Hacking Some beginner questions before buying a Wii U

[Aglaophotis]

Hello, I'm planning to buy a Wii U for hacking/homebrew purposes but since I'm completely new to this console (only hacked my 3DS recently and installed A9LH+Luma), I got a few questions.

Here's what I want to be able to do with the Wii U:

- playing old console games like NES, SNES, N64 (either through VC injections or Retroarch, depends on what runs better), maybe some Sega Master System/Mega Drive stuff too

- playing Gamecube, Wii and Wii U backups

I looked into different hacking methods but to be honest, I'm a bit lost here. With the 3DS it was easier.. there was just one recent and preferred method including one definitive guide. But for the Wii U there seem to be different ways which are all listed in the sticky threads like Haxchi, Brazillian method etc.
Can you guys point me to the most recent and preferred method, or explain the cons and pros to me?

Some other questions I have:

1. I've noticed there are two versions of the console, with 8 and 32 GB internal storage. Is it worth getting the 32 GB one or is it a waste of money? What games can you load from there?

2. From what I understand, games are usually loaded from either a USB drive or SD card. Which one is preferred? Can I use just one storage for all games? I read different statements on that, some people even using 3 different drives.. or combinations of SD and USB, which seems a bit confusing and inconvenient to me.

3. Which controller is recommended? I don't really care much for the Wii U gamepad as I just want a classic console experience with a regular controller. From what I've seen the only regular one is the Wii U Pro Controller. Will it work with everything I listed above?
Or would it make more sense to get something like this for all the older consoles: http://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/ns64gc_to_wiimote/index.php ?
Are there some Wii or Wii U games which force you to play with a Remote or Nunchuks, without regular controller support?

4. Should I drop all this and just get a Switch?
But I suppose it will most likely take a while until we can do all that stuff on it. If ever.. right?

I think that's everything that comes to mind for now.

 

[H1B1Esquire]

1. I've noticed there are two versions of the console, with 8 and 32 GB internal storage. Is it worth getting the 32 GB one or is it a waste of money? What games can you load from there?

2. From what I understand, games are usually loaded from either a USB drive or SD card. Which one is preferred? Can I use just one storage for all games? I read different statements on that, some people even using 3 different drives.. or combinations of SD and USB, which seems a bit confusing and inconvenient to me.

3. Which controller is recommended? I don't really care much for the Wii U gamepad as I just want a classic console experience with a regular controller. From what I've seen the only regular one is the Wii U Pro Controller. Will it work with everything I listed above?
Or would it make more sense to get something like this for all the older consoles: http://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/ns64gc_to_wiimote/index.php ?
Are there some Wii or Wii U games which force you to play with a Remote or Nunchuks, without regular controller support?

4. Should I drop all this and just get a Switch?
But I suppose it will most likely take a while until we can do all that stuff on it. If ever.. right?

If you're planning on doing what you're intending to do, 8GB or 32GB won't matter, because you'll be using a USB/SD card. Maybe go with an 8GB over a 32GB and spend the rest of the money on a bigger SD card?

If you get a Micro SD with an adapter and USB 8-in-1 reader, you'll be covered.

I've got a Wii U Pro Controller and a PowerA mini wireless. I like both--the Wii U official for Wii U games and the PowerA for everything else. They both have great battery life. Skyward Sword forces Wiimote+ and some Wii HB requires you to have a regular Wiimote. There are some emulators that can run Wii U Pro Controllers in vWii mode.

The Wii U is it's own beast and it's hacked with a library.....and it's web capable, as well as having a remote for your TV. Plus, it isn't being produced any longer, which might make to rare to find later.
Switch will not be hacked for a bit and you probably won't buy too many physical games by the years end. Also by the yeas end: a deal on electronics (and SD cards), including Switch, as well as accessories and games.

 

[Aglaophotis]

If you're planning on doing what you're intending to do, 8GB or 32GB won't matter, because you'll be using a USB/SD card. Maybe go with an 8GB over a 32GB and spend the rest of the money on a bigger SD card?
If you get a Micro SD with an adapter and USB 8-in-1 reader, you'll be covered.

