Region Free

ILAMBAT

WiiChat Member
Jun 10, 2007
1
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i have a uk pal version of nintendo wii and i want to know if i can play games from abroad?

if not then how can i?

i read about freeloader thats only for games of gamecube is there anything for nintendo wii games?
 
The Wii consoles are region locked so that you can't play games from other regions. The only choice you have at the moment is to get the Wii modded. But I suggest that you wait for a Wii free-loader to arrive first.
 
Also mod chips aren't a good idea and the free loader might not be either.
Aparently if you play a game from another region while your wii is hooked up to wifi, then it thinks your wii is from that region and downloads the wii firmware update for that other region.

Of course as your wii isn't from that region the update causes your wii to brick, which means it is an expensive paperweight from then on in. As you moded your wii its no longer covered by warrantee and Nintendo wont repair it.
 
Funky Gibbon said:
Also mod chips aren't a good idea and the free loader might not be either.
Aparently if you play a game from another region while your wii is hooked up to wifi, then it thinks your wii is from that region and downloads the wii firmware update for that other region.

Of course as your wii isn't from that region the update causes your wii to brick, which means it is an expensive paperweight from then on in. As you moded your wii its no longer covered by warrantee and Nintendo wont repair it.

Your post is wrong.

1. The updates are contained on the disk. The issue is that people WEREN'T connected to the internet so they never downloaded the update. They inserted a game with the newer firmware and it updated it improperly. This can be easily avoided by either removing the update from the game (many have), only running games from your region or simply keeping the system up to date online.

2. Nintendo does repair Wiis that have been modified. The difference is that some have had to pay out of pocket to fix it.
 
ciper said:
Your post is wrong.

1. The updates are contained on the disk. The issue is that people WEREN'T connected to the internet so they never downloaded the update. They inserted a game with the newer firmware and it updated it improperly. This can be easily avoided by either removing the update from the game (many have), only running games from your region or simply keeping the system up to date online.

2. Nintendo does repair Wiis that have been modified. The difference is that some have had to pay out of pocket to fix it.

Meh either way its not good news, removing the update from the game disk is probably beyond a lot of users.

Only running games from your own region defeats one of the main reasons for getting a mod chip.

Also in most regions Nintendo will not repair a Wii that has been modded, in many countries it is illegal to install a mod chip. Read the following on the Nintendo website.

http://www.nintendo-europe.com/NOE/en/GB/news/article.do?elementId=wFyiZzHamq8m6dRdWzZcAs4tT9P7WyjS

Chances are that Nintendo may seek legal action against you if you send them a modded Wii for repair (if mod chips are illegal where you live).
 
Funky Gibbon said:
Meh either way its not good news, removing the update from the game disk is probably beyond a lot of users.
What? If you are able to solder the modchip then removing the update before burning the disc is a snap

Funky Gibbon said:
Only running games from your own region defeats one of the main reasons for getting a mod chip.
It was only a possible way to avoid incorrect firmware updates. Not the best way mind you


Funky Gibbon said:
Also in most regions Nintendo will not repair a Wii that has been modded, in many countries it is illegal to install a mod chip. Read the following on the Nintendo website.

http://www.nintendo-europe.com/NOE/en/GB/news/article.do?elementId=wFyiZzHamq8m6dRdWzZcAs4tT9P7WyjS

Chances are that Nintendo may seek legal action against you if you send them a modded Wii for repair (if mod chips are illegal where you live).
The last quote is intended for shops offering premodified Wiis or installation service. I have second hand information from Wii owners in the UK who sent their Wii back for repair after the SPM update. The average cost was around 80$ US (at the current exchange rate).

Its obvious you are against any sort of modification.
 
ciper said:
What? If you are able to solder the modchip then removing the update before burning the disc is a snap


It was only a possible way to avoid incorrect firmware updates. Not the best way mind you

The core of what you are talking about is using pirated games, as you say its one possible way but not the best. As i have said its still a potentially risky thing to do, also you have to consider the legal aspect of using pirated games.

ciper said:
The last quote is intended for shops offering premodified Wiis or installation service. I have second hand information from Wii owners in the UK who sent their Wii back for repair after the SPM update. The average cost was around 80$ US (at the current exchange rate).

The quote is not intended for shops only it is also intended for individual wii owners. While the only court cases so far have been against mod chip distributers and shops that have modded the consoles themselves there is no reason why an individual could not be prosecuted under the same legislation, if they had carried out the chip instalation themselves.

Nintendo.com said:
People caught installing or selling mod chips may be subject to criminal charges.

Sending a modified console into Nintendo would be proof positive that you have participated in a criminal act, i.e that you have knowingly modified or had the console modified which is illegal in a lot of countries.

As for your second hand information that some owners have returned modified Wii's to Nintendo and had them subsequently repaired me thinks your having your leg pulled. Do you really beleive that Nintendo will repair a console that is able to circumvente all of the security protocols that they have put in place on the machine? We both know that the answer is no, frankly your delving into the realm of the ludicrous.

ciper said:
Its obvious you are against any sort of modification.

I am not against any form of modification, however i think it is important to remember some of the legal ramifications. It is also important to remember that the modification may render a console unusable and beyond repair.

Also there may be a nasty surprise in store for those who have modified consoles, when the Xbox first came out some owners had their consoles modified. There was at first no problem, then Microsoft changed the game and started scanning the consoles HDD, BIOS and security protocols when they came online. Microsoft were able to determine if a console was modified and subequently banned those consoles from online gameplay.

Nintendo arent currently doing this, however the technology to do so is in existance and there is no reason why they may not do so in the future. Also there is no reason to assume that future firmware updates will be compatable with a mod chip, you may find that a future firmware update will cause a modded console to brick (by the time you realise this it may be too late). You could of course choose not to download the firmware to get around this, however you might find that the firmware update is required for online so your console may not be able to use WiFi anymore.

Like i say its all about risk.
 
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