Tutorial  Updated

How to play Gamecube, PS1, & N64 games from the wiiu gamepad

For a while now it's been possible to play Gamecube games directly with the Wii U gamepad as a controller. Not only this, you can also play PS1 and N64 games from the gamepad as well! This essentially makes it into a portable experience, well if you're close enough to the console that is. For those who love playing things off-TV, this is a really amazing feature to utilize. You could also play from a TV with the gamepad as a controller if you prefer.
It's now possible to force vWii to use Wii U CPU speeds to get a performance boost on PS1 and N64 emulators! PS1 games are now playable at fullspeed, well at least mainstream games are but not everything works.
Use Section I for Gamecube games, if that doesn't work then you'll need to use Section III instead. This tutorial doesn't require you to hack vWii at all, unless you're going to use section III.

This guide assumes that you have a basic understanding of Wii U hacks. Such as booting into Homebrew Launcher, running CFW, installing with Wup Installer GX2, how to use Nintendont, etc.

EDIT: Tutorial under construction, removed the premade homebrew injects as they used official Wii VC and are considered copyright infringement to share with others. Will add a tutorial on making your own whenever I feel like it sometime.





I. How to play Gamecube games on the gamepad

There are two methods for playing gamecube games on the gamepad. The first method is by making your very own indivisual Gamecube injection using Wii Virtual Console as a base, with the injector script.
The second method is to use a forwarder to Nintendont which then you can select a game from a list. Users mostly prefer method 1 because they like having indivisual gamecube titles on their Wii U home menu. It's all up to you which method you prefer. Both methods have gamepad support and save to the same location either way. You don't need to hack vWii at all to follow this section.




Method 1 - Indivisual Gamecube injects (Injecting Gamecube games into Wii VC which you can install)

1) Use this script to build your own Wii VC injects with gamecube games using your own .iso:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/release-wiivc-injector-script-gc-wii-homebrew-support.483577/


2) Once you've created your inject you should have install files, basically a bunch of .app and .h3 files in a folder. Place these on your SD card in the install folder (Same as installing Wii U games) SD:/install/NameofGame/ ~.app & .m3 files~

3) Download these Nintendont files HERE
(Courtesy of Flump for the upload)

4) Extract all the files to your SD card, Except the install folder (It's only needed for method 2)

5) On your Wii U, run CFW such as HaxchiFW or Mocha. Then launch WUP Installer GX2 to install your gamecube inject (To USB Storage or System Memory)

6) Now launch your gamecube inject from the Wii U home menu. It will ask if you want to use the gamepad as a controller, choose yes.
If your TV is turned off or the HDMI isn't connected, it will also ask if you only want to display on the gamepad. It will reboot into vWii mode and start the gamecube game.

Note: You always need to enable CFW before launching a Gamecube inject, else you'll get Error Code 99-9999 and be forced to shutdown. Even if you exit a game, you still have to enable CFW again before launching another

Note: For some users, the game may result in a black screen. As of right now, there is no explanation to this phenomenon or how to fix it. If this is the case, you won't be able to use method 1 or 2 in this section. Use the "All in One" method instead in Section III below as a workaround.




Method 2 - Nintendont forwarder (Boot directly into Nintendont where you can choose a game from a list)

1) Download these Nintendont files (REMOVED, make your own Nintendont inject with the Wii VC inject script. I can't help since its considered copyright)


2) Extract all files to your SD card, including the install folder (Which contains the Nintendont forwarder)

3) On your Wii U, run CFW such as HaxchiFW or Mocha. Then run WUP Installer GX2 to install Nintendont Forwarder (To USB Storage or System Memory)


4) Launch Nintendont from your Wii U home menu. It will ask if you want to use the gamepad as a controller, choose yes.
If your TV is turned off or the HDMI isn't connected, it will also ask if you only want to display on the gamepad. It will reboot into vWii mode and launches Nintendont.


Note: You always need to enable CFW before launching Nintendont, else you'll get Error Code 99-9999 and be forced to shutdown. Even if you exit a game, you still have to enable CFW again before launching Nintendont

Note: For some users, launching Nintendont may result in a black screen. As of right now, there is no explanation to this phenomenon or how to fix it. If this is the case, you won't be able to use method 1 or 2 in this section. Use the "All in One" method instead in Section III below as a workaround.



