Latest Wii Firmware Update Kills Hack and Homebrew

The latest Wii Firmware update, version 3.3 is cracking down on unauthorized code, from region-free gaming to homebrew hacks. The latest update for the console , disables the Freeloader, an unauthorized Wii add-on disc that lets any Wii console play games from any region.

Owners of Datel’s popular Wii Freeloader software woke up this morning to find their ability to play region-independent games stripped away as part of Nintendo’s software update. According to many firsthand accounts coming through now to Kotaku, installing firmware 3.3 cripples Freeloader’s ability to ignore or bypass region encoding, meaning that savvy gamers who have been getting around Nintendo’s seemingly subjective software delays by importing their games from overseas are now out of luck.

Homebrew Wii development also takes a hit in the 3.3 update. Nintendo has fixed a well-known software exploit which had previously allowed tech-savvy users to hack into the Wii’s software and run their own programs using a saved game file from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

As reported on Joystiq, the fine print of the 3.3 EULA now states that “Beacuse unauthorized modifications to save files may impair game play or the Wii Console” the update will now “check for and automatically remove such save files” effectively sinking an entire cottage industry based around the Twilight Princess hack.

However, it seems that those users who had previously downloaded and installed the Wii homebrew channel prior to the 3.3 update are still able to get their programs working via that method, though for how long is anybody’s guess.