So I can play everything from a single SD card, including vWii stuff, Wii U games and emulators?
Is there a reason why I should choose a SD card over a USB drive? Is one faster than the other?

I've got a Wii U Pro Controller and a PowerA mini wireless. I like both--the Wii U official for Wii U games and the PowerA for everything else. They both have great battery life. Skyward Sword forces Wiimote+ and some Wii HB requires you to have a regular Wiimote. There are some emulators that can run Wii U Pro Controllers in vWii mode.

Does this mean the Wii U Pro controller only works for Wii U games and emulators but I won't be able to play Gamecube or Wii games with it? If it's possible I would like to stick to original hardware, I'm not really a fan of third party controllers when it comes to gaming.
Ugh so it looks like I will need to buy numerous different controllers. Skyward Sword is actually one of the games I wanted to play... :/

 

[DarthDub]

Get a cheap external harddrive with a y-cable. You'll need it.

 

[lafleche]

You said your purpose is
- playing old console games like NES, SNES, N64 (either through VC injections or Retroarch, depends on what runs better), maybe some Sega Master System/Mega Drive stuff too
- playing Gamecube, Wii and Wii U backups

(if you don't toy around with CFW)
For WIIu games you need at least a 32 Gb SD-card (you install from a SD card onto the NAND or external Wiiu disc). Largest game is around 22 Gb. To have a lot of WiiU games installed you need at least 500Gb external harddisk formatted by Wiiu. Use an externally powered one or else you will loose both USB ports at the back (Y-cable)

For WII games you need another external harddisk (use Ustealth; 1 TB is enough for a lot of games including shovel ware). Again externally powered if you want WIIU usb drive connected at the same time.
GameCube (powered by Nintendont) and two USB drives doesn't work very nice.... so put games on the SD-card.... making a 64Gb or even bigger more sensible.
Emulators for NES/SNES/and so on...... also on SD-card......
On SD card eventually reserve room for wiiu-emunand and wii-emunand.... buy a 128Gb SD-card :-)

Best way to play Gamecube: buy a USB-2-Gamecube hub (the original one) and a gamecube controller

 

[VitaType]

3. Which controller is recommended? I don't really care much for the Wii U gamepad as I just want a classic console experience with a regular controller. From what I've seen the only regular one is the Wii U Pro Controller. Will it work with everything I listed above?
Or would it make more sense to get something like this for all the older consoles: http://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/ns64gc_to_wiimote/index.php ?

There're different controllers from Nintendo for different purposes.
Everything the WiiU Pro Controller can should be covered by the Gamepad (the tablet that comes with the WiiU [which you also need for the initial setup btw]). The WiiU Pro Controller is recommended anyway since the Gamepad battery only least 3hours or so.
Some games require you to use the Gamepad (which most probably is more comfortable then you think before trying, but indeed worse then a regular controller) because they make use of the second screen and other features exclusive to it. Sometimes in a really good and fun way. It's part of what makes the WiiU unique and therefore is part of the 'WiiU experience'.

For GameCube games you can use a wide range of controllers. The Wii supported GameCube games, not the WiiU. But since the whole Wii OS is delivered with the WiiU and some missing parts can be added (you use Nintendont to do that) the WiiU is able to handle e.g. the WiiU Pro Controller as GameCube controller (only problem beeing, that GameCube controller have a analog shoulder button which dosn't exists on the WiiU Pro Controller. Most games don't need it, but F-Zero GX and Mario Sunshine (the GameCube 3D Mario) need it to be played probably. Since Sunshine is design around it I assume you want a controller with a analog shoulder button ).