Nintendont usage tips

- Use the Official Nintendont Page for info on how to use Nintendont. It has everything you need to know!

- If you press "-" on your gamepad, it will change the control scheme to be rotated a quarter clockwise or back to the original control scheme. If you find the controls to be suddenly awkward, you must've hit the minus button by accident. Hit minus to change it back to regular controls and always remember this for future reference.
- If you hold "L" on your gamepad, your inputs on ZL/ZR will be used as half pressed L and R buttons in-game. Useful for games like Super Mario Sunshine.

- Saves are stored in SD:/saves/ as indivisual memory card .raw files. These are compatible with the Dolphin emulator and you can even use Dolphin's memory card manager to transfer saves from memory card to memory card

- You can trim your Gamecube .iso's to save space altogether by converting them to .ciso format. Use Wit (Wimm's ISO Tool)

- Check the compatibility list HERE . Note that shrunk is not the same as .ciso. All .ciso converted games will work, unlike shrunken games with DMToolbox.



II. How to play PS1 and N64 games on the gamepad

1) Open this google drive link:
(REMOVED, make your own WiiSXR and Wii64 injects with the Wii VC inject script. I can't help since its considered copyright)

2) Download "(WiiU Gamepad) Wii64.rar", and "(WIIU Gamepad) Wiisxr.rar"

3) On your SD card, make a folder called install. Extract the folders within the Wii64 and Wiisxr rar files into the install folder

4) Download Sign_c2w_patcher


5) Open the zip file and drag the wiiu folder to your SD card (merge it with your own if you already have one)

6) Download the latest release of Wii64 (Fix94's port of mupen64): https://github.com/FIX94/mupen64gc-fix94/releases

7) Download the latest release of Wiisxr: https://github.com/Mystro256/wiisxr/releases

8) Extract the folders from the Wii64 and Wiisxr zips to the root of your SD card, except the Readme file (There are two folders within each zip file that you need)

9) On your Wii U, run CFW such as HaxchiFW or Mocha. Then run WUP Installer GX2 and install Wii64 and Wiisxr (Install to System Storage ONLY! Don't install to USB)

10) Run Sign_c2w_patcher from Homebrew Launcher. It will reboot to the home menu with CFW enabled (This is needed to overclock vWii to get a performance boost for the emulators)

11) Run Wii64 or Wiisxr, it will ask if you want to use the gamepad as a controller, choose yes.
If your TV is turned off or the HDMI isn't connected, it will also ask if you only want to display on the gamepad. It will reboot into vWii mode then launch Wii64/wiisxr.


Note: You always need to run Sign_c2w_patcher before launching Wii64 or Wiisxr, else you'll get Error Code 99-9999 and forced to shutdown. You also won't get the overclocked CPU speeds needed for the performance boost.




Using Wiisxr

- You'll need a PS1 BIOS, place it in SD:/wiisx/bios/
- Place your PS1 games in SD:/wiisx/isos/ , they can be in either .bin or .img format (Also include the .cue/.ccd/.sub file if it exists)
- In Wiisxr, you'll need to go to settings to change some things
- Under General where it says Select BIOS, set it to
SD (If you don't do this, you'll have no controls in-game)
- Be sure the option to "Boot with Bios" is set to yes
- Under Video, set the Screen Mode to
16:9
- Go back to General and choose "Save settings to SD", this saves the changes you made, permanently
- As you play different games, you'll need to change the controller type from time to time, either Standard or Analog
- For Crash Bandicoot or games without analog support, you can change the input of the DPAD to "LS-up, LS-Down, etc" to get analog controls with the gamepad. Be sure to save your button mapping to slot 1 so you can load it later. Then go back and choose Save Button Config to SD. (Thanks GameInCanada for that tip!)
- After saving in-game and you return to the Wiisxr menu, you may see a message that says "failed to save". Ignore this message, it did save successfully to your SD card in the wiisxr folder
- You'll also have to switch between Interpreter and Dynarec under Video. Check the Wiisxr compatibility list:


