Hey, Nintendo-what's going on here? After a good year or so looking the other way on Wii homebrew (for the most part), now we've got two fairly serious brew-killing updates in the last month? Word from the folks at Wiibrew.org is that the latest update, System Menu 3.4, is apparently a doozy when it comes to ruining the homebrew party. New features include USB keyboard support in the Mii channel, enhanced parental controls, and that's where the fun stops: the update also apparently deletes the Homebrew Channel and any other unofficial channels and promises to "check for and automatically remove" modified save files from your system-which is the method used to execute the famous Twilight Hack that makes all the homebrew possible. Not sure whether that means it will disable such save files going forward-hopefully not. So at the moment, if you have homebrew on your Wii or are planning to (using our handy Wii homebrew guide, of course), don't update. The Wiibrew folks will hopefully come up with a patched solution that allows you to upgrade without the ill affects. Man, I hope we didn't jinx Wii 'brew by calling it "relatively stable!" [Wiibrew via Maxconsole] Full message from Nintendo describing the update here:
Message from Nintendo Wii Menu version 3.4 is now available for your Wii console. To update your Wii Menu to the latest version, please select the Update button at the bottom of the screen or select the System Update option in Wii System Settings. With this update, Parental Controls have been enhanced, USB keyboard support is available for the Mii Channel, and system functions have been improved. The Wii User Agreement, which includes the Wii Privacy Policy, has been updated. Because the updated agreement applies to you and your use of the Wii Network Service, you should view the updated version by clicking on the Wii icon located on the lower-left portion of the Wii Channel menu, selecting Wii Settings, accessing the Internet setting, and selecting User Agreements. You may also view the updated Wii User Agreement online at http://support.nintendo.com Because unauthorized modifications to save files may impair game play or the Wii console, updating to Wii Menu version 3.4 will also check for and automatically remove such save files. **Please note: If you've updated your Wii Menu after 11/17/08, you may not need to update again. Thank you for updating your Wii console! Nintendo