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March 15th, 2008, 18:39 Posted By: souLLy
Wlip Solderless Wii Modkit
Review by: souLLy
Manufacturer: Wlip
Site: N/A
Price: 24.95€
Overview: Wlip is an adaptor that has been designed especially to install any Modchip in your Wii in a faster and easy way and without damage for your console, because there is no need for welding. You can install it yourself without any technical procedure in a few minutes,
There are two models of Wlip: Model A is used for normal leg Wiis and Model B works with cut leg Wiis. For D2C chips there are not any Wlip yet, but we are working on it. Wlip can support any Modchips models except the ones for D2C.
Quality/Usability : I've wanted to get my Wii chipped for quite some time, the thought of some tasty Gamecube homebrew and the possibility of future Wii homebrew is a very tempting proposition. If you're like me and 99% of the population though that isn't too handy with a soldering iron, you're left with very little choice, send your beloved console along with a chunk of cash to some anonymous person who advertises on an Internet forum- not for the feint hearted, or buy a Wlip.
A Wlip is a small plastic device that clips onto your Wii's motherboard that you can fit a Wii modchip into, essentially a Wii modchip that doesn't require any soldering! Not only that but if you decide you don't want to use that chip any more you can just as easily take the Wlip out of your console with the minimum of fuss or risk. On paper then it's a very enticing proposition. At the moment it's only for earlier model Wiis; people who need D2C chips are out of luck at the moment, the official Wlip site says they're on the way though so keep an eye out if you're interested.
The modchip I chose was the Wiinja Deluxe, I grabbed mine from Futura Videogames which is an official reseller of the Wiinja chip so I could be certain it was genuine. At £23 including delivery it was fairly reasonable but be sure to hunt around for a good deal. To open your Wii you'll need a tri-wing screwdriver, I grabbed mine from DealExtreme for about 75p with free delivery, bargain!
Installation : Take your Wlip and insert your modchip into the space provided, it should be a reassuringly snug fit. Next you need to disassemble your Wii. This was no great problem, there's a number of guides around that help you find where all the screws are hidden, after that it's a few screws inside and disconnecting two ribbon cables - if you're careful you can do all of this without doing any cosmetic damage to your case.
Next firmly push your Wlip over a chip on the exposed Wii board, I watched the video on the official Wlip site to be certain it was in the right place, although it is obvious. Now it took me 5 or 6 times of doing this, reassembling my Wii and testing it before it would boot unsigned discs for me, I was definitely beginning to panic, so I didn't fit into the 'you can fit it in 10 minutes' category, however it did work in the end, perfectly well, so you may need to persevere to get good results.
Conclusion : Generally pretty good. Once it worked, it worked very well, which is the main thing, I didn't destroy my Wii and if I ever want to remove it it'll be a breeze. There are some obvious down sides though – the fact that I had to try a few times before it would work shows that this kind of mod will never be as stable as a soldered chip- but if you can solder, you're not reading this review right? Also it is slightly pricey for what it is, particularly with no sites doing any kind of bundle packages at the moment.
I guess overall if you're anything like me though, you want a modded Wii, you can't solder and don't know anyone else that can, you have a few Euros hanging around and are brave enough to open your Wii's case you could do a whole lot worse than picking one up. Especially with the Wii scene heating up!
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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