For Wii games there are alot of different controller. WiiMotes (you will need at least one of them. Take at least one of them with Motion Plus. Most multiplayer games don't need Motion Plus => if you want multiplayer you should be fine to buy the other 1-3 without Motion Plus) and then controller you plug into the WiiMotes. There're 3 different things from Nintendo you can plug into the WiiMotes (and something called Motion Plus Attachment, but just buy WiiMotes with Motion Plus inside instead) the Wii Classic Controller, the Wii Classic Controller Plus and the Nunchuk. You need a Nunchuck for the Wii Zelda games and for Super Mario Galaxy 1&2 (the two 3D Mario games for Wii) => buy also a Nunchuk
The Wii Classic Controller and Wii Classic Controller Plus have only two distinctive feature: 1. Plus Contoller has this grip things while the standard version hasn't (look on a photo of both and you will know what I mean) 2. The standard version has a analog shoulder button while the Pro version dosn't (sic!).
Here we finally can safe some money Both controller are bad. Compared to even the original Playstation controller they are just bad. But I agree with you on only buying offical controllers.
For the release of a game called Super Smash Bros. Wii U (which you should check out btw.) Nintendo decided to rerelease the GameCube controller and a adaptor (the adaptor is needed because they produced this new GameCube controllers with the GameCube plug. It's completely compatible with the GameCube and feels (almost - if you never owned a GameCube and e.g. only played it in a friends house you most likely won't will notice any difference at all) the same as the original. You can buy one of those and can use the offical Nintendo GameCube controllers you can still buy thanks to the rerelease. And use them as Classic Controller for Wii and for your GameCube games.
The only 'problem' is that the GameCube has 3 and not 4 shoulder buttons as the classic controller has (but I can't think of any Wii game in which that matters).
Did you know that Nintendo where a normal toy company before going into consoles? Don't know why I came up with that now (could maybe have to do with the fact that you always has to buy additional stuff)

Recommended shopping list
1x WiiU Pro Controller (if you want to play with 2 persons you always can use a Gamepad in games which require a Pro Controller => buy one Pro Controller and you already can play in coop. Alot of games that make use of the Pro Controller also support the Wii Classic Controller instead [which would mean you use a GameCube controller in the setting I recommand]. But I think it's okay to buy one of those anyway. Nice wireless xbox360 feel, just lighter)
1-4x WiiMote (needed for all Wii games and some WiiU games, if you only use offical Nintendo controller [I'm not even sure if you can start GameCube games without one])
1-2x Nunchuk (there're a few multiplayer games requiring WiiMote+Nunchuk, beside that you need it for some games e.g. Zelda and 3D Marios)
1x Gamecube Controller Adapter for Nintendo Wii & Wii U (for GameCube games and for a better experince in Wii games that require the classic controller. You don't need the offical GameCube controller adapter then)
1-2x GameCube Controller (still available thanks to rerelease for Smash Bros. Wii U)

Edit: Be careful about the WiiMotes. There're alot of fakes in boxes that look exactly like the original Nintendo ones (probably that are even original boxes). This is not only intressting for the quality of the plastic and buttons, but also for the motion sensoring.

Are there some Wii or Wii U games which force you to play with a Remote or Nunchuks, without regular controller support?

Yes, that's exactly the setting you have to use e.g. Super Mario Galaxy 1&2, but it makes sense that they enfore you to use it there (the pointer function of the WiiMote is used). In almost all games it makes sense which controller are supported and which not to give you the best experience (some devs where to lazy to add all options that make sense and for a few there weren't all controller types available as the games where released).
Btw using a WiiMote+Nunchuk can be a interesting experience since your hands aren't enforced to be such close to each other as with traditional controller setups. Gives a nice feel of freedom sometimes.

 

[H1B1Esquire]

Does this mean the Wii U Pro controller only works for Wii U games and emulators but I won't be able to play Gamecube or Wii games with it? If it's possible I would like to stick to original hardware, I'm not really a fan of third party controllers when it comes to gaming.
Ugh so it looks like I will need to buy numerous different controllers. Skyward Sword is actually one of the games I wanted to play... :/

Wii U Pro Controller works for other programs outside of Wii U--Nintendont can use this controller as a GC controller, but you need to have an updated Nintendont so you can update the controller .ini from the Nintendont menu; you can even use a PS3 controller. You can not use any other controller for Wii besides a Wiimote, I believe. You don't need a third-party controller, but for Skyward Sword, you will need a Wiimote+. Basically, a regular Wiimote, a Wiimote+, and a Wii U Pro Controller to play games from NES up to Wii U.

