Help me build THE ULTIMATE WIIU!!

rcpd

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extending the range of the gamepad. The thread i saw showed little improvement. Maybe a repeater?. Anyone know anything about that?
It can be done, but it’s not easy. There’s some debate over which is the appropriate antenna, but ultimately I think it’s a wasted effort. The Wii U uses 5GHz bi-directional antenna for the gamepad and it channel hops very frequently to avoid interference. I’ve done some spectrum analysis on it and you can see it channel hopping pretty frequently when things work right, but when the gamepad shows “signal isn’t strong enough”, the thing hops around like it’s on fire. And since it’s pretty low power, you can’t really extend the range without causing interference.

Honestly, I wish Nintendo had gone with the 2.4Ghz range or just used Bluetooth. At the time, though, neither had the speed/latency required for 480p display and audio as well as handling inputs.

It’s as good as it’s ever gonna get, in other words.
 
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It can be done, but it’s not easy. There’s some debate over which is the appropriate antenna, but ultimately I think it’s a wasted effort. The Wii U uses 5GHz bi-directional antenna for the gamepad and it channel hops very frequently to avoid interference. I’ve done some spectrum analysis on it and you can see it channel hopping pretty frequently when things work right, but when the gamepad shows “signal isn’t strong enough”, the thing hops around like it’s on fire. And since it’s pretty low power, you can’t really extend the range without causing interference.

Honestly, I wish Nintendo had gone with the 2.4Ghz range or just used Bluetooth. At the time, though, neither had the speed/latency required for 480p display and audio as well as handling inputs.

It’s as good as it’s ever gonna get, in other words.

No chance for a modified repeater?
 

rcpd

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No chance for a modified repeater?
I don’t think commercial hardware can channel hop that quickly so I don’t think a repeater could handle the way the Wii U hops. Repeaters introduce interference which isn’t so bad on something that can do TCP/IP error correction (Wi-Fi card in your laptop) but is devastating on something like this that needs less latency.

I think a repeater would do worse than trying to extend it via antennas.

This might sound stupid, but if you have your Wii U against something like a wall or stuck in an entertainment center… wrap some tinfoil around a piece of cardboard and make sure it’s not too wrinkled. Place that cardboard/foil eyesore directly behind the Wii U. Congratulations! You just extended the range by about 3-5 feet.
 
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Responsible disclosure, I guess:

That Noctua fan caused some sort of big issue that killed my Wii U. (Warning, the following is pure speculation!): I think the fan did somehow feed power back into the system during spin down which fried parts of the motherboard (most likely power delivery)

When I tried to use my Wii U yesterday, it powered up but the fan didn't spin up, so I opened the console up to see if maybe the soldering between the connector and the fan had somehow gone bad. It did not, so I mesured the voltage on the +5v pin only to see that instead of the 5v needed only about 0.5v were provided. So at this point I just thought to myself "Old tech is gonna have some issues at some point" and did a dumb thing (totally 100% my fault!) and soldered a jumper wire from USB 5v to the fan header. Would you look at that, it's working again. Hurray. And then I powered it off to put it back together and look at that, it's dead. So dead that not even the red power LED lights up anymore. I'm going to (half-heartedly) assume that maybe it's just a case of incredibly bad luck and that there were some issues with the console that built up over time that just so happend to reach the breaking point during my fan adventures. Regardless of that I'm going to advise everyone that considers doing this mod to be very careful! As for me, I'm probably going look for a defective Wii U (with a broken Disc Drive or something) on eBay and try that fan with an additional diode added to it's +5v line again.

Edit: After some testing and measuring with a multimeter it appears the fan really does generate voltage when it spins down, the worst I was able to measure is about 0.2v.

Update on the fan mod I tried to do:
After some testing I can now confirm that the fan really does generate some voltage when it spins down. The worst I was able to measure is about 0.2v and that's probably enough to kill the electronics. Adding a diode should prevent the generated voltage from flowing back into the console, thus making the mod safe. I'll post another update on this when I've got my hands on a broken Wii U.
 
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Well, I finally got my hands on a somewhat reasonably priced broken Wii U to further test the Noctua fan situation so here's that update I promised:

Adding a diode to the +5v wire of the fan did stop current flowing back into the system after a shutdown. That much was to be expected from it, that's what diodes are for anyway.

