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GAF Wii Homebrew thread: Homebrew, emulators, USB disc installs! Easy tutorial!

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
I wonder if they'll be able to fix the massive time consuming loading for MAME roms... right now Wii Mame it's good for nothing :-/
 

Kuran

Banned
Hm, I'm sorry for being lazy.. but I want to make sure. (I'm sure others do too.)

I have my Wii updated to the latest firmware (at least the Mario Kart/Smash updates)

Will I still be able to play online after I install the homebrew channel?

Thanks!
 

Threi

notag
Kuran said:
Hm, I'm sorry for being lazy.. but I want to make sure. (I'm sure others do too.)

I have my Wii updated to the latest firmware (at least the Mario Kart/Smash updates)

Will I still be able to play online after I install the homebrew channel?

Thanks!
Yes.
 

Kuran

Banned
Thanks.

So I installed the homebrew channel.. but when I load it, (after the disclaimer) I get stuck at "Loading Homebrew Browser".

It just stays at 0%, I've tried twice now.. what could be wrong?

Edit: I have the same problem with the DVDx installer. My wifi connection is active (the test works..)
 

CTLance

Member
Kuran said:
So I installed the homebrew channel.. but when I load it, (after the disclaimer) I get stuck at "Loading Homebrew Browser".
Are you sure you're waiting long enough? I remember that the first startup of the hbb was agonizingly slow and took ages.

Also, I'm not sure I understand you correctly... are you having problems with the hbb or the hbc?
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Kuran said:
Thanks.

So I installed the homebrew channel.. but when I load it, (after the disclaimer) I get stuck at "Loading Homebrew Browser".

It just stays at 0%, I've tried twice now.. what could be wrong?

Edit: I have the same problem with the DVDx installer. My wifi connection is active (the test works..)
hbc 0.8 has a bug where it fails to load (some?) apps from the SD if you have (a) cube memcard inserted (don't remember if the used slot matters), or (b) sd-adapter/sd-gecko. the symptom is exactly this - you launch an app (from the sd), you get the loading progress bar, and the process freezers somewere halfway (or at the the start, don't remember anymore). the weird thing is that a strikingly-similar bug is reported as 'fixed' in the changes section for this version.
 

Anony

Member
blu said:
hbc 0.8 has a bug where it fails to load (some?) apps from the SD if you have (a) cube memcard inserted (don't remember if the used slot matters), or (b) sd-adapter/sd-gecko. the symptom is exactly this - you launch an app (from the sd), you get the loading progress bar, and the process freezers somewere halfway (or at the the start, don't remember anymore). the weird thing is that a strikingly-similar bug is reported as 'fixed' in the changes section for this version.

it's not a bug, it's suppose to be like that

if you have a mem card in the cube b slot, it wont load, there's an explanation of it somewhere, but too lazy to dug it out
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Anony said:
it's not a bug, it's suppose to be like that

if you have a mem card in the cube b slot, it wont load, there's an explanation of it somewhere, but too lazy to dug it out
interesting. and i was referring to this bug-fix
Beta 8
  • you don’t need to eject your memcards anymore
 

Chris R

Member
So for someone who doesn't own (and doesn't plan on importing) and JPN or PAL games, so I don't need any region free stuff, what are the benefits of making my Wii homebrew capable? Anything really really cool that doesn't relate to emulators?
 

d+pad

Member
Dash Kappei said:
I wonder if they'll be able to fix the massive time consuming loading for MAME roms... right now Wii Mame it's good for nothing :-/

Me, too! I have to imagine they'll get it working eventually - hell, the GBA emulator now runs games at full speed (the previous version was nearly unplayable).

I'm hoping the TG16/PCE emus get a bit better too. Current versions play many games perfectly, but many are still kind of glitchy. It woul d be amazing if the folks who made Magic Engine made a Wii version :)
 
rhfb said:
So for someone who doesn't own (and doesn't plan on importing) and JPN or PAL games, so I don't need any region free stuff, what are the benefits of making my Wii homebrew capable? Anything really really cool that doesn't relate to emulators?

Co-op Mahjongg Solitaire.
 

Weenerz

Banned
Has anyone had a chance to try Wii64? I installed it just like the instructions said to, but after loading it from the HBC, it just locks up the system forcing a reboot. I am loading from the SD card and not a dvd.
 
Weenerz said:
Has anyone had a chance to try Wii64? I installed it just like the instructions said to, but after loading it from the HBC, it just locks up the system forcing a reboot. I am loading from the SD card and not a dvd.
Yeah. Among the programs that came default with HBC, the one that locked up each time I tried it was Linux. Wii64 is absolutely early and just a novelty, though.
 

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
So I installed the Twilight Hack and a GeckoOS screen appeared. I clicked on the first option and it came back to the Wii Menu, yet all seems to be like normal. Is that alright? No extra channels or anything until I get a bigger SD card and download the homebrew channel? More importantly, is this all I need to play Tatsunoko VS Capcom?
 

itxaka

Defeatist
Regulus Tera said:
So I installed the Twilight Hack and a GeckoOS screen appeared. I clicked on the first option and it came back to the Wii Menu, yet all seems to be like normal. Is that alright? No extra channels or anything until I get a bigger SD card and download the homebrew channel? More importantly, is this all I need to play Tatsunoko VS Capcom?

