Wii games unlikely to be patched with MotionPlus support
by JC Fletcher 
{ Apr 15th 2009 at 10:30AM } 
Nintendo's response to GameDaily suggests that this won't be happening: "The Wii MotionPlus accessory is only for games that are designed to make use of its abilities." Nintendo isn't really much for patching games with updated functionality, unless you consider releasing the game again seven years later on a different disc a kind of "patching."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Coleman811 @ Apr 15th 2009 10:35AM
...is anyone surprised at all by this?
Rob @ Apr 15th 2009 10:47AM
No, rarely does Nintendo do stuff like patch games.
Jerk Face @ Apr 15th 2009 10:50AM
Seriously! GameDaily really road the Failboat on that prediction. If it doesn't make money, Nintendo won't do it. Plain and simple.
Mr Khan @ Apr 15th 2009 11:45AM
It's not even an issue of money. It's an issue of it being impossible...
BPMOmega [gamertag] @ Apr 15th 2009 12:33PM
"Rarely?" Try "never." The Wii isn't capable of doing game patches, in the same way that 360, PS3, or PC games are. Not for disc-based games, anyways.
The only way Wii games could be patched is basically with new discs being sent out (see: Twilight Princess and Guitar Hero III).
phinnvr6 @ Apr 15th 2009 1:26PM
Nope not surprised. The Wii is a garbage system, thats why I got a PS3 and love it. I only have use Homebrew Channel on Wii now. That's all it's good for besides occasional Mario Kart.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Apr 15th 2009 2:22PM
Jerk Face is right, although the last part of his post in a little fanboyish...Game Daily should have taken 5 minutes to research this, it's not hard to find out that Wii games can't be patched.
CLShortFuse @ Apr 15th 2009 3:13PM
What are you guys talking about? Game patching is very possible. It's just that Nintendo needs to implement the feature via a firmware upgrade. They probably won't but don't say it's impossible.
I'm one of the coders working on the Brawl+ project and we are patching code with application loader hooks and memory injection. This is via homebrew. Nintendo doing it is very possible.
The easiest way is to just launch a new main.dol file on the SD/internal memory that reads the rest from the disc and have it reference other files on the SD
We've even done file redirection to read files off the SD instead of the disc (so you don't need to burn another disc).
I'm just saying it's possible, not that Nintendo'll ever do it.
Joe Cart @ Apr 15th 2009 4:01PM
@ phinnvr6
Yeah, that is kind of a fanboyish comment. The Wii definitly isnt a garbage system, just look at the game library and sales alone say the its THE system to own. As much as I like the PS3, there are only 2 games that caught my interest and I've beaten, which are MGS4 and RE5. You cant consider the Wii a garbage system simply because you cant patch games. I mean yeah it pisses me off too that you wont be able to use motion plus with old games, but a garbage system? No.
milrtime83 @ Apr 15th 2009 10:48AM
"Nintendo isn't really much for patching games with updated functionality,"
Mostly because they can't...http://hackmii.com/2009/02/why-the-wii-will-never-get-any-better/#more-463 It's a bit of a long read but interesting.
Mr Khan @ Apr 15th 2009 2:17PM
That's very surprising. I always assumed Wii had some sort of operating system running, but i didn't know that it really, well, didn't.
Does fit in with it being a more primitive platform than the competition then. All about hardcoding all sorts of things from the basic level, like their TEV shaders instead of whatever the more modern alternative is.
nanu @ Apr 15th 2009 10:56AM
Well, actually, apparently Nintendo actually isn't even capable of patching old games, even if they wanted to. That's why Twilight Princess never got patched to fix the cannon room bug way back in November 06.
http://hackmii.com/2009/02/why-the-wii-will-never-get-any-better/
bm @ Apr 15th 2009 3:47PM
As I've said before, that guy is a whining crybaby. Fuck him, fuck patches, fuck all that bullshit he wants, the Wii is a game system, not a computer like the PS3 and 360 want to be (Sony literally stated it). And there never being any patches, frankly I believe that has an effect on developers who will test their games better to release a bug-free and -complete- product at launch. I wish we could say the same about PC games or even games on the other consoles these days.
