Homebrew [DISCUSSION] The possibility of a 'FreeShop' on the Wii U

[Nigleet]

Before anyone brings this up, I understand there has been discussion of this before.

Onwards...

Considering that the 3DS freeShop is open-source... How well would the source translate to the Wii U as a homebrew application, if at all.

Lets set the hardware limitation of network speed aside.

 

[OrGoN3]

https://gbatemp.net/threads/its-possible-freeshop-u.466498/
https://gbatemp.net/threads/wii-u-usb-helper-couldnt-become-the-freeshop-u.455712/
https://gbatemp.net/threads/the-wii-u-homebrew-request-thread.424993/page-23#post-7705832

 

[VinsCool]

Freeshop on WiiU is very likely to happen, considering how WiiU USB Helper works.
Download game, Ticket, DLC, Update, install via WUP Installer.
See what is done above? Now assume this is done from a single program, on the WiiU itself.
Would this happen however? Only once a person could be bothered to do it.

 

[OrGoN3]

Please also realize for many, this would be an inconvenience. Wii U's WiFi and LAN (via USB) speeds are awful. I guess so are the 3DS's though.

 

[Nigleet]

Please also realize for many, this would be an inconvenience. Wii U's WiFi and LAN (via USB) speeds are awful. I guess so are the 3DS's though.

The links you posted, I've already read through. As mentioned, Im aware the discussion has been had before. What I am asking is the degree to which the code can be translated to the Wii U. I also said "Lets set the hardware limitation of network speed aside.".

 

[OrGoN3]

The links you posted, I've already read through. As mentioned, Im aware the discussion has been had before. What I am asking is the degree to which the code can be translated to the Wii U. I also said "Lets set the hardware limitation of network speed aside.".

You translate the concept and recode it on the Wii U. You can't just copy/paste. Have you ever coded anything?

 

[Nigleet]

You translate the concept and recode it on the Wii U. You can't just copy/paste. Have you ever coded anything?

I didn't suggest anything of the sort, I even used the word 'translate'. You're looking for an argument that does not exist.

 

[VinsCool]

Would this happen however? Only once a person could be bothered to do it.

I do believe this would be possible. But only once a person bothers to make it.
I am pretty sure someone even made a PoC before, but I couldn't retrieve this.

 

[Nigleet]

I do believe this would be possible. But only once a person bothers to make it.
I am pretty sure someone even made a PoC before, but I couldn't retrieve this.

I'm curious as to who that was, and how far they actually made it.

 

[LaPingas]

nobody develops homebrew for the wii u anymore, i think what we got is what we left with

 

[TarkinMX]

I think that in theory it can be done, just that nobody is willing to work on it. It also seems like there's a lack of devs for the Wii U homebrew scene.

 

[OrGoN3]

I didn't suggest anything of the sort, I even used the word 'translate'. You're looking for an argument that does not exist.

Sigh. That's not at all what I meant. I wanted to know whether you were asking from a conceptual perspective, or a practical perspective.

You can check with Hikari if they attempted this at all.

The problem you run into on the Wii U is the drive space. At the end of the day, the game needs to be installed onto your Wii U with your console's private keys. So far, for this to be achieved, the entire game has to be downloaded and available on the system's SD card.

Now, does Nintendo install games this way? Or do they install them on the fly? Where does Ninty store the cache for the download? What limitations does Ninty impose for downloading and installing?

I think the best you will get from Wii U developers, who haven't switched to 3DS or the Switch, or even PS4, is a homebrew app that installs games from Ninty's repos based on you giving it a valid ticket.

 

[Nigleet]

Sigh. That's not at all what I meant. I wanted to know whether you were asking from a conceptual perspective, or a practical perspective.

You can check with Hikari if they attempted this at all.

The problem you run into on the Wii U is the drive space. At the end of the day, the game needs to be installed onto your Wii U with your console's private keys. So far, for this to be achieved, the entire game has to be downloaded and available on the system's SD card.

Now, does Nintendo install games this way? Or do they install them on the fly? Where does Ninty store the cache for the download? What limitations does Ninty impose for downloading and installing?

I think the best you will get from Wii U developers, who haven't switched to 3DS or the Switch, or even PS4, is a homebrew app that installs games from Ninty's repos based on you giving it a valid ticket.

I apologize, I must have interpreted that wrong.

I’ve read about the issue with the SD. Personally, I have an SD dedicated to my Wii U. It seems like that could be overcome, in a sense, by having the app delete the game from the SD after installation.

 

[MrKatanaObiWan]

.

 

[Nigleet]

I don't get the point of this post? Is it possible? Possible to what? Download files and install them in one app? Yes, yes that's possible. If that's your question...

Is anyone bothered to do it? No, none of the homebrewers on the WiiU side are interested. But you know that already based on the posts you've read so I really don't get this threat.

Also we just got boot1 and haxxstation yesterday so whoever said there's no more dev wtf

I don’t get the point of your reply. The question was the translatibility of code, not whether or not the prospect of something like a free shop is possible. We already knew it was.

 

[MrKatanaObiWan]

.

 

[Nigleet]

3ds homebrew apps do not run on wiiu with modifications or anything... You can use the logic behind the code, but it would have to be rewritten.... did you think this was different for freeshop?

I think that is abundantly clear. I said translated. To adhere the how it grabs tickets from point A and app data from the NUS servers. Nor I, or anybody else suggested that there is a magical way to copy the code from one platform to the other...

 

[Byokugen]

I do believe this would be possible. But only once a person bothers to make it.
I am pretty sure someone even made a PoC before, but I couldn't retrieve this.

You are right, someone did that last year. I believe it was posted here

 

[blackkawa]

If you guys look at the Pretendo homebrew, it will have a custom eShop along with custom servers. I think that already suffice our pirating needs kkkkk

 

[RedDucks]

If you guys look at the Pretendo homebrew, it will have a custom eShop along with custom servers. I think that already suffice our pirating needs kkkkk

That....is not the goal. The goal of the custom eShop on Pretendo is preservation and customization, not piracy. The idea stemmed from talks about hosting rom hacks of WiiU games and having a homebrew app download them, which then turned into the research going into the custom eShop on Pretendo. Could it be used for piracy? Yeah I guess considering it's OSS (by the way, side note, the custom eShop isn't even functional atm. It's just a PoC), so it can be forked and changed to work as a "freeShop". But please don't link Pretendo with piracy, that is not the goal.