The geckoos does not install anything on the wii :)

But for good use, it's better to install the HBC so you can launch your applications on the sd card.
 

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
itxaka said:
The geckoos does not install anything on the wii :)

But for good use, it's better to install the HBC so you can launch your applications on the sd card.

Well, that explains the anticlimacticness of the whole thing. Thanks a bunch!
 

Tenbatsu

Member
itxaka said:
The geckoos does not install anything on the wii :)

But for good use, it's better to install the HBC so you can launch your applications on the sd card.
I like to ask something, will GeckoOS even work for games that require you to update your Wii firmware? (Eg. Japan Smash requires you to update your firmware when you insert the disc.) Will it bypass this? Thank you.
 

itxaka

Defeatist
Tenbatsu said:
I like to ask something, will GeckoOS even work for games that require you to update your Wii firmware? (Eg. Japan Smash requires you to update your firmware when you insert the disc.) Will it bypass this? Thank you.

No idea at all. As I did put a chip on my wii for imports (no HBC/GeckoOs launched back then) and the only imports I got are NMH and the baseball game. I'll love to help you but I just can't :(
 

Threi

notag
Tenbatsu said:
I like to ask something, will GeckoOS even work for games that require you to update your Wii firmware? (Eg. Japan Smash requires you to update your firmware when you insert the disc.) Will it bypass this? Thank you.
I don't know about the before and after, but i am running the latest firmware and it booted fine.

However I am using a NTSC game in a NTSC console so...
 

TunaLover

Member
there's any app to allow keep my gcn memory cards in their slots', i can't open any app when i have my memory cards inserted... or a way to disable the hbc read info from memory cards <gecko sd mode<
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
TunaLover said:
there's any app to allow keep my gcn memory cards in their slots', i can't open any app when i have my memory cards inserted... or a way to disable the hbc read info from memory cards <gecko sd mode<
none that i'm aware of.

on a sidenote, enter savemii - wii's first unbricking tool.
 

Garcian

Member
Do PAL games work ok on a US Wii (via Gecko)? De Blob can be had quite cheap here in PAL land, so was going to give it a go.
 

markatisu

Member
I can confirm today that Nintendo does not care if you have added the Homebrew channel to your Wii or not. I was having reset and disc read errors happening for some time. I had installed the Homebrew Channel as you can see in my previous posts.

Well I finally decided to call them and get them to fix it, removed the Wii Homebrew Channel and sent it in. They fixed it and tested the system, then sent it back. They said nothing

So to those worrying if Nintendo can see it, they probably can if they REALLY look but as long as you just delete the channel (back it up to your SD card) they will not care one bit if your system needs to be repaired
 

Threi

notag
markatisu said:
I can confirm today that Nintendo does not care if you have added the Homebrew channel to your Wii or not. I was having reset and disc read errors happening for some time. I had installed the Homebrew Channel as you can see in my previous posts.

Well I finally decided to call them and get them to fix it, removed the Wii Homebrew Channel and sent it in. They fixed it and tested the system, then sent it back. They said nothing

So to those worrying if Nintendo can see it, they probably can if they REALLY look but as long as you just delete the channel (back it up to your SD card) they will not care one bit if your system needs to be repaired
You should have left the channel on and see what they say.

Someone with money to spare should try it.
 

Ramenman

Member
Are there any 480p friendly homebrew out there ?

Everytime I try to launch something with the Twilight Hack I have to change setup (I'm usually on a Samsung LCD monitor with VGA cable). It doesn't really bother me as I have only tried Scumm or some "useless" things like wii white board.

But If I were to use something like Region Free Whatever or Backup Loader in order to play Wii games, It would totally pain me to be forced to play them on my old & crappy 50hz 4:3 only SDTV.

Can the homebrew channel run in 480p ? Will the games I launch using Region Free Something / Backup Loader play in 480p ?
 

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
markatisu said:
I can confirm today that Nintendo does not care if you have added the Homebrew channel to your Wii or not. I was having reset and disc read errors happening for some time. I had installed the Homebrew Channel as you can see in my previous posts.

Well I finally decided to call them and get them to fix it, removed the Wii Homebrew Channel and sent it in. They fixed it and tested the system, then sent it back. They said nothing

Which region are you from?

EU/US/AUS/

Thanks.
 

Mason

Member
Threi said:
You should have left the channel on and see what they say.

Someone with money to spare should try it.

They'd probably just say you voided your warranty and send it back.
 

Anony

Member
markatisu said:
I can confirm today that Nintendo does not care if you have added the Homebrew channel to your Wii or not. I was having reset and disc read errors happening for some time. I had installed the Homebrew Channel as you can see in my previous posts.

