Tutorial  Updated

Hacking the Wii U without a GamePad

**WARNING: If you’re purchasing a Wii U console without a GamePad, and intend to configure the console with DRC Sim, then first, thoroughly read the section titled Factory Reset Console.


Nintendo designed their Wii U console, whereby you need the GamePad to configure required settings such as TV output and WiFi. Now, with DRC Sim, a PC, and a compliant WiFi adapter, you have the option to configure the settings of a Wii U console without a GamePad. Though, this might not be a good solution if you don’t already own a PC or laptop.

Is a Wii U worth it without the GamePad?

Well, that depends how much you like the Wii U library of games. You can play the Zelda Games without the GamePad, however, many other games require the GamePad to work, such as Mario Maker, Xenoblade, Splatoon, Paper Mario, and many more. DRC Sim can get GamePad titles working, and give you a limited ability to interface with them, though, you might find it a bit counterproductive using your PC as the GamePad interface. There is a DRC Sim tablet app for Android, which also works very well, but again, it's limited compared to an actual GamePad, and you still need DRC Sim server running on a PC to use the tablet app.

If you want the Wii U just for the Zelda series, and retro gaming (Wii, Gamecube, etc), then you’ll probably enjoy the Wii U without a Gamepad. Though, if you want to play most of the Wii U library, then settle on getting a GamePad.

One thing I’d suggest, is to get and hack the console to see how you like it. Use DRC Sim to try the GamePad required titles, and if you feel you’ll enjoy the GamePad titles, then get the GamePad later when you find a deal. However, keep in mind, you might find a good deal that includes the console and Gamepad together, opposed to having to buy them separately. The console could be bought for around $80, but the GamePad typically goes for $120 used, if you’re lucky.

Factory Reset Console.

DRC Sim has not been 100% confirmed regarding its capabilities to complete the initial setup of a Wii U console that has been factory reset.

I personally, have factory reset my Wii U, and successfully completed the entire initialization process. I can confirm that DRC Sim was successful completing the initial set up of a Wii U console after a factory reset, using the following configuration:
  • Wii U 32GB North American Model Console
  • Wii U Console Firmware 5.5.1
  • DRC Sim 1.4
  • Ubuntu 16.04 LTS OS Virtual Machine
  • Panda N600 Dual Band USB Wireless WiFi Adapter
If a console was factory reset, you can connect the Wii U to a TV and get the pairing code required to pair DRC Sim with a console.

Please note, the Wii U will only output a TV signal on the video port it was configured for prior to a factory reset. For example, if the Wii U was factory reset while configured to output via a non-HDMI connection, then you will need the component or A/V cable to connect to your TV.

It’s crucially important for the Wii U to be connected to a TV in order to retrieve the code required to pair with DRC Sim.

Should you succeed completing the initialization of a Wii U after a factory reset, please post in this thread listing your specific gaming configuration, such as Wii U model country/firmware/size, plus WiFi adapter model/chipset, as well as any other specific details that may be useful to help community members complete their own setup.

NEVER FACTORY RESET A CONSOLE THAT HAS ANY TYPE OF HACKS INSTALLED, UNTIL YOU THOROUGHLY READ THE WARNINGS, AND PROPERLY UNINSTALL ANY INSTALLED HACK. FAILURE TO PROPERLY REMOVE A HACK PRIOR TO A FACTORY RESET CAN RESULT IN BRICKING YOUR CONSOLE!!

Purchasing a Wii U console and its peripherals.

If you don’t already own a Wii U, you’ll need to spend approximately $160 for the console, SD Card, Wii U Pro controller, Wii Motion Controller, sensor bar, and WiFi adapter. That does not include the cost of an HDD and USB HDD enclosure, which are optional costs. DO NOT purchase 3rd party controllers, as they often do not work well with some or most hacks.


