Mod

Introduction

This section will guide you step by step through the process of turning your Nintendo Wii into a modded console. While this guide covers each step in a decent amount of detail, some parts that involve simple tasks—like locating your Wii’s date and time settings or finding the version number—are not elaborated on as they are straightforward. I've written this guide for people who have a basic level of technological understanding. If you’re comfortable navigating menus and logically know where things might be found, or if you don’t mind a quick Google search for more minor details, you'll be just fine.

However, if you don’t have a solid grasp of basic tech concepts, modding your Wii may not be the best option. If something goes wrong or needs attention, troubleshooting without a basic understanding could be frustrating. Having some foundational knowledge will not only make the process smoother but also help you effectively search for solutions when issues arise. Understanding the basics will set you up for success and ensure you enjoy the experience.

This guide is written in a step-by-step format, so make sure to follow each step carefully and in order.

I don't recommend performing mods on your main console, as several steps in the guide could overwrite existing data or reset your settings. I only suggest using your main console if you're 100% confident that everything has been properly backed up. There are plenty of consoles available on the used market, such as on Facebook Marketplace or eBay, so I recommend picking up a cheap console to mod while keeping your main console stock with all your original saves, settings, etc., intact.

Goals

  • Play Nintendo Wii and Nintendo GameCube backups from an external HDD and/or SD Card.

  • Play and emulate games from over 50 retro consoles, including handhelds and arcade machines, directly from an external HDD or SD card.

Backups refer to file-level copies of games that you have lawfully purchased and already own, either digitally or on physical media such as a CD, DVD, floppy disk, cartridge, etc.

It is both illegal and unethical to pirate or obtain games that you have not purchased or do not own a legitimate physical or digital copy of. This guide is intended solely to help you modify your console so you can back up and play games you already own. I do not endorse or support any form of software piracy.

By following this guide, you assume full responsibility for your actions. I will not be held liable for any legal issues or consequences that may arise should you choose to engage in piracy or any other illegal activity. Always respect copyright laws and the intellectual property of game developers.

Console

Nintendo Wii

Compatible with all Nintendo Wii consoles running System Menu version 4.3

Equipment

You will need:

  • 2TB External Hard Drive (preferably with external power).

  • SanDisk Ultra 256GB SDHC SDXC UHS-I Memory Card.

Prerequisites

  1. Set the correct date and time in the consoles settings.

  2. Connect your console to the Internet.

  3. Update your console to the latest version (if it isn't already).

  4. Make note of your Wii's version. It will be 4.3U, 4.3E, 4.3J or 4.3K depending on your consoles region.

  5. Make note of your console's MAC Address.

External HDD Preparation

Format the External HDD to Fat32 file system.

SD Card Preparation

Format SD Card

Format the SD Card to Fat32 file system.

LetterBomb

  1. Visit HackMii website.

  2. Select the System Menu Version that matches your console.

  3. Enter your consoles MAC Address.

  4. Tick Bundle the HackMii Installer for me!.

  5. Click Cut the red wire or Cut the blue wire (they both just download the files).

  6. Extract ZIP to folder.

  7. Copy the private folder and boot.elf to the root of your SD Card.

cIOS

  1. Download cIOS installer.

  2. Extract ZIP to folder.

  3. Copy the apps folder to the root of your SD Card.

Homebrew Browser

  1. Download Homebrew Browser.

  2. Extract ZIP to folder.

  3. Copy the homebrew_browser folder (containing .dol file) to the apps folder on your SD Card.

Priiloader

  1. Download Priiloader installer.

  2. Extract ZIP to folder.

  3. Copy the priiloader folder (containing .dol file) to the apps folder on your SD Card.

NUS Downloader

  1. Download NUS Downloader.

  2. Launch NUS Downloader.exe.

IOS Packages

For each IOS package in the table below:

Location
IOS
Version

Database > IOS

IOS38

v4123

Database > IOS

IOS56

v5661

Database > IOS

IOS57

v5918

Database > IOS

IOS58

v6175

  1. Make sure Pack WAD is ticked.

  2. Click Start NUS Download.

  3. Once the download has complete, click the bin icon.

WADs

  1. Close the NUS Downloader program, we're done with this.

  2. In the NUS Downloader directory, open the titles folder.

  3. Copy all files ending in .wad to the root of your SD Card.

Installing to Wii

LetterBomb

  1. Insert the SD Card into the Wii.

  2. Turn on your console.

  3. Click Wii Message Board.

  4. Open the calendar view and click the day which shows a yellow letter.

  5. Hover over the red letter and press Ⓐ to start the process.

HackMii Installer

  1. Press Ⓐ on your controller.

  2. Select Install The Homebrew Channel and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  3. Select Yes, continue and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  4. Wait for the installation to complete.