Well I finally decided to call them and get them to fix it, removed the Wii Homebrew Channel and sent it in. They fixed it and tested the system, then sent it back. They said nothing

So to those worrying if Nintendo can see it, they probably can if they REALLY look but as long as you just delete the channel (back it up to your SD card) they will not care one bit if your system needs to be repaired

they'd probably care if you were installing vc and wiiware games
either that, or the people that fixed your wii didnt bother checking what you had installed and your play data
 
OK, guys, after a great deal of troubleshooting, mucking about with settings and trying out a variety of different applications and workarounds, I have come to the conclusion that a US Wii is currently incapable of playing a 50Hz PAL GCN game, regardless of how fervently you whisper "Please, please, please, please" as you try to launch it.

It sucks, but fortunately, a second hand PAL Gamecube shouldn't set you back more than $30 (AUD), which is what I paid for mine. I am so glad that I got impatient and bought one prior to importing my Wii. I thought it would be rendered obsolete, but thanks to Nintendo's usual region-locking tomfoolery, I stood corrected.

This even happens for games with a 60Hz mode that have a 50Hz startup screen, by the way.
 

Linkhero1

Member
Will future updates block anything I put on my Wii using Twilight Hack? I plan on putting GeckoOS to play some imported games later this year.
 
Linkhero1 said:
Will future updates block anything I put on my Wii using Twilight Hack? I plan on putting GeckoOS to play some imported games later this year.
If you install the HBC using the latest Twilight Hack, you should be OK for a while. The HBC is the only thing that gets installed on your Wii (initially, at least) and all it does is launch homebrew direct from the SD card.

After that, you can delete the Twilight Hack and never use it ever again.

The HBC is also structured like any other channel using an OS ID that Nintendo may never use, so it makes it harder for Nintendo to do anything about. Essentially, once it's installed, it behaves just like any official channel - no patchable security holes are exploited at all.

Which isn't to say that Nintendo can't do anything about it. They can always install a script that checks for the HBC's exact pattern in memory, but it's an inelegant method that would slow down the Wii's operation, so I doubt they'll do that.
 

Linkhero1

Member
viciouskillersquirrel said:
If you install the HBC using the latest Twilight Hack, you should be OK for a while. The HBC is the only thing that gets installed on your Wii (initially, at least) and all it does is launch homebrew direct from the SD card.

After that, you can delete the Twilight Hack and never use it ever again.

The HBC is also structured like any other channel using an OS ID that Nintendo may never use, so it makes it harder for Nintendo to do anything about. Essentially, once it's installed, it behaves just like any official channel - no patchable security holes are exploited at all.

Which isn't to say that Nintendo can't do anything about it. They can always install a script that checks for the HBC's exact pattern in memory, but it's an inelegant method that would slow down the Wii's operation, so I doubt they'll do that.
Nice. I'm going to play around with the hack now.
 

markatisu

Member
Dash Kappei said:
Which region are you from?

EU/US/AUS/

Thanks.

US, it was a launch unit. Been using it for a few days and the Homebrew Channel is back on with no problem

Cant wait for December when I can try Gecko out on Tatsunoko vs Capcom
 

Linkhero1

Member
To completely remove an installed channel do we just erase the file of the Wii or do we have to go through some uninstallation process? I'm assuming that's what the Wad Uninstaller is for.
 
Linkhero1 said:
To delete an installed channel do we just erase the file of the Wii or do we have to go through some uninstallation process? I'm assuming that's what the Wad Uninstaller is for.

I think the wadsinstaller has also a uninstaller... thats the most safe way to do it... you press the - key to unistall


uninstalling by hand leaves more traces
 

Linkhero1

Member
Starchasing said:
I think the wasinstaller has also a uninstaller... thats the most safe way to do it...

uninstalling by hand leavesmore traces
Ok cool. Hopefully Nintendo doesn't do anything funny before TvC comes out.
 

Linkhero1

Member
Sorry for asking too many questions but to use the WAD Uninstaller you go through the same procedures like the WAD Installer?
 

Threi

notag
Linkhero1 said:
Sorry for asking too many questions but to use the WAD Uninstaller you go through the same procedures like the WAD Installer?
The Wad Installer/Uninstaller is one program.

I believe you have to have the Homebrew Channel WAD on the SD card though.





However i don't believe the Homebrew Channel uses WAD tickets at all. You should be able to get rid of every trace of the program simply by uninstalling it from the Wii Settings Menu. The tickets IIRC are detected by the Wii Shop channel to see which games are already purchased. The Homebrew Channel is a custom WAD, and thus there isn't a need to install any tickets at all. I may be wrong about this though.

Linkhero1 said:
Didn't know that. I saw two different links and assumed they're two different programs. Thanks
Actually i think there are seperate releases somewhere on the net, but the one i specifically use is an Installer/Uninstaller.
 
Linkhero1 said:
Sorry for asking too many questions but to use the WAD Uninstaller you go through the same procedures like the WAD Installer?

The wadunisntaller got merged into the installer.... so its two in one...

you put the wad on the /wad directoria


select it with the + key to install


after that select the same wad with - key to uninstall it


....


more questions??? :)
 
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