OXfPcy3.jpg

  • Wii U console. Make sure the seller includes the power adapter. The power adapter can run you an extra $15. Don’t buy cheap 3rd party power adapters, they’re horrible, and dangerously constructed.
  • Wii U Pro controller. This is needed to simply navigate the Wii U and play games that don’t require the GamePad.
  • A PC or laptop running the latest Ubuntu LTS operating System. I personally used my PC and created an Ubuntu virtual machine to install DRC Sim, which worked flawlessly.
  • SD Card or a MicroSD Card with an SD Card adapter, your choice of size, preferably between 16GB - 128GB. I’d go with the largest size you can afford. Buy a quality card from a reputable seller. You’ll need the SD card to apply and install hacks. Also, you can play games that are stored on an SD card, or use the SD card to transfer games to the console or attached hard drive storage.
  • Wii U Sensor bar and Wii Motion Controller (optional). You’ll need these if you want to configure Virtual Wii (Wii U predecessor), which will allow you to play original Wii games and GameCube games with Nintendont.
  • Hard Drive with USB enclosure (optional). If you’re planning on building a library of games, you’ll want to add a Hard Drive to store your games for convenience. However, it’s not necessary, since you can play games off of an SD Card. You’ll need a USB Hard Drive enclosure so you can connect the Hard Drive to your Wii U. If the Hard Drive enclosure is not powered by a power adapter, you’ll need a USB-Y cable so the USB enclosure can draw power from the Wii-U to operate the Hard Drive. Make sure you thoroughly research the type of USB enclosure to purchase to ensure it works well with the Wii U.
DRC Sim installation and configuration.

Once you get everything together, your next step is to THOROUGHLY WATCH THE ENTIRE YouTube video linked below, which explains exactly how to set up DRC Sim. Once you get DRC Sim working, you can connect and configure the console settings such as WiFi and TV output. Also, read the description of the YouTube video, as it contains useful links.



Hacking your Wii U.

WiiU Hacking Guide (guide I personally used)

Additional hacking guides...

WiiUBrU Guide!
Felek's redNAND-free Wii U Hacking
Kafluke's Noob Guide to Wii U Hacking

Installing games.

Now that you have your console hacked, it’s time to install and get to know a program named WiiU USB Helper. It’s basically a one-stop solution to get you up and gaming.

WiiU USB Helper Program

Additional helpful links.

Nintendont, a hack to play GameCube games
Nintendont Controller config files
Wii U Utilities
DRC Sim Android client for tablet
DRC Sim Github
DRC Sim Client
Reddit WiiUHacks
DRC Sim compliant WiFi adapter
Ubuntu Desktop OS Download



All the resources I listed are exactly what got me up and running.

CREDITS AND THANKS GO TO ALL THOSE THAT DEVELOPED THE SOFTWARE TO MAKE HACKING POSSIBLE, AND THOSE THAT POSTED TUTORIALS TO MAKE IT EASILY UNDERSTOOD.
 
Last edited by Hillbilleh,

Aglaophotis

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Would be a good guide without "wiiu.guide"
@Kafluke *sigh* seems like people don't give up with this shit :/
There's nothing wrong with wiiu.guide since it has been updated and removed redNAND, while now leaving people the choice between Haxchi and Mocha.

It's also not surprising that people rely on Plailect's guide because he's a respected member in the community and his 3DS guide (3ds.guide) is the best and only guide one should use. His Wii U guide uses the same layout and methodology. Calling his guides "shit" is a bit clueless and makes you look ignorant.
The Wii U guide is also fairly new, he's still updating it constantly so give him time.. and I wouldn't be surprised if in a few weeks it will be the only guide the community will recommend. ;)
 
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There's nothing wrong with wiiu.guide since it has been updated and removed redNAND, while now leaving people the choice between Haxchi and Mocha.

