Late to the Mario Party
April 6, 2011 1:33 PM Subscribe
Is it still possible to hack a Wii? If so, what is the homebrew "killer app"?
I used to keep up with the Wii hacking news, but was afraid of trying it.
These days, I barely ever use the Wii, and I've also noticed that there hasn't been a firmware update from Nintendo in quite a while.
So I'm thinking about giving it a shot and trying to install the Homebrew Channel, just for fun.
Do the last-published methods ("Smash Stack", "Indiana Pwns", ..?) still work? Is there any danger in having the Homebrew Channel installed on the Wii these days?
If I do manage to install the Homebrew Channel, what are the must-have "apps" for it?
Bear in mind that I have a PS3 and an HTPC hooked up to the TV already, so media players and emulators really are not my goal. Nor am I looking to run pirated games. But looking for something that says "Wow, this was totally worth hacking the Wii".
I used to keep up with the Wii hacking news, but was afraid of trying it.
These days, I barely ever use the Wii, and I've also noticed that there hasn't been a firmware update from Nintendo in quite a while.
So I'm thinking about giving it a shot and trying to install the Homebrew Channel, just for fun.
Do the last-published methods ("Smash Stack", "Indiana Pwns", ..?) still work? Is there any danger in having the Homebrew Channel installed on the Wii these days?
If I do manage to install the Homebrew Channel, what are the must-have "apps" for it?
Bear in mind that I have a PS3 and an HTPC hooked up to the TV already, so media players and emulators really are not my goal. Nor am I looking to run pirated games. But looking for something that says "Wow, this was totally worth hacking the Wii".
Best answer: I just jail-broke my 1st generation Wii (which is running the latest Nintendo firmware) using SmashStack. So, yeah, it is still possible to hack your Wii, but I think hardware revision is something you'll need to be mindful of.
This is the site I used to help me get through the install process. It was very easy. Maybe you've already seen this since you've indicated your previous interest, but it tells you everything you need to know.
Sadly, I have not found anything that I would categorize as must-have. So, I'll be watching this thread as well.
posted by MustardTent at 2:07 PM on April 6, 2011
This is the site I used to help me get through the install process. It was very easy. Maybe you've already seen this since you've indicated your previous interest, but it tells you everything you need to know.
Sadly, I have not found anything that I would categorize as must-have. So, I'll be watching this thread as well.
posted by MustardTent at 2:07 PM on April 6, 2011
I used wiihacks.com, and I think all the info about Wii hacking is there, somewhere.
I haven't found anything awesome either, so I will also be watching.
USB Loader GX is my can't-live-without, and I use WiiMC every day, but it's crashy.
posted by teatime at 2:15 PM on April 6, 2011
I haven't found anything awesome either, so I will also be watching.
USB Loader GX is my can't-live-without, and I use WiiMC every day, but it's crashy.
posted by teatime at 2:15 PM on April 6, 2011
Emulators.
I have every game for almost every Nintendo system I've ever owned available to me at the click of an A button.
It's the single most rewarding hack I've ever accomplished.
posted by Mr. Anthropomorphism at 2:32 PM on April 6, 2011
I have every game for almost every Nintendo system I've ever owned available to me at the click of an A button.
It's the single most rewarding hack I've ever accomplished.
posted by Mr. Anthropomorphism at 2:32 PM on April 6, 2011
I haven't updated mine in a long time. I use WiiMC nearly every night. It wirelessly accesses SMB shares on my iMac, one of which is a collection of shows and another my iTunes library. It's awesome, except that it keeps popping up a message at the beginning that says it's not compatible with my version of the OS, (but it works great after that).
posted by monkeymadness at 3:26 PM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by monkeymadness at 3:26 PM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Gecko OS, a cheat code engine, and in particular mods made for it like Brawl+, extend the functionality of the Wii, as do Gamecube save extractors. (Files on GC memory cards are otherwise kept totally separate from your other saves, with no way to back them up or get savegames from the internet.) I'm not aware of any must-have homebrew games or standalone apps, though.
posted by marakesh at 4:07 PM on April 6, 2011
posted by marakesh at 4:07 PM on April 6, 2011
Response by poster: Alright, I picked up Lego Star Wars, and ran the "Return of the Jodi" hack. Homebrew channel installed without incident. Nothing else on the system seems broken either, that's a good thing :)
Now I'm faced with a "homebrew channel", alright, but it's a big blank blue screen. I guess I should install some apps.
Piracy aside, I'm a little intimidated by the instructions for that USB Loader GX thing, especially since the docs claim that it won't work past System 4.2, and I have 4.3 (the latest that Nintendo ever released). Plus it involves modifying more internals of the operating system.
If you guys can reassure me that it works fine under the latest Nintendo firmware, I might give it a shot, for my already-owned games. Seriously, not interested in piracy; I barely have time to play the games I legally own :)
posted by jozxyqk at 3:24 PM on April 8, 2011
Now I'm faced with a "homebrew channel", alright, but it's a big blank blue screen. I guess I should install some apps.
Piracy aside, I'm a little intimidated by the instructions for that USB Loader GX thing, especially since the docs claim that it won't work past System 4.2, and I have 4.3 (the latest that Nintendo ever released). Plus it involves modifying more internals of the operating system.
If you guys can reassure me that it works fine under the latest Nintendo firmware, I might give it a shot, for my already-owned games. Seriously, not interested in piracy; I barely have time to play the games I legally own :)
posted by jozxyqk at 3:24 PM on April 8, 2011
Response by poster: More babble for anyone still reading the thread:
I've read up on the "cIOS" stuff a little, and have decided not to pursue anything like that, even though I've supposedly made a full NAND backup of the memory so the machine is "unbrickable". It seems like too much tinkering for too little gain.
I'm happy to have a Wii port of Star Control 2 (UQM) :)
We'll go from there.
posted by jozxyqk at 5:27 AM on April 11, 2011
I've read up on the "cIOS" stuff a little, and have decided not to pursue anything like that, even though I've supposedly made a full NAND backup of the memory so the machine is "unbrickable". It seems like too much tinkering for too little gain.
I'm happy to have a Wii port of Star Control 2 (UQM) :)
We'll go from there.
posted by jozxyqk at 5:27 AM on April 11, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:04 PM on April 6, 2011