Nintendo-Scene

Over at HackMii, bushing has posted a brief article on the DSi. He has purchased one for himself, and hints at an attempt to dump the NAND. Similarities in the Wii and DSi system are already seen, such as in the use of TMD files for updates, etc.

While still in its infancy, a newly created wiki, DSiBrew, has been founded. If you have any information regarding the DSi software or hardware internals, bushing invites you to contribute!

From HackMii:

Nintendo recently began selling their next-generation handheld console, the Nintendo DSi. I picked one up on eBay from Japan, since they will not be available for sale here in the US until April.

Bunnie did the first real writeup of this thing, which was enough to encourage me to buy it. I, of course, took it apart and nearly broke the thing (blew a fuse) while trying to dump the flash on it; I didn’t succeed.

The reason this device is interesting to me is that the DSi seems to be to the DS what the Wii was to the GameCube. The DSi has two modes — a “native mode” and a “compatibility mode”. In the compatibility mode, the clock is slown down to half the speed and access to the new peripherals is disabled — sound familiar? In the native mode, you get a faster clock and more RAM — used to perform the real-time face recognition and image processing shown above — as well as an SD slot and two cameras (front and back-facing). The device boots up into a “System Menu” that is fairly reminiscent of the Wii.

Oh, did I mention that it has a Shop Channel where you can download apps, like Opera? And you can download firmware updates online? Hey, guess what — we can download firmware updates online!

The ticket and contents are downloadable in the same way. Unfortunately, they aren’t reusing the same common key, so we can’t actually disassemble anything (yet). Although they’re probably reusing much of the ES code from IOS, they probably fixed the blatant flaws that allowed us to rip the key and fakesign.

Now all we need is someone to step up to the plate and grab the new key! Then you can come and start filling in our new wiki.

Check out bushing’s HackMii post, or take an early glimpse at DSiBrew!

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MoonLight, the author of MoonShell and the M3 Sakura firmware, has released what he claims to be his final build of the Nintendo DS media player MoonShell. Depressed from bad treatment by M3, he has decided to quit DS development, leaving users with a final beta build.

From the (heavily translated) release notes:

I was promised many things over the phone with the company president, but they didn’t deliver. I was told that if I had anything to say, I should say it directly. So I’ll give it to you straight!

Yes! I created M3 Sakura! If you buy and use it, you can get firmware that plays commercial games! But I haven’t tried it myself! Yes, I know that it plays games! You would think that if I could create Sakura, I would at least know about that! Even if Sakura sells I won’t see a single yen of the profits…

I have decided to stop developing for the DS. For the longest time I’ve been putting up with crap, so there, I’ve said it directly…

Version 2.00 beta.5 - 2009/01/16

‘Skin format and language specification’ was decided.

The bug that SPC did not open was corrected. (Tone quality has decreased.)

The key operation was reviewed. The MP3 seek was changed to ‘L/R single + long’.

I added Russian area support. CP866 has not been mounted. CP1251 can be used.

Download: MoonShell 2 Beta 5

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With all of the advancements in hacking the Wii, new solderless solutions will be coming about. Flatmii which can be pre-ordered now and should be available shortly is a big step for the next evolution of Wii Modchips.

Although Flatmii will not allow you to play backups of your games from disk, it will allow you to connect to a PC through USB 2.0 to load ISOs from a Windows XP/Vista application.
Basic Features

* Plug and Play
* No Soldering Required
* USB 2.0 Port
* No DVD Drive/Media Required
* XP/Vista Compatible

Links
Official Site - Here
YouTube Video - Here
Mini FAQ - Here

The newest chip in developement goes 1 step further, WiiZii will allow you to boot backups from DVD or from a standalone SATA drive connected through a SATA adapter.
Information for WiiZii was obtained from TehSkeen

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HousePlant has put his NES PC console mod in the B/S/T forums. It is a miniature Windows XP computer put in a NES console case, and supports emulating several classic consoles. Several control inputs are available, such as using your original NES controllers, or syncing Wiimotes via Bluetooth.

From the forums:

I’m selling my NES PC. It’s a fully functional Windows XP computer built into the shell of an original 1980’s NES.

It can emulate near perfection:

Atari
Turbografx 16
Gameboy
Gameboy Advance
NES
SNES
Nintendo 64
Sega Master System
Sega Genesis
Sega CD
Sega 32x
Sega Gamegear
Neo Geo
Most Arcade Machines
Playstation 1

You can plug in NES controllers and use them with any game, sync a wiimote(or 15) and use it as a gamepad or pointer mouse along with all the accessories (guitar hero guitar, nunchuck, classic controller, etc…) all very easily. Or just use the good old fashioned keyboard and mouse combo.

It can be hooked up to any TV or Monitor through either D-sub, S-video, or RCA.
The power led, power button, and reset button all work just as they should.

For more information regarding the NES PC, check out the B/S/T forums!

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