Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re a legacy fan of the original PlayStation, you know good and well that there’s nothing quite like an internationally unlocked mod-chipped gaming console. That’s what hackers have claimed to have developed in the way of the Wii U this week, and Nintendo has confirmed that they’re on the case. While the system itself has not yet been seen or detected playing illegal copies of games, it would appear that Nintendo’s ears are perked.

With the barrage of mod chips delivered over the long span of the original PlayStation’s lifetime, abilities ranging from complete inside-out turns of homebrew games to the allowance of Japanese-restricted games played on USA consoles has been seen. Here with the tip on the Wii U, hackers have claimed they’ve been able to reverse the console’s drive authentication, file system, disk encryption, and more.

That means, basically, that once this process they’ve inflicted has been unleashed, the Wii U will be unrestricted as far as illegally sources games goes. Just as the same group did with the original Wii, here with the Wii U they’ve claimed to break the security holding the system to store-bought games. Nintendo is not pleased, as they’ve shared in a statement with the press earlier today.

“Nintendo is aware that a hacking group claims to have compromised Wii U security; however, we have no reports of illegal Wii U games nor unauthorized applications playable on the system while in Wii U mode. Nintendo continuously monitors all threats to its products’ security and will use technology and will take the necessary legal steps to prevent the facilitation of piracy.” – Nintendo

The hack in question also suggests that it would allow users to play both Wii and Wii U games on the Wii U console without the use of disks. With this hack, users would be able to keep all of their games on a flash drive for easier carrying. Users speaking with SlashGear since the announcement of the WiikeU, the system created by this hacker group (Wiikey), have suggested that it’s this convenience they seek most, not necessarily the ability to play stolen games.

Let us know what you think about the situation! Also make sure you’re not breaking the law, folks- stay green!

UPDATE: Wiikey has responded to Nintendo with a few lines of code that they say Nintendo will understand. Have a peek at the image below and see if you’re the giggling type.

Nintendo confirms hacker claim for Wii U mod chip is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We think it’s safe to say considering how Nintendo’s Wii U has been performing lately, the world will be tuning into their E3 press conference this year in anticipation to hear what exactly they have planned to turn things around for the company. That was probably the plan for many gamers around the world, but it looks like they’ll have to look for their Nintendo information elsewhere as the company has announced they won’t be holding a press conference at this year’s E3.

The news came directly from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata during a financial results briefing earlier today, where he says instead of holding a presentation targeted at an international audience, the company plans to hold smaller events specifically directed to different regions. At this year’s E3, Nintendo will focus specifically on its software lineup for the U.S market as they attempt to introduce a new presentation style for this year’s show. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: PC, PS3 To Get Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 Uprising This May 16th, PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 Controller Gets Highlighted In New Video,

Bad news for those still rocking out on the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo has announced that they’ll be shutting down five Wii channels on June 28 in North America and Japan. Affected channels are Forecast, News, Everybody Votes, Check Mii Out, Digicam Print, and the Nintendo Channel, as well as the WiiConnect24 feature.

The only games that could end up being affected are those that take advantage of WiiConnect24, including games like Wii Music and Mario Kart Wii, which allow you to send messages and other game information to friends via WiiConnect24. Now that the service is being shut down, these games may end up being slightly less appealing.

For now, it just looks like that North America and Japan are affected by the retirement, but other regions of the world could see the same thing happen sooner or later. The Wii is over six years old, which is certainly a long time, but we’re not sure that’s old enough to warrant discontinuations of various Wii features just yet.

Of course, it makes sense in the end, because Nintendo has the Wii U to focus on, and whenever a company releases a new console, its predecessor usually falls by the wayside. However, the slow discontinuation of the original Wii will put more pressure on Nintendo to step up its game with the Wii U. Hopefully they can keep their new console relevant and up-to-date.

[via The Next Web]

Nintendo shutting down six Wii channels on June 28 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

No one disputes that the Wii is old, but old enough to retire? It seems so, at least in the case of a number of its internet services, which Nintendo has scheduled for closure on June 28th. An End of Life notice to Japanese customers reveals that a total of six channels will be put out to pasture, including News and Weather, as will the the ability for Wii Friends to exchange data over Wii Connect24. It’s not clear whether these terminations will apply globally, and in any case Nintendo explicitly says that other key services will continue for the time being, such as the Wii Shop Channel. Nevertheless, the latest iteration of the Wii — the Wii Mini — wasn’t able to connect to any internet services from the outset, so it certainly seems like the game company wants to shift its focus to the future — and maybe that isn’t such a bad idea. The source link has further details along with the obligatory “sorry to everyone” message.

Filed under: Gaming, Internet

Comments

Source: Nintendo (Japanese)

I’m worried about Nintendo. Yes, I know that I’ve told you here on SlashGear that I’m not the biggest fan of the Wii (or Wii U, for that matter) and I’m suspect of the value of Nintendo’s games library, but the company is still important to me.

See, Nintendo was to me, like so, so many others, the company that made us realize how much we loved gaming. We played the first Super Mario and were mesmerized. When The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was released, I must have completed it ten times in the first couple weeks. Nintendo and its hardware and its game library all hold a special place in my heart.

That’s why I’m worried. I think there are millions of people across the globe – including many in Japan – that have long-viewed Nintendo as the face of the gaming industry. When Nintendo succeeded, those folks believed that the game industry was doing just fine. And when Nintendo wasn’t doing so well, they questioned the value of status quo in the industry.

“The world is changing, they say, and traditional game companies are in trouble.”

When the Wii was flying high, there was a palpable sense that the games industry, despite some softening during the economic downturn, would be just fine. But now that the Wii U is turning out to be a bit of a loser, the beating drum of doubt over the traditional industry’s ability to hang tough against Microsoft and Sony is growing louder. The world is changing, they say, and traditional game companies are in trouble.

So, I need to pose a question: if Nintendo fails, will the traditional game industry go with it?

I can appreciate that Sony and Microsoft are trying to appeal to a different market segment with their products, which lends them to not worry so much that Nintendo is in trouble, but there’s something to be said for determining how the Mario maker’s decline is impacting the industry.

Unfortunately, I can see a scenario play out in which Nintendo starts to go into decline and the next thing you know, all hell breaks loose. A major game console maker has gone into a death spiral, the headlines would read, and now, like a domino effect, Microsoft, Sony, and major game developers are going down the tubes with it.

“More importantly, it could give way to companies like Valve and Apple.”

But perhaps I’m placing too much importance on Nintendo. Sure, the game company is huge and was always important, but perhaps it’s not what it used to be. Nintendo might be the world’s biggest console maker right now, but it might soon give way to Microsoft and Sony. More importantly, it could give way to companies like Valve and Apple.

The traditional game industry could very well be in a state of flux. Nintendo, its spiritual leader, seems to be falling to its knees. And unless it can be brought back up and returned to its former place of glory, I can’t help but wonder if new companies or mobile gaming in general might just put the final nail in its coffin.

I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.

If Nintendo Fails, Will the Traditional Game Industry Go With It? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.