versions- updating, downgrading. whats it all mean?

Reading and learning all I can before installing homebrew channel. I'm still fuzzy on a number of things so I'll start with one I can't find to much info on.

Is there a post or guide somewhere explaining the wii console versions, wii game versions and updating? That question may be to vaige so I'll clarrify, I see a lot of talk about upgrading & downgrading but no explanation of why. When I started learning about installing homebrew my first impression was that your able to store some of your legally purchased games on a flash drive and play them without running a cd all the time. I then learned of many other things you can do with homebrew but those are questions for another topic.

Lets say I have a console at v3.3, install homebrew then load games to play on the flash drive or external usb hard drive, why would a person update their system? Would'nt the wii connect to Nintendo for updates and see that the console has been modified and try to overwrite? I was under the impression that once you install all this to never connect it to the internet. Am I way off track here or is there more info somewhere I can read? Does the homebrew channel allow you to update your system to meet version requirements of you wii game without harming the homebrew channel? Did I just answer my own question?

My kids (thats right I'm an old fart) have many games old and new I wanted to run through the homebrew channel, some require updating the system first but we've never updated anything yet until I get a grip on installing all this first. So those new games are sitting on the shelf for now and their just enjoying the older ones.

Any thoughts, guides, direction of travel etc...etc... are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Let me just make this clear:
Downgrading = Failure. Do not downgrade. Also, we don't support the use of backups (that is what you'd need to use to run your games off of an external hard drive). I can't help you with that.

Now, to answer your question:

If you want to play your new games, the best option is to just update your system. Once you've updated, you can play all of your games (old and new ones), and you can also install the HBC.

Update.......play all games.......hmm, No need for homebrew it sounds like. That was simple.

Quote
Roto36
Update.......play all games.......hmm, No need for homebrew it sounds like. That was simple.

Well, without the homebrew channel, you can't play homebrew games... (Unless you have some other method to launch homebrew)