PAL Gamecube games...black screen, none will load. All other regions work okay.

[Ratmando]

Hi,

I softmodded my NTSC USA Wii.

I want to play some genuine discs. I can play ALL regions Wii games (USA, PAL, JAP) and I can play JAP/USA GameCube games.

However, I cannot play PAL Gamecube games. The disc appears to load showing the Gamecube logo and then gives me a black screen. I must then hard reset the Wii.

I have all regions set in Priiloader - if I turn this off, I can no longer play Japanese Gamecube games either.

I have tried booting the PAL Gamecube discs in GeckoOS and two USB loaders (in one USB loader, you can see the PAL GC Disc is loaded and recognised correctly) - but I get the same black screen after booting.

Can you help at all? It's been years since I softmodded my Wii, but I hadn't tried any PAL Gamecube games up until now.

Thanks!

 

[Alexander1970]

Hello.

Do you also use NINTENDONT ?
https://github.com/FIX94/Nintendont

Thank you.

 

[Maeson]

...Does your display support 50Hz video mode?

PAL GameCube games, like pretty much any PAL game on systems before it, works or at the very least boots at 50Hz 576i. If your display does not support it it will only show a black screen.

PAL GC Games that have 60Hz Support still boot at 50Hz, then they ask if you want to choose 60Hz right after booting, usually with the cursor on the 60Hz option so you only need to press A.

Of course not all of them support 60Hz. Those that do not, well... You can find some patches to force them work at 60Hz, I did several of those, but then you're not using the discs anymore. You could try Nintendont to force Video Mode NTSC/Pal60 and use your disc, but I don't know how well it will work.

The reason of why PAL Wii games work for you is because the vast majority of them actually boot at whatever resolution you're set to the Wii (So if you have 480i or 480p it will be that). There's only a handful of PAL 50Hz games on the Wii. Samurai Warriors 3, Sega Bass Fishing, DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and 3 and... I can't remember more.

 

[Ratmando]

Double post: sorry.

 

[Ratmando]

Hello.

Do you also use NINTENDONT ?
https://github.com/FIX94/Nintendont

Thank you.

...Does your display support 50Hz video mode?

PAL GameCube games, like pretty much any PAL game on systems before it, works or at the very least boots at 50Hz 576i. If your display does not support it it will only show a black screen.

PAL GC Games that have 60Hz Support still boot at 50Hz, then they ask if you want to choose 60Hz right after booting, usually with the cursor on the 60Hz option so you only need to press A.

Of course not all of them support 60Hz. Those that do not, well... You can find some patches to force them work at 60Hz, I did several of those, but then you're not using the discs anymore. You could try Nintendont to force Video Mode NTSC/Pal60 and use your disc, but I don't know how well it will work.

The reason of why PAL Wii games work for you is because the vast majority of them actually boot at whatever resolution you're set to the Wii (So if you have 480i or 480p it will be that). There's only a handful of PAL 50Hz games on the Wii. Samurai Warriors 3, Sega Bass Fishing, DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and 3 and... I can't remember more.

Yes, I'm in the UK and my display supports 50hz. I had my display on 480p, so changed it to 480i, but that did nothing unfortunately. Once you load the PAL GC disc, it appears to freeze the Wii...I have to reset using power button. So I can't press anything.

I had not tried Nintendont, I will try that now. Thank you.

 

[Ratmando]

...Does your display support 50Hz video mode?

PAL GameCube games, like pretty much any PAL game on systems before it, works or at the very least boots at 50Hz 576i. If your display does not support it it will only show a black screen.

PAL GC Games that have 60Hz Support still boot at 50Hz, then they ask if you want to choose 60Hz right after booting, usually with the cursor on the 60Hz option so you only need to press A.

Of course not all of them support 60Hz. Those that do not, well... You can find some patches to force them work at 60Hz, I did several of those, but then you're not using the discs anymore. You could try Nintendont to force Video Mode NTSC/Pal60 and use your disc, but I don't know how well it will work.

