Homebrew app [RELEASE] RiftWii: play Riivolution-format mods from USB, SD or disc

Ishtar · Sep 26, 2026

Play Riivolution-format mods from USB, SD or disc

Hey GBAtemp! RiftWii is a mod loader I've been building as a hobby project. As a kid I always wanted to load mods straight from a USB drive, so I finally made it. It reads the same XML mod packs Riivolution does and loads them into your games as they start, from the disc, a USB drive or the SD card. Your game files are never touched.

Features

Riivolution-format packs from SD or USB, including Pulsar and CT-CODE packs (CTGP and other MKW distributions)
Games from the disc, USB (FAT32/NTFS/WBFS) or SD, as WBFS, ISO or Dolphin's RVZ, plus burned discs and USB DVD drives
Project+, REX and other Gecko-code Brawl builds, with a virtual SD card
Just Dance 2014 to 2020 mods on real hardware
Modded saves kept on the SD card, away from your Wii saves
Per-game cheats (downloaded for you), 480p, PAL 60, deflicker, border and picture width fixes, and USB Loader GX's per-game fixes
Online play through Wiimmfi, WiiLink WFC or AltWFC
A Wii-style menu with covers, favourites, music, a HOME Menu, screenshots and 5 languages
Problem reports by link or QR code, no SD card shuffling
Wii Remote, Classic Controller, GameCube controller and the Wii U GC adapter
A Wii Menu channel (Wii and vWii) and built-in updates
Other loaders can start games through RiftWii with your mods

You need: a Wii or Wii U (vWii) with the Homebrew Channel and an SD card. USB and SD games need a d2x cIOS.

Download: 2.7.0 (stable) or Latest Beta (test builds)
Discord: https://discord.gg/gGsTdjjQaK for help, test builds and feedback

Thanks to everyone who tested it on real hardware. Bug reports are very welcome!

A note on AI: I used AI as an assistant for documentation I didn't know and for things that were easier to automate. Everything else was research and development, done as a learning hobby project.

Dragon91Nippon · Sep 26, 2026

This is neat but what benefit does it have over Friivolution? Nothing wrong with having more options just wondering if there's a specific reason to use this over Friivolution.

Ishtar · Sep 26, 2026

Dragon91Nippon said:
This is neat but what benefit does it have over Friivolution? Nothing wrong with having more options just wondering if there's a specific reason to use this over Friivolution.

Friivolution is basically Riivolution with USB support added. RiftWii is its own loader written from scratch, so mods work from USB, SD or disc (WBFS, ISO or RVZ), and it's built for compatibility, with big mods like CTGP and Pulsar packs working without a custom ISO. On top of that you get covers, cheats, video fixes, SD saves and online servers. If you just want Riivolution on USB, Friivolution's great, but RiftWii is meant to be the one app for your whole library.

Dragon91Nippon · Sunday at 8:35 AM

Ishtar said:
Friivolution is basically Riivolution with USB support added. RiftWii is its own loader written from scratch, so mods work from USB, SD or disc (WBFS, ISO or RVZ), and it's built for compatibility, with big mods like CTGP and Pulsar packs working without a custom ISO. On top of that you get covers, cheats, video fixes, SD saves and online servers. If you just want Riivolution on USB, Friivolution's great, but RiftWii is meant to be the one app for your whole library.

Ah so it's a new project with slightly more features. That's cool.
How does this compare to Friivolution's boot parameters? Since Friivolution can be launched by loaders the same as Nintendont. Do you plan to integrate something like that or is this meant to be its own loader?

Ishtar · Sunday at 5:05 PM

Dragon91Nippon said:
Ah so it's a new project with slightly more features. That's cool.
How does this compare to Friivolution's boot parameters? Since Friivolution can be launched by loaders the same as Nintendont. Do you plan to integrate something like that or is this meant to be its own loader?

Yes that is planned. Currently I am focusing on my own frontend options to ensure everything works properly so I can allow booting from another frontend

cmyksoda · Sunday at 8:10 PM

2026 is the year of the Wii modding renaissance it seems, very nice work <3

quatric · Monday at 4:58 AM

Good job, but I heard through the grapevine that USB Loader GX will be getting official support for Riivolution mods

Dragon91Nippon · Monday at 6:41 AM

quatric said:
Good job, but I heard through the grapevine that USB Loader GX will be getting official support for Riivolution mods

It will, using the boot arguments that Friivolution has. If the creator of this one adds those as well before the next USB loader GX update we might be able to use this loader as well.

