Review: Datel Wii FreeLoader

[bandit]

Datel Wii FreeLoader
Manufacturer: Datel
Site: Buy from Vanguard Tech (US) / Buy from Vanguard Tech (JAP) / Buy from Vanguard Tech (PAL)
Price: £11.99

Overview : This is the one you've all been waiting for! Wii FreeLoader lets you play ANY region of Wii game on a your Nintendo Wii! At last, you can import games from other territories and play them on your Wii…

Videogamers the world over get really frustrated when games are released in other territories long before they reach the shops in their home country, if they ever get released at all. You want to play that blockbuster survival horror which is out in Japan three months before it hits the shelves elsewhere. What about the soccer or F1 sim which only gets a European release or a gridiron football or NBL baseball game that's never released outside the States? Or maybe you bought an imported Wii because you wanted to get it early, and you now want to play games from your own region without buying a second machine. Well, now you can. With Wii FreeLoader, you can play ANY region of game on your Wii!

Wii FreeLoader is really easy to use. Simply insert your FreeLoader disc and load it in the usual way. When the drive stops, eject the Wii FreeLoader disc and insert the game, which then loads and plays just like it would on its own region of Wii. It's as simple as that!

Wii FreeLoader is 100% unofficial, and requires no modifications to your console. As well as letting you play Wii games from all regions, Wii FreeLoader also works with some imported GameCube games when played on your Wii. It won't work in a GameCube console, though – for that, you need FreeLoader for GameCube.

Features :

• Play ANY region of Wii™ or GameCube™ game on your Wii™.
• Easy to use.
• No console modification required.
• Doesn't invalidate warranty.
• Play games never released in your region.
• Play local games on your imported console.
• Suitable ONLY for US/JAP/EUR Version Wii™ consoles - If you have EUR Wii, you need EUR version. If you have JAP Wii, you need JAP version and if you have US Wii, you need US version.
• 100% unofficial.
• Might not work with all games or various firmware versions. Usage at own risk!

Quality/Usability : I know there are a lot of impatient gamers reading this review. There are probably some that just cant wait and have bought consoles or games that have came out in a different country first and a couple months later in their own region. Sometimes, there are situations where you cant even get it in your own country and the only way is to import the game or buy a whole new system from a different region.

We all know Japan and its gamers are usually the first to get game releases and all those quirky games. Once released in the land of the rising sun, its usually released in our own region within a couple months or sometimes never even seeing a release. Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 are all (or majority) region free when it comes to games but there is one system that is region locked preventing you from playing games from other regions. That is the Nintendo Wii.

Sony prevented online importers from selling PSPs to different regions due to sale purposes. Region locks on systems is set up pretty much for the same reason. If gamers buy games from different regions, when that game finally comes out in their region, there will be no sale because the gamer already owns the import. I solely understand the reason for region locks but at the same time, there are games that never see light in other countries and true gamers want to play that specific game but cant due to region lock on their console.

Datel is the first to release a disk that allows you to play import games on your Nintendo Wii without voiding your warranty or opening the Nintendo. The FreeLoader comes in a standard sized DVD case. Inside are instructions and the FreeLoader disc which is the same size as GameCube discs.

Getting it setup to play your import game is very simple. You can either be in the Main Menu or in the Disc Channel. Insert FreeLoader into the Nintendo Wii. WHAT?! What is happening to my Wii? Don't worry. Nothing harmful is being done to your Nintendo Wii. It looks as if half of the right screen was stuck and stretched. Kind of like a trail or a smudge. Your screen will flash twice. This is the FreeLoader working its magic. Eject the FreeLoader and swap it with the import game you want to play. TA-DA! It works! *Not all import games will work with the Datel FreeLoader.

Although the Datel WiI FreeLoader does not mention it, but it is capable of playing some of your GameCube imports. I was only able to try one game and it was Luigi's Mansion. I can't believe I still have this game in my library.

Conclusion : Overall, the Datel Wii FreeLoader works great at loading imports but for how long? No one knows. Nintendo can release an updated firmware for the Nintendo Wii and with that one update, it can make the Datel Wii FreeLoader useless. So you'll end up with a useless coaster and a bunch of imported games that you can no longer play unless you mod your Nintendo Wii. As of this review, FreeLoader has been out a couple months and no problems yet. Not all imports will work but majority do.

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.

Images via comments

[____anders____]

great disc, i have it for my EUR wii, just for playing Super Smash Bros Brawl (US), it's not even out yet in europe, but i've completed the game long ago thanks to this!

EDIT: it doesn't say this in the review, but you CAN play imported games online with this freeloader, i've played alot online on SSBB using the freeloader
eeh, now i'm off to download and try the Nintendo channel

[PhoenixML]

I'm guessing Canada is the NTSC USA version.

...dumb question : can it play backup Wii games too?

[Phredreeke]

We all know Japan and its gamers are usually the first to get game releases and all those quirky games. Once released in the land of the rising sun, its usually released in our own region within a couple months or sometimes never even seeing a release. Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 are all region free when it comes to games but there is one system that is region locked preventing you from playing games from other regions. That is the Nintendo Wii.

Xbox 360 is not regionfree. However some games are regionfree, others are region locked just like the last generation of consoles.

[bandit]

I'm guessing Canada is the NTSC USA version.

Yes.

...dumb question : can it play backup Wii games too?

No

Xbox 360 is not regionfree. However some games are regionfree, others are region locked just like the last generation of consoles.

Yes, correct. That is why I said "Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 are all region free when it comes to games"

[____anders____]

and i forgot to tell ya, if you have an older firmware version than 3.2 and you're trying to play SSBB or mario kart wii for the first time, it will still ask you to update, both the firmware and for dual-layer media, but the firmware update can be "inactivated" by inserting the freeloader two times before you're loading the game and it will just update for the Dual-Layer discs, it's how i did it and it works awesome

someone here on DCEmu told me this, can't remember who but this works like a charm..

[DDRmantis]

well i know my cousin would want this, he has been talking about playing Japanese games on his wii ever since he got it.