Wiisxr compatibilty list



Using Wii64

- Place your N64 roms in SD:/wii64/roms/
- Don't really have to change settings, everything is set properly by default. Including a memory pak
- Check the compatibilty list to see specific settings


Wii64 Compatibiltiy list



III. All in one solution for Gamecube, PS1, and N64 games on the gamepad (vWii Homebrew Channel with gamepad support. Use this if section I. didn't work on your system)

If you're interested in having Nintendont, Wiisxr, and Wii64 accessible all in one app, you can install Homebrew Channel forwarder on Wii U. This will boot up vWii Homebrew Channel but with gamepad support and you can launch Nintendont, Wiisxr, or Wii64 from there. You NEED to use this method if your Gamecube injects or Nintendont forwarder result in a black screen, this is a workaround to that issue. This section requires that you've hacked vWii already and can install .wad files. Use the Official vWii Hacking Guide if you haven't already, then come back to this guide and continue below.

1) Open this Google Drive link:
(REMOVED, make your own Homebrew Channel inject with the Wii VC inject script. I can't help since its considered copyright)

2) Download "(WIIU Gamepad) HBC.rar"

3) Extract the .rar file to the install folder on the root of your SD card

4) Download the latest release of FIX94's fork of Homebrew Channel (Called Homebrew.Channel.-.OHBC.wad): https://github.com/FIX94/hbc/releases/

5) Place the Homebrew Channel .wad file on the root of your SD card

6) Boot into vWii and install the Homebrew Channel .wad file using YAWMM (Yet Another Wad Manager) or any other wad manager. Ignore all the messages if using YAWMM, keep pressing A to skip the first messages you see. Then browse for the wad file and install it.

7) Exit vWii and run CFW such as HaxchiFW or Mocha. Run WUP Installer GX2 and install HBC (To System Storage ONLY! Don't install to USB)

8) Run "Homebrew Channel" from the Wii U home menu that you just installed. It will ask if you want to use the gamepad as a controller, choose yes.
If your TV is turned off or the HDMI isn't connected, it will also ask if you only want to display on the gamepad. It will reboot into vWii mode and launch Homebrew Channel, but with Gamepad support. Which means you can navigate with the gamepad buttons.

9) From Homebrew Channel you can launch Nintendont, Wii64, or Wiisxr. Don't launch anything else as they don't have gamepad support.

Note: You always need to run Sign_c2w_patcher before launching Homebrew Channel Forwarder else you won't get the overclocked CPU speeds needed for a performance boost with Wiisxr or Wii64. If you're just launching Homebrew Channel for use with Nintendont, you can use regular CFW such as HaxchiFW or Mocha.
 
Last edited by MattKimura,
D

Deleted User

Guest
Could you be more specific related to step 7- "7) Extract the Wii64 and Wiisxr zip files to your SD card, except the Readme file"

Do I extract the files (except for the Readme) to the root of the SD, to the vwii apps folder?
 

MattKimura

3DS & WiiU Enthusiast
OP
Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Messages
2,137
Trophies
1
XP
2,935
Country
United States
Could you be more specific related to step 7- "7) Extract the Wii64 and Wiisxr zip files to your SD card, except the Readme file"

Do I extract the files (except for the Readme) to the root of the SD, to the vwii apps folder?
I just corrected it saying "Extract the folders from the wii64 and wiisxr zip files to the SD card"
Basically the Wii64 and Wiisxr zips come with two folders in them. Like Wii64 would have an apps folder and wii64 folder. You'd extract both of these to your SD. Just everything you see in the zip, extract it (Except the readme)
 

Glyptofane

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2009
Messages
1,746
Trophies
2
XP
2,908
Country
United States
Keep in mind that GameCube titles that use or rely on analog triggers can range from cumbersome to outright useless to play on the Wii U gamepad with only digital triggers at your disposal. These include Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Bros Melee, Metroid Prime 1 & 2, and perhaps others.
 

GuyInDogSuit

Your friendly neighborhood guy in a dog suit.
Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2008
Messages
1,856
Trophies
1
Age
41
Location
Sacramento, CA
Website
www.sniffglueworshipsatan.com
XP
1,669
Country
United States
Keep in mind that GameCube titles that use or rely on analog triggers can range from cumbersome to outright useless to play on the Wii U gamepad with only digital triggers at your disposal. These include Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Bros Melee, Metroid Prime 1 & 2, and perhaps others.

