In a recalcitrant mood and feel like voiding your warranty? Just can’t find a $20 DVD player? Then modding your Wii to play DVDs just might be a good project for you.

Team Symbiote has released DVD player software for Nintendo Wii game consoles with mod chips. Its so simple: Just chip your Wii, burn the software onto a disc, boot Wii with said disk, and then replace the disc with the DVD you’ve just been dying to see. You don’t even have to pat your head or rub your tummy while doing it. Who needs the simplicity of a front loading DVD player? You’ve got a modded Wii!

The web reaction ranges from “why bother!?!” to “wow, finally!!”, though they seem to lean more toward the “why bother?” camp. Anton Shilov, from X-bit labs said:

Even though the release of DVD software…seems to be interesting, it hardly has a lot of value for the general public. Nintendo Wii is mostly aimed at novice gamers, who do not install the so-called mod chips into their gaming machines, which means that the program from Symbiote will be used by a bunch of hardcore enthusiasts only.

The evils of modding aside, the release of this software has a good side because it does show that DVD playback on a current Wii is only a software update away. Since Nintendo has plans to do this legitimately, waiting until later this year is probably the best idea. You can always rip movies to an SD card and play them on your Wii in the meantime.

Related:

Cruis’n proves graphics do matter on the Nintendo Wii

Halo 3 leaked online for modded Xbox 360

Xbox 360 power supply responsible for house fire

Xbox 360 boss lashes out against Wii: it can’t play DVDs

Sony PS3 2.2 update available but lacks PSP "portable copy"

Entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 10:03 am under Wii.

Read more entries by Ema Kwiatkowski.
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