What Is a Wii Disc?

Physical Specifications

• Format: Proprietary DVD-ROM (single-layer 4.7 GB, dual-layer 8.5 GB for few titles like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Metroid Prime Trilogy).
• Diameter: 12 cm (standard DVD size).
• Structure: Burst Cutting Area (BCA) for copy protection; unique wobble groove encoding.
• File System: Custom Nintendo filesystem (not UDF/ISO9660).

Compatibility

• Wii: Native playback.
• Wii U: Backward compatible via Wii Mode (requires Wii Remote).
• PC Drives: Standard DVD drives cannot read Wii discs (different error correction, BCA). Specialized drives (LG GH22NS50, etc.) + software (RawDump, Friidump) can dump ISOs for archival/emulation.

Non-Game Uses

• Photo Channel (SD card → disc slideshow)
• Wii Music / Wii Fit data discs
• Homebrew Channel boot discs (via modchip or exploit)

Handle by edges; store in cases. Scratches on the label side (top) are fatal—data layer is directly beneath.