It was only a matter of time before Netflix expanded it’s effort to other consoles, and it looks like they are doing just that. Both the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii will be getting streaming content very soon, at no extra cost to current customers. For those that have been living in the dark ages, Netflix is the big company that lets you rent an unlimited number of movies and television shows for a very reasonable monthly subscription fee. About a year ago Netflix launched a streaming service on the Xbox 360 that has since exploded in popularity.

Interestingly enough these new deals surfaced right around the one-year anniversary of Netflix being available on the 360. It wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to say that Microsoft had a one-year exclusive contract with them, and now it’s over. It will be interesting to see what happens next, as the service will cost half as much on the PS3 and Wii than it does on the 360 (remember, streaming is only available to XBL Gold Members). Perhaps Microsoft will be forced to offer it to Silver Members as well? Only time will tell.

Netflix streaming on the PS3 will come as early as next month, although Wii owners will have to wait until the holidays. Unfortunately for PS3 owners, you will need to put a special Blu-ray disc in the PS3 each time you wish to use Netflix, which is a fairly big inconvenience. Sony has stated that they are working on a way to integrate the service into the XMB, but it will not be available until “sometime next year”. There is still no official word on how it will be delivered to the Wii.

Our friends over at HackMii have updated the Homebrew Channel for the Nintendo Wii to v1.0.6, fixing a freezing issue a small percentage of users had with v1.0.5. Users can update via the Homebrew Channel itself, or you can use the updated v0.6 HackMii installer. They also encourage users to take advantage of their bug tracker, if you happen to come across one, as well as look over the updated readme files.

Download: HackMii Installer v0.6

[Via HackMii]

bannerbomb, the popular SD card exploit for the Wii, has been upgraded to Alpha v2. This update fixes compatibility with System Menu 4.2. While previously those who had upgraded to 4.2 were limited to launching homebrew via game exploits, now everyone can launch homebrew via the Wii’s System Menu. We highly recommend taking advantage of the HackMii Installer, which will set up the Homebrew Channel, BootMii, and DVDX automatically.

Click the read link below to download the required files, and get detailed instructions on using bannerbomb. Be sure to complete the survey on the download page, to make sure developer Comex gets some feedback on what works!

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There was quite a scare two days ago when Nintendo released System Menu 4.2 for the Wii, which deleted and blocked most homebrew applications from running. Thankfully HackMii is here to the rescue with a brand new version of the HackMii Installer, compatible with Nintendo’s latest futile attempt to block out homebrew use.

• For those that have already upgraded to System Menu 4.2, you will need to use the Indiana Pwns exploit to launch the installer.
• For those that have not already upgraded (but would like to) you should run the installer before updating to prevent Nintendo from deleting the Hombrew Channel and DVDX.

BootMii may have been deleted if you were using v2 or v3, simply reinstall it after you update. HackMii installs new versions of the Homebrew Channel, BootMii, and DVDX. To read the changelog, click the read link below.

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Download: http://bootmii.org/download

Legendary homebrew dev bushing has made a post on wiibrew earlier today, expressing his amusement and disappointment with Nintendo’s latest attempt to stop homebrew.

“That’s the best they could come up with? Seriously? This is almost as bad as the first update (3.3) they did to (try to) kill the Twilight Hack, which they justified with “an enhanced Mii channel”. Don’t update. Seriously.”

Bushing also takes the time to explain what exactly the update does, and assures us that there will be a fix out in the next few days. Regardless however, DO NOT UPDATE at this time, as it will certainly make your homebrew restoration process quite a bit more difficult. Click the read link below to see all that Bushing had to say.

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Today Nintendo released version 4.2 of their System Menu. DO NOT UPDATE if you plan on running homebrew anytime soon. We don’t have any solid confirmations on anything yet, however some users are reporting that the update removes some homebrew on your system, including the Homebrew Channel, BootMii, all cIOS versions, and Bannerbomb.

