As 2016 comes to a close we can take a look back and celebrate all of the amazing accomplishments achieved by the community this year.
[h]
A Fresh Start[/h]
Back in January, the idea for a site by the community, for the community was born. A new forum where information preservation would be the front and center aspect of the community in order to educate future generations of portablizers and console modders was about to spring to life.
Back then we couldn't even imagine BitBuilt in its current state because we never saw this wonderful community coming to fruition so quickly. However, before all of that happened, some key events attributed to the formation of the site we know today.
All of the way back to the first days of the site, we didn't even have a name for our little forum. All we had was our whit and our determination to make the new site the best that it could be for the community. Several ideas such as a store, wiki staff, and front page staff have all made their way to the site. It's amazing to look back and think that all of this was a simple thought back then.
As we began to solidify and make a foundation for ourselves, @ttsgeb came up with the name "BitBuilt" after many other unspeakable ideas were rattled off. The name stuck and we jumped in feet first by registering social media accounts with the name and buying a domain. Good thing it stuck too, because we spent a lot of time on registering everything!
We had our humble beginnings on phpBB, much like most other forums on the internet because it was free and easy to use. phpBB is still an aged software though and it doesn't offer many of the features we were looking for. So after about a month of using it, we switched to XenForo in February and have stayed on it ever since. The software has offered us several useful features such as customizable userbars for when users achieve a specific thing and an integrated wiki, slated for public release in early 2017. With XenForo 2.0 on the horizon with features such as liking messages in PM and several others, we look forward to what we as staff will be able to do with the new power that comes along with the updated version of the software. The more features developers put into their software the more we can offer to you, the community!
[h]... and Action![/h]
The stage was set and a date was marked on the calendar. March 1st, 2016 was the date that BitBuilt would be released to the public and users would be able to register and post as they please.
The future of the portablizing community was here and ready to take the scene by storm because behind the scenes there was a "revolution" happening to one specific console...
[h]The Revolution has begun![/h]
For years portablizers had been saying that the Wii was impossible to trim to the size of the GameCube. The majority of the members who initially looked into the prospect of Wii trimming had abandoned its cause and moved on from portablizing entirely. However, one member persisted that the Wii was worth it and even dragged ShockSlayer himself back to the project.
[h]A New Hope[/h]
One unyielding member, determined to find answers any way he could, traveled far and wide across the net, in search of truth, justice, and the portablizer's path. His relentless quest led him to the deepest, darkest corner of the portablizing realm: the ShockSlayer Stream Twitch chat, one of the worst places to have ever existed. In that bottomless, empty abyss, our hero struck a vein of gold, and found answers to questions he once thought unanswerable. Unbeknownst to him, his movements breathed new life into the tyranny of evil men, and soon the young Wiitard found himself standing in the presence of a reawakened legend. Sensing the change in tides, the One Sand Man, watcher of the waking world in the absence of the legend, joined their righteous quest. With a single stroke, this familiar ally revealed the inner layers of truth within the Wii, and together they created the ultimate book, waiting to be filled with knowledge. With a renewed sense of direction, the young Wiitard brandished his mighty line tool, and began his journey once again. As the eons passed, the book was filled with knowledge, until it was once again time4memes. The stage had been set, the people had gathered, and the reaction to the revelation of the revolution is represented within the name: OMGWTF.
[h]Going Even Further Beyond[/h]
After the unbelievable feat that was the OMGWTF trim for Wii, @ShockSlayer wasn't done yet. Remember, he is the GODDAMN SHOCKSLAYER and he won't take no for an answer.
The Wii was made to be smaller than ever before by doing the "NAND bend" and relocating the 1.8V regulator in order to lop off yet another part of the board. This trim was beautifully utilized in @Gman's WiiBoy. Legend says that ShockSlayer isn't done cutting yet...
What else does ShockSlayer have in store for 2017? You'll just have to stick around to find out.
[h]The Summer Contest[/h]
Once the Wii trimming guide was out, we made the push to host our very first portablizing contest. Overall the contest was a success with @Gman placing first, @JacksonS placing second, and @Aurelio placing third. Even though some of the winners don't yet have their prizes thanks to the use of the promo code "BadAss" there was still a nice slew of prizes to choose from. We've learned a lot from the experience and will be applying our newfound knowledge in order to better prepare for next year's contest.
[h]Wii Made a Modpack[/h]
PortablizeMii, the first ever modpack made for the sole intent of preparing the Wii for the OMGWTF cut, was also released back in July. Since then, we have seen countless projects be finished with it and it has undeniably become the standard (and also the best method since you can do away with those nasty WASPs/WKFs) for making portable Wiis. Next year, we will continue to update the pack and implement new features according to user feedback.
[h]What's In Store?[/h]
In October, the BitBuilt Store finally made its way to the site after being a topic of discussion going all the way back to March. It debuted with the GC+ being the star product, but more and more products are being developed for a 2017 launch.
A batch of 60 GC+ boards was reduced to only 3 in two months. That means that there are 57 controller boards out there in the hands of very capable portablizers who we know will do amazing things with. The proceeds from the boards have gone into the development of other console related projects such as the NAND Boards, slated for launch in early 2017.
[h]A look forward to 2017[/h]
So much has happened in the last 12 months that it's hard to even capture it all in a post this long. We've had so many great things happen and the things featured above are only a small glimpse of what has occurred.
We want to make 2017 really special. We'll be having great events such as BitBuilt's 1st Birthday to celebrate as well as MGC not long after that. Once we reach the end of April, the first details of the 2017 Summer Contest will be revealed. The Store will be continuously stocked with new products as they are released.
2017 is shaping up to be an awesome year, and it's only just beginning. We thank you immensely for joining us on the journey this far and we can't wait to show you all what's coming next year!
