Game and DVD hacks explode

Entertainment devices have come under sustained attack over the Christmas period, as several new hacks emerged targeting popular platforms.

Nintendo's Wii games console has been centre stage, with users hacking the motion tracking joystick to turn it to multiple new uses. 

Gamers can already bowl, bat, sword fight and even fish with the Wii Nunchuck controller, but an army of online programmers has extended its functions even further.

The latest ability is to use the controller to play the World of Warcraft online role playing game. 

However, programmers have also adapted it to control the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. 

Other hacks include the option to use the Wii remote to plot the movements of a remote controlled car, or power a home entertainment system using the game console's Opera browser. 

Users have also figured out how to stream music from iTunes on a PC or Mac to Nintendo's new console. 

Copied versions of Nintendo Wii games are also available on the internet, although no cracked system for playing them has yet been created.

Sony's PlayStation Portable has been unofficially upgraded to play any original PlayStation game, thanks to a tweak of Sony's official emulator software. 

A hacker also claims to have cracked the AACS copy-protection system that safeguards HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs.

'Muslix64' made the claims on the Doom9 forum and has uploaded a piece of software called BackupHDDVD to the internet for other users to try out. 

A film posted on YouTube shows Muslix64 making a backup copy of Stanley Kubrik's Full Metal Jacket on his PC. 

The hacker claims to have found an encryption key for the HD-DVD title, which he was then able to use to decrypt the video on his PC.

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