Homebrew coders Scip, Rodries and the rest of the MPlayer CE team has released a new update for the excellent Wiibrew media player application based on MPlayerWii and GeeXboX. The latest update of MPlayer CE is quite a hefty one with lots of new and improved features.


Download: MPlayer CE v0.71

A new update for MPlayer CE, a Wiibrew media player app based on MPlayerWii and GeeXboX, has been released today courtesy of the MPlayer CE team. The new update has fixed the USB Adaptor problem, improved cIOS and added a lot of small bug fixes.


Download: MPlayer CE v0.62

Konami handed out a lot of details and images for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories this week, brightening up the Wii scene with dark, bloody goodness. More good gaming news came in with Wii Sports Resort, with the title expecting to come out a month earlier. Also check out the DSi ad, and say hi to the "other" DS that we caught whiff of earlier this week. Check out all that and more in this week's recap.

CashMan has updated his Channel File Manager app to beta 4. In case you haven't come across this homebrew Wii app before, Channel File Manager is a hybrid of WAD Manager 1.3 and AnyTitle Deleter that lets you manage the Channels on your Nintendo Wii console. This release features added support for SDHC and USB 2.0 along with a new system for loading custom IOS files.


Download: Channel File Manager 2.0 Beta 4

Wii homebrew devs Scip, Rodries, and the rest of the MPlayer gang have released a new update for MPlayer, a homebrew solution for those who want to turn their Nintendo Wii into a media player. This release adds support for both USB 2.0 and TrueType fonts. It also features a bunch of bugfixes, including one that has resulted in smoother DVD playback. Hit the full article for more details.

Download: MPlayer CE v0.4
Download: MPlayer CE v0.4 widescreen

WiiND is a basically a NAND Dumper for the Wii, hence the name. This app could also serve as an extractor, NAND-key & Cmmon-key dumper. More details inside.


Download: WiiND v2.0

Target has recently released a new gift card as part of their promotions for the upcoming release of Speed Racer for the Wii. Most interesting about this gift card, however, is that it also carries a game cheat. More details on this are available in the full article.

EFFBEE from the Nintendo forums has informed the community that there is a working USB-Ethernet adapter for the Wii. Nintendo launched the Wii without the Ethernet capabilities built-in, and as a result are releasing an adapter in the near future. Unlike the Xbox 360 where the Ethernet came built in, and wireless must be added, the Wii came with wireless built-in. For those still living in the old age of non-wireless routers, this product is for you!

This adapter is the Kinmax NT-USB20 USB 2.0 to RJ45 Fast Ethernet 10/100 Base-T Network Adapter, which can be purchased at Newegg. It's only 25$ (with shipping), so it's a steal! There have been two videos confirming this product, one of which shows it from start to finish (inserting product into Wii, connecting Ethernet cables, etc). Watch the video below (thanks VoltorbEX for the video!)

Wii, the name of Nintendo's upcoming next gen-console. Measuring 44 mm wide, 157 mm tall and 215.4 mm deep in vertical orientation without the stand, Wii is Nintendo's smallest home game console yet. Coined before as "Revolution", Nintendo decided to change the name to "Wii", as "Wii sounds like 'we', which emphasizes that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii."

These images of Wii may give you an idea of what to expect. Wii has a slot-loading media drive and although it isn't shown here in the images, it is illuminated by a blue light. It accepts 12 cm optical discs for Wii software and 8 cm discs from the Nintendo GameCube. One the images below features four Nintendo GameCube controller ports and two Nintendo GameCube memory card ports.

The console is compatible with optional USB 2.0 Ethernet LAN adaptor. It also has one SD memory card slot, two USB 2.0 ports, and one Sensor Bar port. Wii can support up to four Wii Remote controllers via Bluetooth wireless connection, so that means more than one person can enjoy a good game. These are just peripheral capabilities of the Wii which we can see in the images.

Let's tackle briefly the facts of what's inside Wii. How about its processor? Its CPU boasts of PowerPC based processor codenamed "Broadway" made with a 90 nm SOI CMOS process, while its GPU utilizes ATI "Hollywood" made with a 90 nm CMOS process. In short, it is very powerful despite its size.

It has a massive memory, thanks to the 1T-SRAM, which combines the high speed of SRAM with the high bit-density and lower-power consumption of embedded DRAM. The audio supports Dolby Pro Logic II and the video provides up to 480p of breathtaking pictures with vivid colors and superb details.

Please be reminded that these are not the final details of the retail consoles. But we guess, looking at it, its no wonder that Wii is one of the most anticipated products to be released this year.

Check out more of the images:

 

We got a copy of the official factsheet for the Wii console just now, and the factsheet runs down all the necessary stuff you'll need to know about the console, including the specs, CPU, and GPU. Let's get down to business, shall we?

As already mentioned in our NewYork updates article, the Wii is set to launch on the 19th of November for the price of $249.99. The console will come in just one color...white. The console measures 8.5" long, 6" wide, and less than two inches thick (157mm x 215.4mm x 44mm). The overall look of the Wii is that of a compact design that can be displayed vertically or horizontally, and looks like your ordinary tv setup add-on.

Channels, Media, and Communication: The Wii Channel Menu will be your main gateway for interactive multimedia, entertainment and communication functions, the latter of which can operate even when the console is turned off. Thanks to the WiiConnect24 service, the system updates itself even when in an idle state. Wireless connectivity options include IEEE802.11 and USB 2.0 LAN adaptor. The Wii is also compatible with the DS for wireless communication. A single self-loading media bay can play both single or double-layered optical discs, as well as 8cm Nintendo GameCube discs.

Controls: Up to four motion-sensing Wiimotes can be simultaneously connected via Bluetooth technology, and the wireless signal is detectable within 10 meters of the console. The Wii Remote controller includes rumble feature, a speaker, expansion port, and can be used as a pointer within 5 meters of the screen. Buttons on the Wiimote are: power switch, plus pad, A & B, Minus, Home, 1 and 2. The Nunchuk controller has an analog control stick as well as C and Z buttons. Both controllers have a three-axis motion sensor.

Virtual Console: The Wii will have access to titles originally released for N64, SNES, and NES. The virtual console will also have  a selection of Sega Genesis titles as well as games from the Turbo Grafx16 console.
Specs: 512MB internal flash memory, two USB 2.0 ports, built-in WiFi capability, SD memory card slot
GPU and CPU: PowerPC CPU (aka Broadway) made with 90nm SOI CMOS process, and is developed and manufactured by IBM. The Graphics Processing Unit is being developed with ATI.

Other features include 4 ports for Nintendo GameCube controllers, two slots for NGC memory cards, AV multi-output port for component, composite, or S-video. Let us know if there's anything else you need to know that we haven't covered, or keep checking back with us for more updates.