Wii / Wii U Modding
This page is just a quick reference guide for Wii softmodding. Many other website exist that are much more thorough and contain all the info you’ll need to mod your systems; This page is simply here to show the current status of Wii / Wii U mods and to share guides I’ve personally used and vouch for:
Wii U
The Wii U has two separate modes: The Wii U mode and the vWii (virtual Wii) mode. You can softmod the vWii mode to do almost everything the original Wii can do and Wii U softmods are currently in progress. I recommend these pages for links and updates:
http://gbatemp.net/threads/hacking-the-wiiu-a-simple-progress-guide.338900/
https://gbatemp.net/threads/the-definitive-guide-to-wii-u-hacking.396828/As a side note, you’ll loose a bit of quality playing Wii games on the Wii U: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=1208264#p1208264
Original Nintendo Wii
The original Nintendo Wii is easily modable and an excellent choice for emulators and homebrew. The only version of the original Wii that’s not modable is the Wii Mini, but all other models and firmware revisions are. Here’s all you’ll need to fully mod your Wii:
Parental Control Reset Tool – http://wii.marcan.st/parental
If you buy a used Wii that’s locked with parental controls, you can use this webpage to reset your system.Wilbrand Launcher – https://gbatemp.net/threads/wilbrand-launcher.328943/
This software allows you to use an SD card to install the homebrew channel. That means any Wii with a broken CDROM drive can stil be used and modded. This should be the first step in Wii modding.Guide to Softmodding Any Wii – http://www.wiihacks.com/showthread.php?t=96886
I’ve used this guide many times and found it to be an excellent and thorough solution. If you use the Wiibrand Launcher to install the Homebrew Channel, you can start this guide from Chapter 1 / Part 2 (but still read the info at the top, as it includes important info).Update IOS’ and Channels –
If you modded your Wii a long time ago, you may have outdated IOS’. This page should provide you with anything else you may be missing.Homebrew Browser – http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Homebrew_Browser
This software allows you to install emulators, homebrew and other software, using the Wii itself. All you’ll need is an internet connection and it does all the install work for you!WiiMC – http://www.wiihacks.com/showthread.php?t=56300
This software lets you use your Wii as a media player and DVD player. This can especially come in handy if your Wii is hooked up to an RGB monitor and you’d like to watch videos on it.Nintendont – http://gbatemp.net/threads/nintendont.349258/
This software allows you to play Gamecube games on a softmodded Wii / Wii U. I created a detailed guide on how to get this running from the SD card. I’ve only tested this on a few Wii’s, but it should work fine: Gamecube On Wii
Other mods
Here’s some other things you can do with a softmodded Wii (more to come):
Force 480p mode for the 480i-only Mega Man 9 & 10 games –
Links to these guides keep getting taken down! I’ll write one myself soon…Wii Trimming – http://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/the-definitive-wii-trimming-guide.198/
People have figured out how to “trim” the Wii motherboard to fit in smaller cases. For extreme modders only!! Thanks to watsug for passing this along.
That’s it for now!
Feel free to go back to the main Wii page for more info. If you’d like info on mods for other systems, head to the Getting RGB From Each System page or check out the main page for more retro-awesomeness.