Wode - The Wii Hard Drive USB loader via hardware = no fuss, no compatibility issues, no bricking consoles!

Intro/Background:

Wii Modchips have been around for a while now, with the first modchip being released just 3 months after the Wii Consoles official launch. Nintendo has continued to block out modchips with new hardware revisions, and the hacking teams have always been able to adapt their modchips to these new drives. Even though we have stocked 15~20 types of modchips, the features of the modchips have always remained very similar. With a mod chip on the Wii console, you are able to play games you backup, and a certain number of games from other regions. It wasn't until June 2009 when the FlatMii team announced a massive breakthrough. They were able to emulate a DVD drive inside a modchip, and you could load ISOs from your computer. They failed to capitilize on the Wii market because the product needed you to have a PC next to your Wiii all the time!

WODE = Wii Optical Drive Emulator

One of the developers of WODE was sitting in an Audi, and was playing around with the "JukeBox" function of his CD player. His Audi allows him to insert an original music disc, and have the CD player rip the music to a hard drive in the car. He thought to himself, if i can legally do this in my Audi, why can't we do this with the Wii? Why can't we have a "JukeBox" style Wii modchip that allows you to rip games to a USB Hard Drive! You can put all your wii games onto 1 harddrive, plug it into the modchip, and keep your originals in mint condition. This was in September 2008! They have managed to keep their project secret until recently, when they unleashed the news onto the world.

 Promo Video - An early pre-release test unit we have

WODE, how does this modchip work?

The Wii WODE modchip is packaged like the original docking station of the Wii. Which means the end product is nice and clean, and it looks like an enhancement, rather than minimizing the sleek look of the Wii. The product has an inbuilt LCD screen for scrolling through all of your games. You navigate the menu of the WODE through by using a little joystick, which is similar to what you would find in most Nokia phones.

2 Modes, 1 Modchip

The WODE modchip has 2 modes. WODE mode, and "Flat Mod" mode. The Flat Mod mode is the same as modchips like the Drivekey and WasabiDX. It will allow you to play backups of games in DVD format on all compatible drives (DMS to D3 version 1). Since the WODE modchip is emulating a DVD drive, it should never be able to be blocked. Logic states that if they block the WODE in WODE mode, they would block out an original DVD drive from working!

Wii DVD Drive Type	DVD Backup Loading	WODE ISO Loading
DMS
D2A
D2B (including cut pin)
D2C
D2C-2
D2E (including epoxy)
D3
D3-2
Any future DVD drives

Feature List

• Play Wii & GameCube game ISOs direct from USB Mass Storage devices @8X read speed (HDD and FLASH drive)
• Complete Solder free install solution
• Easy to use GUI - LCD & Joystick - NO homebrew software required (no any update of console can block this device)
• Region hack (works on wiis with firmware 4.1 and lower), Update blocker, Autoboot.
• Passthrough with FLAT-MOD mode built-in, play your DVD-R Wii & GC backups and Imports @3X read speed (doesn't work on D3 version 2+ drives)
• Powerful ARM9 MCU
• Totally Flexible Linux Kernel
• USB hub support for multiple USB devices connection
• Great File System support - use existing WBFS formatted media or 'drag and drop' ISOs to existing USB devices
  • NTFS
  • WBFS
  • EXT3FS
  • HPFS
• The ability to plug as many harddrives as you want (via a USB Hub)

Future updates will bring more cool features:

• Disc ripping to WBFS
• USB WiFi & SAMBA streaming

Comes with:

Official package includes:

• 1 x WODE Main Board to install inside Wii case. A "flat mod" style modchip
• 1 x 32pins flat cable to connect wode to Wii dvd drive
• 1 x 32pins flat cable to connect WODE Main-Board to external WODE Vertical Stand (the orange is just a render, the final product will probably be white or black)
• 1 x USB power cable
• 1 x Wii Special Vertical stand that include inside WODE Slave Board with LCD screen, USB connector, SD/SDHC CARD slot and navigation-Joystick (Colour may vary)

Hardware Specs for the nerds:

• ACTEL A3P125 FPGA (manage bridge to Wii drive data bus)
• MCU NXP LPC3143 - 270 MHz, 32-bit ARM926EJ-S - 128AES security
• 512 SDRAM DDR
• 4Mbyte SPI flash (the firmware of WODE)
• SD CARD SLOT (used like drive C: for linux and extra addons)
• USB 2.0 support
• LCD 128x64 pixels w/ backlight

Why WODE is the ultimate product for the Wii.

