And they said it couldn't be done. Almost seven years after its release, @Fullmetal5 (the same developer behind str2hax and flashhax) has finally managed to find an exploit compatible with Nintendo's so-called "unhackable" Wii Mini and crack it wide open! Instead of using internet browsers or loading code from the SD card slot, both of which are (in)famously absent from the Mini, this new approach takes advantage of a vulnerability found in Broadcom's Bluetooth driver to gain arbitrary code execution and run a payload from the included USB port. This finally lets homebrew enthusiasts have fun with the console, and may also open the door to online play as well with the help of hacks and a LAN adapter!

While the exploit is making good progress, having already reached 90% completion for the Bluetooth stager and also being consistent enough to be called usable, there's still a lot of work to be done before a public release is available. There's also the possibility of HackMii Installer being incompatible with the Mini's version of IOS, in which case further new exploits will need to be found in order to make it work. You can get an idea about the state of the project in the roadmap below, which was written and shared by the dev itself:

Just to give a small roadmap: (So that people can get an idea as to what needs to be done now)

1. Write a bluetooth stager to upload payloads (%50 complete) (Note: this was stated to have reached 90% in later posts)
2. Write something to load larger payloads from usb.
3. See if the HackMii Installer's exploits work against the versions of IOS that are there (If they are similar to the Wii U's then it may already have exploits but it's possible they are different)
4. If the HackMii Installer's exploits don't work then I will need to write my own. (Shouldn't be too bad, IOS is known to be buggy. Also I'll probably do this step anyway for the fun of it.)

The exploit doesn't have an official name yet, but it's currently being referred to as "bluehax". Right now it's being tested on some specific games, however, there's a real possibility it will work out of the box with the Wii's System Menu alone due to its nature, thus removing the need of a dedicated game. It only takes a computer with a Bluetooth interface to make it work: there's no definitive usage guide just yet, but it should be as easy as running a program on your PC, hitting the SYNC button on the console, et voila - you're good to go! There is a small catch, however: development is targeting just Linux and no Windows version is planned. If you can get behind that, you'll soon be able to enjoy that sweet, sweet homebrew on the tiniest Wii Nintendo has ever made!

Source 1 (Twitter)
Source 2 (Discord server)

 

[HideoKojima]

Wii mini lost her virginity

 

[Mnecraft368]

To all those people still coming up with exploit names, this exploit was named Bluebomb already.

 

[KonamiKitten]

To all those people still coming up with exploit names, this exploit was named Bluebomb already.

Ah frick, I guess my ideas were for nothing..

 

[Vivisector]

You asked if you could before you ever asked if you should.

 

[tbb043]

And they said it couldn't be done.

No, they said existing methods for the Wii would not work, and it was unlikely (not impossible) anyone would bother to spend time finding a new method for the mini when there were so many of the previous systems out there already easily exploitable.

 

[JakobAir]

Welp, off to eBay I go.

 

[IncredulousP]

To all those people still coming up with exploit names, this exploit was named Bluebomb already.

Mine were better

 

[Mnecraft368]

Mine were better

Better, but not official
much better tbh

 

[ca032769]

This is great, I have 4 Wii Mini's sitting on the shelf just waiting for this day to come.

 

[looney bin jim]

Absolutely awesome. The mini finally cracked. Peeps on Bitbuilt will be going crazy with this!!

 

[MRJPGames]

This is absolutely amazing! Did not expect something like this to happen, really great it has! Probably not really useful for many, but still an amazing feat!

 

[looney bin jim]

So even the Wii Mini's can get brickers now?

Lmfao


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[looney bin jim]

BlueHax or ToothHax :^}

TeefHax


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[SuzieJoeBob]

nice!

fun fact, the board for wii mini is a bit smaller than it seems. for some reason, nintendo decided they needed to add a lot of empty space and plastic to the wii mini. I guess they didn't want it to be too mini? or could be for stabilization of the disc drive. not sure.

this will be fun! always good news when we can add functionality.

That means people can and eventually will make even smaller portable Wii consoles using hacked Wii minis as long as they don't mind sacrificing official GameCube backwards compatibility. There is still Nintendont, but now an HDD/SSD is needed or an SD card mod is needed along with soldering an SD card slot.

 

[osaka35]

That means people can and eventually will make even smaller portable Wii consoles using hacked Wii minis as long as they don't mind sacrificing official GameCube backwards compatibility. There is still Nintendont, but now an HDD/SSD is needed or an SD card mod is needed along with soldering an SD card slot.

usb->microsd might be possible without too much of an issue for size. I'm actually pretty excited about the possibilities.

Something the size of the switch should be possible (though not nearly as thin), I think, but it's been a long time since I've held one of those boards.

I believe it's not really viable/possible to soldered an sd card, or else it probably would have happened already (I forget the technical details).