Hacking RegionHax - How to get RegionFree on WiiU

[godreborn]

ah yeah that's what i feared. i'll keep looking around for a bit but i'm probably stuck unless i can find some lesser known method.. i was considering talking to nintendo to see if i could maybe send it in for a factory reset but even if i could do that i'm not sure if that would fix the fact that the region was modified. if the system really is done for i guess that's all i can really do, i appreciated the suggestions either way! so thank you for responding :>

if you had a NAND backup, you could replace the file. it would require a hard mod. beyond that, I'm not really sure. Nintendo might fix it, but it would probably be cheaper just to buy a new console. two thirds of the total cost is the game pad, so you might be spending around $60 for just the system as opposed to $125 to fix it with Nintendo. I think read that the wii u - Nintendo is no longer fixing them. they hate the console that much. lol if so, it makes the decision easier.

 

[spinnyspins]

if you had a NAND backup, you could replace the file. it would require a hard mod. beyond that, I'm not really sure. Nintendo might fix it, but it would probably be cheaper just to buy a new console. two thirds of the total cost is the game pad, so you might be spending around $60 for just the system as opposed to $125 to fix it with Nintendo. I think read that the wii u - Nintendo is no longer fixing them. they hate the console that much. lol if so, it makes the decision easier.

yea i'd believe that lmao, they dropped basically all support for it when the switch came out. i think i'll hold off for a bit and buy a new console when i can, they probably go for decently cheap nowadays tbh

 

[oslo83]

i recently tried this out to get a EU game working on my US wii u, but instead of putting in 119 like i should have, i put in 4 for europe. now that my console is set to play software from the EU i can't launch any games, and furthermore, i can't launch my browser to change the values again nor can i factory reset my wii u because BOTH are region locked

Yeah, by doing that your WiiU is now EU but can't lauch any US system apps you have on your wiiU.
Did you try to access system setting from boot this way :

With the entire system shut off, push the power button on the game pad and then immediately hold down A, B, start, and the up button on the directional pad and keep holding them on. If it works, it will boot to system.

You used webhax, like me.
But, do you use Nintendo QuickLauch ? -If so, while folllowing the previous procedure choose the first app on the upper left screen and it should launch settings.

Maybe this way you could run US settings app on a US wiiU partialy rebrand to EU without any EU system apps.

 

[spinnyspins]

Yeah, by doing that your WiiU is now EU but can't lauch any US system apps you have on your wiiU.
Did you try to access system setting from boot this way :

With the entire system shut off, push the power button on the game pad and then immediately hold down A, B, start, and the up button on the directional pad and keep holding them on. If it works, it will boot to system.

You used webhax, like me.
But, do you use Nintendo QuickLauch ? -If so, while folllowing the previous procedure choose the first app on the upper left screen and it should launch settings.

Maybe this way you could run US settings app on a US wiiU partialy rebrand to EU without any EU system apps.

i just tried that, and i got the same issue, but it definitely did something because when i try and launch the app normally (being splatoon) from quicklaunch it boots me back the the wii u menu, while when doing that A,B,start,up method it gives me the error and then freezes at the wii u screen. i'm sure that isn't really gonna help figure a solution to my issue but it's worth noting that it *did* do something.

 

[oslo83]

So this kind of brick can only be fixed with a hardmord.
I'm not aware of other hidden nintendo key combos on wiiu (wii mode & disk sleep mode configuration excluded).
But there is some...

 

[spinnyspins]

So this kind of brick can only be fixed with a hardmord.
I'm not aware of other hidden nintendo key combos on wiiu (wii mode & disk sleep mode configuration excluded).
But there is some...

aye, that's what i thought, and i don't really know enough about hardware to really hardmod it sadly. i'll look through some of the key combos if i can find them but yeah it seems like i'm pretty much out of luck.

the only other thing i'd like to bring up is that the vWii works perfectly fine since that isn't blocked by any sort of region lock, so if there was some way to factory reset from there it could work, but seeing as the vWii doesn't have the system settings in it and there isn't any homebrew application capable of doing that, it probably doesn't help that much.