The reason of why PAL Wii games work for you is because the vast majority of them actually boot at whatever resolution you're set to the Wii (So if you have 480i or 480p it will be that). There's only a handful of PAL 50Hz games on the Wii. Samurai Warriors 3, Sega Bass Fishing, DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and 3 and... I can't remember more.

UPDATE: Installed Nintendont (looks useful, thanks!).

PAL GC Discs still loads to black screen (freezing Wii) when loaded in Nintendont.

Out of interest, I tried a PAL GC Iso from SD, this worked and loaded up fine - either in 50hz or 60hz. Interestingly, when it asked me to go to the Gamebube Memory Card screen in game...it then froze to the same black screen.

I can access the GameCube memory card screen via the Wii menu no problem.

Does this help at all in diagnosing my problem?

 

[SaulFabre]

@Ratmando

Can you post a sysCheck of your Wii?

 

[Maeson]

What exactly asked you to go to the Memory Card Screen? I don't remember a single game that takes you to the GC Bios for that.

For the GC "menu" and intro to appear loading a game on Nintendont, you need the bios files. Once you have them you actually can emulate the Memory Card Menu, which is a pretty cool thing to do on the Wii.

It's weird that is only physical discs. Maybe you have something weird installed on there.

 

[SaulFabre]

It's weird that is only physical discs. Maybe you have something weird installed on there.

So i've asked to OP for a sysCheck...

@Ratmando

Can you post a sysCheck of your Wii?

 

[Ratmando]

Thank you for all the help.

Here is the SYScheck - means nothing to me, so hopefully you can help.

SysCheck HDE v2.4.0 HacksDen Edition by JoostinOnline	Double_A	R2-D2199	and Nano
...runs on IOS58 (rev 6176).
Region: NTSC-U
System Menu 4.1U (v449)
Priiloader installed
Drive date: 05.26.2006
Homebrew Channel 1.1.2 running on IOS58
Hollywood v0x11
Console ID: 70527485
Console Type: Wii
Shop Channel Country: United States (49)
Boot2 v4
Found 162 titles.
Found 49 IOS on this console. 4 of them are stubs.
IOS4 (rev 65280): Stub
IOS9 (rev 1034): No Patches
IOS10 (rev 768): Stub
IOS11 (rev 16174): Trucha Bug	NAND Access
IOS12 (rev 526): No Patches
IOS13 (rev 1032): No Patches
IOS14 (rev 1032): No Patches
IOS15 (rev 1032): No Patches
IOS16 (rev 512): Stub
IOS17 (rev 1032): No Patches
IOS20 (rev 16174): Trucha Bug	NAND Access
IOS21 (rev 1039): No Patches
IOS22 (rev 1294): No Patches
IOS28 (rev 1807): No Patches
IOS30 (rev 16174): Trucha Bug	NAND Access
IOS31 (rev 3608): No Patches
IOS33 (rev 3608): No Patches
IOS34 (rev 3608): No Patches
IOS35 (rev 3608): No Patches
IOS36 (rev 3608): No Patches
IOS37 (rev 5663): No Patches
IOS38 (rev 4124): No Patches
IOS40 (rev 16174): Trucha Bug	NAND Access
IOS41 (rev 3607): No Patches
IOS43 (rev 3607): No Patches
IOS45 (rev 3607): No Patches
IOS46 (rev 3607): No Patches
IOS48 (rev 4124): No Patches
IOS50 (rev 16174): Trucha Bug	NAND Access
IOS51 (rev 4864): Stub
IOS52 (rev 16174): Trucha Bug	NAND Access
IOS53 (rev 5663): No Patches
IOS55 (rev 5663): No Patches
IOS56 (rev 5662): No Patches
IOS57 (rev 5919): No Patches
IOS58 (rev 6176): USB 2.0
IOS60 (rev 16174): Trucha Bug	NAND Access
IOS61 (rev 5662): No Patches
IOS62 (rev 6430): No Patches
IOS70 (rev 16174): Trucha Bug	NAND Access
IOS80 (rev 16174): Trucha Bug	NAND Access
IOS202[60] (rev 65535	Info: hermesrodries-v6): Trucha Bug	NAND Access	USB 2.0
IOS222[38] (rev 4	Info: hermes-v4): Trucha Bug	ES Identify	NAND Access	USB 2.0
IOS223[38+37] (rev 4	Info: hermes-v4): Trucha Bug	ES Identify	NAND Access	USB 2.0
IOS224[57] (rev 65535	Info: hermesrodries-v6): Trucha Bug	NAND Access	USB 2.0
IOS236[36] (rev 65535	Info: rev 3351): Trucha Bug	ES Identify	NAND Access
IOS249[56] (rev 21008	Info: d2x-v8final): Trucha Bug	NAND Access	USB 2.0
IOS250[57] (rev 21008	Info: d2x-v8final): Trucha Bug	NAND Access	USB 2.0
IOS254 (rev 65281): BootMii
BC v5
MIOS v10
Report generated on 05/03/2021.

