And they said it couldn't be done. Almost seven years after its release, @Fullmetal5 (the same developer behind str2hax and flashhax) has finally managed to find an exploit compatible with Nintendo's so-called "unhackable" Wii Mini and crack it wide open! Instead of using internet browsers or loading code from the SD card slot, both of which are (in)famously absent from the Mini, this new approach takes advantage of a vulnerability found in Broadcom's Bluetooth driver to gain arbitrary code execution and run a payload from the included USB port. This finally lets homebrew enthusiasts have fun with the console, and may also open the door to online play as well with the help of hacks and a LAN adapter!

While the exploit is making good progress, having already reached 90% completion for the Bluetooth stager and also being consistent enough to be called usable, there's still a lot of work to be done before a public release is available. There's also the possibility of HackMii Installer being incompatible with the Mini's version of IOS, in which case further new exploits will need to be found in order to make it work. You can get an idea about the state of the project in the roadmap below, which was written and shared by the dev itself:

Just to give a small roadmap: (So that people can get an idea as to what needs to be done now)

1. Write a bluetooth stager to upload payloads (%50 complete) (Note: this was stated to have reached 90% in later posts)
2. Write something to load larger payloads from usb.
3. See if the HackMii Installer's exploits work against the versions of IOS that are there (If they are similar to the Wii U's then it may already have exploits but it's possible they are different)
4. If the HackMii Installer's exploits don't work then I will need to write my own. (Shouldn't be too bad, IOS is known to be buggy. Also I'll probably do this step anyway for the fun of it.)

The exploit doesn't have an official name yet, but it's currently being referred to as "bluehax". Right now it's being tested on some specific games, however, there's a real possibility it will work out of the box with the Wii's System Menu alone due to its nature, thus removing the need of a dedicated game. It only takes a computer with a Bluetooth interface to make it work: there's no definitive usage guide just yet, but it should be as easy as running a program on your PC, hitting the SYNC button on the console, et voila - you're good to go! There is a small catch, however: development is targeting just Linux and no Windows version is planned. If you can get behind that, you'll soon be able to enjoy that sweet, sweet homebrew on the tiniest Wii Nintendo has ever made!

Source 1 (Twitter)
Source 2 (Discord server)

 

[jeffyTheHomebrewer]

Holy shit, this is awesome. I know this may sound dumb, but would this exploit also work on RVL-001 or -101?

 

[Ryccardo]

I wonder if the wii mini can be hacked "sometime later" to allow both GameCube discs and backups?

There's a good chance the drive rejects GC discs in hardware - but no reason you couldn't run Nintendont on it (once a way to install custom channels is found, which is required to plant a title with AHBPROT enabled)

Some folks here were so adamant that nothing could be done.

To be fair, this was an out of the blue revelation (and as of today it's still vaporware, mind you), for a system where even the ultimate exploit ("if it accepts updates, you can bruteforce the key and sign one") wasn't even necessarily possible since nobody knows (afaik) if it's even user updateable via disc

(then again, not many people begging for an exploit knew that just soldering in the SD slot wouldn't work, or even that the unmodified Wii doesn't support usb drives outside of IOS59, soooo....)

I know this may sound dumb, but would this exploit also work on RVL-001 or -101?

Most likely yes (the Wii Mini software is obviously derived from the regular Wii's, in particular bluetooth support is mostly compiled into every app rather than left to IOS) but some tweaks may be needed, 3DS userland payloads / 3DS soundhax / DSi memory pit style

 

[jesus96]

i mean its interesting but who has a wii mini? you can buy the original one with the GC retrocompatibility for 20$

 

[zoogie]

Just me or the Wii mini looks suspiciously like a big mac box

Shhhh
Or the haxburgler will come along and swipe our Wii Minis.

i mean its interesting but who has a wii mini? you can buy the original one with the GC retrocompatibility for 20$

Maybe soccer moms who don't know the difference between a good and bad Wii?
Who knows, but the fact is: millions of these things are in the wild and they should be hacked for the greater good.