I turned the console on and off about 20 times now just to see if anything breaks - thankfully it does not. As one is able to tell by looking at one of my previous posts the Noctua fan is smaller than the stock fan, so I created a little mounting bracket that can be 3D printed, I'll attach the STL file for it here.

It's probably not worth mentioning since it probably didn't have an impact on the last Wii U dying but I didn't connect the RPM control wire of the fan this time, only +5v and ground. With all that said I guess the fan mod can be considered safeish to perform, just add a diode to be extra sure of it. Now let's see how long it'll take me to find a used Wii U in working condition for an ok price, I'll be having a working Wii U with a Noctua fan no matter what.
 

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mikefor20

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Thanks for the update! Glad the new console worked out. I ordered the Screen protector,tpu case, extended battery,Zelda shells and a few things for now. I think I might do the unlimiting and the usbc port.. I was watching another thread about storage. Im trying to figure out exactly what i need to use to hold everything. I dont want to touch the WiiU to swap drives and I want to fit everything. Anyone know what the best setup is? I want to hold all english Wii/wiiu and all Japyan only roms as well as all roms for all compatible emulators. All homebrew. WiiU complete.
 

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I want to hold all english Wii/wiiu and all Japyan only roms as well as all roms for all compatible emulators.
As far as complete Retroarch roms collection for all emulators available, I know there's CrazyMAC's Retro Gaming Pack. Minimum requirements are 128GB or SD card storage, so I'm not sure if that would be enough for JP only roms as well (not sure how many of those there are).
I want to fit everything.
Yep, you're nuts. ^^ Well I checked and I've found out that if you'd like to collect all Nintendo games released so far you'll need:
  • NES – 237 MB
  • SNES – 1.7GB
  • N64 – 5.5GB
  • GB/GBC – 568MB
  • GBA – 8.4GB
  • NDS – 83.2GB
  • GameCube – 867GB
  • Wii – 6.56TB
Sourced from here.

As for the Wii U, you'll need around 1.22TB (source), probably a bit more if you add the physical-only releases as well.

That's... insane.
I dont want to touch the WiiU to swap drives and I want to fit everything.
Unfortunately, Wii U Menu has a 300 tiles limit, including the ones that came with the system, which means that in order for you to have all the games, you'll definitely need more than one HDD for all Wii U games (3 or so should do the trick). I'm not sure if you can go past that limit. And that means that you'll have to swap HDDs.

Personally, I've picked the games that either I'm interested in and/or have decent ratings. I don't think I've even hit 100 titles to be honest. I have 83 Wii-U-only games and it took me a while to cherry-pick them, various videos, sites, reviews, forum threads, votes etc.
 
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mikefor20

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As far as complete Retroarch roms collection for all emulators available, I know there's CrazyMAC's Retro Gaming Pack. Minimum requirements are 128GB or SD card storage, so I'm not sure if that would be enough for JP only roms as well (not sure how many of those there are).

Yep, you're nuts. ^^ Well I checked and I've found out that if you'd like to collect all Nintendo games released so far you'll need:
  • NES – 237 MB
  • SNES – 1.7GB
  • N64 – 5.5GB
  • GB/GBC – 568MB
  • GBA – 8.4GB
  • NDS – 83.2GB
  • GameCube – 867GB
  • Wii – 6.56TB
Sourced from here.

As for the Wii U, you'll need around 1.22TB (source), probably a bit more if you add the physical-only releases as well.

That's... insane.

Unfortunately, Wii U Menu has a 300 tiles limit, including the ones that came with the system, which means that in order for you to have all the games, you'll definitely need more than one HDD for all Wii U games (3 or so should do the trick). I'm not sure if you can go past that limit. And that means that you'll have to swap HDDs.

Personally, I've picked the games that either I'm interested in and/or have decent ratings. I don't think I've even hit 100 titles to be honest. I have 83 Wii-U-only games and it took me a while to cherry-pick them, various videos, sites, reviews, forum threads, votes etc.
So. I didnt mean nintendo only. I meant all english roms the wiiu is capable of emulating. SEGA.ninty. NEC. ATARI AMIGA, C64 Colecovision.etc etc

As for storage.. 300 n title limit doesn't matter. I can boot into vWii for most things. I just want the storage there. For context,i recently n tried to mod my old Ps2 and finding IDE drives is not easy. I got a SATA adapter but im trying.to avoid future hassle by getting the proper size.

