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April 13th, 2007, 04:12 Posted By: bandit
CycloWiz Modchip v1 (DMS/D2A)
Manufacturer: Team Cyclops
Site: Buy from Divineo US (v1) / Buy from Divineo US (v2) / Buy from Divineo China
Price: $30.00-$40.00
Overview : The amazing CycloWiz Mod Chip for the Nintendo Wii has arrived! The CycloWiz is possibly the easiest modchip to install on any system. A quicksolder pattern on the PCB board removes the need for wires. All you need to do us solder onto the designated parts and the installation is complete.
Not only is the CycloWiz easy to install, but this ModChip also has amazing features including Stealth Mode, the ability to play both WII and Gamecube backups, GameCube homebrew and imports. The CycloWiz also has an optional LED to let you know when the Mod Chip is ON or OFF.
Features :- Fully upgradable via DVD
- Easy installation(5 solder points / no wires required)
- Stealth Mode to keep the Mod Chip from ever being detected by the current Wii firmware
- Play both Wii and GameCube backup copies
- Play GameCube homebrew and Imports
- Built In audio-fix for GameCube backup copies
- Multidisc GameCube game support
- Supports both 8cm and 12cm discs
- Optional disable feature to turn the Mod Chip ON or OFF
- Multipurpose LED to let you know that the CycloWiz Mod Chip is on and working, if there is an error, or if it is off
Quality/Usability : Let me start off first by saying that this review is based on the first version (v1) of CycloWiz Wii modchip and on a North American (NTSC-US) Wii. All games tested during this review, we own the original games. CycloWiz v1 comes in a plain unbranded ESD bag. New modchips will come in a CycloWiz branded ESD bag. This modchip is only compatible with Wii's that have a DMS or D2A chipset. This will NOT work on a D2B chipset.
If you bought your Wii after January 2007 and it contains a D2B chipset and have a CycloWiz v1, you email Team Cyclops and they will exchange your CycloWiz for a v2. Also, during manufacturing, there was some chips that had their solder points bridged together. You can easily fix this by following their PDF guide. If not, they will also replace it for a new one.
The CycloWiz comes in a plain ESD bag but does not provide any protection during shipping (unless retailer protects it). The CycloWiz is basically a chip on a small thin PCB. The solder pads allows you to either quick soldering or wire installation. Wire installation is the best way to go because if for whatever reason you need to remove it, it is a lot easier and cleaner.
Installation : Before installing the CycloWiz, you must have at least some experience with soldering and have read their instruction manual which can be downloaded from here. As for me, I dont have any experience with soldering, so I had a friend install this for me. In order to install the CycloWiz onto your Wii, you must take it apart. Here is a tutorial on how to dismantle your Wii. You can also find other tutorials or even videos on the web.
Once you have dismantled the Wii, you must locate the points outlined in their installation manual. These points are where you will connect the soldering between the Wii and the CycloWiz. When soldering, you must remember to stay within the points and not to use too much solder or you may risk shorting out the chip as well as the Wii. When soldering the CycloWiz, you also have the option of installing 3 more wires which is then connected to a switch (sold separately). Any type of switch will do whether it be a push-in switch or a flip switch but the smaller the better. You can install the switch anywhere you want. It can be in the vent at the bottom of the Wii or you can drill a hole into the casing of the Wii, whichever is more convenient to you. This switch will enable you to upgrade your CycloWiz via DVD.
On the CycloWiz, there is an LED that will light up if you’ve installed the chip correctly. You would want to try the Wii out before closing it up by hooking the Wii back together without the casing or you will not be able to view the LED. This is a great way to tell you whether or not your installation was successful or not without having to reopen your Wii later on.
Wii Compatibility : With v1, compatibility of games were not that great. There were DRE (Disc Read Errors) and it took a couple of tries before the Wii can recognize the game. Some games even experienced heavy lag during gameplay. Playing imports is a hit or miss when it comes to playing on a different region. Some games will work and some games will not. But if you're playing in the same region such as NTSC-US (North America) and NTSC-J (Japan), there is not problem. With the great support from Team Cyclops, they have fixed these problems in the upgrades which will be explained further down.