What if you use the Pro controller?
 

GuyInDogSuit

Your friendly neighborhood guy in a dog suit.
Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2008
Messages
1,856
Trophies
1
Age
41
Location
Sacramento, CA
Website
www.sniffglueworshipsatan.com
XP
1,669
Country
United States
Pro controller has the same issue. I'm not sure if Nintendont supports the GameCube controller adapter or not, as I don't have one, but that may be a way around it.

Well, that sucks. I'm really only interested in playing GC and Wii games though. I'm sure for the latter I'd need the Wiimote and Nunchuk for most games.
 

Lazyboss

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2017
Messages
689
Trophies
0
Age
40
XP
2,876
Country
United Arab Emirates
Keep in mind that GameCube titles that use or rely on analog triggers can range from cumbersome to outright useless to play on the Wii U gamepad with only digital triggers at your disposal. These include Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Bros Melee, Metroid Prime 1 & 2, and perhaps others.
i never had a Gamecube controller, what do you mean by analog triggers? are they the same like Dual Shock 4 L2 and R2 ?
 

Glyptofane

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2009
Messages
1,746
Trophies
2
XP
2,908
Country
United States
Well, that sucks. I'm really only interested in playing GC and Wii games though. I'm sure for the latter I'd need the Wiimote and Nunchuk for most games.
You might be better off with a regular old Wii in that case. I still keep mine connected primarily due to its capable and no fuss handling of GameCube dumps.

i never had a Gamecube controller, what do you mean by analog triggers? are they the same like Dual Shock 4 L2 and R2 ?
The triggers are basically pressure sensitive and have a range of motion before finally clicking.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GuyInDogSuit

Lazyboss

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2017
Messages
689
Trophies
0
Age
40
XP
2,876
Country
United Arab Emirates
You might be better off with a regular old Wii in that case. I still keep mine connected primarily due to its capable and no fuss handling of GameCube dumps.


The triggers are basically pressure sensitive and have a range of motion before finally clicking.
sounds like the DS4, DS4 work with GC VC, i didn't know that the GC controller was more advanced than WiiU lol, guess i will get one
 

misterdarvus

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
May 13, 2014
Messages
185
Trophies
0
XP
391
Country
Indonesia
Keep in mind that GameCube titles that use or rely on analog triggers can range from cumbersome to outright useless to play on the Wii U gamepad with only digital triggers at your disposal. These include Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Bros Melee, Metroid Prime 1 & 2, and perhaps others.
I'm playing Sunshine right now and going full press FLUDD for the entire game and haven't had a problem
 

Sonic Angel Knight

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
May 27, 2016
Messages
14,395
Trophies
1
Location
New York
XP
12,889
Country
United States
The last part that explains the "ALL IN ONE SOLUTION" so it is supposed to load homebrew channel from vwii, does it mean i can play my other emulators like SNES9X and genesis plus as well or does it only limit to Nindendont, and the n64 and psx emulator?

Also what is this part about extra cpu I'm not understanding? :unsure:
 

OrGoN3

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
3,239
Trophies
1
XP
3,230
Country
United States
The last part that explains the "ALL IN ONE SOLUTION" so it is supposed to load homebrew channel from vwii, does it mean i can play my other emulators like SNES9X and genesis plus as well or does it only limit to Nindendont, and the n64 and psx emulator?

Also what is this part about extra cpu I'm not understanding? :unsure:
That means you can play any homebrew that supports the gamepad as a controller, ie rebuilt using the latest libwiidrc. It is just loading up vWii's homebrew channel with gamepad support (as a controller).

There is a patch known as cafe2wii, or c2w, that lets the vWii use the full clock speed of the Wii U's processor, or CPU. If you want the boost in performance, you need to run the sign_c2w_patcher from the Wii U's Homebrew Launcher prior to running the HomeBrew Channel on the vWii. However, only homebrew that supports this will benefit from the extra speed, and homebrew that doesn't support it may not work properly (like Nintendont). So, if you are running somthing like FIX94's Wii64 WiiSXR, you'll want to run the sign_c2w_patcher from the Wii U's Homebrew Launcher before clicking on the HBC icon. If you want to run Nintendont, then do not run that patcher first.