You could probably get all of it from Amazon for $120.00, if you want new, unused stuff.

 

[Zense]

Since I just bought a Wii U 8GB myself and softmodded it, I've been through the same questions myself (and I'm still thinking).

People have already answered you extensively, but I'll add my suggestions on what to do.

1. For 8GB vs 32GB there is no reason to pay more for 32 since you won't be using those extra GBs anyways when you have an external HDD.

2. After playing around a lot myself I believe the most convenient way is to have 2HDDs and 1 SD card. For the moment you need one locked for Wii U games, and Wii games can only be on HDD too. (Alternatively you could see if the wii games you want to play are on the Wii U eShop, that way you could install them on the same HDD as the Wii U games. Skyward Sword is there). GC games are most convenient to have on SD, but make sure to get at least a class 10 one (a quick one) because a lot of games have problems if not.

3.Tbh the whole controller situation is a mess, but I'll tell you what you essentially need to play games from NES to Wii U on your console.
1x Wii U gamepad
1x Wii remote plus
1x Nunchuck
1x Official gc adapter and gc controller

These will allow you to play all games without any compatibility issues. The original gamecube controller is the best choice for gamecube since you need analog triggers. Dualshock 3+4 have this but I don't know if it works on Nintendont. I'm gonna borrow a friend's to see if it does, eventually... Still, the original is the obvious best choice.

Now I'll add some extra comments about stuff you should know. The Gc adapter for wii u does not work for wii games. It only works for GC and SSB for Wii U (and other Wii U games, maybe Wii U VC for all I know). This is because it is plugged in via the usb so it acts differently to how the gc controllers did on the original wii where it had the gc inputs. Some wii homebrew emulators might let you use this though, but none of the official wii stuff (like VC and wiiware).

You will need an sd card whatever you choose, but whether to get a quick and large one depends on how convenient you want things to be. The best is to have gc games on a quick sd card, but I currently have GC games on the same HDD as Wii games. This is a bit inconvenient, and I stress a bit, since whenever I want to play GC I need to unplug the wii u hdd.

Oh, and the SD card should be at least 8-16gb since you need to dump the wii u nand and wii nand on it at least once. Dumping these takes time, so getting a quick card is still a good choice cuz it'll speed up the process. A quick card is also good for when you install your Wii U games on the HDD.

Edit:
And it cannot be stressed enough that the Wii U HDD can't be repartitioned to have one partition for Wii U and one for other stuff. It's Wii U or no Wii U.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

1. I've noticed there are two versions of the console, with 8 and 32 GB internal storage. Is it worth getting the 32 GB one or is it a waste of money? What games can you load from there?

I own a 32GB console, it comes bundled with a game and some extra "Useful" accessories the original does not. (Going from 2012 launch day) Mine came with nintendo land, but there should be better choices for games by now like mario kart, mario maker, super smash bros. The only difference maybe the color, White 8GB black 32GB and the price, but 32GB does the same as 8GB, just know you will be buying a HDD if you want more storage either way. 32GB is enough for small games like virtual console, some indie games, You'll be using HDD for full wii u games.

2. From what I understand, games are usually loaded from either a USB drive or SD card. Which one is preferred? Can I use just one storage for all games? I read different statements on that, some people even using 3 different drives.. or combinations of SD and USB, which seems a bit confusing and inconvenient to me.

Can you be more specific? Which part of the system you asking about? Wii U naturally only uses HDD formatted to wii u, which means is encrypted and cannot be used with anything else until reformatted to use. SD cards are not as used on wii u, Only use i noticed was saving snapshots for super smash bros wii u. On Vwii, you can use sd cards to store WII ware, and virtual console games as well as back up data.