CLShortFuse @ Apr 15th 2009 10:18PM
Marcan doesn't say it can't be done. He says it takes Nintendo too much effort. Also, Nintendo is lazy.
He's mostly talking about IOS patching for new APIs (WPA/WPA2/Bluetooth/Interface). It probably won't happen.
It's not technically impossible just that Nintendo takes so long to fix MINOR things, you won't see them do large overhauls.
esposch @ Apr 15th 2009 11:12PM
Marcan wasn't that shitty at Nintendo for poorly designed firmware, he's pissed off that Wii Homebrew has now devolved into ROMs, ISOs, and WADs. What's more, he mentored Waninkoko.
However, I'm pretty sure Twiizers are annoyed at Nintendo's way of combating ROMs, ISOs and WADs: taking out homebrew rather than destroying cIOS.
bm, it's obvious you are part of a Warez forum, where Marcan is hated for trying to "play god". But please, think before you speak. Or write.
bm @ Apr 17th 2009 8:04PM
Ahahahahahaha wtf, warez forum? LOL
I've never even heard of the guy until someone linked to his whining on here a while ago. I'm looking at that post without any prejudice. Think before you speak, indeed.
Aero @ Apr 15th 2009 10:58AM
Nintendo can't patch Wii games.
general @ Apr 15th 2009 11:02AM
I asked the question because there wasn't much of a reason to release the Wii MotionPlus in the first place. While Sega's Virtua Tennis 2009 is nice, it won't make the $20 MotionPlus accessories disappear. But if Nintendo offered a patch for Wii Sports, even older folks would drop the money for one without thinking. Ultimately, those same saps would buy Wii Sports Resort two months later and then Nintendo would have made more money. Sounded like a pretty smart idea at the time.
baby sea tuna @ Apr 15th 2009 11:10AM
I'm glad, since I'm not really lining up to blow any more money on accessories for the Wii.
Lee @ Apr 15th 2009 11:12AM
Thats a shame, something like this would have made me play through Twilight Princess or MP3 again.
samfish @ Apr 15th 2009 11:13AM
GameDaily also watches the weather report every day and postulates that candy will rain from the sky, soooo.....
Roto13 @ Apr 15th 2009 1:04PM
I don't know why this was voted down. GameDaily is pathetic. To ask this question in the first place, they have to 1) be ignorant of the fact that you can't patch Wii games, and 2) be ignorant of the fact that EA is releasing two MotionPlus compatible games long before Wii Sports Resort comes out.
ps360owner @ Apr 15th 2009 11:14AM
maybe someone will code a patch's to use on homebrew?
ps360owner @ Apr 15th 2009 11:15AM
dam joystiq we need edit button
i ment make patche's to download through homebrew
James @ Apr 15th 2009 11:16AM
It'd be sweet but not happening. Allow me to dream anyway: I would love to see Nintendo bring out the MP accessory with a big decal on the package - "Now Wii Sports Boxing will actually work!" (I actually don't mind the boxing, it just doesn't control like you want it to... another reason why I hate that Nintendo is bringing out a lazy remake of Punch-Out instead of setting the standard for a WiiMP boxing game. Boo.
Feba @ Apr 15th 2009 11:25AM
well, duh. Only way to patch Wii games is to ship out new disks. That's really only worth it when you really fuck up (See CAPCOM's Okami Cover-art problem, Twilight Princess cannon room), and risk damaging your brand if you don't fix it.
I'm still pretty surprised that Nintendo hasn't made Wii Sports/Wii Fit channels (as in, games, not just the body check), and wouldn't be surprised if they release something like that free to encourage people to get Motion Plus. Handful of games, a couple that work with Wiimote/Nunchuk, a few more that work only with Balance Board, and a few more that require Motion+. Easy way to advertise-- "if I don't buy those accessories, I can't play these games I have!". Psychologically effective, even if nonsensical (you spent nothing on the games).
