Wii/WiiU/GC Homebrew Manifesto

wii.md

Personal cheatsheet, workaround notes, open source homebrew apps testing, issues & image quality improvements

Formatting

Important Notes

• Wii U: This console has a very low USB amp, so you will need a SATA-USB Y cable for a HDD
• Wii U: To connect two devices (HDD + Pendrive / HDD + HDD) use an external USB charger
• Wii U: Use U-Stealth on the WiiVC device in order to skip the Wii U format popup every time you turn on the console
• Wii: Prefer to connect the USB to the bottom or near the end, as this is the default location on most launchers.

Structure

1. Wii (USB Loader GX)
   • 128GB Pendrive (Connected on bottom)
   • Partition:
     • FAT32 32K (30GB), Primary, Active _{<- For GC, HB apps, configs...}
     • NTFS (90GB), Primary _{<- For Wii}
2. Wii U (WiiVC/USB Loader GX)
   • 64GB Micro SD (Connected on SD Port)
   • 500GB HDD + SATA-USB Y cable + Charger. (Connected on bottom)
   • 128GB Pendrive (U-Stealth enabled) (Connected on middle)
   • Partition:
     • 64GB Micro SD
       • FAT32 with the highest possible cluster size _{<- to transfer your Wii U.}
     • 500GB HDD
       • Wii U special format (Just connect the drive to the console and format it) _{<- For Wii U}
     • 128GB Pendrive
       • FAT32 32K (30GB), Primary, Active _{<- For GC, HB apps, etc...}
       • NTFS (90GB), Primary _{<- For Wii}
3. Wii U (WiiVC Injects)
   • 64GB Micro SD (Connected on SD Port)
   • 500GB HDD + SATA-USB Y cable. (Connected on both usb)
   • Partition:
     • 64GB Micro SD
       • FAT32 with the highest possible cluster size _{<- to transfer your Wii U and Wii/GC Injects.}
     • 500GB HDD
       • Wii U special format (Just connect the drive to the console and format it) _{<- For Wii U, Wii/GC Injects}

Encounters / Problems / Solutions

1. Usb Loader GX. White Screen / Empty UI

   • Cause: NTFS partition without 'wbfs' folder.
   • Solution: I had to create an empty 'wbfs' folder in.

2. USB Loader GX -> Nintendont. Nintendont "No FAT device found!"

   • Apparently, the issue seems to be related to the cluster size or fragmentation. Reformatting it with a 32K cluster size on FAT32 solved the problem.
   • Prefer using 1:1 (Full size) over trimmed ones.

3. Pendrive/HDD got corrupted (A lot of folder with random characters + wrong partition size)

   • Cause: Disconnecting the device with the Wii powered on.
   • Solution: Shutdown the Wii before disconnecting the device.

4. Capture Card issues on 480i/480p/PAL/NTSC

   • Cause: Your Capture Card is PAL/NTSC or i/p format only.
   • Solution 1: Use AnyRegion Changer to change the video mode for your entire Wii system.
   • Solution 2: Use USB Loader GX to change the video mode for specific games or globally.

Deflickering, Image Quality, Widescreen, Framebuffer...

1. Wii

   For deflickering, frame buffering and resolution, use USB Loader GX.

2. Wii U (WiiVC Mode)

   For deflickering, frame buffering and resolution, use USB Loader GX.

3. Wii U (WiiVC Injects)

   Since WIIVC Injects can't utilize USB Loader GX, alternative methods are needed to apply the Deflicker, Framebuffer and Resolution patches

   • Deflickering (ISO Patching)
     • Parse WBFS into ISO
     • Open ISO with Wii Scrubber
     • Open main.dol with a HEX editor
     • To deflicker NTSC 480i??
       • Find all "08080A0C0A0808" and "04080c100c0804", then replace it with "00001516150000"
     • To deflicker progressive
       • Find "9109800041820040" and replace it with "9109800048000040"
   • Framebuffer

     Currently, there is no way to implement a Framebuffer; however, if you use Aroma, you can apply this width enhancement for WiiVC.

     • https://github.com/GaryOderNichts/evwii
     • Put the .wps on wiiu\environments\aroma\plugins\
   • Resolution

     480p may be better than 1080p in certain TV models when using WiiVC, as it reduces aliasing and provides smoother graphics. If you are using Aroma, consider applying the AutoLaunch resolution plugin to launch WiiVC Injects at 480p.

     • https://github.com/Lynx64/WiiVCLaunch
     • Put the .wps on wiiu\environments\aroma\plugins\
4. Gamecube (Widescreen, ISO Patching)
   • Search for a Gecko Widescreen Code for your game
   • Search for a GCT Maker/Generator to create .gct file with that code
   • Use gc-tool to open your .iso file, then Extract whole ISO...
   • Use GeckoLoader to load both the .dol and .gct files in order to generate a patched .dol
   • Replace the original .dol file with the patched .dol
   • Use GCRebuilder to create a new .iso from the extracted folder
5. Gamecube (Widescreen, Nintendont)

Warning

Don't enable the Widescreen option in the Nintendont Config File as it uses a generic widescreen code that causes visual glitches.

• Search for a Gecko Widescreen Code for your game
• Search for a GCT Maker/Generator to create .gct file with that code
• Enable Cheats in the Nintendont Config file
• Place the generated .gct file in the following format: /codes/GAMEID.gct

Wii Saves

Compatibility Legend	Region Legend
Description Icon Swappable ✅ Require HEX Changes ❗ Not Compatible ❌	Region ID 🇺🇸 NTSC-U xxxxxxxxxxxxxx45 🇪🇺 PAL xxxxxxxxxxxxxx50

Region Change Chart

Game	Table
Resident Evil 4 (RB4E08, RB4P08)	File Notes banner.bin ❌ Unique per Region bh4_system ❌ Unique per Region bh4_dataXX ✅ 100% Compatible