Yes, yes, these days the Wii isn't as useful as we'd hoped. As useful as it could be. Unless, that is, you're running the Homebrew channel. Here's how you install it.
Previously, you needed a copy of Twilight Princess to get this working, but with a recent system update, Nintendo closed that loophole. Not to worry. A new one has come along!
Lifehacker have a handy guide up showing you how to install the Homebrew Channel using this new exploit, and reckon from start to finish it should take you around 10 minutes. ALl you'll need are a Wii, an SD card formatted to FAT, a copy of a file called bannerbomb and the HackMii installer.
It doesn't look too complicated (there's even pictures!), but if you're a total novice - or the kind of person who truly values their Wii's warranty - you may want to give it a miss.
Those wondering what the Homebrew Channel actually does, well, it'll let you do things like:
- play homebrew games
- backup all your Wii games to a HDD
- play games via emulator
- play backup copies of your own games without the need for a modchip
Hack Your Wii for Homebrew without Twilight Princess [Lifehacker]