Cody @ Apr 15th 2009 4:49PM
Why would anyone randomly save in the cannon room? It doesn't prompt you to like at the end of a dungeon. I beat this game 3 times without even knowing of this glitch and never once felt the urge to save my game in the cannon room.
Feba @ Apr 16th 2009 12:59AM
Maybe because they wanted to, you know, put the game down? That's sort of why save systems exist.
Mike @ Apr 15th 2009 11:30AM
They will sell a ton of these things for use with Tiger Woods 10, which arrives 6/16.
Brucie B @ Apr 15th 2009 11:36AM
Wii Blows!!!
why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 15th 2009 11:53AM
What would the point of patching Wii Sports be?
It's supposed to be super casual. Your grandma is supposed to be able to beat you at bowling. Adding more (finer) control would change that.
Besides the fact that some games are write-offs (boxing, golf), the only real thing I can see N would want to fix with Wii Sports is the un-returnable serve return in tennis. With someone who knows what they are doing, the game is broken.
MDRL @ Apr 15th 2009 12:40PM
That's a really stupid line of reasoning. The whole point of the system is to be intuitive, and adding greater accuracy to the player's input is--guess what!--just that. I understand why they aren't doing it (the infrastructure does not exist) but I'm completely at a loss as to how anyone could try to say that adding the functionality to older games would hurt them.
Mr Khan @ Apr 15th 2009 2:13PM
I do love the un-returnable serve return
And neither Boxing nor Golf are write-offs. If anything, Baseball is the runt of the litter. A little practice will yield you a world in Wii Sports Boxing.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 15th 2009 4:17PM
Intuitive?
It's supposed to be intuitive in that moving your arm triggers an action that requires moving your arm in real life.
But adding fine control would mean that a 10 year old who plays every day would be able be so good that playing against him wouldn't be fun for most people. And that's against what Wii Sports (and Wii Play) stand for.
It's not an FPS, it's a social game. Nintendo has always been like this. Look at Mario Party, where die rolls determine the outcome more than anything. Wii Sports is supposed to be like Sorry or Monopoly, not like Call of Duty 4.
I disagree. As a golfer, playing Wii Golf is impossible. It cannot read small movements, so putting isn't anything like real putting and cannot be made to be like it. It's a travesty. I kind of like baseball once in a while, but you're right, it wears very quickly. Boxing is awful. I'm glad you like it though.
jONEz @ Apr 15th 2009 1:14PM
Can anyone provide an example where an XBox or PS game added functionality for free post-launch? I can't think of one but I don't own either of those consoles. DLC doesn't count.
Technology aside, even if Nintendo could do this there's no reason they have to. You bought the game as it stands and that's all that really matters. Sure it would be nice, but realistically I don't see too many companies doing stuff like this. It's a shame, but that's life.
Paul @ Apr 15th 2009 1:33PM
Burnout Paradise
Tiptup300 @ Apr 15th 2009 2:36PM
Crackdown
Tiptup300 @ Apr 15th 2009 2:37PM
Oh, and Halo,
...
And GOW2 got a brand new matchmaking system...
overlord got a new co-op mode...
yeah, it happens alot.
Roto13 @ Apr 15th 2009 6:19PM
LittleBigPlanet does it a lot. There's another patch coming out some time this month that adds new creation tools and stuff. Fighting games also tweak the characters fairly often to add more balance.
jONEz @ Apr 15th 2009 3:01PM
Wow, I'm surprised at the amount of content added in Burnout Paradise. Hats off to you Criterion Games!
PSN: Erdie (Now equipped with Wii!) @ Apr 15th 2009 8:20PM
Hard to believe anyone would think they would patch this in. Absurd.
Nicholas @ May 24th 2009 10:28PM
If the technology in Motion-Plus was integrated in the Wiimote at launch, Nintendo would be able to focus on other things. Imagine how advanced gameplay would be if the true 1:1 experience had been present at the beginning! With the release dates of the Motion-Plus out of the way, Nintendo could upgrade the VC and WiiWare selections, prepare for the Wii2/WiiHD w/e, and dish out more AAA games. Plus (pun partially intended), we don't lose any more money on "unecessary" accessories!