  5. Once the installation is complete, select Continue and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  6. Select BootMii...

  7. If possible, select Install BootMii as boot2 and press Ⓐ on your controller. Don't worry if you can't, move on to the next step. For any prompts, select Yes, continue and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  8. Select Install BootMii as IOS and press Ⓐ on your controller. For any prompts, select Yes, continue and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  9. Select Exit and press Ⓐ on your controller.

Priiloader

  1. Hover over Priiloader Installer and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  2. Hover over Load and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  3. Press Ⓐ or + on your controller and wait for the install to complete, then press Ⓐ to continue.

  4. Turn off your console.

  5. Whilst holding down the reset button on the front of your Wii, press the power button once and continue holding the reset button until you see Priiloader main menu.

  6. Select System Menu Hacks and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  7. Enable the following features by selecting each and pressing Ⓐ on your controller to toggle enabled/disabled.

Feature
Status

Block Disc Updates

Enabled

Block Online Updates

Enabled

Region Free EVERYTHING

Enabled

Auto-Press A at Health Screen

Enabled

  1. Scroll down and select Save Settings, press Ⓐ on your controller.

  2. On the Priiloader main menu, select Homebrew Channel and press Ⓐ on your controller.

BootMii

  1. From the Homebrew Channel menu, press the home button on your controller.

  2. Select Launch BootMii and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  3. From the BootMii main menu, press the power button on your console several times until the gears tile is selected, then press the reset button on your console.

  1. Press the power button on your console several times until the backup NAND option is selected, then press the reset button on your console.

  1. Wait for the backup process to complete. This process makes a NAND dump to your SD card which can be used to restore the console to stock should your console become bricked or you decide that you prefer a stock console.

  2. Once the process is complete you should see the following message, press the reset button on your console to continue.

  1. From the BootMii menu, press the power button on your console several times until the back arrow tile is selected, then press the reset button on your console.

  1. From the BootMii menu, press the power button on your console several times until the homebrew channel tile is selected, then press the reset button on your console.

cIOS Installer

  1. From the homebrew channel menu, hover over d2x cIOS Installer and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  2. Hover over Load and press Ⓐ on your controller.

IOS Install No. 1

  1. Using your controller, match the following settings.

  1. Once the settings match, press Ⓐ on your controller.

  2. On the slots map page press Ⓐ again on your controller.

  3. Wait patiently whilst the IOS is installed. Once completed and the slots map page is showing, press Ⓐ on your controller to continue.

IOS Install No. 2

  1. Using your controller, match the following settings.

  1. Once the settings match, press Ⓐ on your controller.

  2. On the slots map page press Ⓐ again on your controller.

  3. Wait patiently whilst the IOS is installed. Once completed and the slots map page is showing, press Ⓐ on your controller to continue.

IOS Install No. 3

  1. Using your controller, match the following settings.

  1. Once the settings match, press Ⓐ on your controller.

  2. On the slots map page press Ⓐ again on your controller.

  3. Wait patiently whilst the IOS is installed. Once completed and the slots map page is showing, press Ⓐ on your controller to continue.

IOS Install No. 4

  1. Using your controller, match the following settings.

  1. Once the settings match, press Ⓐ on your controller.

  2. On the slots map page press Ⓐ again on your controller.

  3. Wait patiently whilst the IOS is installed. Once completed and the slots map page is showing, press Ⓐ on your controller to continue.

