Nintendo Releases Wii 4.2 Firmware Update

By Shane Jury 30.09.2009 35

Nintendo Releases Wii 4.2 Firmware Update on Nintendo gaming news, videos and discussion

From Nintendo's Wii Message regarding the update, sent just a few hours ago to worldwide Wii units, 4.2 does some improvements behind the scenes. For legit console users, this seems to mean that older game disks are running a little better, though this has yet to be verified.

But for those of us using the popular installed Homebrew Channel, it's a very different tale. Firmware Update 4.2 completely REMOVES the Channel, and all known installations regarding it, including the region-free player, the USB Loader, and even the DVD Player.

Needless to say, the homebrew community will eventually find a way around this, but this is certainly the biggest attack on potential Piracy yet by Nintendo.

Update

It seems that the update is also adversely affecting Wii owners without Homebrew as well. Many users have reported their consoles completely bricking during the installation process of 4.2. Technically it is because if 'boot2', one of the wii's bootloaders, encounters any errors during its update, like a loss of internet connection for example, it completely freezes, and doesn't allow the menu to appear upon switch-on.

Of course, this is of no consequence to those of us that have updated already, but to everyone else, be careful. Nintendo should address this soon, or at least have a truckload of consoles to repair.

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Marzeee is offline. Marzeee 29.09.2009#1

I won't be installing this, since I use the Homebrew Channel now. If it gave me something significant I'd think about it, but it's just a basic update.

( Edited 20.06.2013 04:06 by Guest )

 
Sonic_13 is offline. Sonic_13 29.09.2009#2

I am interested to know what (if any) beneficial changes there are to those of us who don't do any sort of homebrew. Unfortunately it usually very hard to tell, if there are any at all.

From what I've seen on various Wii Homebrew sites, there were a lot of behind-the-scenes changes made to really disable the popular homebrew apps and software.

( Edited 20.06.2013 04:06 by Guest )

 
welshwuff is offline. welshwuff 29.09.2009#3

I can understand Nintendo wanting to stop people being able to run iligal copys of games people put effort into, but there are so many other things its useful for its a real shame it not embrace it partly, or atleast reconise what wii owners WANT from their Wii, like a desent AVI playing media player or playing Lucus arts games like the original Monkey island with real point and click.

If Nintendo don't want people adding things they shouldnt to the console they bought and own, maybe Nintendo should actually add these kinds of features and not give people a reason to, desent media type support alone would make me not worry about loosing HBC for sure.

( Edited 20.06.2013 04:06 by Guest )

 
russraine is offline. russraine 29.09.2009#4

welshwuff said:
or playing Lucus arts games like the original Monkey island with real point and click.

This isn't a very good argument considering how many point and clicks are on Wii right now.

( Edited 20.06.2013 04:06 by Guest )

 
welshwuff is offline. welshwuff 29.09.2009#5

That isn't the point, thats like saying Nintendo doesn't need Okami because it has Zelda, regardless being similar, its still a good game. The point is that lucas art games and similar were great fun and the originals are just as mind bogling now as then, they've released the original (or a special edition version) on other consoles and steam, I'm just saying those kinds of games would fit and sell on Virtual Console, specially when you can litterally point and click now. This is something homebrew channel can do with Scumm, but it seems a big missed opitunity to not make such a match made in heaven official somehow.

( Edited 26.01.2013 00:21 by Guest )

 
JoshSL is offline. JoshSL 29.09.2009#6

My Homebrew Channel isn't actually working lately for some strange reason, but I do think I will get it to work again sometime so I'd best not update.

( Edited 28.12.2012 04:31 by Guest )

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Faust_D is offline. Faust_D 29.09.2009#7

Smilie

I have the Homebrew channel, but hardly use it so I'm not too bothered, but that's awesome! Smilie

( Edited 28.12.2012 04:31 by Guest )

~Getting on C3's massive tits since 2K5.~
 
LKR000 is offline. LKR000 29.09.2009#8

Had a feeling nintendo were gonna try a stop the homebrew eventually, no way am I installing the update.

( Edited 12.11.2012 14:08 by Guest )

Nintendo Network ID: LKR000               PSN: LKR000     
3DS: 1246-8696-120                              GT: LKR101
 
Ikana is offline. Ikana 29.09.2009#9

Hahahah. Won't be installing. I like my imports, thanks.

( Edited 12.11.2012 14:08 by Guest )

 
EdEN is offline. EdEN 29.09.2009#10

So, pretty much everyone here pirates games and hacks their Wii?

I'll install it as soon as I get home. I like supporting developers and actually acquire games in a legitimate manner...

( Edited 12.11.2012 14:08 by Guest )

 
JoshSL is offline. JoshSL 29.09.2009#11

EdEN said:
So, pretty much everyone here pirates games and hacks their Wii?

I'll install it as soon as I get home. I like supporting developers and actually acquire games in a legitimate manner...