What do i need?
 
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So. I didnt mean nintendo only. I meant all english roms the wiiu is capable of emulating. SEGA.ninty. NEC. ATARI AMIGA, C64 Colecovision.etc etc
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten that much into retro games emulating so I can't really be much of a help there. I believe that whatever CrazyMAC collected in their release should work on Wii U (haven't tested, I've only heard about the collection and seen video tutorials of it).
What do i need?
Speaking from my own limited experience so far, you can only add Wii U, Wii, GameCube and VC injected games to the external drives. I'm not sure if you can add games from different emulators to anything other than SD card. I know that e.g. Genesis Plus GX can load games from USB drive (as I've played them on my Wii Mini). I do hope that some of these emulators have an option to change the storage path to USB one.

I've stumbled upon this video tutorial the other day on how to use larger than 2TB HDDs on Wii (U):



Not sure if I've mentioned already, but I personally use 2 external HDDs, one for Wii U and the other one for Wii / GameCube games. On my SD card I have all my homebrew apps, Retroarch roms and WiiWare games. Both of the drives are ADATA SU650 960GB SSDs, both inside Logilink 2.5in USB 3.0 HDD enclosures, connected to the console via USB 3.0 Y cable with the two of the fat connectors plugged into the two back ports and two slim connectors plugged into a power adapter which is plugged into an outlet for additional power. Some SSDs can run properly with one simple USB to SATA cable or enclosure + whatever USB cable they use, while some other drives require Y cables in order to work properly (I've tested Samsung EVO 850 and old Kingston SSDNow SSDs which worked perfectly without issues with a simple USB cable; ADATA SU650 SSDs worked until I've made my first save, then the whole drive went corrupted and needed to be reformatted).

In your case, I'd probably go with what a bigger WD drive, like the one used in the video above, preferably with the self-powered enclosures. However, do note that sometimes USB Loader GX can have a problem initializing vWii HDD if you're using an HDD enclosure.
I'd avoid using USB flash drives for game storage.
So. I didnt mean nintendo only. I meant all english roms the wiiu is capable of emulating. SEGA.ninty. NEC. ATARI AMIGA, C64 Colecovision.etc etc
If Retroarch roms can be stored on an external HDD (i.e. USB drive), it may be possible to use vWii HDD for all your Wii, GameCube and emulator games. Otherwise, you'll need a large SD card, de (I'd personally go with some high endurance ones, SanDisk Extreme or Samsung Pro Plus).
 

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That above 2TB tutorial is strictly for vWii. Also, since making the tutorial, WD has been updating the firmware on external hard drives which says "the version of firmware on your drive does not support changing the block size of your WD external drive". That error occurs when trying to use the WD Quick Format software. I can confirm that WD drives with P/N of 4TB WD WDBPKJ0040BBK-0B 4TB WD WDBYFT0040BBK-0A work still. Another option to use larger than 2TB drives in vWii is to partition the drive into 2 parts. half for Gamecube and half for Wii. The Gamecube part partitioned to FAT32 and the Wii part to NTFS. Using the software program easeUS makes this possible but it is a paid program. Make sure multiple partitions is selected in USB Loader GX and that the Gamecube custom path is changed to the correct directory. I will have a tutorial for this soon.
 
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That above 2TB tutorial is strictly for vWii. Also, since making the tutorial, WD has been updating the firmware on external hard drives which says "the version of firmware on your drive does not support changing the block size of your WD external drive". That error occurs when trying to use the WD Quick Format software. I can confirm that WD drives with P/N of 4TB WD WDBPKJ0040BBK-0B 4TB WD WDBYFT0040BBK-0A work still. Another option to use larger than 2TB drives in vWii is to partition the drive into 2 parts. half for Gamecube and half for Wii. The Gamecube part partitioned to FAT32 and the Wii part to NTFS. Using the software program easeUS makes this possible but it is a paid program. Make sure multiple partitions is selected in USB Loader GX and that the Gamecube custom path is changed to the correct directory. I will have a tutorial for this soon.
Ty. I actually followed that months ago. My WD p10 5Tb drive worked. I am still trying to figure out what i need to have WiiU complete.. im still waiting on parts. What storage setup is ideal? Ive seen

2 HDD with power supplies (need sizes and model information)
2 SSD
Dual HDD enclosure (interesting)
All sorts of flash drive and SD as well as warning about using flash memory.