Please also note that a side effect of GamePad support is that you lose USB support. So homebrew that support the GamePad as a controller only have access to the SD card.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MattKimura

Sonic Angel Knight

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
May 27, 2016
Messages
14,395
Trophies
1
Location
New York
XP
12,889
Country
United States
There is a patch known as cafe2wii, or c2w, that lets the vWii use the full clock speed of the Wii U's processor, or CPU. If you want the boost in performance, you need to run the sign_c2w_patcher from the Wii U's Homebrew Launcher prior to running the HomeBrew Channel on the vWii. However, only homebrew that supports this will benefit from the extra speed, and homebrew that doesn't support it may not work properly (like Nintendont). So, if you are running somthing like FIX94's Wii64 WiiSXR, you'll want to run the sign_c2w_patcher from the Wii U's Homebrew Launcher before clicking on the HBC icon. If you want to run Nintendont, then do not run that patcher first.
So can i some how just make it work when loading haxchi so I don't have to load haxchi then load another type of cfw to use it?

Please also note that a side effect of GamePad support is that you lose USB support. So homebrew that support the GamePad as a controller only have access to the SD card.
So does that also mean I can't use any other controllers with it like the wii mote or pro controller if i choose to use the gamepad?:unsure:
 

OrGoN3

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
3,239
Trophies
1
XP
3,230
Country
United States
So can i some how just make it work when loading haxchi so I don't have to load haxchi then load another type of cfw to use it?
No. And you don't necessarily want it running all the time either. Remember, if the homebrew doesn't support it, it may not function correctly.

So does that also mean I can't use any other controllers with it like the wii mote or pro controller if i choose to use the gamepad?:unsure:
It means you can't use anything that is plugged into your USB ports. Wireless controllers should work just fine, as long as the homebrew supports it.
 

Glyptofane

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2009
Messages
1,746
Trophies
2
XP
2,908
Country
United States
I'm playing Sunshine right now and going full press FLUDD for the entire game and haven't had a problem
You know for a fact it's not meant to be played that way. Yes, it can be done, but it's not fun, nor is it designed to be played in a gay way your way. I'd call not being able to walk/run and FLUDD at the same time a pretty big drawback.
 
Last edited by Glyptofane,

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Sicklyboy @ Sicklyboy:
    maaaaan that's so awesome but I also don't want to fork over a hundo for it
  • Veho @ Veho:
    The fuuuuu---
  • Veho @ Veho:
    I thought it was an actual xBox at that price.
  • Sicklyboy @ Sicklyboy:
    I wanna grab a 360 Slim and a 360 E one of these days. Missed the boat of getting them at their lowest though, once they were discontinued. Could've got them for cheap back when I was a broke 20 something working at Target, but then again, I was a broke 20 something working at Target
  • Veho @ Veho:
    Being broke is no fun.
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    @Sicklyboy, $150 isn't that bad for a jtag slim on ebay
  • Veho @ Veho:
    I only wish it was actually playable.
  • Veho @ Veho:
    There's a guy on the Tube of You that makes playable mechanical arcade games out of Lego. This could work on the same principle.
  • Veho @ Veho:
    Just a couple of guys taking their manatee out for some fresh air, why you have to molest them?
  • Veho @ Veho:
    Stupid Chinese shop switched their shipping company and this one is slooooooow.
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    STOP BUYING CHINESE CRAP THEN
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    SUPPORT LOCAL PRODUCTS, MAKE REVOLUTION
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    THEY KEEP REMOVING LOCAL SHIt AND REPLACING WItH INFERIOR CHINESE CRAP
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    THATS WHY MY PARTNER CANT GET A GOOTWEAR HIS SIZE ANYMORE
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    HE HAS BIG FOOT AND BIG DUCK
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    d*ck i mean*
  • LeoTCK @ LeoTCK:
    lol
  • Veho @ Veho:
    Mkay.
  • Veho @ Veho:
    I just ordered another package from China just to spite you.
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    Leo could not withstand communism.
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    Its OUR products to begin with lol.
    SylverReZ @ SylverReZ: Its OUR products to begin with lol.