  4. We're now done with the IOS installations, press the Ⓑ button on your controller to exit.

  5. Turn off your console and remove the SD Card.

Post-Installation

BootMii Autostart

We need to prevent the Wii from launching BootMii whenever the console turns on:

  1. Insert your SD Card into your computer.

  2. Rename the bootmii folder to bootmii_x.

Backup NAND Dump

As discussed earlier in the guide, we created a NAND dump of the console, which will allow us to recover from a bricked system or restore the console to its original state. This process generated two files: keys.bin and nand.bin. Copy these files from the root of your SD card and store them in a secure location. I recommend creating a folder named Wii Backup on your Google Drive and uploading the files there for safekeeping.

WiiFlow Prepartion

Now that we’re ready to dive into the fun part of modding, let’s begin by gathering everything needed to install WiiFlow on your console.

Start by inserting your SD card and External HDD into your computer. Once that's done, we’re ready to begin downloading the necessary packages and transferring the files.

During the process of copying files to your SD card or external HDD, if your OS prompts you with options to either replace the files or skip them, you must choose to replace the files.

WiiFlow Application

WiiFlow is an application used for loading backup games from a USB device or SD card. It presents your game library in a visually appealing format, making it super easy to browse and launch your games.

  1. Download WiiFlow.

  2. Extract ZIP to folder.

  3. Open the folder and copy the apps and wiiflow folders to the root of your SD Card.

Some YAWMM Mod

YAWMM is used to manage WAD files, which are packages containing data like channels, system menus, or games.

  1. Download Some YAWMM Mod.

  2. Extract ZIP to folder.

  3. Locate the folder which contains the file boot.dol and copy the folder to the apps folder on your SD Card.

WiiFlow Forwarder

A WiiFlow Forwarder is a custom channel installed on the Wii's system menu that acts as a shortcut to launch the WiiFlow application directly from the home screen. Instead of navigating through the Homebrew Channel to start WiiFlow, the forwarder allows you to access it quickly with just one click.

  1. Download WiiFlow Forwarder.

  2. Create a new folder on the root of your SD Card called wads.

  3. Copy the Blue Circles .wad file to the wads folder on your SD Card.

WiiFlow Plugins Pack

The WiiFlow Plugins Pack is a collection of plugins that expand the functionality of WiiFlow. These plugins allow WiiFlow to not only load Wii games, but also emulate and play games from various other systems such as NES, SNES, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and more.

  1. Download WiiFlow Plugins Pack.

  2. Extract ZIP to folder.

SD Card

  1. Locate the folder called COPY_TO_SD_OR_USB and copy the entire folder contents to the root of your SD Card.

  2. Locate the folder called COPY_TO_SD and copy the entire folder contents to the root of your SD Card.

External HDD

  1. Locate the folder called COPY_TO_USB and copy the entire folder contents to the root of your External HDD.

  2. Create a folder called wbfs on the root of your SD Card.

  3. Create a folder called games on the root of your SD Card.

WiiFlow Emulator Database

The WiiFlow Emulator Database is a collection of information that helps WiiFlow manage and organise emulated games from various consoles. This database is used in conjunction with WiiFlow’s plugins to properly categorise, display, and launch games from different systems, such as NES, SNES, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and more.

  1. Download WiiFlow Emulator Database, WiiFlow Snapshots and WiiFlow CartDisk.

  2. Extract each ZIP to a separate folder.

WiiFlow CartDisk

  1. Open the folder called Wiiflow_CartDisk.

  2. Copy the wiiflow folder to the root of your SD Card.

WiiFlow Database

  1. Open the folder called Wiiflow_Database.

  2. Copy the wiiflow folder to the root of your SD Card.

WiiFlow Snapshots

  1. Open the folder called Wiiflow_Snapshots_MOD.

  2. Locate the wiiflow folder and copy this folder to the root of your SD Card.

Rhapsodii Shima WiiFlow Theme

The Rhapsodii Shima theme is a custom visual theme designed for WiiFlow. It features unique graphics, backgrounds, and icon designs that enhance the visual appeal of WiiFlow, making your game library more engaging and visually appealing.

  1. Download Rhapsodii Shima Theme.

  2. Extract ZIP to folder.

  3. Locate the wiiflow folder and copy this folder to the root of your SD Card.

WiiFlow Configuration

WiiFlow Forwarder

To install the WiiFlow forwarder, we need to use Yet Another Wad Manager Mod (YAWMM). This tool will allow us to install the forwarder as a custom channel on your Wii's system menu. Once the installation is complete, you should see a new WiiFlow channel on your system menu. This channel provides a convenient shortcut, enabling you to launch WiiFlow directly with just one click.

