Hardware brand new to wii u, already hacked it, but—what should i be thinking about when it comes to controllers?

[unconsoleable]

hi, everybody. i tried this out on r/wiiuhacks (but, i don’t think i’ll be doing that much more in the future, it’s crickets over there).

so, i’m (still) brand new to wii u. hacked it day 1 via wiiu.hacks.guide. and so far (even despite a few minor(?) bumps), pretty great.

but, controllers. i don’t even know where to begin. i would eventually like to get my few wii and gamecube games into the vwii (no idea how, but i know it exists, and that the guide is on the same link above)—but i’ve read different things regarding controllers:

• i’m pretty sure my wii pro controllers will do gamecube
• unsure about gamepad on gamecube
• i’m pretty sure the ps5 and ps4 via bloopair will only work on the wii u side
• i’m pretty sure none of the above will work on the wii
• i know i’m going to have to get wii motes, but, i’m not sure what kind to get
• i’m pretty sure i’ll want nunchucks and classic or classic pro controllers as well

but, this is a lot of guesswork on my part. can anyone steer me in the right direction? is there anything i’m not thinking about that i should be considering?

thank you!

 

[godreborn]

Your first point is correct, you can use the gamepad with nintendont. You're right about your third and fourth points. However, I think you can use the gamepad with games that use the classic controllers. Buy ones with motion plus built in. Most controllers like that say motion plus near the bottom of the controller near the speaker.

 

[unconsoleable]

thank you!

so… i've never understood motion plus (nor ever owned them). i think when i hacked my wii, it wouldn't work with them, so i think my brain just all the more avoided them (i really don't know the differences).

so… how many? 4? 8? should i get original nintendo brand? what about add-ons/chucks/classic/pro's?

 

[godreborn]

I personally don't like the classic controllers since the wiimote essentially dangles from them. lol the wiiu pro controller is very good, but fakes sometimes have issues like a shitty dpad or them not working in nintendont. as for how many, I'm not sure how many controllers the wiiu can remember, but four is probably plenty.

 

[elk1007]

I like to use Bloopair with Dualshock 4 instead of WiiU pro.
For Nintendont and stuff that won't take DS4, I used gamecube controller with a USB adapter.

so… i've never understood motion plus (nor ever owned them). i think when i hacked my wii, it wouldn't work with them, so i think my brain just all the more avoided them (i really don't know the differences).

so… how many? 4? 8? should i get original nintendo brand? what about add-ons/chucks/classic/pro's?

Most Wii games will use 4 Wiimotes at most
Might as well get the motion plus versions.
Its a good 1:1 motion technology and, though only a few games use it, they're fun.

 

[V10lator]

unsure about gamepad on gamecube

This will work when you inject the games to the Wii U menu.

i’m pretty sure the ps5 and ps4 via bloopair will only work on the wii u side

Correct. Nintendont seems to have something similiar build in through, so it might work for gamecube games.

i’m pretty sure none of the above will work on the wii

Why shouldn't a wii pro controller work on the vWii? Also Gamepad support for some games when injected.

i know i’m going to have to get wii motes, but, i’m not sure what kind to get

Original Nintendo Motion Plus. 3rd partys often have issues with various homebrew things or just won't work at all.

i’m pretty sure i’ll want nunchucks and classic or classic pro controllers as well

I have a Wii classic controller and in my eyes it's not that great. Maybe look into SNES Mini Classic controllers, they actutally use the same connector and protocol as Wii classics.

how many? 4? 8?

Start with one or two, then look how it works out.

//EDIT: For Gamecube there's actually one more controller option: Original Gamecube controllers + a USB adapter. Nintendo still sells them from time to time to promote Super Smash Brothers.

//EDIT²: Also next-gen CFWs might allow to use GCN controllers in Wii U mode.

 

[MikaDubbz]

You have a lot of options for controllers with the Wii U. The GamePad should absolutely be in your arsenal, you might be able to get by and play a lot of titles without it, but there will be games unplayable without the GamePad. Plus it just adds a lot of layers to fun to the experience of the Wii U in my opinion. Beyond that, I would recommend at least one official pro controller and at least one wiimote and nunchuck at least if you intend to play many Wii games on your Wii U, if you do, make sure your Wiimote is a MotionPlus Wiimote, you'll have more native game compatibility with it.

From there you have all sorts of options, you can get the official (or unofficial, but be wary of those) 4 controller GameCube adapter and use actual GameCube controllers for GameCube games, Sm4sh, and some emulators on the system, this includes dance mats and the DK Bongos if you have games that would have played with them. (The GBA as a controller link will not work in this adapter on the Wii U unfortunately, so those experiences remain locked away on the system).

Beyond that, you can use many bluetooth alternatives that can connect to a hacked Wii U through Bloopair, such controllers include: Pretty much all Switch controllers (including the retro system controllers), Xbox One controllers, PS3, PS4, and PS5 controllers. Now these wont work with anything in the vWii, so these will be useless for GameCube and Wii games or Wii Homebrew on the system (though Nintendont can play with many other controllers including PS3 and PS4 if they are connected to the Wii U with a USB cord.

