Action Replay for Nintendo Wii (lost disc-based version of Wii cheating device; 2008)
A placeholder image of the packaging used on online storefronts.
Status: Lost
Action Replay is a line of video game cheating devices developed and manufactured by the UK company Datel. In early 2008, after the discovery of an exploit in the signature verification of the Wii, new products from Datel, including a version of the Action Replay for the Wii, started appearing in online storefronts for pre-order, releasing on January 2, 2008.[1] While the Wii Freeloader, another disc-based device from Datel, ended up being widely sold on multiple storefronts including their own[2], the Action Replay was soft-launched on considerably fewer sites, though was available for order for a significant time period.
On June 16, 2008, Nintendo released version 3.3 of the Wii system firmware, patching the exploit used by Datel that allowed these discs to run. While Datel continued selling the Wii Freeloader (albeit with a warning that it could not be used on updated systems), the storefront listings of the Action Replay started to disappear at this time, with only the Best Buy store page remaining to this day[3] It is possible that Datel decided to postpone the full launch of the device until they had found a way to restore functionality on the latest Wii system firmware. Due to the limited release, this version of the Action Replay has yet to be preserved in any way, with no listings appearing on eBay or other second hand sites.
In 2012, Datel soft-launched an SD-card based version of the Action Replay, using a different exploit.[4]. This exploit was never patched by Nintendo, and this version of the device went on to be sold widely on various storefronts. Besides the use of an SD card rather than a disc, it is unknown what changes were made by Datel for this release.
Note that Datel's save manager, "PowerSaves" was released for the Wii under the Action Replay brand, bundled with a PC installer CD. Despite the confusing name, this is not the same product and does not run on the Wii itself.
Gallery
A placeholder image of the packaging used on online storefronts.
A promotional photo of the packaging, taken from an unknown source.