Happy New Year to you all!
~ The Staff
[h]
A Fresh Start[/h]
Back in January, the idea for a site by the community, for the community was born. A new forum where information preservation would be the front and center aspect of the community in order to educate future generations of portablizers and console modders was about to spring to life.
Back then we couldn't even imagine BitBuilt in its current state because we never saw this wonderful community coming to fruition so quickly. However, before all of that happened, some key events attributed to the formation of the site we know today.
All of the way back to the first days of the site, we didn't even have a name for our little forum. All we had was our whit and our determination to make the new site the best that it could be for the community. Several ideas such as a store, wiki staff, and front page staff have all made their way to the site. It's amazing to look back and think that all of this was a simple thought back then.
As we began to solidify and make a foundation for ourselves, @ttsgeb came up with the name "BitBuilt" after many other unspeakable ideas were rattled off. The name stuck and we jumped in feet first by registering social media accounts with the name and buying a domain. Good thing it stuck too, because we spent a lot of time on registering everything!
We had our humble beginnings on phpBB, much like most other forums on the internet because it was free and easy to use. phpBB is still an aged software though and it doesn't offer many of the features we were looking for. So after about a month of using it, we switched to XenForo in February and have stayed on it ever since. The software has offered us several useful features such as customizable userbars for when users achieve a specific thing and an integrated wiki, slated for public release in early 2017. With XenForo 2.0 on the horizon with features such as liking messages in PM and several others, we look forward to what we as staff will be able to do with the new power that comes along with the updated version of the software. The more features developers put into their software the more we can offer to you, the community!
[h]... and Action![/h]
The stage was set and a date was marked on the calendar. March 1st, 2016 was the date that BitBuilt would be released to the public and users would be able to register and post as they please.
The future of the portablizing community was here and ready to take the scene by storm because behind the scenes there was a "revolution" happening to one specific console...
[h]The Revolution has begun![/h]
For years portablizers had been saying that the Wii was impossible to trim to the size of the GameCube. The majority of the members who initially looked into the prospect of Wii trimming had abandoned its cause and moved on from portablizing entirely. However, one member persisted that the Wii was worth it and even dragged ShockSlayer himself back to the project.
[h]A New Hope[/h]
One unyielding member, determined to find answers any way he could, traveled far and wide across the net, in search of truth, justice, and the portablizer's path. His relentless quest led him to the deepest, darkest corner of the portablizing realm: the ShockSlayer Stream Twitch chat, one of the worst places to have ever existed. In that bottomless, empty abyss, our hero struck a vein of gold, and found answers to questions he once thought unanswerable. Unbeknownst to him, his movements breathed new life into the tyranny of evil men, and soon the young Wiitard found himself standing in the presence of a reawakened legend. Sensing the change in tides, the One Sand Man, watcher of the waking world in the absence of the legend, joined their righteous quest. With a single stroke, this familiar ally revealed the inner layers of truth within the Wii, and together they created the ultimate book, waiting to be filled with knowledge. With a renewed sense of direction, the young Wiitard brandished his mighty line tool, and began his journey once again. As the eons passed, the book was filled with knowledge, until it was once again time4memes. The stage had been set, the people had gathered, and the reaction to the revelation of the revolution is represented within the name: OMGWTF.
[h]Going Even Further Beyond[/h]
After the unbelievable feat that was the OMGWTF trim for Wii, @ShockSlayer wasn't done yet. Remember, he is the GODDAMN SHOCKSLAYER and he won't take no for an answer.
The Wii was made to be smaller than ever before by doing the "NAND bend" and relocating the 1.8V regulator in order to lop off yet another part of the board. This trim was beautifully utilized in @Gman's WiiBoy. Legend says that ShockSlayer isn't done cutting yet...
What else does ShockSlayer have in store for 2017? You'll just have to stick around to find out.
[h]The Summer Contest[/h]
Once the Wii trimming guide was out, we made the push to host our very first portablizing contest. Overall the contest was a success with @Gman placing first, @JacksonS placing second, and @Aurelio placing third. Even though some of the winners don't yet have their prizes thanks to the use of the promo code "BadAss" there was still a nice slew of prizes to choose from. We've learned a lot from the experience and will be applying our newfound knowledge in order to better prepare for next year's contest.
[h]Wii Made a Modpack[/h]
PortablizeMii, the first ever modpack made for the sole intent of preparing the Wii for the OMGWTF cut, was also released back in July. Since then, we have seen countless projects be finished with it and it has undeniably become the standard (and also the best method since you can do away with those nasty WASPs/WKFs) for making portable Wiis. Next year, we will continue to update the pack and implement new features according to user feedback.
[h]What's In Store?[/h]
In October, the BitBuilt Store finally made its way to the site after being a topic of discussion going all the way back to March. It debuted with the GC+ being the star product, but more and more products are being developed for a 2017 launch.
A batch of 60 GC+ boards was reduced to only 3 in two months. That means that there are 57 controller boards out there in the hands of very capable portablizers who we know will do amazing things with. The proceeds from the boards have gone into the development of other console related projects such as the NAND Boards, slated for launch in early 2017.
[h]A look forward to 2017[/h]
So much has happened in the last 12 months that it's hard to even capture it all in a post this long. We've had so many great things happen and the things featured above are only a small glimpse of what has occurred.
We want to make 2017 really special. We'll be having great events such as BitBuilt's 1st Birthday to celebrate as well as MGC not long after that. Once we reach the end of April, the first details of the 2017 Summer Contest will be revealed. The Store will be continuously stocked with new products as they are released.
2017 is shaping up to be an awesome year, and it's only just beginning. We thank you immensely for joining us on the journey this far and we can't wait to show you all what's coming next year!
Happy New Year to you all!
~ The Staff
