There are Wii mod chips, and then there is the WODE Jukebox. Packing the ease and simplicity of the solderless modchips like the DriveKey with booting games from USB and SD devices such as hard drives, USB thumb drives, and SD cards, the WODE is easily our most exciting product of 2010. Also known as the W.O.D.E. which stands for Wii Optical Drive Emulator, the WODE is the first modchip with native hard drive / SD card support and is based off Linux for future upgradeability.
Story has it the developer’s of W.O.D.E. Jukebox where cruising in their car scrolling through all the music loaded onto their jukebox CD player when they realized that they should be able to do the exact same thing with their Wii videogame console. This is how the Wode Wii mod was born, now gamer’s like music lovers can load ahundreds of backup games onto a single harddrive and play these games without having to swap a single disc protecting their discs from scratches and DVD-ROM from wear and tear. The idea was simple and brilliant, but the execution even better.
At the heart of the W.O.D.E. is the vertical stand which houses the components that enable USB and SD card devices to be plugged straight into the WODE. The vertical stand also houses the LCD screen and joystick which allows W.O.D.E. users like mobile phone users to scroll through games, and settings. Also in the WODE’s menu is the “Flat Wode” option, this is where the WODE acts as a traditional modchip and can play backups, originals, and overseas (pre System Update 4.2 only) games from discs. Unfortunately like all Wii mods the WODE does not support disc backup discs for the new D3-2 drives (note: you may have a D3-2 if your Australian Wii has a serial number greater than LAH1162xxxxx) however no future modchips will either; and loading game from USB devices such as external hard drives still works perfectly on these later model Wii consoles making the WODE the perfect choice. Most important is the new Disc Ripping facilities that allow gamers to painlessly backup their game discs to USB devices via their Wiis.
Installation of the Wode is like all other solderless modchips (DriveKey, Sun Key) on the market and is simple requiring only cables to be clipped in and no soldering whatsoever. The only cable that leaves the confines of the Wii system is the data cable which plugs into the WODE vertical stand that fits through the gap of the Wii battery pack effortlessly and neatly.
Why WODE is better than Software-based solutions like USB Loader
The first reason why W.O.D.E. is the next-step in not only world of Wii modchips but also ISO loading is in its seamless, stealth operation. WODE stand for Wii Optical Drive Emulator which means even when an ISO is being loaded from hard drive; the Wii thinks a game disc is being loaded. This means that WODE is expected to be impossible to block by Nintendo without blocking the DVDROM drive itself (clearly not an option). Compare this to issues with USB Loader as new Nintendo updates completely remove the softmod, not to mention the increased possibility of bricking your Wii when you install USB Loader, the required CIOS, or update with a new Nintendo firmware.
The second reason is game-compatibility. The WODE supports all Wii and Gamecube games we have tested to date and is said to have perfect compatibility by its manufacturers. This is a huge step over USB Loader which has issues with various games including but not limited to New Super Mario Bros (BCA protection), Metroid Prime, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (dual layer), and more. This is not to mention that USB Loader doesn’t have any support for Gamecube titles whatsoever, the WODE however does.
WODE & and a bright Future
Some of the best features of the WODE are yet to come. The WODE team are respected members amongst the homebrew community and with an updateable kernel based upon Linux the sky is the limit. One feature the WODE team has already implemented is the ability to dump Wii games directly from the Wii DVDROM drive to a USB external hard disk or thumb drive. This is a great help in backing up Wii games as other methods are time consuming or expensive. The WODE team has also planned to release the option to load ISOs (games) via network a feature that would truly be convienent for those who wish to store ISO images (game images) on there PC.
Features
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Play Wii & Gamecube games from a USB external hard disk, USB thumb drive, or SD card at 8x speed read.
- Play Wii & Gamecube games from game disc including backup, original and overseas games at 3x speed read.
- A game ripping facility to rip all your Wii games.
- Supports all Wii consoles including D3-2 (LAH1162xxxx or later may not support booting of game discs), D3, D2E, D2C2, D2C, & D2B
- Perfect compatibility for troublesome games for USB Loaders including New Super Mario Bros., Metriod Prime, and Super Smash Bros Brawl.
- Easy to use LCD GUI controllable via joystick for loading games and settings.
- Easy to install – no solder required!
- Totally upgradeable kernel based on Linux – updates via an SD card.
- Plug n Play USB support, multiple USB devices may be connected with a USB hub.
- Drag and drop ISOs (game images) onto USB hard disks
- File systems supported NTFS, WBFS, EXT3FS, and HPFS
Package includes
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1x WODE vertical stand w/ USB / SD card slot, LCD Screen, & joystick.
- 1x WODE mainboard (wii mod)
- 1x WODE 32-pin data cable
- 1x WODE 32-pin data cable to connect mainboard to vertical stand
- 1x WODE power cable
- 1x WODE USB cable
Please note that to open your Wii console for modification or repair you require the
Wii Screwdriver Kit – Tri-Wing & Philips . The Tri-wing screwdriver is a proprietary screwdriver used only on a handful of electronic appliances such as the DS and the Wii.
