A Hacking Wii Will Go...

A PS3 or an X-Box 360 is a great big powerful thing. But it's Nintendo's inexpensive Wii that seems to be capturing people's imaginations. Its simple, intuitive controller has already spawned all kinds of little hacks.

But some of the more interesting uses of the controller aren't part of Nintendo's official game library. Within weeks of Wii's November launch, videos were making the rounds on YouTube showing the controller used to move a PC's mouse cursor, play Half-Life 2 and even control a music synthesizer and drum machine. Hackers quickly discovered that the controller was using standard Bluetooth signals for its wireless communication -- signals that were recognized, right out of the box, by personal computers equipped with Bluetooth receivers. Specifically, Windows PCs recognized the controller as a nonstandard human interface device, or HID.

Gamers, modders, and hackers always push the envelope. Read about the ever-increasing Wii envelope here.