  1. Power on your console.

  2. Launch the Homebrew Channel.

  3. Hover over Some YAWMM Mod and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  4. Hover over Load and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  5. Make sure that Select source device shows Wii SD Slot and then press Ⓐ on your controller.

  1. Scroll until you have selected wads and then press Ⓐ on your controller.

  1. Select the Blue Circles .wad and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  1. Make sure that select action shows Install WAD and then press Ⓐ on your controller.

  1. Wait for the installation process to complete and then press Ⓐ on your controller to continue.

  2. Press the 🏠︎ button on your controller to restart the console.

WiiFlow Settings

Launch the WiiFlow app using the WiiFlow channel on your consoles system menu.

Set Game Partitions

  1. Press the 🏠︎ button on your controller.

  2. Hover over Settings and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  3. Locate Game Partitions hover over Set and press the Ⓐ button on your controller.

  4. Set Wii Partition and GameCube Partition to USB2.

Apply Rhapsodii Shima WiiFlow Theme

  1. Press the 🏠︎ button on your controller.

  2. Hover over Settings and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  3. Locate Theme and change this to Rhapsodii Shima.

  4. Press Back and wait for WiiFlow to reload.

Rhapsodii Shima WiiFlow Theme Configuration

  1. Press the 🏠︎ button on your controller.

  2. Hover over Settings and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  3. Locate Sourceflow settings, hover over Set and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  4. Enable Sourceflow by changing toggle to On.

  5. Press Back.

  6. To exit back to the game library press Ⓑ on your controller.

WiiFlow AutoBoot

WiiFlow Auto Boot is a feature that allows the WiiFlow application to start automatically when the Wii console is turned on.

  1. Power off the console.

  2. Whilst holding down the reset button on the front of your Wii, press the power button once and continue holding the reset button until you see Priiloader main menu.

  3. Select Settings and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  4. Select Autoboot and change this to Installed File.

  5. Select Save Settings and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  6. Select Exit.

  7. Select Load/Install File and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  8. Select WiiFlow WFL and press Ⓐ on your controller.

  9. Wait for the installation to complete and then press Ⓑ on your controller.

  10. Select Exit.

  11. Select Installed File.

  12. Reboot the console to confirm that WiiFlow automatically starts.

Games

Wii

Wii game backups need to be in .wbfs format.

Wii Backup Manager

  1. Download Wii Backup Manager.

  2. Extract ZIP to folder.

  3. Launch Wii Backup Manager.

  4. Make sure that the files tab is active and select Add and then Folder.

  1. Select the folder that contains your Wii games in .wbfs format.

  2. Click Select and then All.

  1. Click Transfer and then WBFS File.

  1. Select the wbfs folder on your External HDD.

  2. Once the progress bar reaches 100%, the game backups have been successfully transferred, and you can close the program.

GameCube

GameCube game backups need to be in .iso format.

GameCube Backup Manager

  1. Download GameCube Backup Manager.

  2. Extract ZIP to folder.

  3. Launch GameCube Backup Manager.

  4. Make sure the Files (Destination) tab is active, then click the dropdown to select the drive letter of your external HDD.

  1. Select the Files (Source) tab and then click More Directories.

  1. Select the folder that contains your GameCube games in .iso format.

  2. Tick the box next to each game and then click Install Game.

  1. Once the progress bar reaches 100%, the game backups have been successfully transferred, and you can close the program.

Emulators

Please see the table below to know what file types each console supports, as well as recommended emulators and game file locations.

