WiiKey

The WiiKey modchip

The WiiKey was announced at the beginning of February, 2007 and shipped at the end of the month. It is one of many modchips available for the Wii and acts as a firmware replacement funneled through the debug serial port - tricking the DVD drive into believing that the backup is in fact legit, much like current Xbox 360 chips do.

Specifications

As listed on the chip's official website:

Direct boot of Wii backups.
Direct boot of GC backups.
Direct boot of homebrew in GC mode.
Supports all currently available console/drive versions.
Supports D2B chipsets.
Sophisticated (true) update mechanism via DVD (future proof, expect cool features to come).
Direct boot of different NTSC region Wii games/backups on US and JAP consoles (some incompatibilities).
Partial support for NTSC region Wii games/backups on PAL consoles.
Partial support for PAL region Wii games/backups on NTSC consoles.
Boots different region GC games/backups (partially without swapping).
Supports multi-disc games for BOTH Wii and GameCube.
Supports DVD-R / true DVD R and RW support (no bitsetting required!).
Improved readsettings for recordable media.
Built-in audio fix (work in progress).
Supports fullsize 4GB discs for GameCube homebrew.
Stealth mode.
512 byte EEPROM to store configuration.
Quick-solder interface - no wires required.
Unique disc backup application via SD card.
Compact design, best quality components, rock solid high speed controller.
Professional ESD packing.
Recovery mode - Can recover from a bad flash.

Installation

Like its current competitors, the WiiKey is installed onto the Wii's drive either by quicksolder or using six wires. The chip can then be updated through the use of a Setup Disc which can be downloaded from the chip's website.

To open up the console, the following tools are required:

A small prying tool
A small phillips head screwdriver
A tri-wing driver

GBAtemp member crumpster has written an excellent guide to opening and soldering the Wii.

Diagrams
Setup Disc Images
Diagram showing where to solder pin 3 on the WiiKey for the D2B boards that are missing point 3 on the board.
Complete install guide thanks to Console Workshop for the new D2B models with the legs removed on the IC.

WiiKey Firmware Updates

The Wiikey team had released some WiiKey firmware updates. The patches are cumulative, so you need only to install the last version available.

The last version available: Firmware 1.99 Beta - 2010.05.29

This update fixes the 3X DVD issue and adds NSMB BCA support.

Older versions:

1.9S (PAL, US, JAP) - Firmware patched for Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008-04-12)
1.9G (PAL, US, JAP) - Firmware patched for Super Mario Galaxy (2007-11)
1.9B (PAL, US, JAP) - Firmware 1.9B (2007-09)

Clones

Due to it's popularity, the WiiKey has been subject to the form of clones. The manufacturer claims that "Cloned WiiKeys will not accept the official software updates." On the other hand, there aren't many complaints about clones not functioning with official updates. There is currently no official software upgrade that is incompatible with the clones; although their build quality might not be quite as superior as the originals, these clones function the same as the originals.To ensure that you're are purchasing a genuine WiiKey chip and not a clone, be sure to purchase your WiiKey only from vendors on the official resellers list.

To determine if a WiiKey is a clone, use the following guide:

Region Free Compatibility

As of writing, all region-free methods (whether it would be patching with a region-free application or, in the case of the WiiKey's built-in region-free capabilities) share the same method of patching. Therefore, all compatibility issues are the same. These methods are documented on the following page/s:

Wii Region Patcher Compatibility List

Problem with GameCube games that use streaming audio

Several users have encountered issues with GameCube games that utilize audio streaming. The issue stems from low-cost recordable media, be it that or original games. Source: ???

FAQ

Does the WiiKey support online features

Yes. The WiiKey does not modify the Wii's firmware. The WiiKey modifies the challenge responses that the DVD drive sends to the motherboard when verifying a disc's authenticity.

Does the system need any extra modifications after installing the WiiKey

No. You do not need to upgrade the firmware as the WiiKey comes shipped with the latest firmware on its microcontroller. What you should do (including clones), is use "Setup Disc v1.3" (available via download) to configure the chip to play games in the correct video mode etc. If your WiiKey is on an older firmware, it's recommended to upgrade to WiiKey v1.99.

Can GameCube homebrew games (in ISO9600 format) be burned onto regular-sized DVDs and booted on a chipped Wii

Yes. GameCube homebrew games and apps can burned onto DVDs. However, there are restrictions to this when using Wii System Firmware 3.0 or higher (see below).

Does Wii firmware 3.0 affect a WiiKey modded Wii unit?

For the moment, there seems to be no issue after updating to System Firmware 3.0 if you have a WiiKey installed. However, bear in mind that GameCube homebrew discs (including the WiiKey Setup Disc) require 'special patches' to function. The WiiKey had since released an updated version of their disc to accommodate for this.

Wii backups are not affected by this update.

What about the Wii Firmware update 4.2, does it affect a Wiikey modded Wii?

For the moment there seems to be no problem updating to Nintendo's Wii firmware 4.2 (using the safe updater in case you use Homebrew apps/channels) if you have a Wiikey installed.

It had been tested with WiiKey firmware 1.9S and the update to firmware 4.2 is working fine.
Later the Wiikey 1.99 beta was applied and the chip keep working fine with backups.

Can the WiiKey run burned Wii homebrew discs

Yes. Only on firmware 3.0 or below before the 'signing bug' was patched later in firmware 3.2.

External links