Wii:History on the Wii hacking scene

1 - The Beginning: A Quick Look at Wii Hacking

The story of Wii homebrew begins with Team Twiizers (later known as fail0verflow), whose name originates from the exploit they pioneered—the Tweezer attack.

How It Works:

The Tweezer attack takes advantage of how the Wii transitions into GameCube mode. During this process, the system wipes a specific memory bank to prepare for the switch, but remnants of data still linger. Team Twiizers used physical tweezers to short data lines and switch between memory banks, gaining access to this residual data. This ultimately led to the extraction of the Wii’s encryption keys.

The First Steps Toward Homebrew:

With the encryption keys in hand, Bushing developed the first homebrew for the Wii: a Wii Remote monitor. This was achieved by modifying the Lego Star Wars game to execute custom code. A demonstration of this achievement is available on the WiiDatabase YouTube channel.

2 - Riivolution: The Rise of Homebrew

Following the discovery of an exploit in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (known as the Twilight Hack), homebrew installation became significantly more accessible. This breakthrough led to the creation of the renowned Homebrew Channel—a dedicated Wii application that streamlined the process of launching homebrew software. Users simply had to copy files onto an SD card, and their homebrew applications would appear on the console’s menu.

HackMii Installer and BootMii:

Installing the Homebrew Channel required the HackMii Installer, developed by Team Twiizers. This installer also included BootMii, a software designed for brick prevention.

BootMii could be installed in two ways:

• As Boot2: A safer and highly effective method that could prevent bricks, but was only compatible with older Wii consoles.
• As an IOS (IOS 254): A method compatible with all Wiis (excluding vWiis), though less reliable for brick prevention.

BootMii’s main functions were NAND backup and brick recovery, managed through CEIL1NG_CAT, the user interface often mistaken for BootMii itself.

3 - Homebrew and Piracy: An Ongoing Debate

The term "homebrew" is often associated with piracy, as unauthorized software modifications sometimes lead to illegal activity. The Wii was no exception.

WAD Manager and Game Piracy:

Piracy within the Wii community began with Wanikoko and his WAD Installer, which evolved into WAD Uninstaller and later WAD Manager. This tool allowed users to share Virtual Console (VC) and WiiWare WAD files online, leading to widespread game piracy.

cIOS and Backup Loaders:

Wanikoko’s cIOSes (custom IOSes) enabled Wii consoles to boot games from backups using loaders such as Neogamma, which was the most popular option at the time. Though originally intended for legitimate personal backups, this technology also facilitated game piracy.

3.1 - Nintendo WFC and Online Cheating

Homebrew made cheating in online games remarkably easy. Tools like GeckoLoader allowed players to manipulate game mechanics, leading to severe unfairness and disrupting the experience for others. As a result, some Wii games became practically unplayable online due to rampant cheating.

4 - Evolution of Homebrew Since 2008

2008

• Wanikoko released several tools, including the WAD Manager and SD/USB loader.

2009

• The Homebrew Browser was introduced, allowing users to download homebrew apps directly from their Wii.

2010

• Priiloader was released, providing additional brick protection and system menu hacks.

2011

• LetterBomb, a new exploit that didn’t require a game disc, was discovered, making homebrew installation even easier.

2012

• The D2X cIOS project gained traction, improving compatibility with backup loaders.

2013

• The Devolution project was launched, allowing GameCube games to be played on the Wii without requiring a disc.

2014

• Nintendo WFC was shut down, marking the end of official online multiplayer.
• Wiimmfi was launched, bringing online play back to the Wii community.

2015

• D2X cIOS was officially released, improving game compatibility and performance.

August 5th

• RiiConnect24 began, with the News Channel being the first service to be revived.

In memory of Ben Byer (Bushing), who passed away on Monday, February 8th, 2016.