If you are integrating homebrew into the mix, There is backup loaders for wii games and gamecube games. I recommend Wiiflow master mod. You can format a USB drive to NTSF on pc then setup the wiiflow on the sd card to use with USB. After that, you can configure settings. There is also option to do complete back up of your disc games, by inserting them into the system and then select backup, it will create the dump file needed to play the back up straight from wiiflow. (ONLY WITH WII GAMES)

Wiiflow can also load gamecube games. First install nintendont homebrew on sd card, then make sure you properly setup the file directories on the usb to load GC games. (SD:/Games/Title id of game/Game.iso) Then open wiiflow and configure settings, make sure you set gamecube loading to nintendont. Then you select gamecube list and pick a game, and it will load. Make sure to set up the settings in general or for each game, it will use nintendont to load the game with desired settings, also cheats can be used here and way easier to download from wiiflow, edit and activate, both on GC and Wii games.

Back on wii u, if you wanna use the same usb drive for wii u games, You need a special build of Mocha cfw, this can load usb drive without formatting it to wii u only format, so you can simply install games on it with that and use it like normal. Now you have one usb for all games. Just note you need to load that mocha cfw every time you wish to use it, do not format when given the option.

3. Which controller is recommended? I don't really care much for the Wii U gamepad as I just want a classic console experience with a regular controller. From what I've seen the only regular one is the Wii U Pro Controller. Will it work with everything I listed above?
Or would it make more sense to get something like this for all the older consoles: http://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/ns64gc_to_wiimote/index.php ?
Are there some Wii or Wii U games which force you to play with a Remote or Nunchuks, without regular controller support?

As for recommended, is hard to say. To be honest the only issue here is playing or wii u games wii games as some require specific setup, (Wii mote only, nunchuck, wii mote plus) Either way, here is a small list of games and possible required controllers.

VWII

• Wii games. Depends on game, super mario galaxy require wii mote+nuncuck. Some like smash bros can use gamecube controls, but not possible on vwii due to not having native gamecube support. Some also require wii mote only, like metroid other M. For some games is probably better to install the WII U vc version. (Check if they support game pad or other controls before getting them in eshop description)
• Virtual console. Only SNES & Nintendo 64 will require classic controller, any other will be fine from what i know.
• Wii ware, depends on game, same rule applies to the wii list above. (Note that wii ware games are exclusive to vwii and not on eshop wii u)
• There is emulators for NES, SNES, GBA, Genesis, Sega CD, Sega Master system, and Gamegear available that can use Wii u pro controller. (Also i think PS3, PS4 and other HID. There should be a list of compatible controllers somewhere or homebrew that can test it for you.)

One thing i do recommend is using vwii for emulators, but is my opinion. At least until a proper stand alone emulator that isn't labeled under retroarch is made much like vwii nicer looking gui for the systems.
Wii U

• Depends on game, like the wii list above, depending on game will require you to mandatory use specific controls. Example tokyo mirage sessions, FE can use wii u pro controls, but you NEED the game pad, and TV, YOU CANNOT PLAY THIS UNLESS YOU USE BOTH GAMEPAD AND TV TOGETHER. Some games that use wii mote, will probably force the wii mote plus, a game in nintendo land was one of them. Same is said for game pad.
• Virtual console = SNES AND N64 cannot use wii mote or wii mote with nunchuck controls. Wii vc is still limited to the original game is based on unless the game description states it can work with game pad. Please check the controls required to play the game. If you do use gamepad for wii games, no other controller will work, and you can only play single player. (Not that i know any multiplayer games with gamepad support)
• Eshop = Depends on game, same guidelines as wii u listed above.
• Emulators = I have no comment on retro arch emulators as i have not and refuse to use it. Sorry if this is lacking help but i hope someone else can assist you with it.

