Wiikey Questions

[Durgan]

I've been looking into GameCubes and Wiis in order to build a portable I've been planning. However besides just make it portable I want to hack the system and the game it will be used for, as well as connect the system to a standard computer monitor (it will be used for multiplayer, so the system will be made laptop-style with a 15" display). For playing the hacked game, I need to be able to read modified ISOs. I could go with burned discs, but I'd much prefer solid state memory (for ease of making changes, stability/speed, reduced power consumption). SD cards seem to be the best fit.

I found out about this thing: GCN/Wii SD Media Launcher. But I read that it's buggy (crashes. audible buzzing in-game). And there's this which I haven't seen anything about yet. I thought I had come across a way to replace the disc drive with an SD card somewhere on the net a long time ago, so I started looking for that. Soon I came across Wiikey Fusion, but I have a few questions:

1) Obviously the Wiikey is popular, probably for good reason, but is it really the absolute best approach? It certainly seems great, but I just want to double check and see what other good options are out there. Also, is Wiikey the cheapest? I ask that because I wonder if it's so popular simply because it's so easy. Could there possibly be more direct methods to interface an SD card to either system? I'm not really afraid of extra work if it means a better (or cheaper to build) solution.
2) Do you need to have a specific version/update of Wiikey and a specific revision GC mobo for the combo to work best (or at all)?
3) What's the difference between Wiikey 1 and Wiikey 2?
4) Can you have a Wiikey setup boot directly into a game without any menus?
5) Could this be done with Memory Stick Pro Duos instead? Their pinouts look similar (I don't know what would need to be done for them to behave the same, if anything): MS Pro Duo | SD.
6) Does anybody know the current draw of the Wiikey Fusion, original GC disc drive, or Wii disc drive? May just test these myself once I get the parts.
7) Are 32 GB cards still the maximum that Wiikey supports?
8) Not especially important, but, do you guys recommend a certain distributor? If not I'll try this one.

(btw, just out of curiosity, has anyone here used the SD Media Launcher?)

Thanks! I appreciate any info. ^_^

 

[hailrazer]

1. The Wode is actually better. It has the best compatibility and it allows the games to be shrunk down. It's just a bit larger.
2. Yes you need the 1.5 update for the Wiikey. Also only certain model Gamecubes will work.
3. WiiKey 2 is the upgrade from WiiKey 1. Wiikey 1 is no longer made. Thgey are modchips to play burnt games. What you want is the WiiKey Fusion.
4. I don't think so.
5. Don't think so.
6.From what I remember I think the DD drive pulls about 400 mA, the Wiikey about 200mA when the sd card is in use.
7. I am using a 64gb right now. Works just fine.

 

[ShockSlayer]

Dang, you shelled out for a 64gb? I thought my 32gb was big. ._.

SS

 

[Diminuendo]

An SSD will be useless if it's connected by USB 2.0, it will bottle neck the drives speed to slower than a 5400rpm HDD

 

[Durgan]

So I take it the Wiikey Fusion is much faster than the WODE method? Or is the system in whole slower than that which makes it moot?

1. The Wode is actually better. It has the best compatibility and it allows the games to be shrunk down. It's just a bit larger.
2. Yes you need the 1.5 update for the Wiikey. Also only certain model Gamecubes will work.
3. WiiKey 2 is the upgrade from WiiKey 1. Wiikey 1 is no longer made. Thgey are modchips to play burnt games. What you want is the WiiKey Fusion.
4. I don't think so.
5. Don't think so.
6.From what I remember I think the DD drive pulls about 400 mA, the Wiikey about 200mA when the sd card is in use.
7. I am using a 64gb right now. Works just fine.

1) According to the compatibility list here, the game I'm most interested in is compatible with WiiKey Fusion. And from what I've seen so far, the WODE is more expensive. So mostly considering the possible speed/performance benefit and cost, I'm leaning toward the Wiikey Fusion. Are there any other advantages one has over the other?
2) 1.5 or higher, 1.5 or lower, or only 1.5? In the compatibility post I linked to it says, "When reporting compatibility testing results please make sure your Wiikey Fusion is updated to the latest firmware version..." So I'm guessing 1.5 or higher works? Also, I found the GC board compatibility (IPL compatibility) in that post too, which I didn't notice earlier (or just didn't recognize). I'll search to see if I can find info on how to tell the boards apart (I already know how to tell the revisions apart).
4) What about the WODE? I'm guessing no from what I've seen, but it couldn't hurt to ask. It's too bad none of these seem to have that feature. Oh well.

 

[nuke]

So I take it the Wiikey Fusion is much faster than the WODE method? Or is the system in whole slower than that which makes it moot?

1. The Wode is actually better. It has the best compatibility and it allows the games to be shrunk down. It's just a bit larger.
2. Yes you need the 1.5 update for the Wiikey. Also only certain model Gamecubes will work.
3. WiiKey 2 is the upgrade from WiiKey 1. Wiikey 1 is no longer made. Thgey are modchips to play burnt games. What you want is the WiiKey Fusion.
4. I don't think so.
5. Don't think so.
6.From what I remember I think the DD drive pulls about 400 mA, the Wiikey about 200mA when the sd card is in use.
7. I am using a 64gb right now. Works just fine.

1) According to the compatibility list here, the game I'm most interested in is compatible with WiiKey Fusion. And from what I've seen so far, the WODE is more expensive. So mostly considering the possible speed/performance benefit and cost, I'm leaning toward the Wiikey Fusion. Are there any other advantages one has over the other?
2) 1.5 or higher, 1.5 or lower, or only 1.5? In the compatibility post I linked to it says, "When reporting compatibility testing results please make sure your Wiikey Fusion is updated to the latest firmware version..." So I'm guessing 1.5 or higher works? Also, I found the GC board compatibility (IPL compatibility) in that post too, which I didn't notice earlier (or just didn't recognize). I'll search to see if I can find info on how to tell the boards apart (I already know how to tell the revisions apart).
4) What about the WODE? I'm guessing no from what I've seen, but it couldn't hurt to ask. It's too bad none of these seem to have that feature. Oh well.

1. Sorta depends on what kind of portable your making. Wikkey Fusion is smaller, cheaper, but the WODE has more features, such as force region(or whatever it was called), and USB, HDD, and SD support.
2. Yup, as of now, 1.5 is the latest and only firmware that works properly with GC games.