WODE is based off linux, which means its expandable. The firmware of the product can be upgraded easily via an SD card. You drag the firmware on an SD card, put it in the SD card slot on the WODE, and turn the WODE on.

Because WODE is based on Linux, there are an insane amount of applications that are already developed that just need to be tweaked for WODE hardware. One idea which is being developed for future release is the ability to load ISOs via WiFi. Instead of plugging in a HDD, you plug in a USB wifi module, set up an APACHE server on your computer and via SAMBA load your ISO file. Of course, this is only for all the hardcore customers out there, if you don't know what APACHE means, just stick to loading via HDD.

We can tell that this product is going to be THE product of 2010, and we are putting all of our support behind it.

WODE FAQ

Q: I have a modchip soldered in already, will WODE still work
A: Yes. WODE is a 2 in 1. You can disable the "flatmod" version and keep using your modchip.

Q: I have a solderless modchip installed (Drivekey, wasabiDX etc), will WODE still work?
A: Yes, it should. Since you have a solderless modchip though, you can probably take it out and sell it /give it to a friend. It will no longer be needed as the WODE has inbuilt flatmod

Q: My DVD drive is faulty, my laser is weak etc. Will WODE still work?
A: WODE is a total drive emulator. So you don't even need your DVD drive plugged in! However with cool features like disc ripping, you will need a working DVD drive.

Q: If I preorder WODE via credit card, will my card be charged right away, or when stock ships?
A: Right away. Sorry, when stock comes in, we will be getting it out the door the same day. It is a lot easier for us to run the store this way.

Q: If I remove the WODE, is my wii returned back to its original state?
A: Yes, like all solderless modchips, there are no modifications made to your wii software at all

Q: Can I still go online with WODE? Will my games still save properly?
A: Yes and Yes. Your Wii will act as normal, your Wii will not know that WODE is installed.

Q: Can you give me more information on the WODE JukeBox team, and is this product legal?
A: The WODE team is a mixture of a bunch of old school hackers. They are based in Europe, but all WODE units are made in china (to keep costs down).The official website is www.wodejukebox.com. To quote the WODE website "WODE is legal, allows you to take the most of your playground without BYPASSING DRM PROTECTION, it emulates in every way a DVD player including the DRM function which is not being bypassed in anyway!
Unlike VIDEOGAMES WODE behaves differently, WODE is a bridge interface between the data bus for WII DVD DRIVE and LINUX nothing more. "

Q: How easy is it to install? I have never modified a console before!
A: Open your console using our guide then do the following :

1. Detach your Wii DVD drive Power, and data ribbon if you have not done so
2. Plug in the Data ribbon coming from the Wii to the WODE board connecter "Wii"
3. Plug in the power cord coming from the Wii to the WODE connecter "Wii_Power" (make sure you do it the right way!)
4. Plug the supplied data ribbon into the WODE connector "DVD", and then plug the other end into the Wii DVD drive
5. Plug the supplied power cable into the WODE conector "DVD_Power" and then plug the other end into the Wii DVD drive
6. Lastely, plug the long DVD ribon cable (that comes from the WODE vertical stand) into the "Slave" on the WODE
7. Now cover the WODE with the supplied sticker, so that when you put the Wii DVD drive on top it is not exposed

How to test WODE

1. Put your Wii drive back on
2. Screw down those 4 screws that hold te DVD drive in place
3. Connect the WODE to the back of the WII (usb power)
4. you can turn your wii on from here, and test to see if the WODE powers up
5. plug in your HDD, and test a game out. If it works, its time to close the wii!