It's also not surprising that people rely on Plailect's guide because he's a respected member in the community and his 3DS guide (3ds.guide) is the best and only guide one should use. His Wii U guide uses the same layout and methodology. Calling his guides "shit" is a bit clueless and makes you look ignorant.
The Wii U guide is also fairly new, he's still updating it constantly so give him time.. and I wouldn't be surprised if in a few weeks it will be the only guide the community will recommend. ;)
Oh my fucking god, i'm getting tired of explaining why it is bad and why that guide is so [Really i would swear so -=-] -=- awful. He's updating it? Woah, do we care? Does it include IMPORTANT STEP SUCH AS NAND DUMPING PART? Does it explain ANYTHING? Does it give you a option TO SELECT A DAMN OPTION?
No. This guide is totally unrecommended and not needed here. Explaining that your lord from 3DS did something good doesn't mean he did something even better here.

That's all i had to say and i'm honestly triggered. Tell people not to follow something so bad and uninformed and they still do that.
 

Hillbilleh

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Oh my fucking god, i'm getting tired of explaining why it is bad and why that guide is so [Really i would swear so -=-] -=- awful. He's updating it? Woah, do we care? Does it include IMPORTANT STEP SUCH AS NAND DUMPING PART? Does it explain ANYTHING? Does it give you a option TO SELECT A DAMN OPTION?
No. This guide is totally unrecommended and not needed here. Explaining that your lord from 3DS did something good doesn't mean he did something even better here.

That's all i had to say and i'm honestly triggered. Tell people not to follow something so bad and uninformed and they still do that.

OK calm down, lol, no need for any triggering. I posted that guide since I found it noob friendly, and I wanted to list everything I personally used to get up and running.

I'll gladly list links to any alternative guides for others reading this to consider. Either post the links you want me to add here, or PM me with them.
 
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OK calm down, lol, no need for any triggering. I posted that guide since I found it noob friendly, and I wanted to list everything I personally used to get up and running.

I'll gladly list links to any alternative guides for others reading this to consider. Either post the links you want me to add here, or PM me with them.
*sigh* Sorry for overreacting but i'm seeing the exact same phrase you posted on every post which followed it and then came here screaming that redNAND is important, or that they don't get what's happening. Hope you can understand me since i'm getting literally virtual cancer from it.
I'll edit this post with other guides: wiiubru.com/guide, Kafluke's Noob Guide to Wii U Hacking, Felek's redNAND-free Wii U Hacking
Sorry again, if i see wiiu.guide, it boils my blood. Hope you can understand. >.>
 
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Aglaophotis

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Does it include IMPORTANT STEP SUCH AS NAND DUMPING PART?

NAND backup appeared only recently. Before that, no Wii U guide has ever mentioned it...
Guides are meant to be updated when new methods are found, and I'm sure his guide will include NAND backup too.

Does it give you a option TO SELECT A DAMN OPTION?
If you mean a choice between Haxchi and Mocha.. Yes, it does.
 

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*sigh* Sorry for overreacting but i'm seeing the exact same phrase you posted on every post which followed it and then came here screaming that redNAND is important, or that they don't get what's happening. Hope you can understand me since i'm getting literally virtual cancer from it.
I'll edit this post with other guides: wiiubru.com/guide, Kafluke's Noob Guide to Wii U Hacking, Felek's redNAND-free Wii U Hacking
Sorry again, if i see wiiu.guide, it boils my blood. Hope you can understand. >.>
Thanks for the links, I added them to the guide. If they need to be corrected, let me know.
 

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@Felek666, do you have a 3DS? Because a lot of things you complain about are also a problem on 3ds.guide in my opinion, but very few people complain. So I was just wondering if you're not one of these few because you don't have a 3DS.
 
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@Felek666, do you have a 3DS? Because a lot of things you complain about are also a problem on 3ds.guide in my opinion, but very few people complain. So I was just wondering if you're not one of these few because you don't have a 3DS.
3DS one might be good because everything is made on 3DS but on Wii U it's a different thing.
I don't have 3DS but like i said, Wii U =/= 3DS. You can get away without explaining on 3DS but on a Wii U... Unless you want to be a Internet NEET and ask "what is cfw? what is nand?" everytime, because these types of shortcuts are used across here on daily basics.
 