 

[Ryccardo]

who has a wii mini?

if there even are any

Plenty of them around, for a while they were THE tournament prize/mainstream "cheap but expensive" novelty gift like the nes classic more acclaimedly became

 

[cyn]

Plenty of them around, for a while they were THE tournament prize/mainstream "cheap but expensive" novelty gift like the nes classic more acclaimedly became

i wouldn't really know, last time i cared about the wii mini is when club nintendo was shutting down and i used a program to generate wii mini serials to register for coins
(if this violates the rules to post about i can snip that last bit, someone just has to let me know)

 

[FancyNintendoGamer567]

@Ryccardo

once a way to install custom channels is found

WAD Managers exist, like Wii Mod Lite. And yes, they support installing from USB.

 

[Ryccardo]

@Ryccardo
WAD Managers exist, like Wii Mod Lite. And yes, they support installing from USB.

But since there's no CIOS or other trucha-enabled one out of the factory (hopefully!), you can't install an unsigned channel without using AHBPROT... which in turn requires being run from a channel with the appropriate permission enabled, so either the hackmii installer works as-is, the Twiizers release their exploit (yeah sure), or it'll have to be independently cloned...

 

[SonicRings]

Really hope a windows solution is also made. Though Wii minis are more costly than the og Wii so I can't see the Wii mini gaining any popularity anyway.

 

[FancyNintendoGamer567]

@Ryccardo If the HackMii Installer is small enough, I'd bet it can work with BlueHax.

 

[Worldblender]

Finally, I can hack those 50+ Wii Mini's I have laying around
*cough cough*

I'd like to have one of those 50 Wii Mini units if you're willing to sell or give some away.

Too bad there's only one usb port, which limits what you can do with this.

Couldn't we use USB hubs in order to add more USB ports? Or does the Wii lack drivers to support USB hubs in the first place?

 

[FancyNintendoGamer567]

@Worldblender

Spoiler: ...

Interesting combination for a PFP.

 

[Darklinkreturns]

I'd like to have one of those 50 Wii Mini units if you're willing to sell or give some away

I don't actually have any, I was making a joke about the wii mini club nintendo exploit

 

[TheCyberQuake]

So am I correct assuming it will install homebrew channel and still be able to load homebrew via the USB? I'm really hoping it won't require you to use the bluetooth exploit every time you want to use homebrew. And I don't even own the system (though I might buy one for cheap now lol)

 

[raxadian]

While this is nice for the people who still have this brick, lack of SD card slot and Internet really limits things you can do with this ugly console.

One wonders what the heck Nintendo was thinking since lack of Internet means you couldn't use Wiiware on this stupid brick.

Only worse was the GBA mini.

 

[Viri]

Shit, I might buy a Wii mini for fun. I always thought the Wii mini looked really cool.

 

[Kwyjor]

The other major drawback to the Wii Mini is that component cables won't work with it – it's composite-only. (Then again, it seems some people actually prefer the fuzziness that composite provides to the Wii's lower-resolution graphics.)

Does a Raspberry Pi count as Linux? Cause I have one with wifi & bluetooth. (Though I'm not very good at using the raspberry pi OS, easier to use windows)

For something like this you can probably run Linux from a virtual machine like VMware or VirtualBox without having to make major changes to your Windows PC – though even without having to make such major changes, Linux can definitely still be difficult.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

For something like this you can probably run Linux from a virtual machine like VMware or VirtualBox without having to make major changes to your Windows PC – though even without having to make such major changes, Linux can definitely still be difficult.

I didn't know about other OS emulation. I only though that was some console homebrew thing like on ps3 back in 2008

Still I never used linux so I don't know much about it except i guess... a penguin is the mascot?

 

[Worldblender]

Still I never used linux so I don't know much about it except i guess... a penguin is the mascot?

Yes, you're correct. A penguin is the mascot of the Linux kernel, and he is named Tux (He even appears in my avatar! The graphic is from http://supertuxproject.org/ (SuperTux), a FOSS 2D jump 'n run sidescroller featuring that mascot).

 

[BraveDragonWolf]

Forgot this thing even existed...