Handhelds

Device
Emulator
File Type
File Location

Game and Watch

Nintendo GW (Retroarch)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Nintendo/GW

Game Boy

Nintendo GB (Gambatte-RA)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Nintendo/GB

Game Boy Advance

Nintendo GBA (mGBA-RA)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Nintendo/GBA

Game Boy Color

Nintendo GBC (Gambatte-RA)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Nintendo/GBC

SNK Neo Geo Pocket

SNK Neo Pocket (Wiimednafen)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Neo/Neo Pocket/BW

SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color

SNK Neo Pocket Color (Wiimednafen)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Neo/Neo Pocket/Color

Nintendo Virtual Boy

Nintendo VB (WiiMednafen)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Nintendo/VB

Sega Game Gear

Sega Game Gear (Hexaceo)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Sega/Game Gear

WonderSwan

WonderSwan (WiiMednafen)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/WonderSwan/BW

WonderSwan Color

WonderSwan Color (Hexaeco)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/WonderSwan/Color

Atari Lynx

Atari Lynx (WiiMednafen)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Atari/Lynx

Consoles

Device
Emulator
File Type
File Location

Coleco Vision

Colecovision (WiiColem)

TBA

sd:/wiicolem/roms

vtech creativision

CreatiVision

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/funny

Family Computer Disk System

Nintendo FDS (wiimednafen)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Nintendo/FDS

Intellivision

Intellivsion (JzintvWii)

TBA

sd:/jzintvWii/roms

Magnavox Odyssey 2

Odyssey2 (O2EM-Wii)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/romsodd

Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo NES (FCEUmm-HEX)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Nintendo/NES/FCEUmm

Nintendo 64

Nintendo N64 (Not64)

TBA

sd:/not64/roms

NEC PC Engine

NEC PCE (Fast-RA)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/NEC/PCE

NEC PC Engine CD-ROM 2

NEC PCE CD (Fast-RA)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/NEC/PCE CD

NEC PC Engine Super Grafx

NEC SGFX (Hexaeco)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/NEC/SGFX

NEC PC FX

NEC PC-FX (WiiMednafen)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/NEC/PC-FX

PlaySation

PlaySation (WiiStation)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Sony/isos

Nintendo Satellaview

Nintendo Satellaview (Hexaeco)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Nintendo/Satellaview/

Sega Genesis 32X

Sega 32X (Retroarch)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Sega/32X

Sega Genesis

Sega Mega Drive (GX-RA)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Sega/Mega Drive

Sega Master System

Sega Master System (GX-RA)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Sega/Master System

Sega Mega CD

Sega Mega CD (GX-RA)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Sega/Mega CD

Sega SG-1000

Sega SG-1000 (Hexaeco)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Sega/SG-1000

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo SNES (Hexaeco)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Nintendo/SNES

GCE Vectrex

Vectrex (VectrexWii)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Vectrex/

Amstrad GX 4000

Amstrad GX4000 (Retroarch)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Amstrad/GX4000

Atari 2600

Atari 2600 (Retroarch)

TBA

sd:/wii2600/roms

Atari 5200

Atari 5200 (Retroarch)

TBA

sd:/wiixl/software/5200

Atari 7800

Atari 7800 (Wii7800)

TBA

sd:/wii7800/roms

Atari XE Video Game System

Atari XEGS (Retroarch)

TBA

sd:/wiixl/software/XEGS

Computer Systems

Device
Emulator
File Type
File Location

BBC Micro

BBC MICRO

TBA

sd:/apps/beebem/games

Commodore 64

C64 (C64-Network.org)

TBA

sd:/frodo/Games

Dragon32

Dragon 32/64

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Dragon

MSX

MSX (Retroarch)

TBA

sd:/MSX/Games

Nec PC-8800

NEC PC-8801

TBA

sd:/quasi88/disk

Philips VG 5000

VG5000 (dcvg5k)

TBA

sd:/apps/dcvg5k/software

Thomson

Thomson MO5 (Retroarch)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Thomson

TRS-80 Colour Computer

Tandy CoCo 1/2

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Coco

TRS-80 Micro Computer

TRS-80 (sdltrs-wii)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/TRS80/disks

Sinclair ZX Spectrum

ZX Spectrum (Hexaceo)

TBA

sd:/fbzx-wii

Commodore Amiga

Amiga

TBA

sd:/uae/floppies/

Amstrad CPC

Amstrad CPC (Retroarch)

TBA

usb1:/ROMS/Amstrad/CPC

Apple II

Apple II

TBA

sd:/wiiapple/

Atari 800

Atari XL (WiiXL)

TBA

sd:/wiixl/software/800xl

Atari ST

Atari ST

TBA

sd:/hatari/fd

Credits

Below are some of the key individuals and teams who deserve special recognition for their efforts in making tools, mods, and resources available to the Wii community.

Product
Creator

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