Introduction

Welcome to my latest Nintendo Wii™ modification chip review. This time around I'll be covering the recently released Wasabi Zero which for the most part is a completely solder-less solution for getting your Wii equipped with a "drive chip". Drive chips trick the Nintendo Wii into thinking the disc you've inserted is original therefor allowing you to boot your legal backups which you've created for safe keeping and preservation purposes. The Wasabi Zero will also allow you to boot import and homebrew software discs.

The Wasabi Zero is a top of the line 3rd generation modchip and like it's predecessors is a top of the line solution for your backup needs. It features all you should come to expect from a high end chip including support for most of the drives on the market (DMS, D2A, D2B, D2C, D2C2 and D2E) and isn't limited to a 3x read speed and of course, unlike the D3 solutions features the GameCube™ audio fix and support for 2 disc games. At a first glance it doesn't seem you can go wrong with the Wasabi Zero.

Features

100% solderless installation with Solderless Adapter
Fully configurable and upgradable from DVD
Wii Update Blocker to avoid bricking
Drive speed configuration for noise reduction
Direct boot of Wii and Gamecube original, import, and backup discs
Supports all chipset versions: DMS, D2A, D2B, D2C, D2C2 (rev.2) and D2E (rev.3)
Supports all regions configurable via jumpers
Only 5 wires on DMS, D2A, D2B (without solderless adapter)
Only 6 wires on D2C, D2C2 and D2E (without solderless adapter)
Very easy installation on "cut-pin" drives
On-board flash (128KB)
Integrated Audiostreaming fix for GC games
Excellent media compatibility (supports DL media)
Works with SMG and SSBB
Flash recovery mode
Two LED for easy installation troubleshooting
Full firmware control even on D2C chipset
Drivecode symmetry between all chipset versions
Compatible with all GC and Wii homebrew programs
No extra wires required for region override
No external switch required

Easy installation - It has never been easier to install a Wii modchip. Connect the solderless adapter to the chip using the connector, plug it on the drive chip, and start playing. Alternatively, solder version is also available for those who wish to do a regular installation (5 or 6 wires depending on drive version, no pin soldering required).

Quality - Wasabi V2 and V3 have been known to most installers as the most solid chips on the market. Wasabi Zero will be no exception and features a thicker PCB, ultra-clean routing and a solid wide pitch connector for the solderless adapter.

Flexibility - As Wasabi Zero is fully compatible with the original Wasabi, they share the same firmware and you'll get all the usual benefits including proven Drivecode, DVD Updates and Configuration Disc. But that's not all. Wasabi Zero can be fully reprogrammed using JTAG.

Price - The only complaint we've got from users regarding original Wasabi has been its price. We reworked our price structure, you'll be able to get the ultimate chip for a very reasonable price.

By releasing the original Wasabi without JTAG, we made it clear that users should not require external programmers, and that they can fully update their chip using DVD, and we still stand by this philosophy. Still, JTAG upgradability is something that installers kept asking for, to manage their stock without fear of a new drive revision. It is for them that we included this feature.

Contents

Wasabi Zero Modchip
Wasabi Clip-On Adapter

At first glance the chip has been marvelously produced. It's housed on a thick PCB and features solid components including a slot for the Wasabi Clip-On Adapter and another for an external JTAG programmer. It also houses a set of DIP switches for configuring the chip to work with your model of Nintendo Wii. The clip is manufactured really well (the clip is inserted into the Wasabi Zero then attached to the Wii's DVD-ROM controller chip). Other semi-solderless solutions require you to solder the chip onto the Wiiclip, but the Wasabi Zero has a built in connector so all you do is plug it into it and you're good to go. No complaints on this aspect of the chip. It looks great, is solid as a rock and should be really easy to install.

Installation

There are two ways to install the Wasabi Zero. The first and easiest way is to use the Wasabi Clip-On Adapter. Actually, the longest part of this sort of installation is taking the Wii apart. Once it's apart you simply attach the Clip-On adapter, push it gently over the DVD-ROM IC and then set the DIP switches to match the region of your Wii.

