Nintendo Advises against Modding Your Wii

Everyone reading the games column on any site is familiar with modding chips. They enable console owners (handhelds or not) to do all sorts of nasty stuff that the manufacturer wouldn't allow, such as running burned discs or software otherwise non-compatible with the respective system, increasing its vision or sound capabilities and many more. These things may very well damage a console, but gamers do everything in their power to mod them nonetheless. Incoming profits for the company making the system and games for it are also diminished.

Thus, Nintendo has thought of warning their customers not to mod their consoles, or else. Never have I seen such a straight-forward notice from a console manufacturer, trying to dis encourage console owners of modding their hardware:

"Perhaps you are not familiar with mod chips, but nevertheless we would like to draw your attention to some important information.

Modification microchips (mod chips)" (haven't they just mentioned their name above already?) "circumvent the security embedded into Nintendo's products. To install a mod chip into a Nintendo hardware system, it is necessary to dismantle the product and, in some instances, remove components.

The use of mod chips voids the manufacturer's warranty. In addition, the installation of a mod chip can damage the functionality of a Nintendo console, sometimes rendering it incapable of repair. Mod chips have been adjudicated to be illegal in various countries around the world, including the Unites States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Most European countries have also already adopted laws prohibiting the circumvention of technological measures for copyright protection. People caught installing or selling mod chips may be subject to criminal charges."

Why do you think Nintendo did this? Are they that scared of people modding their hardware? I personally think that once you get the machine, it's up to you whatever you do with it. However, it's true that modding the Wii to run pirated discs is a copyright offense, but is it really necessary to post it on their European site? I thought this stuff was written all over the Wii's packaging.

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