(Wii?) If WBFS is way smaller than ISO, why aren't the games shared in that format?

Shiaoran · 01-26-10 at 08:12 AM

It's over 4GB versus less than 100MB.
Include Wii Game Manager (or similar app) in the package and the conversion to ISO, if wanted, can be done in 5 seconds rather than a few minutes of unpacking an ISO file.

I'm not sure if this only applies to Wii games or if any ISO file can make use of this.

Vball · 01-26-10 at 08:20 AM

It's Wii-only because developers fill the DVDs with "garbage" info to make it 4 GB. That way, it fills up a full DVD. Also, WBFS doesn't compress the DVD, it just removes that info. Other ISO's and games don't have this problem seeing as Xbox 360's DVD sizes vary. Lastly, they are distributed like that, they're called "scrubbed" releases. Hope this helped!

superpaco · 01-26-10 at 08:25 AM

I think he means why aren't they distributed in wbfs format (so the games don't take up 4.4 GB when extracted despite being like 500mb compressed, for example).

I'm pretty sure the reason for this is that only one WBFS manager I know of (wbfs intelligent gui) has support for importing/exporting compressed wbfs-format files.

It'll probably start happening when more tools are developed that directly support manipulating the compressed isos.

leveliv · 01-26-10 at 09:22 AM

I havent really found a problem using ISOs some of them are "scrubbed" some aren't like SMB Wii it was scrubbed down to 600-700mb and it uncompressed to full 4.7GB for burning to DVD and the rest I just found If I used a megaupload premium account it doesnt take long at all.

Shiaoran · 01-26-10 at 09:53 AM

So the WBFS thing is new?
Let's hope more advantages come from it with time.

Not everyone has premium accounts...

And I use Custom USB Loader, so I don't even burn stuff.

**anotheradict** · 01-27-10 at 05:42 PM

I don't think it make much different....for example, a scrubbed iso (4gig) is compressed to about 400mb. When you convert the iso to WBFS, it's about 400mb as well. Uploaders don't want to have to do an extra step of convert ISO>WBFS>RAR. We can decide if we want ISO or WBFS. I for example does use WBFS and deleted all my iso and kept a backup of WBFS in case one hd crash. I tried convert a WBFS back to ISO to burn and it failed twice. I haven't test it lately so I don't know the success rate but It would suck to have all these WBFS and can't convert them to ISO anymore.

I'm just babbling now. Basically, it comes down to what other posters said...there isn't a lot of apps to properly deals with wbfs file atm. Only a couple.

**mithu** · 01-27-10 at 06:00 PM

Cuz its hard to extract it from a Windows PC w/out proper apps.

uncontrollableid · 01-27-10 at 06:27 PM

Ya, most of the games in hippyfreaks are already compressed to the actual game size (minus buffering garbage.) Unrars to full size iso (plus garbage), then WBFS just takes the game from the iso, usually what you dl'ed is the same size as the WBFS version.
If you don't have an account just us MU, lickety split.

sickpuppy1 · 01-30-10 at 03:50 PM

WBFS is a file system format, like NTFS or FAT32. WBFS is not a Wii game format. Waninkoko used this when he released the first usb loader. Then came the other usb loaders, like GX, configurable, WiiFlow, uloader, coverfloader, and others. All these usb loaders are based from Waninkoko's usb loader, so that's why the need for WBFS formatted partitions. WBFS is what you format your USB device to to install game to so the usb loader will recognize it. The usb loaders are starting to get away from the WBFS format, I have seen FAT and NTFS loaders as well.

Like mentioned above, all Wii games vary in size. An original retail Wii disc is 4.37GB in size. The people that use mod chips in their Wii must burn a Wii backup disc that is 4.37GB in size or the Wii will not recognize it as a Wii disc, that's why some downloads are 4.37GB in size. When you install an ISO to your WBFS formatted USB HDD, the junk data is removed because USB Loaders do not require an image that is 4.37GB. Games can vary from under 100MB to over 4GB. The word "compressed" really is not correct when talking about Wii games, just because the junk data was removed does not mean the game data has been compressed. Gamecube games are like this too, they can be "shrunken down" to install many games on one disc.

**lazzyie** · 01-31-10 at 04:04 PM

There is a wbfs format and it is supported by Wiibackupmanager beta, it is made for loaders like configurable usb loader. Rather than formatting the whole drive to wbfs you can create a folder called wbfs on a fat32 partition, then install the games in the wbfs format in the folder. Wbfs formatted games are basically the same as cisos and pretty much the same size as scrubbed iso's when they are compressed. I think most people don't use hermes or backup manager beta or intelligent wbfs manager, because they are not as spiffy looking, So that is why most games are still iso's in my opinion.