I dont know how much space. Ill go with
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten that much into retro games emulating so I can't really be much of a help there. I believe that whatever CrazyMAC collected in their release should work on Wii U (haven't tested, I've only heard about the collection and seen video tutorials of it).

Speaking from my own limited experience so far, you can only add Wii U, Wii, GameCube and VC injected games to the external drives. I'm not sure if you can add games from different emulators to anything other than SD card. I know that e.g. Genesis Plus GX can load games from USB drive (as I've played them on my Wii Mini). I do hope that some of these emulators have an option to change the storage path to USB one.

I've stumbled upon this video tutorial the other day on how to use larger than 2TB HDDs on Wii (U):



Not sure if I've mentioned already, but I personally use 2 external HDDs, one for Wii U and the other one for Wii / GameCube games. On my SD card I have all my homebrew apps, Retroarch roms and WiiWare games. Both of the drives are ADATA SU650 960GB SSDs, both inside Logilink 2.5in USB 3.0 HDD enclosures, connected to the console via USB 3.0 Y cable with the two of the fat connectors plugged into the two back ports and two slim connectors plugged into a power adapter which is plugged into an outlet for additional power. Some SSDs can run properly with one simple USB to SATA cable or enclosure + whatever USB cable they use, while some other drives require Y cables in order to work properly (I've tested Samsung EVO 850 and old Kingston SSDNow SSDs which worked perfectly without issues with a simple USB cable; ADATA SU650 SSDs worked until I've made my first save, then the whole drive went corrupted and needed to be reformatted).

In your case, I'd probably go with what a bigger WD drive, like the one used in the video above, preferably with the self-powered enclosures. However, do note that sometimes USB Loader GX can have a problem initializing vWii HDD if you're using an HDD enclosure.
I'd avoid using USB flash drives for game storage.

If Retroarch roms can be stored on an external HDD (i.e. USB drive), it may be possible to use vWii HDD for all your Wii, GameCube and emulator games. Otherwise, you'll need a large SD card, de (I'd personally go with some high endurance ones, SanDisk Extreme or Samsung Pro Plus).

Great information. CrazyMac packs will work. I have some nointro stuff from BITD.. i have to look at what drives to get. My 5tb drive works in vwii. I own a 8tb mybook but its a archive. Maybe ill get newer one and use the old one for vwii.. what should I buy to contain everything...
 
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Pence_PC

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Ty. I actually followed that months ago. My WD p10 5Tb drive worked. I am still trying to figure out what i need to have WiiU complete.. im still waiting on parts. What storage setup is ideal? Ive seen

2 HDD with power supplies (need sizes and model information)
2 SSD
Dual HDD enclosure (interesting)
All sorts of flash drive and SD as well as warning about using flash memory.
That is why I stumbled across this thread because I was trying to find the best setup just like you for a tutorial for people lol.
Just so happened to see you post one of my videos. I did figure out finally how to keep both drives connected to the back and working without having to swap fortunately using a USB hub.
 
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mikefor20

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That is why I stumbled across this thread because I was trying to find the best setup just like you for a tutorial for people lol.
Just so happened to see you post one of my videos. I did figure out finally how to keep both drives connected to the back and working without having to swap fortunately using a USB hub.
Could you link to the hardware you used?
 

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Could you link to the hardware you used?
I REALLY wish I could link you to a different one, as this one is way overkill, but it is the ONLY one that worked. I have pulled my damn hair out spending countless hours testing this. Here is the 10 port USB hub that worked.

I tried this 4 port model of the same brand and it DOESN'T WORK!

Using any other HUB, USB Loader will just freeze at "reinitializing USB Device."

On the 10 port model, this is exactly what worked. I have taken it apart shut down etc, and it boots everytime with both drives connected and both drives working.
**EDIT**
Guess it won't let me link to items until I have 5 posts.
I made a community post on my YT with the link.
 

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@Pence_PC Kudos to figuring out the very complicated way. There's a way simpler way to achieve dual HDD setup and here's how:

First, you'll need to set USB Loader GX accordingly: both Loader IOS and Game IOS should be set to 249. (WiiFlow users should have something similar in their settings as well.)