To be fair, your best option is least having a wii mote plus with nunchuk+ classic controller and wii u pro gamepad. Again, depending on what games you play, the HIDtoVPAD can give you access to ps3, ps4 and other controllers either using wii u or vwii games. A recommended control for the whole system is impossible, unless you know what kind of games you are gonna be playing and what controls it supports.

4. Should I drop all this and just get a Switch?

That is your decision, if you wish. Personally i have wii u, even though it was overpriced payment at launch, it still works 4 years later and happy enough, maybe to be honest most of is use was cause of the already exploited Vwii, with emulation improvements and backup loaders, but for the games i have gotten i say it depends on the person. If the games you see here aren't what you wanna be playing for a long time, you may not be interested in this. I can't really tell you with confidence what to do. You make that decision on your own. Just cause a console did poorly in market doesn't mean it didn't have great games to play. (I don't mean that there isn't bad games for it but there is some worth playing.)

 

[DarthDub]

To add onto that. SD cards are getting cheaper and cheaper so if you want you could get a 64 GB SD Card for around 25-35$ depending if it's on sale or not. You'll have to format it to FAT32 to use it though if it's above 32 GB with third party software.

 

[Aglaophotis]

Thanks a lot guys for the thorough help!

The whole controller thing is really a mess... I had no idea. I figured I would need to spend much more than I initially planned, so I decided to look out for used Wii U sets on Ebay which have some or all needed controllers already included.
At least I already have a Gamecube controller, so I'd just need an adapter for that.

Ok, to sum it up..
Wii U Pro controller would cover supported Wii U games + Emulators
Remote Plus + Nunchuk for Wii games
Gamecube controller + adapter for Gamecube games

I hope it got this right?

One thing i do recommend is using vwii for emulators, but is my opinion. At least until a proper stand alone emulator that isn't labeled under retroarch is made much like vwii nicer looking gui for the systems.

Hmm is there some downside to Retroarch on Wii U? On my PC I didn't have any problems with it when I tried it out and I'd be fine with it as a frontend. I could also use the Pro controller for those games then, while on vWii from what I understand, I would need to buy a separate Wii Classic Controller (Pro) for Emulators or use the Gamecube one, and I don't really want to use the GC controller outside of GC games.

After doing some more research, I think N64 games are the only ones I will run through VC because of all those issues on NES and SNES VC (dark filter, blurriness, muffled sound etc). I know N64 has an ugly dark filter too, but from what I read N64 emus seem to be far worse than Nintendo's VC. This means I'm playing N64 VC with the Pro controller, correct? Does it work fine? Because the N64 controller was quite..special.

Uhm.. sorry for being noobish, but the HDD/SD thing is still not entirely clear to me. :/
What I basically want is the least possible amount of storage devices to be able to play everything.
If I understand you guys correctly, normally I can't play Wii U games from SD and absolutely need an external USB drive for that, right? And there is no way to play everything else from the same drive? What about Emulators (Retroarch Wii U) and N64 VC, which I believe run on Wii U and not vWii?
Then I need a separate storage for Wii+GC games, which can either be SD card or USB HDD?

Back on wii u, if you wanna use the same usb drive for wii u games, You need a special build of Mocha cfw, this can load usb drive without formatting it to wii u only format, so you can simply install games on it with that and use it like normal. Now you have one usb for all games. Just note you need to load that mocha cfw every time you wish to use it, do not format when given the option.

Ok, so this is a way that lets me play everything from one USB drive?
Is there any disadvantage in that? I guess I'll look into that Mocha CFW to see how it works...
If that Mocha thing is too much of a hassle or somehow inconvenient, I'd be fine having USB HDD + SD (if that's possible) since the SD card is basically invisible anyway. But I'd like to avoid having 2 HDD drives connected to the console, maybe except there's some advantage like noticeable speed/loading time difference or something like that.

Edit: In case I get a 32 GB version. What can be played from the internal storage?

