195w ago - MediaMall is on the verge of announcing their Wii PlayOn beta, which has been in quiet testing for a while now.

What this means to you: For about $40, you'll be able to stream Hulu and Netflix to your Wii!

To quote: PlayOn's been around on the Xbox and PS3 since last year, as well as on all kinds of DLNA-compliant TVs--it's essentially a super-compatible Web interface for video services that don't work on certain platforms--and we knew it was headed Wii-ward from the start.

This is a step, and a sign that the service will actually materialize sometime soon, but it probably won't include a specific, formal release date.

• PlayOn support for Nintendo's Wii in Beta.
• This is the first time PlayOn is able to control the user interface (and we spent significant time designing it)
• It is available for a free 14-day full-featured trial at www.playon.tv; after that it is a one-time $39.99 fee to purchase a license
• It is the same software that supports the PS3 and XBOX360, so if you already have a license or active trial, it will work on your Wii as well
• PlayOn uses the "Internet Channel" on the Wii
• How it works: You can find the PlayOn Media Server(s) by opening the "Internet Channel"...

200w ago - Today crediar has released Freedom Public Beta 2 for the Nintendo Wii console.

Freedom REPLACES the system menu COMPLETLY, there is no way to access the system menu as long as Freedom is installed.

The installer requires and IOS with both the fakesign bug and the ES_DIVerify functions working. The installer will try to load the following IOS and will use the one that loaded for Freedom: 250, 249, 36, whatever IOS the installer got loaded with.

Download: Freedom Public Beta 2 for Wii

From the NFO File:

Freedom is a complete System menu replacement which currently has these features:

• Wii Disc loading (any region)
• GC Disc loading (any region)
• Channel loading (any region)
• WAD Importing
• WAD Exporting (Channel backup)
• Savefile exporting (no importing yet!)
• Changeable GFX
• Changeable button layout for Wiimote (Sideways/Normal)
• Following Controllers are supported: GC/Wiimote/Classic-Controller (All ports)
• Loading Covers for Games/Channels see cover section for an explantion how to use them
• Changing most SYSCONF settings
• USBloader support, press Right/Left to select a game

200w ago - Hermes has released a possible final version of uLoader, a usb loader for the Nintendo Wii that is based on Kwiirk's YAL and Waninkoko's Wii usbloader that tries to give support to both custom IOS (cIOS222 and cIOS249) to launch backups from USB mass storage devices with a graphical user interface similar to Wii channel interface.

Download: uLoader v2.7 for Wii

What's new?

• Support for SD and USB FAT/FAT32: Now you can use cheats codes and loads alternative .dol from the USB 2.0 device
(FAT partition is required)
• Added alternative dol loader (new method in 2.8!) for games as Red Steel and others (see readme.txt) , new error 002 patch and videomode autodetection patch (for PAL2NTSC, NTSC2PAL and NTSC2PAL60 (use F. PAL60 for this))
• You can load differents ehcmodule.elf from sd:/apps/uloader/
• Parental control added: by default the password is 00000 (the last 0 is the 'ENTER', so you can program as new password as XXXX0 ). You can change it from special menu pressing HOME. You can exits from the password box pressing B.
Parental control list the last 8 games launched with date/time, enables the password box and fix a new password. Now 00000 disables the Parental Control

201w ago - Version 4.1 of the System Menu for the Nintendo Wii was released on July 3rd, 2009 in Japan, and now it's available in America and Europe.

Apparently, there is a bugfix whereby if a VC/WiiWare game is played from SD, and then Wii Sports Resort is played, it forces you to watch the motionplus tutorial, although it was meant to be only watched once, on the first run.

Wiimpersonator log - what is "HCCJ"?

HCCJ is a japan exclusive channel. Someone else can explain what, I don't want to look through my logs.

Apparently named "Set Personal Data" from what I can see, and is a hidden channel.

Nothing has been broken with this update, bannerbomb works fine, using the hackmii installer to install the likes of the HBC is fine, so no need to worry.

201w ago - August first is just around the corner, and that day is when the Black Nintendo Wii launches in Japan.

Admit it, it looks sweet (pictured below). That blue light on the face of the console amidst the solid black makes it look ultra modern.

Even the packaging looks classy.

The Black version of the Wii lands in Japan on August 1st for ¥25,000 (US$ 258).

Thanks to Hero of Legend of NeoGAF (linked above) for the news.