XFlak · Monday at 7:53 AM

I don’t like having to be the one to say this, but I think someone has to, and I’m surprised no one else has by now. But I guess most folks just had a cursory look and didn’t dive into its inner-workings.

Ishtar said:
RiftWii is its own loader written from scratch

Looking at the code, it’s clear this project is 100% vibe coded (Claude and Codex) and looks to have been fed the USB Loader GX source code and told to use\rewrite huge chunks of it… with "USB Loader GX" mentioned by name in parts of the project some 20 something times and even commits that reference it… all while giving zero credit to the USB Loader GX project\dev or respecting the project’s GPLv3 license. It even copies most of the dependencies from USB Loader GX, like it's using pugixml instead of the XML library that devkitPro offers (which is what basically every other project uses).

Giving the AI instructions along the way doesn't make something not vibe coded, even the UI is all done in code, with no image files. And while technically this is okay I guess, it doesn’t mean you can avoid giving credit and following required licenses. If you seem to think that by simply rewriting the code it'll avoid the license, it doesn't work that way, lol

There’s more I probably could say, but I’ll bite my tongue and simply make 1 final note...

In my opinion, at the absolute minimum this project should be adjusted so that it fully adheres to GPLv3 and gives credit where credit is due.

I've said my piece, and will leave it at that, I don't want to get into a debate and this will be my first and last post like this.

Best of luck, and wishing everyone a wonderful day!

cmyksoda · Monday at 2:27 PM

XFlak said:
...looks to have been fed the USB Loader GX source code and told to use\rewrite huge chunks of it… with "USB Loader GX" mentioned by name in parts of the project some 20 something times and even commits that reference it… all while giving zero credit to the USB Loader GX project\dev or respecting the project’s GPLv3 license.

I use AI in literally everything I make, and I completely agree. Honoring the GPL means providing full credit to where you sourced the original code from.

Also, OP, audit at least the comments in your code, bc "USB Loader GX" showing up over and over again is just sloppy. I still think this is a really cool project but giving proper credit is very important to me.

Ishtar · Monday at 2:59 PM

XFlak said:
I don’t like having to be the one to say this, but I think someone has to, and I’m surprised no one else has by now. But I guess most folks just had a cursory look and didn’t dive into its inner-workings.

Looking at the code, it’s clear this project is 100% vibe coded (Claude and Codex) and looks to have been fed the USB Loader GX source code and told to use\rewrite huge chunks of it… with "USB Loader GX" mentioned by name in parts of the project some 20 something times and even commits that reference it… all while giving zero credit to the USB Loader GX project\dev or respecting the project’s GPLv3 license. It even copies most of the dependencies from USB Loader GX, like it's using pugixml instead of the XML library that devkitPro offers (which is what basically every other project uses).

Giving the AI instructions along the way doesn't make something not vibe coded, even the UI is all done in code, with no image files. And while technically this is okay I guess, it doesn’t mean you can avoid giving credit and following required licenses. If you seem to think that by simply rewriting the code it'll avoid the license, it doesn't work that way, lol

There’s more I probably could say, but I’ll bite my tongue and simply make 1 final note...

In my opinion, at the absolute minimum this project should be adjusted so that it fully adheres to GPLv3 and gives credit where credit is due.

I've said my piece, and will leave it at that, I don't want to get into a debate and this will be my first and last post like this.

Best of luck, and wishing everyone a wonderful day!

Thanks so much for taking the time to look through the code! It's always nice when someone cares this much.

Just so you know, USB Loader GX has been credited in NOTICE.md since the day that code went in, function by function, down to the commit it came from. It's linked from the README. Easy to miss, I get it.

Still, you did find one thing: the release zip didn't include the licence text. So, in the spirit of giving credit where credit is due:

- Every release zip now includes LICENSE.txt, NOTICE.md and SOURCE.txt (the exact commit it was built from).
- RiftWii now shows the entire GPLv3 in the app, all ~840 lines, under Settings > Credits and licence. Happy scrolling!
- The Gecko code handler now ships with its assembly source, which rebuilds it byte for byte. USB Loader GX ships the same handler without that source, so if you're passing on GPL feedback, they might appreciate a heads-up too.
- The README has a Credits section with USB Loader GX at the very top.

