Hey everybody. Just wanted to post my install efforts for the benefits of others. In the interests of full disclosure, I would NOT say I am mechanically inclined. I have however taken apart two Nintendo DS Lite’s before to replace the top screen and the on/off switch (successfully I might add!). I want to thank everybody here as this forum was my jumping off point. I knew nothing at all about the Wii three weeks ago. I read everything here, and various things over at GBAtemp to figure out what’s going on. I would especially like to thank Bastard and Moli for so greatly detailing their experiences with the DX.
So after a crash course in modding the Wii I decided there was no way I wanted to soft mod. I have no time for updates or keeping up with what is going on. I just want to play backups, no homebrew channel or backwards updates. I want to ‘plug and play’. I decided on either the Wasabi DX or the Drive Key. The Wasabi got the nod when the 2.0 beta firmware came out allowing for the chip to be hardwired if need be. This ability to future-proof seems to me to be a really nice touch. I also use CyclosDS on our DS’ and they work great, and I believe the Wasabi is made by the same company.
So I ordered my chip from consolesource.com. My order came in 5 working days, which was very impressive. I watched the videos to see how to open the wii and how to install the chip. I prefer pictures so I found this best for opening the Wii :
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and I used this for installing the DX :
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Taking the Wii apart was no problem. Consolesource threw in a triwing screw driver with my order but I didn’t end up using it. I used the Nintendo set I had bought from
[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] for $1.40 because they are magnetic – no dropped screws. I did what I did with the DS Lite – drew a rough sketch of the Wii on a piece of paper and taped the screws I took out to it. Made for putting everything back together super easy. The one thing I had trouble with right away was the locks on the DX for the ribbon cables. My familiarity again was with the DS, and on those you have to stick your finger nail in and lift up. Eventually I discovered from the video that you just squeeze both sides to make the ribbon holder loose, then push it back in when the ribbon was in. The white push in connector on the Wii faceplate also caused me grief. I was afraid I was going to sever one of the wires, but eventually it just popped loose. I ended up using a flathead mini screwdriver to do the job. That’s it, plugging in two cables and putting some electrical tape on the top of the chip. Talk about plug-and-play! I did the 1.2 update as soon as I put it back together.
Everything I have has worked so far. My Wii is a GCZ-D2E, with a VEPT DVD inside. Its brand new, at firmware 3.4u and NTSC. I tried a copy of Don King Boxing in PAL first, but it didn’t work right away. I went into the configuration menu for the DX – region free was set, and set the blocker and hit apply. Don King then worked fine. I’m using Fujifilm DVD-R for all my copies. I burn the iso’s with cdburnerxp (its free), at 1X speed. They take about 6 minutes to burn, and no coasters so far. All my original stuff works fine too – Wii Sports, Wii Play and Wii Fit.
Overall I would have to say I am quite happy with the Wasabi DX. There definitely is some loading times so if this is going to cause you aggravation, please be aware. For instance, Don King Boxing loads for about 5 seconds at the start. I can live with this no problem for the amount of enjoyment I’ve gotten out of it already. Mad World is awesome!
My Wasabi DX
Linear Mode