Sorry for asking that much, I just want to make sure I buy the right things and I roughly know which and how many games I want to play on those consoles so I can easier calculate my needed storage sizes.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

Hmm is there some downside to Retroarch on Wii U? On my PC I didn't have any problems with it when I tried it out and I'd be fine with it as a frontend. I could also use the Pro controller for those games then, while on vWii from what I understand, I would need to buy a separate Wii Classic Controller (Pro) for Emulators or use the Gamecube one, and I don't really want to use the GC controller outside of GC games.

From what community says, not much problems with wii u retroarch. Still I recommend it since this retroarch is fairly new compared to wii emulators that has been around much longer had time to develop and refine. Also again, you can use wii u pro controller on the vwii homebrew emulators. Click here for more info.

After doing some more research, I think N64 games are the only ones I will run through VC because of all those issues on NES and SNES VC (dark filter, blurriness, muffled sound etc). I know N64 has an ugly dark filter too, but from what I read N64 emus seem to be far worse than Nintendo's VC. This means I'm playing N64 VC with the Pro controller, correct? Does it work fine? Because the N64 controller was quite..special.

Some VC games have special text files that can be altered that allows you to change how the game looks. I suppose nintendo wanted to go for authentic experience that they tried to do some filters on those games that for some reason many dislike. (or probably wasn't even done by nintendo at all, could be another team of coders.) But it may be possible to change, just i haven't look much into it, but i will try to examine this for you.

Spoiler: Image example.

Looking at the two images, this is a rom injected game running on wii u, using loadiine homebrew. One shows original image, and the other is altered to force higher resolution that may seem like a enhancement. SOURCE

Uhm.. sorry for being noobish, but the HDD/SD thing is still not entirely clear to me. :/
What I basically want is the least possible amount of storage devices to be able to play everything.
If I understand you guys correctly, normally I can't play Wii U games from SD and absolutely need an external USB drive for that, right?

You can install emulators on sd card, using retroarch to play them. To be honest the big issue with wii u is the mandatory HDD usb formatted drive. The system forces you to format a HDD drive and after it is formatted you can't use it for anything else but the console it was formatted on. To many people is a huge oversight cause is strict limitation. There is a special build of Mocha cfw that allows you to use a unformatted HDD drive on wii u, this is not official yet and "Is mostly for developer testing purposes, but it now removes requirement of forcing a format for the usb but is currently limited to Loadiine. This is a good thing since the vwiii doesn't need a dedicated mandatory formatted drive to work. So is possible to use this method for wii u and vwii, homebrew backup loaders like wiiflow or nintendont but loadiine has some flaws you can find info about below.

The old method required dumping a game from the system (Disc or digital) in the same manner it is installed on the wii u system storage. Then copied to sd card and loaded with loadiine. Using that had various problems such as long loading times or games not working at all. This is also a popular method of playing rom injections. (A method of replacing a Virtual console rom with another one to use nintendo's VC emulation in place of a homebrew one.)

People have managed to play wii u games from SD using Loadiine. Though now with this new method of installing games to play, it more preferred since it doesn't use a homebrew loader to play and works perfectly.

The new method now has to do with installing the games as you would when downloading from eshop, but instead require files from the game you want in specific format and installed using homebrew like WUP installer, this will install the game to the storage device (NAND system storage or WII U formatted HDD) To play, it loads on your home menu like every other game and doesn't have any problems like Loadiine has. Click here for more info. The link explains how to copy a disc based game to your system menu to play as if digital.

You can find other games using wii u usb Helper, which is a program for windows or Android, to also download games, just like with the link explains how to extract data from Disc games, it works the same way, just skip the part with the disc2app tutorial for games obtained with wii u usb helper. The wii u usb helper transfer tool is a wii u homebrew app that help install games, it works the same way most others do (Including popular WUP installer mod) But it also supports FTP transfer so you can wirelessly install games. Below is all the tools you can use to install games,

WII U USB HELPER = WINDOWS
WII U USB HELPER GO = ANDROID
WII U USB HELPER TRANSFER TOOL = WII U HOMEBREW APP

What about Emulators (Retroarch Wii U) and N64 VC, which I believe run on Wii U and not vWii?
Then I need a separate storage for Wii+GC games, which can either be SD card or USB HDD?

