Free Wii Fit DVDs at GameStop

Curious about the ongoing Wii Fit phenomenon? Then you might want to head on over to your nearest GameStop branch, as they seem to be offering free Wii Fit DVDs to anyone that stops by.

And before you ask, no, you don't have to purchase anything - just snap one up and pop them in your own DVD player, to see a short preview about the game and how it helps to get your body a-movin'. Definitely a great way to inform the non-gaming population about Wii Fit, eh?

We can only hope that Nintendo will continue to do more of these in the near future, and not just previews but also demos. Updates as we get them.

[Via GoNintendo]

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Wii Homebrew Launcher

Tired of duplicate channels appearing from your Nintendo Wii main menu when you run homebrew? Coder hell_hibou has a remedy with Wii Homebrew Loader. Having the same interface as the Wii main menu, this application loads ELF files (the stuff which homebrew's made of) from the front SD card slot into the Wii.

As far as aesthetics go, the Wii Homebrew Loader has a different approach as it allows you to customize the names of each homebrew title. That's some personalized touch there. Since the Wii Homebrew Loader is useless without any homebrew at all, developer hell_hibou gathered some existing Wii homebrews over at the via link.

You can download homebrew developer hell_hibou's Wii Homebrew Launcher below. Make sure you know what you're doing though; you can visit the dev's page for important notes and instructions.

Download: Wii Homebrew Launcher

[Via wiihomebrew]

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WiiKey: Firmware update v1.9s

If you're among the Wii owners here who run their console on the WiiKey modchip, you may want to listen in. The WiiKey dev team has announced the release of their modchip's Firmware Update 1.9, which should now be available for download for the community.

Among other updates, this new build will address an issue that kept original copies of Super Smash Bros. Brawl from running properly on the Wii. As for the full list of changes:

Bugs fixed

• Issue with original Super Smash Bros. Brawl discs not working fixed
• It should now not be possible to render the chip inoperable by using patched config discs

New features

• DVD update blocker: A new config option to block system updates from DVD. This prevents the Wii from loading a system update for another region
• Dev Mode: Remaps drive debug commands from 0xFx to 0x2x

The download for WiiKey firmware 1.9s is available over at the official modchip via the source link below. Just remember to grab the file corresponding to your Wii's region coding (US, Japan, Europe), and you'll be fine.

[Via WiiKey]

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Mario Kart Wii and Mii

We've now got word on how you can use your Mii in Mario Kart online. It's also confirmed that as speculated the game features 32 tracks (16 new, 16 remakes), which include new courses "Mario Circuit, Momo Country, Kinopio Factory, DK Snowboard Cross, Coconuts Mall, Kinoko Canyon, and Luigi Circuit", an IGN translation reports.

It's also reported that players will be able to perform mid-air tricks on both karts and bikes, which when executed correctly will provide you with an extra speed burst when you hit the tarmac.

The new wii game will be able to support up to 12 players, but extra info states that you'll be able to download the ghost data of other players' races and import it into the single-player game to race against. There'll also be the option for a Mario Kart Channel on your Wii hub, which serves up both your own record lap times and a worldwide rankings board. For the old skool, there'll also be a four-player split-screen mode. Wouldn't be Mario Kart without it. It appears that Mario Kart Wii will be playable via traditional control scheme in addition to using the Wii Remote, and that a beta test Nintendo Japan has advertised is rumoured to be for the game.

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