D2CKey Review

Written by hitman43
November 2007
( Original D2CKey Review in German )

Introduction

The D2CKey is the first D2C DVD-ROM chip-set compatible Nintendo Wii™ drive modchip. With it's Intelligent Code Modifying System (ICMS) you'll be presented with flawless booting of your homebrew and backups and status is shown with two on board LEDs. It also sports a Region Override function allowing you to play import games from other countries. While the chip works great one must take into consideration to amount of wires you must install thus it isn't designed for people who no soldering experience.

Features

Access control LEDs

LED 1: disc access indicator.

LED 2: data patching indicator:

Flashes smoothly during disc insertion and detection
Lit when backup is detected (after disclogin)
Off when original is detected

DVD media compability

DVD+-R
DVD+-RW
Dual-layer DVD (movies and GCOS)

Game disc support:

Direct boot of Wii original and backup games from the same region
Direct boot of GameCube original and backup games from the same region
Direct boot of different NTSC region Wii and GC games on USA and JAP consoles
Partial region free support on Wii and GC original and backup games with different videomode (ie PAL<->USA, JAPAN)
Improved readsettings for recordable media
Supports running GC games at Wii diskspeed
GC Audiostreaming Fix
Supports full-size DVD and DVD9 discs for GC homebrew
Supports GC multigame discs
Supports Wii and GC multidisc games

True stealth mode

Does not modify RAM, making it virtually undetectable for the Wii
Full command set emulation

Contents

D2CKey Chips comes in anti static packaging - you get nothing more then the modchip itself. Every component on the modchip are manufactured professionally and the PCB is stable and made from high quality components. The whole chips looks great. The logic chip is an high quality ACTEL and the solder points are gold for a perfect connection.

Installation

The D2CKey installation needs a lot of concentration, a small solder iron, and medium to pro soldering skills. At first you must disassemble your Wii console which will void your warranty. With some alternative installation diagrams the main installation isn't really hard for people who have previous experience with PS2 modchips and XBOX 360 Drive Mods. For noobs it is not a good idea to install the chip by themselves because they can easily brick there Wii drive. I installed the D2CKey using various points from both installation diagrams so I didn't need to solder anything to the under side of the DVD-ROM drive board. The 1st D2CKey installation will probably take an hour of your free time.

Usage

When the installation is finished it is good to check every connection for an bridge with an multimeter. While booting the first time you can look at the LED indicator, but please note that this will not show you that your installation is correctly and then the console is assembled you cant see the LED indicator really good, so it's a strange, but not needed feature. Don't forget - the LED indicator displays only the Boot-Mode!

While starting the console the LED's on the chip blinks a short moment. When a backup is inside one LED is shining blue for a second (maybe two), but it is really a short lighting and LED 2 is shinning red all the time. When an original is inside the Wii drive the red LED shine for 1-2 seconds and when the blue LEDs is active all the time.

So big question now is - Can the D2CKey do everything as Wiikey or CycloWiz can do? The simple answer is "Yes" it does! That means the chip boots after a correct installation everything that other chips also boots. Only the update feature isn't present and the open source chip codes can't be flashed onto the ACTEL as an feature. Everything works fine and that means that the D2CKey boots backups from your original without a problem including various media types such as DVD-R/DVD+R backups, GameCube backups and GameCube homebrew. Original games also boot with no problems.

The build in Audio-Fix for GameCube games works perfectly - all other modchips (Cyclowiz, Wiikey and Wiid) need an update first to fix that issue, the D2CKey has this features by default. All import games that works with other modchips are also working with the D2CKey - so everything is perfect at this point.

I tested the D2CKey with a handful of originals, backups, imports and homebrew software and everything worked without a problem. Additionally, Multi-Game, Multiple Game Discs and Dual Layer Discs are reported to work flawlessly.

On problem I did run into which has been reported on other sites is "freezing" when switching from using GameCube games to Wii games. To resolve this issue you must unplug your Wii from it's power source and plug it back in.

Conclusion

Due to the fact that the D2CKey is the first D2C drive based modchip to hit the market one might come to expect it not to work perfectly, but other then the "freezing bug" the chip does what it's advertised to do. The developers have done a great job with their product and should be congratulated for bringing out the first D2C DVD-ROM drive chip-set solution. Just for kicks, the chip worked with the new Error 001 without a hitch so one should expect it's a higher quality then the rest. Although, the chip shouldn't be installed by novice individuals it's a good product overall.

Positives

1st D2C Modchip
Autoboot without configurations
Homebrew Compatible
NTSC/JAP Import Games Compatibility
GameCube Audio Fix
DVD9 Compatible
LED Indicator
Good Build Quality
ACTEL technology
Great Media Support/Detection
Support for Error 001 Games

Negatives

31 Solder Point Installation
No Known Upgrade Feature
No Menu or Configuration Disc
"Freezing" bug present when switching from GC to Wii mode
LED's are useless due to the fact you can't see them
[Out of Date] - Infectus chip requieres only 13 wires and is updateable

Links

D2CKey's Website
D2CKey Review (German) @ ModControl.com

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