 

[godreborn]

aye, that's what i thought, and i don't really know enough about hardware to really hardmod it sadly. i'll look through some of the key combos if i can find them but yeah it seems like i'm pretty much out of luck.

the only other thing i'd like to bring up is that the vWii works perfectly fine since that isn't blocked by any sort of region lock, so if there was some way to factory reset from there it could work, but seeing as the vWii doesn't have the system settings in it and there isn't any homebrew application capable of doing that, it probably doesn't help that much.

the virtual wii is on a separate flash chip - slc-mpt I think. the wii u's flash is just the slc. I'm not sure how they communicate with each other. afaik, they don't beyond that forwarder on the wii u home menu.

 

[oslo83]

@Ne2buntusome leaked documents available online for ages, speak about number 120 and not 119 for region free ; Any idea why and what's the extra bit regiontype is?

In fact, these docs speak about number #1270 as region free number and not the confirmed already working 119 ...
source:

setconfig

Cafe SDK has a script to set up these configures.

Syntax: setconfig [platform region] [game region] [language] [country]

OptionDescriptionplatform region0:JPN 1:USA 2:EUR 3:AUS 4:TWN 5:KOR 6:CHNgame region1(bit0):JPN 2(bit1):USA 4(bit2):EUR 8(bit3):AUS 16(bit4):TWN 32(bit5):KOR 64(bit6):CHNlanguage0:JPN 1:ENG 2:FRN 3:GER 4:ITA 5:SPA 6:CHN 7:KOR 8:DUT 9:PRT 10:RUS 11:TWNcountryCountry ID (e.g. 1:JP 49:US 77:FR 78:DE 110:GB etc)
For a complete list of country IDs, see the Wii U country list spreadsheet.

Also setconfig script sets up calender as the current date and time automatically.

e.g. ./setconfig 0 1 0 1 (JP setting) 
e.g. ./setconfig 1 2 1 49 (US setting) 
e.g. ./setconfig 2 4 1 77 (EU setting) 
e.g. ./setconfig 1 127 1 49 (All game region setting)

I don't really know if/how you could use this Cafe SDK's script with a borked retail wiiu...

 

[oslo83]

*edit : number 127 and not 1270 in place of 119

 

[Ryccardo]

So this kind of brick can only be fixed with a hardmord.
I'm not aware of other hidden nintendo key combos on wiiu (wii mode & disk sleep mode configuration excluded).
But there is some...

WiiU can actually boot from SD, if you press power and eject in a certain way I don't remember

But where are you going to find retail-signed recovery images? (if you have a developer console, they are available from warioworld.com)

the virtual wii is on a separate flash chip - slc-mpt I think. the wii u's flash is just the slc. I'm not sure how they communicate with each other. afaik, they don't beyond that forwarder on the wii u home menu.

Technically slc and slccmp are two halves of the same chip (if you know how bank switching works - especially on NES/GB(C) - it's the same thing: an otherwise inherently continuous storage devices is partitioned into alternatable and apparently independent ones by giving a special name to the highest valued bits used for address selection)

For hardmods this means that either you connect that pin (representing the bit worth 512 MB) differently (to power or ground) depending on which one you want to access, or you connect it to the programmer (and expect to be able to read both slc and slccmpt one after the other)

 

[spinnyspins]

WiiU can actually boot from SD, if you press power and eject in a certain way I don't remember

But where are you going to find retail-signed recovery images? (if you have a developer console, they are available from warioworld.com)

oh i've never heard of booting from the SD, i'll look into it!

 

[oslo83]

WiiU can actually boot from SD, if you press power and eject in a certain way I don't remember

But where are you going to find retail-signed recovery images? (if you have a developer console, they are available from warioworld.com)

I think I found this process on dev device:

To Update the Firmware on the CAT-R

Power off the CAT-R, by holding down the POWER Button for 4 seconds.

Insert the SD Card for updating the CAT-R into the CAT-R console.

Simultaneously press and hold the EJECTButton and POWER Button on the CAT-R console and then release them when the Power LED turns orange.

Installation for the update proceeds. For the Power LED illumination state, see the table below.

