Additional video guides to complement the manual
Customer service and support availability
I have tried a few of the different Softchips out and compared them below for you. It should also be noted that all of the Softchips below offer a full 60 day no quibbles money back guarantee if you are not satisfied for any reason!
After buying a few of them, MyHomeBreware offers the best overall product and service in my opinion. It includes High Definition videos and a range of bonus products such as cheats and Wii game backup software.
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Related posts:
- Which Is The Best Nintendo Wii Modchip?
- Unleash Your Wii With The Wii Softchip
- How To Mod Wii Without Chip Installation – My Experience
Tagged with: nintendo wii modchip • Wii Chipping • wii mod chip • Wii Soft Chip
Filed under: How To / Guides • Wii Modchips
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What happens when there is a system update? Like the one for BBC iPlayer in the UK last week
The HomeBreWare guys usually issue an updates 2-3 days after the system updates are released. If you do choose to update your Wii before hand it will just unchip itself until you apply the new update from homebreware.
I tend to wait until the homebreware update is available before upgrading my Wii’s software
Ahhh thats makes sense, thanks for the tip!
Awesome Post.
Hi Debbie,
Im glad you found it useful, please get in touch if you have any problems!
can you recommend anywhere decent to get games from??
Hi Graham,
most people use BitTorrent etc to get hold of games, or a service like http://www.thewiimodchip.com/WiiDownloads
Awesome Post.
Great!!!