 

[Ratmando]

Hey guys, anything there that stands out as to why I can't play retail PAL Gamecube games?

 

[Maeson]

Well, the first thing I see is that even if you're in the UK your Wii is apparently NTSC, and if you try to launch games through the Disc Channel it might be the issue right there... The system might get into a problem with the different video modes.

Looking a bit around on some wikis, it is weird that your Wii has MIOS v10 (the data used for GC-related stuff) with a Wii 4.1U, as v10 apparently was released with 4.2.

Have you any idea if this system was modded before you got it, or someone else could have tampered with it?

The fact that PAL isos work for you on Nintendont, it really seems to be something related to the disc drive or its related IOS. I have no experience with NTSC Wiis, I have a PAL one.

If you're still insisting on using discs... I don't know, maybe trying to boot the disc with GeckoOs, or... I don't recommend this, but reading about a custom IOS for GC could lead you to something.

Searching a bit it seems many people with NTSC Wiis have issues playing PAL games.

 

[Ratmando]

I have had this Wii since launch. I imported it to the UK myself. So nobody else had done anything to it, but I did softmod many years ago, so my memory fades as to exact methods and what I have done to it.

It has MIOS V10 as I just updated it this week in an effort to try and get PAL GC working. I read this was a possible fix.

I have tried GeckOS already and it gives the same result - same as disc channel, Nintendont and booting through a USB launcher as well.

This is a shame, my TV can support any video mode or output, so I'm not sure. My NTSC Gamecube works fine on my TV also, but I keep that in storage as I didn't need it with my Wii. The fact the Wii locks up and crashes makes me think it is nothing to do with video mode.

So I just don't know.

 

[jeannotte]

Out of interest, I tried a PAL GC Iso from SD, this worked and loaded up fine - either in 50hz or 60hz. Interestingly, when it asked me to go to the Gamebube Memory Card screen in game...it then froze to the same black screen.

Hello,

I'm no expert (just try)

test with Configurable loader v78.11 ==>Configurable usb loader v78.11

maybe you will need to go in the parameters of your loader or your game and "" force PAL "", to see

Configurable loader v78.11 reads games on SD card or USB.

 

[Ratmando]

Hello,

I'm no expert (just try)

test with Configurable loader v78.11 ==>Configurable usb loader v78.11

maybe you will need to go in the parameters of your loader or your game and "" force PAL "", to see

Configurable loader v78.11 reads games on SD card or USB.

Well there you go.

I wasn't confident of this as I had tried it on my existing <ancient> version of Configurable USB Loader.

But tried it with this versionand it worked straight up!

Thank you so much.

- first world problems that don't really matter, but curious so does this help getting it to work from the disc channel at all? Do people with PAL Wiis have the same issues playing NTSC games?

But again, thank you so much!