The only known change is an update to the Wii Shop Channel. We will keep you updated as we get confirmation on it’s effects…

UPDATE: Bannerbomb is confirmed to not work anymore. This update installs a new IOS: IOS70.

The Homebrew channel is confirmed to be uninstalled when you update. BootMii is also uninstalled. The Indiana Pwns exploit we talked about earlier today seems to still work as well as smashstack. As of now, these are the only ways to run homebrew on a 4.2 Wii.

The exploit works via a buffer overflow within the game, specifically the art room. The exploit itself is simple enough to install, and once successfully executed loads any ‘boot.elf’ file. We recommend the HackMii Installer, which installs everything you need (including the Homebrew Channel) in one simple package.

Download and Source: http://hackmii.com/2009/09/indiana-pwns/
Installation Instructions: http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Indiana_Pwns

According to IGN, Nintendo has quite a treat for the hardcore gaming crowd on August 24th. All three metroid games are coming to the Nintendo Wii in one nice package. Even better news, all three games will be on one disc, and all for the MSRP of $49.99. Even better than that, Metroid Prime, and Metroid Prime Echoes will be completely reworked with full widescreen support, 480p, as well as Wiimote and Nunchuk support.

All three games will can be accesed from one centralized game menu. From that menu you can create a profile that will save your progress for all three games, as well as your custom control schemes. Also available is the classic Metroid Prime Echoes multiplayer mode, which due to the Wiimote support, has reportadly become a whole lot more fun. Unfortunately there is no online multiplayer support, but given the circumstances that can be forgiven. There is also an achievment system, Craig Harris from IGN explains:

“Along with the new control and display options, Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2 Echoes has also been given the same medal system that’s already in Metroid Prime 3 Corruption. As you complete missions you’ll be given medals specific to the task completed – each medal has a specific color, and you spend these tokens in the new front-end’s option menu for unlockables. Each unlockable has a specific value: you can buy concept art, music, or special options like a screen grabbing utility so you can save screenshots to the internal storage and send them to friends. Some of the more coveted unlockables are far more expensive: we saw a few items that required three red, one blue, three yellow, two green, one orange, and two purple medals. You can also score medals by linking friends over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and earn friend vouchers.”

Thank you Nintendo, for this nice gesture of friendship to us hardcore gamers. Please keep them coming.

• RPG-like leveling up system.
• Several gun and sword combos.
• First-person sword fighting is the primary focus, with gunplay as a secondary option.
• Not exactly an open world, but not a linear game either. You can choose multiple paths.
• There are side quests, as well as collectibles.
• Many enemies wear bulletproof armor.
• Boss fights.
• You will have the ability to travel back to older levels with your new abilities.
• MotionPlus will be used in various situations, not just combat, or opening doors.
• No multiplayer, however when asked about a downloadable multiplayer add-on, it was neither confirmed or denied, just stated as “possible”.

These ones are focused on the controls:

• Holding Z locks on your enemy.
• Holding C and swinging will do a block.
• You can switch lock-on any time.
• Screen prompts will let you know if you are being attacked from behind, you can press A to quick-turn in this situation.

Production began last summer, and the game is planned to be available by Christmas 2009.

According to the latest Nintendo Power, Red Steel 2 is confirmed to be on it’s way. More interestingly it seems to be straying from it’s origins roots. You will still be carrying a slew of guns and a your trusty katana, but this time the story is set in a “desert-bound, high-tech metropolis”. The game has taken a turn in the cel-shaded direction as well, eliminating all blood and gore in exchange for a “lighter” feel. It’s an interesting step for sure.

Back when Red Steel came out on the Wii’s launch date, it had mixed reviews. The biggest problem was that Ubisoft had tried to make a true 1:1 sword and gun game with not so 1:1 controls. It was a great idea at the time, but the technology simply wasn’t there. Well now things are changing. With Nintendo’s upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory, players will be able to enjoy true 1:1 controls. In other words, it will work the way we all thought it was going to work before the system came out. When you move the sword to the left, it is actually going to move on screen in exact sync with your controller.