Do not turn off power to the CAT-R console during installation. Wait until the LED sequence shows success or failure. If power is turned off, the CAT-R console will be damaged and require repair.

DescriptionLED SequenceInstallation in ProgressBlue → Red → OrangeInstallation SuccessfulBlue → OrangeInstallation Failed; The error code is represented by the number of Orange → Red or Blue → Red pulses.Orange → Red → Blue → Red → Red → Red

 

[wiiuwiimii]

Hi guys,

I'm a noob and want my Wii u region free can some please please point me in the right direction on how to region free my Wii U.

I read the instructions on this page but for some reason, I don't get it. this guy seems to have it down but I cannot get into my system congif. When I click on fw.ing I can’t get into system config. It just stays on the screen with the Wii u logo.

This other guy uses python 2.7.12. I tried that and it can’t find my IP address.


I also read this post https://gbatemp.net/threads/release-regionhax-installer-noob-friendly.449036/ and I still can't get it to work.

Laugh if you want I'm new to this Wii u homebrew hacking this.

Can someone please walk me through baby steps.

 

[Powerful]

Hi guys,

I'm a noob and want my Wii u region free can some please please point me in the right direction on how to region free my Wii U.

I read the instructions on this page but for some reason, I don't get it. this guy seems to have it down but I cannot get into my system congif. When I click on fw.ing I can’t get into system config. It just stays on the screen with the Wii u logo.

This other guy uses python 2.7.12. I tried that and it can’t find my IP address.


I also read this post https://gbatemp.net/threads/release-regionhax-installer-noob-friendly.449036/ and I still can't get it to work.

Laugh if you want I'm new to this Wii u homebrew hacking this.

Can someone please walk me through baby steps.

Okay I’ll be honest this tut is very well explained. If you want region free and don’t get this tut get haxchi and use CFW. That will give you region free without the risk of bricking. Do not bother doing this hack as you’ll fuck it up if you don’t understand that tutorial. Follow other steps on getting CFW.

 

[godreborn]

I made a backup of my sys_prod.xml (unedited) just in case I ever wanted to revert back. I'd suggest you do the same instead of editing the file a second time. for me, I just left the regionhax intact, since it wasn't bothering anything. it's not worth the risk though, especially if you don't play any out-of-region titles or many that is.

 

[sylver78]

Hello,
I did apply the region free hack by putting the 119 value into the region field and it's working very well
Today I did a full reset (format) of my Wii U and after that, I did create a new account. After the home screen was initialized, I did notice that the disc icon was not present anymore ! Putting a game disc was not causing any reaction on the system ... I had to put the region back to 4 (It's an european console) and format the console again to make things back to normal !
Is there a known workaround for this problem ?

 

[oslo83]

Hello,
I did apply the region free hack by putting the 119 value into the region field and it's working very well
Today I did a full reset (format) of my Wii U and after that, I did create a new account. After the home screen was initialized, I did notice that the disc icon was not present anymore ! Putting a game disc was not causing any reaction on the system ... I had to put the region back to 4 (It's an european console) and format the console again to make things back to normal !
Is there a known workaround for this problem ?

You just did the best workaround available to fix it.

 

[godreborn]

Hello,
I did apply the region free hack by putting the 119 value into the region field and it's working very well
Today I did a full reset (format) of my Wii U and after that, I did create a new account. After the home screen was initialized, I did notice that the disc icon was not present anymore ! Putting a game disc was not causing any reaction on the system ... I had to put the region back to 4 (It's an european console) and format the console again to make things back to normal !
Is there a known workaround for this problem ?

if possible, I'd say just leave it or at least make a backup of the original sys_prod.xml and have someway of injecting it. I know of no way for that not to happen.

 

[sylver78]

Ok thanks for your answer ! So it means that a region free Wii U is not something to give to anyone as a reinit of the system will cause some a very bad issue ...
My plan was to reinit the console to sell it, hopefully I did check that everything was ok before selling it !

 

[godreborn]

yeah, it's a good thing you had a way to inject a new one. I've seen some people brick because of this with no way of fixing it.