How to make Wii U useful with Homebrew

Nintendo Wii U has been replaced by Nintendo Switch, but that doesn't mean you have to give up this device. Like the previous version, Wii, you can apply tricks for Wii U to install Homebrew software and more.

Want to get more from your Nintendo Wii U? Here's how to set up Wii U with Homebrew software.

What is homebrew?

If you want to do tricks with the game console and install unwanted software that can run on it (such as a new operating system), you need Homebrew. Basically, this software is designed to create a proprietary hardware platform, such as Wii U, that is programmed by the user. Because Wii U is no longer an important Nintendo game console, less and more software is being released for it.

If you want to keep your Wii U useful, you need to do it with Homebrew.

This approach is nothing new. The previous version of the Wii U, the Nintendo Wii, can be applied in the same way.

Although there are two ways to hack Wii U, the temporary, simplest method is also the most unreliable. Therefore, the article will show you how to exploit in the longer term.

NOTE : Hacking the Wii U to install Homebrew software is potentially dangerous to the system and may result in data loss or even freezing, which cannot be used anymore. Only proceed if you are fully aware of the problem and accept the risks.

It should also be noted that this is a relatively simple trick. Other procedures take quite a bit of time, but this can be completed in a maximum of about 30 minutes.

What to prepare?

To install Homebrew Channel on Wii U, make sure the system has versions 5.5.2, 5.5.3 and 5.5.4. Check this out in System Settings, found on the Wii U Menu (rather than Quick Start ). The version number is located in the upper right corner of the screen.

Next, make sure you have:

1. Network connection with Internet access
2. SD card (or microSD with SD adapter) is at least 16GB or more, in FAT32 format.

You also need to download the following files to your computer:

1. JSTypeHax-Payload.zip from WiiDatabase.de
2. v1.4.zip from GitHub
3. Haxchi ZIP from GitHub

Save them to a folder on your computer to be ready to use immediately.

How to exploit Wii U with Haxchi

To install custom firmware, you'll need to find an exploit, then run it.

Haxchi exploit can be used on the following DS Virtual Console games:

Animal Crossing: Wild World Kirby: Mass Attack New Super Mario Bros. Super Mario 64 DS Big Brain Academy Kirby: Squeak Squad / Kirby: Mouse Attack Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky Wario: Master of Disguise Brain Age Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Pokemon Ranger WarioWare: Touched DK: Jungle Climber Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs Yoshi's Island DS Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia Yoshi's Touch & Go Kirby: Canvas Curse Mario Kart DS Starfox Command

If you do not own any of these, you will need to buy them.

However, note that as of September 2019, you cannot purchase through an old Nintendo account with a credit card.Instead, you will need to make sure the Nintendo Network account has been created and linked to the old account.Once this is done, you can top up your account from your credit card or PayPal.

Go to this Nintendo help page for more details:

 https://www.nintendo-europe.com/landing/Language-Selection-How-to-Add-Funds-in-Nintendo-eShop-Using-Credit-Cards-1627382.html?red_source=www.nintendo.eu 

To be honest, this isn't very pleasant, so if you don't own any exploitable games, you'll want to avoid this.

After making a deposit, buy one of the apps.If you are worried about saving money, the cheapest available application is Big Brain Academy .

In some cases, exploitable games that you already own will not accept this trick.In that case, simply delete the game, then download and try again.

Format SD card

Setting the correct format for the SD card is a very important factor to help this trick work.

If you use a Windows PC, the original formatting tool will not work. This is because it cannot be set to the exact format in FAT32 with an Allocation Unit Size of 32K (namely 32768 bytes).

To solve this problem, you will need a third-party format tool for SD cards. Although there are many options available, the best result reported is using Guiformat (download link: http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm). This tool is available in 2 versions for Windows: A standard 32-bit SD format and a 64-bit version. If you use 64-bit Windows, you will need the later version, because 32-bit Guiformat will not work.

Download Guiformat 32 bit | Guiformat 64 bit

After downloading, please run Guiformat. Make sure the correct Drive is selected, then set Allocation unit size to 32768. Set the volume label (do not use wiiu , as this will cause conflicts and the trick will fail), then click Start .

Wait for the SD card to be formatted, then close Guiformat.

Copy the Wii U hack file to the SD card

With the SD card still in your computer, extract the downloaded files as follows:

1. Extract Homebrew Launcher ZIP file to SD card. You should end up with the wiiu / apps / homebrew_launcher file structure .
2. Next, extract JSTypeHax-Payload.zip and send the payload.elf file to the wiiu folder on the card.
3. Finally, extract the contents of the Haxchi ZIP file to the SD card.

Now that the files will be copied to the SD card, you're ready to perform the trick. However, first unplug the SD card securely and insert the card into the Wii U. Power on the console.

Run Homebrew Launcher on Wii U

To start the exploit, you need to run Homebrew Launcher. Make sure Wii U is connected to the Internet, then open the browser and visit u.wiidb.de. Take a moment to save the URL in the Wii U. browser browser bookmark.

Next, touch HAXX and wait. If everything you've done so far has been successful, Wii U will be exploited.

Homebrew Launcher will load. Click the HB App Store link to explore the world of Nintendo Homebrew applications and games! Here, a retro gaming world will open for you, but there is a catch, the game is only available through the Wii U browser. To perform the permanent trick, you can run the Haxchi installer, but save it. Note that this is not without risk.

Accessing the Homebrew Channel via a browser is a more secure option. All you have to solve is that the SD card problem is not formatted correctly. In this case, you will see the following error:

Just go back and format, then copy the files back to the SD card to fix this.

Perform tricks with Wii U permanently

When performing tricks with the Wii U, this is probably the simplest way. More complex, longer-lasting tricks are available online, but are not required for recent Wii U firmware versions. Instead, choose these options if Wii U is not version 5.5.2 or higher.

The trick explained here will give you instant access to the Homebrew Channel. It is very simple, easy to do and relatively fast.

However, this is a temporary web trick. It will do what you want (in most cases) but to be permanent, you'll need more time. This awesome video will show you the full, permanent Wii U Homebrew trick.

You have everything you need to perform temporary and permanent tricks on the Nintendo Wii U. It's time to make better use of your old console. With tools to run retro Nintendo games and even install Linux, there's plenty to choose from. Bringing new life into an old console has never been this exciting.

Hope you are succesful.