Wii Glossary

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A

Alpha

A term given to software very early in development, before it becomes a beta form (See Beta).

B

Backup

A loose term used to describe a ROM/ISO that has been extracted from the original cartridge/disc into a single data file on a personal computer for personal use or archival, or the method for doing so. This can be done using various methods depending on what system the cartridge/disc is for. Also known as "dumping/ripping".

Backup launcher

A program for the wii that is able to launch backups, by using a cIOS (See 'cIOS)

Ban

Refers to when a particular user has been blocked from visiting, viewing and posting on the forum. The "ban" can be set on the users username, e-mail addresses and even their IP addresses. (Also applies to IRC.). People can be banned from Nintendo's servers if they use cheat codes online.

Beta

A software that is incomplete, in development or not in its final form. Beta software may contain many known bugs (See Bug).

Bot

An automated software client that can idle in an IRC channel and constantly monitor and manage the channel.

Bug

An accidental mistake made in the programming of a piece of software (i.e. a video game), that may cause undesired operation or produce errors or worse. A bug can often be fixed or resolved by applying a patch (see Patch).

Bad dump

A game that has been dumped (See Dump) incorrectly, which may cause it to produce errors during execution or may stop it from working as it should. 'Bad Dumps' almost always require the original game to be dumped again properly to produce a good ISO.

C

Clean Dump

A game dump that has not been modified from its original form.

cIOS

A custom version of an IOS (See IOS), that allows the wii to run fakesigned (unofficial) content (like backups).

Crash

A unexpected fault (bug (See Bug)) in a software that will cause it to halt immediately. A crashed piece of software can not be recovered and must be re-started.

Crack

An unofficial patch (See Patch) released by an individual or group which is meant to be applied to a piece of software to remove certain restrictions, features or anti-piracy (See 'Piracy') techniques, for example, a time restriction on an official demo piece of software.

D

Demo

A trial version of a software or game usually released by the developers of the software for promotional purposes. Demo software almost always has restrictions such as a time limit, lack of features or the inability to perform certain functions.

Dump

Synonym of ROM (See ROM). The term "dumping" is a method of backing up an original cartridge to a PC. (See Backup).

E

Emulator

A program for the computer that allows ROMs to be played on the computer. It "emulates" a system.

F

Firmware

The code that a device runs from. A device which allows for firmware upgrades means that a new version of the device doesn't need to be bought to get new features.

Flash Memory

Storage space that is stored on a chip instead of a disk that must be read like a harddrive. Contains no moving parts. Can be used either as internal memory like the DS, or can be used as a portable storage device like thumb drives or SD cards.

G

GameCube

A console made by nintendo that is shaped like a Cube. Unfortunately it wasn't very popular (but still loved by many).

GC

See GameCube.

Good dump

A good ISO file that works on backup loaders.

GUI

Acronym for "Graphical User Interface". Basically means there is more than text on the screen.

H

Hack

Modification of a file or a system.

Homebrew

a homebrew game is a game developped by hobby programmers. Read more.

Homebrew channel

Can be installed on the Nintendo Wii to launch Homebrew.

I

IOS

Input/Output System. These run on the Nintendo Wii and have various tasks.

L

LAN

Acronym for "Local Area Network". Connects a small, local areas together.

M

Micro SD

An even smaller version of the SD card. About half the size of a mini SD and about a quarter of the size of a normal SD card. Can hold just as much data as a normal SD card.

Mini SD

A smaller version of the SD card. About half the size of a normal SD card. Can hold just as much data as a normal SD card.

N

NFO

NFO, an abbreviation of "info". "NFO" files are ASCII (See ASCII) text files with the filename extension ".nfo". These are commonly found alongside pirate (See Piracy) software releases by individuals or groups. They contain information about the release and other useful and useless information.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

The Nintendo Wii and DS use Nintendo Wifi connection to connect to the internet. It is mainly used for online multiplayer and web browsing.

O

Opera

A brand of Web Browser. The DS and Wii Web Browsers are powered by Opera.

P

Patch

When a large program is released that has a bug, a patch is usually released instead of having the user download the whole program again. The patch is then applied to the existing data and fixes the bug.

Piracy

The act of illegally acquiring copyrighted materials, by downloading it from the internet without permission of the author.

Pirate

One who engages in piracy.

R

Release Group

A group that releases ROMs on the internet. A group is given credit to a ROM when they release it.

ROM

Acronym of "Read-only memory". A ROM is a piece of flash memory that contains permanently stored data that cannot be added to, modified or removed. The term ROM is also used to describe a ROM from, for example a game cartridge that has been extracted and backed up to a single file on a PC. ROMs are used by Emulators.

S

Scrubbed

A scrubbed ISO only has the Game partition, all/some other data (like the update) are removed.

SD Card

Acronym for Secure Digital cards. It is a flash memory card format used in portable devices, including digital cameras and handheld computers. Read more.

U

USB

Acronym for "Universal Serial Bus". A connection interface that is now the most common used amongst external computer peripherals, including MP3 players, external hard drives, keyboards and mice. USB is widely used because of its simple connection, easy to use socket, its data transfer speeds and its "plug 'n' play" reliability. Many GBA flash kits use USB.

USB Loader

A program for the Wii that can load backups from a USB device. A cIOS with USB2.0 support is needed.

V

Virtual Console (VC)

A service on the Nintendo Wii offering you to download old console games to be played from their own channel in the Wii Menu.

Virtual Console (VC) Inject

A method of playing ROMs on the Wii by injecting them into Nintendo's official emulator used for Virtual Console.

vWii

The term for the Wii backwards compatibility mode on the Wii U. Not to be confused with the actual "Wii" name.

W

Wi-Fi

Short for "Wireless fidelity". Wi-Fi is a type of wireless LAN (see LAN). This makes it possible for a Wi-Fi enabled device, such as the Nintendo DS, to access an internet connection shared via a wireless LAN without any additional wires or connections. See also: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

WFC

See Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Wii

Nintendo's newest console. The name is derived of the English word 'We', symbolizing the fact that the console is meant to be used by everyone.