Wiikey, the company that sells mod chips for the Nintendo Wii, said in an update on their website they have successfully reverse-engineered the Wii U drive authentication, disk encryption, file system and "everything else" needed to build a mod chip for Nintendo's Wii U.
The device isn't available for purchase just yet but when it becomes available, all you'll need to do to hack Nintendo's latest gaming console is plug in a USB dongle - that's it. With the mod, gamers will be able to install custom operating systems that allow them to launch homebrew software, emulators and - unfortunately for Nintendo - pirated games.
News of a Wii U mod chip comes at a dicey time for Nintendo as they just replaced their North American CEO with Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata. The plan moving forward is to drive sales of the Wii U by releasing more key titles on the platform. True enough, Nintendo has a number of big titles in the pipeline like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD and PIkmin 3.
Of course, that's just one way of looking at it. If you're trying to find the positive in a situation like this, it's that a mod chip could help drive sales of the Wii U console. It's unlikely, however, that most people interested in a mod chip are the type to pay for games, but I digress.
No word yet on when the WiikeU will be available for purchase or how much it will retail for. A posting on the company's website said to stay tuned for updates.