How to Backup Wii Games

Once you’ve decided that you’re going to use software to backup your Wii games as opposed to taking the hardware modification route, you have two choices. You can either use a game copying software, or you can install the Wii Homebrew Channel. I will cover each of them below.

Game Copying Software: This is basically just a program that makes copies of your games for you and allows you to play them in your console without having to modify the console in any way. It works by cracking through the protection codes that come on game discs so that when you load it up in your system, the Wii won’t even recognize the disc as being copied. It will read the game and play it just like it would if you bought the game from the store.

Pros:

• Affordable – You can find a good game copying program for under $30.
• Very easy to do – If you’ve ever burned a CD or any other disc before, it’s done the same way.

Cons:

• Only copies games – If you choose to go with Homebrew, you will not only be able to copy games with your Wii, but you will have access to tons of other features on your Wii as well. With a game copying program though, all you will be able to do is make copies of games. You won’t have access to the extra features like Homebrew has so your system will be very limited.

Wii Homebrew Channel: This is my preferred method for backing up Wii games. It’s just as easy to use as the game copying programs, but you get so many added benefits when you install Homebrew onto your Wii. Some of these include playing emulators, DVDs, other Homebrew apps, and much more. Nintendo Wii users are developing tons of new Homebrew games and applications all the time and you will be able to download all of them once Homebrew is installed.

Pros:

• Affordable – You can find the correct files online for free, but if you’re not sure exactly how to install Homebrew, you can get a professional guide that will walk you through the whole process for under $30. The best guides will come with written instructions and videos so that you can watch and follow along making it really easy. They will also come with all the files you need so you know they are safe and won’t give you any viruses. The same cannot always be said for the random files you find online.
• Tons of features – As I mentioned above, with Wii Homebrew you get a bunch of extra features on top of being able to backup your games. These extras make it well worth it.
• Easy to setup – With the proper files and instructions, Homebrew is really easy to install and setup. You can have it done in about 10 minutes.

Cons:

• If you don’t know what you’re doing, Homebrew can be tricky to install at first. That is why I recommend using one of the professional guides that are available online. They give you all the files you need and instructions that help you each step of the way.

So as you can see, choosing to go with the Homebrew Channel offers you way more features than using a simple game copying software. Both of them work just as effective for backing up Wii games, but if you really want to unlock the full power of your Wii, the Homebrew Channel is what you want to go with. If you don’t care about all the extra features and only want to backup games, then the game copying software is all you really need.