Second, you'll need two external storage devices, one for Wii/GC games (referred to as vWii HDD, FAT32 formatted) and the other one for Wii U games (referred to as Wii U HDD, formatted by Wii U's proprietary format). vWii HDD's partition will need to be hidden with U-Stealth or similar application in order to hide the Wii U's format nag.

I personally use 2x ADATA SU650 960GB SSDs within USB 3.0 Logilink HDD enclosures connected to Wii U with USB 3.0 Y cable.

vWii HDD's data cable goes into the top back USB port, Wii U HDD's data cable goes into the bottom back USB port.
(Otherwise it won't work, I guess? Haven't tested thoroughly, but I think it could work provided you set up the USB Loader GX / WiiFlow properly afterwards to load the games from another USB port.)

For the Y cables' power cables, I bought 2x USB 2.0 cable extensions and I'm using external USB power adapter (3A/5V), plugged into a wall outlet.

Note: If you'd like use your Wii U's other two USB ports for additional power instead of using an external charger, it's important that vWii's data cable go into the top back USB port, Wii U data cable can go wherever you want it to go (I tried plugging Wii U cables in the front USB ports and everything works properly). If you go this way, you won't need an external power outlet, but you'll use up all of Wii U's USB ports (which you could use for other Wii U accessories like GC adapter.

Additional notes:
- I ordered some USB3.0 to SATA adapters, thinking that I might be able to just connect my SSDs to the Wii U and be done with it, no Y cables needed. While it did work for my older SSDs (Samsung EVO 850 240GB and Kingston SSDNow 64GB), it didn't work for the new ADATA ones. I run into all sorts of issues, but it might be related to the cables which are probably faulty. You could try with some reputable brands, if there are any. In the end, I gave up and ordered those Y cables and used the SSDs within enclosures that I know that will 100% work with dual HDD setup.
- Some enclosures won't work at all? Apparently vWii HDD can sometimes have initialization issues (source here), but I can confirm that USB 3.0 2.5in HDD enclosures by Logilink worked for me, both for vWii and Wii U HDDs.
- USB 3.0 cables and enclosures are probably overkill, plus USB 3.0 cables can interfere with Wii U's wireless connection. I run into that issue while I was trying to connected my Wii U to the router that was sitting right next to it. My Wii U HDD at the time was plugged into the back ports, alone, without vWii HDD when I tried to connect to the Internet. Temporarily I reconnected my Wii U HDD to the front ports instead of the back ones so that I could finish downloading stuff via NUSSpli. (After seeing how bad download speeds were, I bought an official Wii LAN adapter which doubled the speed which was a bit more tolerable, definitely recommended.)
- SSDs are probably overkill as well, you're probably better off with whatever you can find at an affordable price.
- In case you run into issues, always check if it's the settings first, cables second, enclosures third, HDDs fourth.

You can find more info about dual HDD setup here.
It's also possible to get 2HDDs in one two bay enclosure to work, it just needs to have 2LUN mode. More info here.
There's even 3 HDD setup, explained here.
 

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@Pence_PC Kudos to figuring out the very complicated way. There's a way simpler way to achieve dual HDD setup and here's how:

First, you'll need to set USB Loader GX accordingly: both Loader IOS and Game IOS should be set to 249. (WiiFlow users should have something similar in their settings as well.)

Second, you'll need two external storage devices, one for Wii/GC games (referred to as vWii HDD, FAT32 formatted) and the other one for Wii U games (referred to as Wii U HDD, formatted by Wii U's proprietary format). vWii HDD's partition will need to be hidden with U-Stealth or similar application in order to hide the Wii U's format nag.

I personally use 2x ADATA SU650 960GB SSDs within USB 3.0 Logilink HDD enclosures connected to Wii U with USB 3.0 Y cable.

vWii HDD's data cable goes into the top back USB port, Wii U HDD's data cable goes into the bottom back USB port.
(Otherwise it won't work, I guess? Haven't tested thoroughly, but I think it could work provided you set up the USB Loader GX / WiiFlow properly afterwards to load the games from another USB port.)

For the Y cables' power cables, I bought 2x USB 2.0 cable extensions and I'm using external USB power adapter (3A/5V), plugged into a wall outlet.