You don't get it do you? Noone here has said anything about "piracy". Piracy and hacking are not synonymous, and the Homebrew Channel helps people get more out of their Wii.

For example, people with HBC can play games from regions without having to buy another Wii. Having to buy a Japanese Wii to play a game like Fatal Frame 4 is daytime robbery. Then there's DVD playback, something which should have been included in the Wii from the start has been unlocked by hackers, for free.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery
 
Ikana is offline. Ikana 29.09.2009#12

Yep, I've never pirated a Wii game. But I have 4 Japanese GameCube games, a Japanese Wii game and 2 US Wii games. Of those games, only one has been released in Europe. If Nintendo didn't region-lock their home consoles (and I can't understand why they do, when the PS3 and even Nintendo's handhelds are region free), then I know I wouldn't have bothered hacking in the first place.

 
JoshSL is offline. JoshSL 29.09.2009#13

And thanks to the Homebrew Channel I bought Super Smash Bros Brawl twice. >>

Of course if the Wii was region free like every other console on the market I would have almost 0 need for HBC.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery
 
Ikana is offline. Ikana 29.09.2009#14

SuperLink said:
And thanks to the Homebrew Channel I bought Super Smash Bros Brawl twice. >>

lol. I'm fine with my US version. I like my Pokémon without all caps, thanks. Smilie

 
Phoenom is offline. Phoenom 29.09.2009#15

Funny thing is, Nintendo have had ages to block the Homebrew community like this, yet they only get round to it now. I think the main reason for action now is because the concept (and possible piracy as a result) wasn't widely known to the gaming public before, at least until these dumbasses blabbed Smilie ;

 
E-Dracon is offline. E-Dracon 29.09.2009#16

actually, it seems the homebrew community WON'T be able to go around it, as there are no longer any "holes" in the system.

 
Ikana is offline. Ikana 29.09.2009#17

edracon said:
actually, it seems the homebrew community WON\'T be able to go around it, as there are no longer any \"holes\" in the system.

lol. Of course there are. There always are. I give the homebrew community 2 days.
In fact, homebrew can actually still be run on the Wii even after this update by using means other than the HBC.

( Edited 29.09.2009 23:31 by Ikana )

 
crackedthesky is offline. crackedthesky 30.09.2009#18

As someone who had Homebrew for a while, I'd say it's actually very overrated.
The DVD player, I couldn't get it to work half the time (it would start playing the movie, and then randomly stop a few seconds in for some movies, and the ones that did play, if I touched anything on the remote at all, including pause/scene skip etc, it crashed and my Wii froze.) There are emulators and stuff, but nothing you can't do on a home computer. I never had a reason to use any backup loaders and I don't have any discs from outside of my region... so, I guess, unless you're under certain circumstances, Homebrew is useless. If you do run into these issues, though, Homebrew can be a real life saver.
I think, overall, Homebrew is more fun for hackers than it is for simple users.
I'll download this as soon as I get my Wii back from my brother's friend.
If that ever happens.
Lol.

NNID: crackedthesky
My blog, mostly about writing: http://www.davidjlovato.com
 
E-Dracon is offline. E-Dracon 30.09.2009#19

Ikana said:
edracon said:
actually, it seems the homebrew community WON'T be able to go around it, as there are no longer any "holes" in the system.

lol. Of course there are. There always are. I give the homebrew community 2 days.
In fact, homebrew can actually still be run on the Wii even after this update by using means other than the HBC.


you're right, they already found something that may be a new hole, but of course they have to work on it.

 
L is offline. L 30.09.2009#20

My Wii is still on 3.2, man I'm behind.Smilie

 
Ikana is offline. Ikana 30.09.2009#21

justonesp00lturn said:
I don't have any discs from outside of my region...

Well then you're just not hardcore enough, ARE YOU?!


Smilie

 
crackedthesky is offline. crackedthesky 30.09.2009#22

Ikana said:
justonesp00lturn said:
I don't have any discs from outside of my region...

Well then you're just not hardcore enough, ARE YOU?!


Smilie

I guess not, haha.
No, I just haven't really found any games from outside of the region that I needed to buy.

NNID: crackedthesky
My blog, mostly about writing: http://www.davidjlovato.com
 
Stulaw is offline. Stulaw 30.09.2009#23

Just updated mine and it's all fine, infact, things seem to be loading a bit faster.

Follow Me on twitter :: @Stulaw90 || My Youtube || Backloggery
NNID: Stulaw
 
Faust_D is offline. Faust_D 30.09.2009#24

So this means,, That,,

Show Spoiler

,,

>,>

<,<

( Edited 30.09.2009 22:32 by Faust D. Stroyer )

~Getting on C3's massive tits since 2K5.~
 
PMD is offline. PMD 01.10.2009#25

I'll update mine because I don't have any need for the Homebrew Channel or Wii mods (live in US). But I'm slightly scared of it bricking since I have never been able to get the internet to consistently work (Wii's too far away from the router).

 

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