Good news, Wii fans! Nintendo has made the Wii Internet Channel available for free from now on! Yep, no more of that 500 Wii Points requirement (US$ 5). Free. Free. Free.

Penny Arcade has released a schedule of activities for this year's Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). If you're planning to go to the event, we recommend checking it out so you can plan out your own schedule in advance.

We posted an article one month ago that invited readers to do a little thought exercise. Here's what we said: "On the 5th of November we're going to post an article or two about video games, gadgets, technology, and general geekness ... the things about video gaming and technology that ought not be forgotten."

So here's our list of some video gaming and technology moments worth remembering. Hope this gets you thinking (and feeling nostalgic too!). And we look forward to your comments (and arguments). What do you remember and wish that the world will never forget?

We are uncertain if you've heard about this before but Hullbreach Online has finally reached the open beta testing phase today. This game is an MMORPG that can be accessed on the Nintendo Wii Internet Channel and anyone who has an Opera Desktop-enabled computer.

Hullbreach Online traces its roots to MS-DOS and programming language QBasic back in 1996. It is owned by Ambrosia Software but development never really pushed through until now. The game itself lets players take on the role of starship pilots on campaigns to explore space.

This particular MMORPG uses the canvas object that creates graphics at par with the SNES sporting the SuperFX Chip. The speed is faster than Adobe Flash not to mention that it utilizes JavaScript software library Wii Opera SDK for 3D graphics with texture-mapping, Wii Remote interaction, and multiuser communication.

The beta version of Hullbreach Online features around 500 sectors in space which contains various missions, surveys, and trades. According to the developers, the full version of the game will allow players to chat and trade with each other, battle, interact with NPCs, upgrade and purchase ships among others.

Our Read link below will take you to Hullbreach Online's official Wiki page where you can learn about the development progress.

A recently identified exploit in the Flash Player used by the Internet Channel of the Wii can be exploited to execute arbitrary code. This might just be the loophole that hackers have been waiting for to develop homebrew on the Wii.

The word on the street is that Nintendo has to pay to get an unaffected version of the Flash player from Adobe. Because of this, the security hole might not be patched as fast as the last one, giving hackers a little more time.

Some people have made it known that the rest of the homebrew community needs a way to run homebrew without having to rely on these slip-ups which could possibly be fixed in a new patch. While this is true, which company would actually support homebrews on their system since it has been known to be a gateway to piracy?

Thanks to zoople who sent in this tip!

A few days ago, Nintendo announced a contest for short films. There's already an entry on YouTube but... well, it's far from being a film.

Looks like the contestant got it all wrong and decided to just edit a few clips into a short video. He simply used different images and video clips found online to patch something up worth a bit more than three minutes. The clips cover much of the series, missing only a few installments. While she may have gotten the wrong idea, we can give her props for being passionate about Zelda.

Some informative messages also appear on screen, but they could be misleading with all the mistakes. Transitions were done well, music wasn't bad, but the overall look could've used more work. The most obvious flaws are the plain texts with plenty of typos. This would've been pretty good if it was Adobe Premiere's tech demo or something of that sort.

You decide. Will this entry get a spot in Ninty's contest?

Over at The Pensive Gamer, there's a newbie-friendly article that simply discusses the potential of mass-market homebrew for the Wii. That article raised a lot of interesting points, so we made this article as a response, throwing in our take on the matter.

As you will see, one argument for Wii homebrew centers around Opera, the cross-platform web browser. But we have to remember that there are other avenues for Wii homebrew, too. (The Internet Channel, the Wii's version of the Opera browser, is currently in the free beta phase. You can download the browser and try it for free.)

This article you're reading now is the short version. To read the full version, click on the "Full Article" link below. We'll cover the following points:

• Web-based games for Wii owners to visit using Opera is something the average Adobe Flash hobbyist can get into. Now!
• The future is not so bright for mass-market downloadable homebrew applications.
• Is security is an issue?
  

Conclusion: Wii homebrew is a reality. Here's our conclusion (you can read The Pensive Gamer if you want to see their conclusion). We have this outline of what's happening and what will eventually happen. See if you agree or disagree.

• Web-based homebrew makers. Web-based Flash and JavaScript homebrew games are already a reality... (Continued in the Full Article.)
• No official support? Based on the lack of homebrew-friendly statements from Nintendo, it looks like Nintendo won't be supporting mass-market homebrew sharing or swapping via the Wii... (Continued in the Full Article.)
• Hacks and exploits. Finally, people will continue to push GameCube homebrew on the Wii. They will make modchips that allow GameCube homebrew and copied (and pirated) games to play. They will look for more hacks and exploits. Because the only things we can be sure of are death, taxes, and homebrew.

Read our full article after the Jump. Click on the "Full Article" link below and see if you agree or disagree with our points.

What is it with television shows and publications removing the E's from their words to make themselves hip? There's Punk'd, and... and... actually, that's pretty much it.

Playd Magazine is another piece of media out there with a missing vowel, but unlike Punk'd, it's got the power to make you think. It's a e-zine that covers the many different branches of gaming, with news, interviews and articles to get you in the mood to play. With their fourth issue, they want you to remember the now-defunct (but not necessarily dead) console: the Sega Dreamcast.

In addition to their Sega Dreamcast retrospective, they've also come up with previews for some upcoming multiplatform games such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Army of Two and the Wii Sports which is headed for Nintendo's next-gen console. There's even a special on Akihabara, which is Japan's well-known tech district and haven for all otaku refugees.

Their mag is in PDF format, so you can view it on any computer that reads Adobe's format. Of course, if you've got yourself a tweak of some sort for your PSP, then you could also try seeing it there. They come out with a new issue every two months, so you've got time before the next one comes out. Just head on over to their site and enjoy!