Note: If you'd like use your Wii U's other two USB ports for additional power instead of using an external charger, it's important that vWii's data cable go into the top back USB port, Wii U data cable can go wherever you want it to go (I tried plugging Wii U cables in the front USB ports and everything works properly). If you go this way, you won't need an external power outlet, but you'll use up all of Wii U's USB ports (which you could use for other Wii U accessories like GC adapter.

Additional notes:
- I ordered some USB3.0 to SATA adapters, thinking that I might be able to just connect my SSDs to the Wii U and be done with it, no Y cables needed. While it did work for my older SSDs (Samsung EVO 850 240GB and Kingston SSDNow 64GB), it didn't work for the new ADATA ones. I run into all sorts of issues, but it might be related to the cables which are probably faulty. You could try with some reputable brands, if there are any. In the end, I gave up and ordered those Y cables and used the SSDs within enclosures that I know that will 100% work with dual HDD setup.
- Some enclosures won't work at all? Apparently vWii HDD can sometimes have initialization issues (source here), but I can confirm that USB 3.0 2.5in HDD enclosures by Logilink worked for me, both for vWii and Wii U HDDs.
- USB 3.0 cables and enclosures are probably overkill, plus USB 3.0 cables can interfere with Wii U's wireless connection. I run into that issue while I was trying to connected my Wii U to the router that was sitting right next to it. My Wii U HDD at the time was plugged into the back ports, alone, without vWii HDD when I tried to connect to the Internet. Temporarily I reconnected my Wii U HDD to the front ports instead of the back ones so that I could finish downloading stuff via NUSSpli. (After seeing how bad download speeds were, I bought an official Wii LAN adapter which doubled the speed which was a bit more tolerable, definitely recommended.)
- SSDs are probably overkill as well, you're probably better off with whatever you can find at an affordable price.
- In case you run into issues, always check if it's the settings first, cables second, enclosures third, HDDs fourth.

You can find more info about dual HDD setup here.
It's also possible to get 2HDDs in one two bay enclosure to work, it just needs to have 2LUN mode. More info here.
There's even 3 HDD setup, explained here.

Thank you! I n honestly saw all of this allready. What i am trying to figure out is EXACTLY what to buy. If you look back i mentioned the dual bay enclosures,SSDs and what not. I want the ability to have everything no swapping. Enough space for every compatible game. Not just all the Wiii,Wiiu and GC games but all the Emulators as well. All of it. Then i need to know EXACTLY what to buy. I can't afford trial and error.

I do appreciate the comment. I just need to know how big to buy,what devices do people use so i can get the same. I want to fit it all so i dont have to upgrade again down the line.

I got some of the parts. I put things on hold because i bought an OLED ToTK edition Switch. I still need to figure out what storage to buy to fit everything.

I already have a 5TB WD p10. It's formatted correctly and the Wii can see it. I think that will fit all the retro stuff and Wii,WiiU and GC stuff.. I'm not sure though. If thats big enough, then what else do I need for WiiU stuff Nd everythingelse? What HDD/SSD snd what SD cards? Specific model and size and all other enclosure/power setup informatio
please. I dont want to guess. I do not want vague things like a high endurance card. I want a specific device i can buy. Like "a Samsung evo 2tb usb3 model number SSD in a so and so enclosure with this power setup is big enough and works for me." That's what i want. SPECIFIC INFORMATION.I know from experience the Wii was temperamental and some models of SD and HDD just didn't work even with correct size, USB 2 or 3, allocation table size and everything else.. What works for sure? I don't want guess work. What do people actually use? As far as HDD vs SSD vs external vs enclosure and Y cable vs dual enclosure and what not goes,that's what this thread is for. What do I buy? Does anyone have a setup that is large enough to contain everything with no swapping? What is the specific hardware?.

What do you use that works? What exactly do I buy? That's what I need to know. Thanks ahead of time!
Cheers
 
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SDIO

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I had no problems with USB to sata adapters together with cheap dram less ssds (but only 128 and 256gb). At most they take 200mA, so no problem running them off a single USB port.

I only use the USB loader for MKW because of online play and that I just load from the SD. As SD cards are really cheap today, I don't see why one would bother with a second USB drive if it can also be on the SD

Also instead of an extra drive and USB loader, I just use VC injects for Wii and GC games.