There is retroarch emulators both on wii u and v wii. Although i do not think N64 is mostly playable for either of them (considering they still both have problems on pc emulation itself and any console/ mobile port) You are free to try yourself.

If you wish to you can do so, currently since there is no efficient way to use one USB HDD for wii u and wii, having two would be simple for now. (One for wii u and vwii) 500GB should be okay for each, unless you plan on getting the entire library of games the system offers. Wii U does not have many games, the disc size limit max out at 25GB, and not all of them uses this large file size, the rest of the stuff on eshop, are less that 5GB Eshop only games are about up to 4GB, Virtual console are not that big, up to about maybe 200GB (unless is a wii game then probably up to 8GB) But they all depend on the game, again, since wii u don't have many games and unless you gonna get every single one, 500GB should be good enough. Vwii on the other hand, has lot more games but disc are maxed out to about 5GB (10 if dual layered) But only 3 games i know are above 5GB, Super smash bros brawl, Metroid other m, and Xenoblade chronicles, all dual layered disc, all others are under 5GB so again you won't need as much for that, but since you including GC games as well it won't mean much as they also aren't as big, the disc max out at about 1.3GB. So again unless you plan on getting every single game for the console, is not needed to go that much over 500GB for each.

The system supports a SD card up to formatted Fat 32 (Any sd card up to 32GB) But you can use bigger size sd cards, if you simply format it to fat32, how well they work is up to chance, nintendo never approved for any sd cards not fat32. You can put homebrew emulators on it and play it on vwii and again, has Wii u pro controller support as well as other possible HID devices (Ps3/ps4 dual shock) these emulators look a lot nicer, easy to understand and navigate, making it easy for anyone to use.

Spoiler: This may sound biased

Would you rather have something like this?

Or something that look like this?

Or this, cause this is how retroarch looks on wii.

To be clear, i'm not saying retroarch is a bad emulator, it works, it has lot to offer but i personally would recommend this last if only it was not much other choice, I use it and it very unique but is just not as simple as the other two above, pointing and clicking with the wii mote any of the menu options is better presented that anyone using it may be able to understand easier than bunch of text on screen with so many selectable options they may not be able to find. If there is a better looking well presented GFX then I wouldn't argue. The PC and android retroarch i know supports these new improved menus including one that imitates PS3/PSP XMB, but this is the wii that is being discussed, that picture is how it looks on both vwii and wii u retro arch.

The good thing about wii u retro arch is that it runs on wii u, using the better system power the vwii is limited to. Both the vwii emulators in the spoiler work well with no issue, snes9xgx plays all games with no issue, works with wii u pro controller including support for those extra controllers (Super scope and the like) and uses the snes9x 1.5.3 latest Genesis plus gx uses the latest genesis plus build and also works with wii u pro controller. It plays any rom, homebrew or rom hack, including the ones that most other emulators don't. Example is Pier solar and the great architects a homebrew game that has 64MEG data (8MB rom file) and can even work with the sega cd mode one function. (Mode 1 is a feature to play genesis games with sega cd to use music from a audio cd instead of the music from the genesis game itself.)It also plays sega CD, Master system, game gear and that umm sg 1000 whatever that is called. All working with no issue at all. (Does not support 32X)

Retroarch just takes what is known as a "Core" And loads it to play roms. Is not bad what it does and it works, is the ultimate all in one thing for every emulation possible. It just can be a bit not noob friendly to setup without manual of some kind. Again, i'm not saying is bad, i would prefer simple solutions which is why i use stand alone emulators.

Personally i been waiting and hoping for those vwii emulators to get port to wii u but nothing yet, and i'll keep waiting hoping it does. I feel maybe it won't be due to the lack of interest in wii u homebrew and retroarch already a thing for it. But i still hope is possible.