Homebrew Compatibility : There are three ways to load GameCube homebrew; bootable disc, SDLoad and GCOS. Loading via SDLoad, you will need a SD Gecko adapter as well as an SD card. If using GCOS or a bootable disc, you can load the emulators and games on to a DVD and be able to load from them without having to use additional media. All emulation worked without a problem.
CYCLOWIZ UPGRADE
3.0B Firmware Features :- Direct boot of NTSC Wii imports on NTSC consoles (no patch needed)
- Direct boot of PAL Wii imports on NTSC consoles (no patch needed, partial compatibility)
- Direct boot of NTSC Wii imports on PAL consoles (no patch needed, partial compatibility)
- Runs imported GC games (partially without swap)
- Perfect compatibility (100% of games are working)
- Improved read (no more slowdowns)
- Compatible with DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW (no bitsetting required)
- Fully upgradable via DVD
- Direct boot of Wii backups
- Direct boot of GC backups
- Direct boot of homebrew in GC mode
- Possibility to put many GC games on just one disc (compatible with ALL formats)
- Build-in audio fix (no patch required)
- Compatible with Multi-Disc games for BOTH Wii and GC
- Stealth mode
FINALLY! After many delays, doubts whether or not the CycloWiz is upgradeable via DVD (from potential buyers and haters of CycloWiz) and more delays, Team Cyclops has finally released their much anticipated upgrade. You can download their latest upgrades here. As of this review, this is the latest upgrade provided by Team Cyclops. As you have read above regarding the Wii compatibility, 3.0B firmware has greatly improved the compatibility of games as well as some import games. No longer do you have DRE's but there are still import games that will not load on the modded Wii. Hopefully this will be fixed in the near future.
You must download 3.0B and burn it onto a DVD. As you upgrade the CycloWiz's firmware, you will be taken through a few steps which will check to see if you had done your installation correctly. But if you have gotten this far and have been able to use your Wii, you have nothing to worry about as this is just a safety percaution. Dont forget, in order for you to be able to upgrade the firmware, you must have a switch installed. You can purchase a switch from RadioShack or any store that sells electronic parts. To upgrade the firmware you must follow the instructions that is displayed on your TV set. This consists of having to flip/press the switch ON and OFF. It shouldnt take long to complete.
After upgrading the firmware, Team Cyclops has followed through on their promises. Games have a better compatibility, playing imports from a different region still has compatibility problem, as well as being compatible with DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW.
Conclusion : Overall, the CycloWiz does a great job at what it does. v1 for DMZ/D2A chipsets wasnt that great from the start but with the release of the new 3.0B firmware, this has helped and improved the chip dramatically. Too bad it took a long long time for Team Cyclops to release an upgrade. Some Wii owners were skeptical and even had doubts about the upgradeable DVD feature. This may have caused some potential sales. They should also improve the way they package the CycloWiz. ESD bags are great to prevent any internal damage to the chip but it would of been nice if they wrapped it in bubble wrap to prevent any external damage during transit. Having to upgrade with a switch (which they should include) can be annoying but at the same time, nerve-racking because one little mishap can potentially damage your chip and possibly your Wii as well.
Be sure to check back for our CycloWiz v2 (DMS/D2A/D2B) review which is compatible with all Wii's.
Please note that none of the "upgrade" products listed in this site are endorsed by Nintendo, Sony and/or Microsoft. DCEmu Reviews and DCEmu Network does not condone piracy. The primary functions of a "modchip" and/or "flashcart" are to allow you to play imported games and homebrew software that you legally own or simply just for experimenting with hardware. We in no way endorse piracy, and encourage all users to do the right thing and support the developers/manufacturers that support them. We do not take any responsibilities for any use outside of these parameters or where the use of such a device is illegal.
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