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3DS one might be good because everything is made on 3DS but on Wii U it's a different thing.
I don't have 3DS but like i said, Wii U =/= 3DS. You can get away without explaining on 3DS but on a Wii U... Unless you want to be a Internet NEET and ask "what is cfw? what is nand?" everytime, because these types of shortcuts are used across here on daily basics.
Well from my point of view nope, the 3DS has exactly the same problem as the Wii U, or worse. Same vocabulary (CFW, NAND), same problems (can brick if idiot), nothing is explained, and then we've got people who answer "a9lh" when we ask what CFW they run (while on the Wii U, "CBHC" is actually a valid answer for both "entrypoint" and "CFW"). And a lot of people come from other setups and can't just "update to latest then follow the guide", unlike with a Wii U, etc.
So I'm not saying you shouldn't complain about wiiu.guide, I just don't get why no one does for 3ds.guide too...
 

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I've been watching wiiu.guide for months. I applaud him for removing redNAND from it but he really needs to get nand backup in there. Its critical.

Do you know how many users have bricked and then come here looking for help? My first question is "do you have a nand backup?" And they say no. I followed wiiu.guide. ugh! NAND backup has been out for weeks now. How long does he have to wait before updating?

You're right it is the same as 3ds. It shouldn't be. I followed his 3ds guide and I have no idea what CFW my 3ds is. I hope I never have issues because his step by step didn't explain what I was doing. Just told me to do it.

It's not a horrible guide. Its we'll written and easy to follow it just misses the ever important nand backup and doesn't educate users on what it tells them to use.
 

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I actually started my guide as a step by step for a friend. He didn't care to know why he was doing a certain step. Just wanted the directions.

As I wrote the steps I kept coming back to the question, "What if he runs into a scenario where he needs to know the reason for the choice I'M making for him?"

So I went back and explained each step better. Then I thought, "What if this isn't the best choice for HIS environment?"

So I went back and wrote steps for the other options.

It just grew from there. Its by no means all inclusive but it should give the necessary steps and info to get anyone going with an understanding of what they did.

Oh and nand backup. If we could just get all users to have a nand backup handy we could fix any screw up
 

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I have installed ubuntu on vmware, and I'm trying to launch drc-sim-backend.py, anyway it won't get the pair code, maybe I have some problems with the wireless adapter. I have a TP-Link t4u, I have also installed the drivers, IDK how to solve this problem. Can someone help me?
 

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I have installed ubuntu on vmware, and I'm trying to launch drc-sim-backend.py, anyway it won't get the pair code, maybe I have some problems with the wireless adapter. I have a TP-Link t4u, I have also installed the drivers, IDK how to solve this problem. Can someone help me?
That's a beast of a WiFi adapter you got there. It is dual band, though I have no idea how comaptiable it is with DRC Sim.

If you watched the video, it shows to run the installation script, which installs mostly all you need. There's just two other things to install in Ubuntu, which is JAVA the the DRC Sim Desktop client, which is also explained in the video. You should then have no problem pairing with your Wii U.

One thing you should check if you're using a virtual machine, is to ensure your VM is on the same network subnet as your Wii U, which should be in the 192.168.1.1 range. So open a command prompt in your VM, and enter ifconfig to check and see the IP address of your VM. If it's something like 192.168.1.9, then that should be on the same subnet as your WiiU, if it's something like 192.168.2.3, then it's on a different subnet and you need to correct that with your VM network connection by setting it to a bridged connection.
 
Last edited by Hillbilleh,

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One thing you should check if you're using a virtual machine, is to ensure your VM is on the same network subnet as your Wii U, which should be in the 192.168.1.1 range. So open a command prompt in your VM, and enter ifconfig to check and see the IP address of your VM. If it's something like 192.168.1.9, then that should be on the same subnet as your WiiU, if it's something like 192.168.2.3, then it's on a different subnet and you need to correct that with your VM network connection by setting it to a bridged connection.
To do this, using the VM, the "original" PC also need to be connected via Wireless or it can be via cable?
 

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