 

[deegore]

Every game I own can be played with the gamepad and/or Wii remotes and nunchucks. I also have some older 8bitdo controllers that work nicely with the wiiu.

 

[eprom32]

I like to use Bloopair with Dualshock 4 instead of WiiU pro.
For Nintendont and stuff that won't take DS4, I used gamecube controller with a USB adapter.


Most Wii games will use 4 Wiimotes at most
Might as well get the motion plus versions.
Its a good 1:1 motion technology and, though only a few games use it, they're fun.

I can't get Bloopair to work with my with Dualshock 4 or my Nintendo Switch Online N64 Controller. I sure do wish I knew what I'm doing wrong? I am running Tiramisu with auto boot enabled and Bloopair_v0.5.3. I have also tried Bloopair_v0.5.2. Do you have any useful tips you could share with me? Thank you in advance..

 

[elk1007]

I can't get Bloopair to work with my with Dualshock 4 or my Nintendo Switch Online N64 Controller. I sure do wish I knew what I'm doing wrong? I am running Tiramisu with auto boot enabled and Bloopair_v0.5.3. I have also tried Bloopair_v0.5.2. Do you have any useful tips you could share with me? Thank you in advance..

On the WiiU home menu, press the red sync button under the front flap.
Then hold share + Home button on DS4. The light will start blinking to indicate pairing mode.
It should sync to the WiiU.

I don't own a bluetooth N64 controller but it probably pairs similar to DS4.
Ensure PS4 and Switch are off or they might connect instead.

 

[V10lator]

I don't own a bluetooth N64 controller but it probably pairs similar to DS4.

The NSO N64 controller has a sync button (the small, round button beside the LEDs).

 

[N7Kopper]

(The GBA as a controller link will not work in this adapter on the Wii U unfortunately, so those experiences remain locked away on the system).

The GBA can actually act exactly as a GameCube controller and work using the USB adapter - but only as a controller. Any actual LAN linking of the two systems will not work.

 

[eprom32]

The NSO N64 controller has a sync button (the small, round button beside the LEDs).

Thank you for your fast reply and all you help, I really appreciate it. I got my Dualshock 4 to connect but no luck on the Nintendo Switch Online N64 Controller yet. It just refuses to sync (pair) to the Wii U for some reason? Maybe the NSO N64 controller needs a firmware update but I'm not sure yet. I would like to find someone on this forum that got theirs to connect how how they did it. And yes, I know about the small sync button on the NSO N64 controller but when I press it the leds just keep flashing and it never connects. I have gotten it connected to my laptop and my Nvidia Shield though, it just refuses to connect to the Wii U and I sure would like to know what the problem is?

 

[UltraDolphinRevolution]

New Nunchuks and CC are difficult to get. Luckily, I bought a stack before they were sold out.

I have some experience with unlicensed Wiimotes and Nunchuks made in China. The Nunchuks have less precision (they reach the highest value, i.e. 100 in a given direction very quickly) but are ok. The Wiimotes have even worse speakers but are otherwise very good. The pointer has a slightly larger field but that´s neither good nor bad. Feels almost the same.
Can´t say whether they are all like this though.

 

[V10lator]

I would like to find someone on this forum that got theirs to connect how how they did it.

That would be me. I just charged it before using for the first time, then synced it normally. No idea why this won't work for you, sorry.

 

[MikaDubbz]

The GBA can actually act exactly as a GameCube controller and work using the USB adapter - but only as a controller. Any actual LAN linking of the two systems will not work.

Oh sure, I have an adapter to use my GBA as a wireless controller, where the input end connects to a wiimote and the wireless gba functions through a game cart at: https://shop.insidegadgets.com/product/wireless-gameboy-controller/ is awesome for GBA and other retro emulators on the Wii U.

But when I was talking about GBA connectivity, I meant for use with GameCube games that could connect with the GBA. Sadly that cable does not work on the Wii U for such games like 4 Swords Adventures, Crystal Chronicles, Pac Man Vs, the Chao garden in the Sonic games, the many Animal Crossing functionalities, etc. This is not a software limitation, as you can do all that stuff in Nintendont on the Wii, it's a hardware limitation of the Wii U.

 

[eprom32]

That would be me. I just charged it before using for the first time, then synced it normally. No idea why this won't work for you, sorry.

Well.. I have some good news. I finally got the NSO N64 controller to connect to the Wii U and this is what I did. I turned off the PS4, Roku, Nvidia Shield, Blu-ray player, stereo receiver, my laptop and Amazon Alexa. Went through the pair steps and Bingo!! it connected instantly with zero issues. So apparently some other Bluetooth device that was on was interfering with the sync process. I hope others that are having the same issue that I had see post as something to try. Again thank you for your fast replies and all your help.