Once this is done you can turn the Wii on (with the case still off) and make sure the chip is working. You should see a RED LED light up and then a GREEN one which should stay light up steadly. Of course, test out a backup, import or homebrew disc before you put the Wii back together. The installation of the chip without taking the case apart takes around thirty seconds. Now that's what I call an easy as hell installation.

The Wasabi Zero can also be soldered onto the DVD-ROM drive board using 5 or 6 wires depending on the drive you have. This approach might take a little longer, but you won't have to worry about the clip coming loose. However, compared to the Wiiclip's on the market the Wasabi Zero Clip-On Adapter stayed in place even after I dropped the Wii a few times to see if it would come loose. This high quality chip has changed my opinion on clips in general as it's rock solid. I used to despise them as they would come loose. Click Here for a larger picture of the wired installation.

Another advantage of using the clip is you leave no trace that your Wii has been modified with a chip. I tested three clips out and they would fail after an average of taking them off about five times which leaves room for you to remove it once or twice if needed. My experience with other clips wasn't as good as when you removed it once it wouldn't clip back on.

Due to the fact you only need to solder on 6 wires for newer drive revisions you won't have to solder onto any tiny IC legs. All you need to do is solder it onto some relatively small pads. Once soldered make sure to give the wires a small tug to make sure they are secure, but don't pull of them too much or you might lift the pad off of the board meaning you will have to solder onto the IC legs. Of course, if you have an epoxied drive you'll have to remove the epoxy before you can do this - so just don't pull on them too much!

Usage

The first thing I did was download the Wasabi Upgrade Config v1.4 disc and burn it. This disc will allow you to configure your chips settings including Wii Region Free, GameCube Audio Fix, Drive Read Speed and the Update Blocker for Domestic and Import games. The region free option will allow you to boot imports. The GameCube Audio Fix will allow you to play GameCube games with CDDA audio tracks without sounding like utter crap. The Drive Read Speed will set the speed the drive reads at and it's best to have it at 6x. The Update Blocker will block any updates from installing in your Wii's System Menu so you won't get duplicate channels from imports, bricks from imports or a newer System Menu installed (as you want to keep your 3.2 or 3.3r1 for homebrew purposes).

My next test was to see if Team Twiizer's Homebrew Apploader Disc would boot. So using WiiScrubber I opened the ISO template and replaced the "main.dol" file with the great homebrew game Mahjongg . Sadly, the Wii would not boot it. I'm not sure if this is the right method to make a bootable homebrew disc, but the guys in #wiidev on IRC said it was. Oh well, not a big deal as I can boot homebrew from an SD Card. Update - It seems this method of booting homebrew will only work on Wii's with System Menu v3.2.

Now I moved on to test GCOS MultiGame discs. These discs are created with PatMan666's GCOS MultiGame Disc Creator and as you guessed allows you to put more then one GameCube game on a DVD which saves you discs. Once you create either a single or dual layer disc you simply insert it into the Wii, boot it and then select which game you wish to play. As expected it worked perfectly.

Now I'm moving onto legal backups. I tested a Japanese GameCube game and it worked - so did a PAL GameCube backup. However, when tried booting a wiped GameCube game it would not boot. As this is the first time I've tried a wiped image on any modded console I'm not sure if they are supposed to work correctly. After testing out the GameCube games I tried a NTSC/USA Wii game, NTSC/JAP Wii game and a PAL Wii game. All worked perfectly. Additionally, Super Mario Galaxy™ and Super Smash Bros Brawl™ worked just fine (as some chips can't boot them).

Conclusion

Even though there are some other chips on the market that boast a ton of features the Wasabi Zero matches them, uses less wires to install or none at all if you use the Wasabi Clip-On Adapter. The chip is top of the line, has zero issues with booting backups and homebrew, is super easy to install and overall is one really great solution. If you're in the market for a high end chip that you will most likely not have to solder into your Wii then the Wasabi Zero chip will not disappoint you.

Negatives

Doesn't Support D3 Consoles (They are rare anyway)

Positives

Solderless Solution
Quality of Chip
Super Easy Installation
Super Fast Drive Code Injection (Games Load Really Fast)
JTAG Connector for Future Drive Revisions

Links

Wasabi Website

Wasabi Zero Installation Diagrams

Take Your Wii Apart Guide

-=[ Wasabi Zero Review Discussion Thread ]=-