I already have a 5TB WD p10. It's formatted correctly and the Wii can see it. I think that will fit all the retro stuff and Wii,WiiU and GC stuff.. I'm not sure though. If thats big enough
Also there is limit of 30 Apps on the Wii U Menu, so having everything on one device isn't possible. But maybe there will be a patch for the system menu at some point?
 
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mikefor20

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I had no problems with USB to sata adapters together with cheap dram less ssds (but only 128 and 256gb). At most they take 200mA, so no problem running them off a single USB port.

I only use the USB loader for MKW because of online play and that I just load from the SD. As SD cards are really cheap today, I don't see why one would bother with a second USB drive if it can also be on the SD

Also instead of an extra drive and USB loader, I just use VC injects for Wii and GC games.


Also there is limit of 30 Apps on the Wii U Menu, so having everything on one device isn't possible. But maybe there will be a patch for the system menu at some point?

Actually, unless I'm mistaken,vc injects method won't work because of the 300 title limit. It means ill have tocherry pick titles. I want FULL romsets. I am not interested in this method. If i understand correctly, i just put all wii compatible stuff on HDD (wii, gc and most retroarc stuff) Sd (for triforce, VC and wiiware) and WiiU on its own drive. I don't need everything on the WiiU menu. I'll go in to vWii for Wii stuff.

Is this reasonable and correct?

I dont want to cherry pick anything. Full romset. Thats it. No fuss. No guessing.

What do i need? 2TB Fits the WiiU rom set. I think.

I have a wd 5tb that works on Wii. What do i need to fit rhe rest? What brands and model Sd,hd,ssd do i need? Does anyone have everything working? Starting to think not.
 

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Does anyone have everything working? Starting to think not.
Depend what you mean by everything, I guess. As long as the SD card is formatted FAT32, it supports up to 2Tb. Pick one that’s reputable and run with it. I’m using a 128Gb loaded with cherry picked ROMS from NES up to PS1/N64 and all my Wii/Wii U homebrew.

I’m using two hard drives. vWii can use any size drive that can be formatted FAT32 with an MBR partition map. Not many drives over 2Tb can do this, but there are a few known drives out there. My vWii drive is 1Tb and has most of the GameCube library and a lot of the Wii library. Both show in USBLoaderGX which can be accessed by launching the vWii app from the Wii U home screen. The drives MBR is scrambled (same thing uStealth does) so that it is still able to be read in vWii but not in Wii U, thereby eliminating the format nag. Emulators in vWii see the SD card fine.

My Wii U drive is 2Tb and loaded down with Wii U games and some VC injects so that you can very quickly launch games I enjoy more frequently. This includes VC NES up to VC N64 as well as some home made ones for non-official VC titles. And some for GameCube.

Both drives are hooked up at the same time. Both are connected to powered hubs and are the only thing connected to each.

Everything (Including vWii, GameCube, and some emulators) can play on the gamepad or use Wiimotes or use the GameCube adapter.

It all works. The only difference is that I cherry picked the titles instead of having everything.
 
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mikefor20

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Depend what you mean by everything, I guess. As long as the SD card is formatted FAT32, it supports up to 2Tb. Pick one that’s reputable and run with it. I’m using a 128Gb loaded with cherry picked ROMS from NES up to PS1/N64 and all my Wii/Wii U homebrew.

I’m using two hard drives. vWii can use any size drive that can be formatted FAT32 with an MBR partition map. Not many drives over 2Tb can do this, but there are a few known drives out there. My vWii drive is 1Tb and has most of the GameCube library and a lot of the Wii library. Both show in USBLoaderGX which can be accessed by launching the vWii app from the Wii U home screen. The drives MBR is scrambled (same thing uStealth does) so that it is still able to be read in vWii but not in Wii U, thereby eliminating the format nag. Emulators in vWii see the SD card fine.

My Wii U drive is 2Tb and loaded down with Wii U games and some VC injects so that you can very quickly launch games I enjoy more frequently. This includes VC NES up to VC N64 as well as some home made ones for non-official VC titles. And some for GameCube.

Both drives are hooked up at the same time. Both are connected to powered hubs and are the only thing connected to each.

Everything (Including vWii, GameCube, and some emulators) can play on the gamepad or use Wiimotes or use the GameCube adapter.

It all works. The only difference is that I cherry picked the titles instead of having everything.

Thank you. My 5TB will work. What powered hibs do you use? I have a saberent one i use for the switch
 
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