About pugixml: it's MIT-licensed, written by Arseny Kapoulkine, and vendored from his own repo (github.com/zeux/pugixml). USB Loader GX had nothing to do with it. Using a different XML library than "basically every other project" isn't a licence issue, but I appreciate the input.

Hope this adheres fully enough! If you spot anything else, a GitHub issue works great. It's a bit easier to track than a comment.

Post automatically merged: Monday at 4:16 PM

Okay so: SPDX copyright headers in every file that follows someone else's code, full licence and source pointers in every release, and the Gecko handler now ships with its source. Since we're on the topic, ModMii ships a lot of GPL binaries (cIOS modules, wget, WiiPy, nand loaders) without their source alongside, and the repo has no top-level license. Might be worth a look.

cmyksoda · Monday at 4:42 PM

Ishtar said:
Thanks so much for taking the time to look through the code! It's always nice when someone cares this much.

Just so you know, USB Loader GX has been credited in NOTICE.md since the day that code went in, function by function, down to the commit it came from. It's linked from the README. Easy to miss, I get it.

Still, you did find one thing: the release zip didn't include the licence text. So, in the spirit of giving credit where credit is due:

- Every release zip now includes LICENSE.txt, NOTICE.md and SOURCE.txt (the exact commit it was built from).
- RiftWii now shows the entire GPLv3 in the app, all ~840 lines, under Settings > Credits and licence. Happy scrolling!
- The Gecko code handler now ships with its assembly source, which rebuilds it byte for byte. USB Loader GX ships the same handler without that source, so if you're passing on GPL feedback, they might appreciate a heads-up too.
- The README has a Credits section with USB Loader GX at the very top.

About pugixml: it's MIT-licensed, written by Arseny Kapoulkine, and vendored from his own repo (github.com/zeux/pugixml). USB Loader GX had nothing to do with it. Using a different XML library than "basically every other project" isn't a licence issue, but I appreciate the input.

Hope this adheres fully enough! If you spot anything else, a GitHub issue works great. It's a bit easier to track than a comment.

Post automatically merged: Monday at 4:16 PM

Okay so: SPDX copyright headers in every file that follows someone else's code, full licence and source pointers in every release, and the Gecko handler now ships with its source. Since we're on the topic, ModMii ships a lot of GPL binaries (cIOS modules, wget, WiiPy, nand loaders) without their source alongside, and the repo has no top-level license. Might be worth a look.

I replied taking XFlak's "giving zero credit" at face value. Good on you for having already credited USB Loader GX in NOTICE.md. Perhaps I was a bit harsh and I apologize. For what its worth though, I think having the credits section in the project's README is good practice so that its very clearly visible whenever someone opens up the GitHub page (for future reference, I did read you have already done that here along with your other edits). Nice work, OP.

Ishtar said:
- RiftWii now shows the entire GPLv3 in the app, all ~840 lines, under Settings > Credits and licence. Happy scrolling!

lol

XFlak · Monday at 4:53 PM

Ishtar said:
Since we're on the topic, ModMii ships a lot of GPL binaries (cIOS modules, wget, WiiPy, nand loaders) without their source alongside, and the repo has no top-level license. Might be worth a look.

I had a run-in with the "GPL police"

back in 2011 when I didn't have the slightest clue about this stuff, and took a lot of actions to make sure I'm compliant. Each release includes a licenses folder with all the various licenses, the website has links to all the sources, etc. Modmii started out on Google code then sourceforge and now github, I don't remember if top level licenses were a thing back in those old environments, but definitely something for me to think about, thx!

And I did see notice.md btw before making my post, but it wasn't enough. I haven't had a chance to look through the changes to your repo since I posted, but I'm already quite happy so far with your attitude and quick action and reply. This is going much more smoothly than 2011 when it happened to me, lol (oh and I only remember the date cuz it was a big distraction days before my wedding, lol)

Edit: man, looking back on it now I really had no idea

https://gbatemp.net/threads/best-wa...s-official-support-thread.207126/post-3761493

It continues for awhile but I think that's where it basically started, ahhh memories

Live and learn, we all gotta start somewhere

Ishtar · Monday at 5:07 PM

XFlak said:
I had a run-in with the "GPL police" back in 2011 when I didn't have the slightest clue about this stuff, and took a lot of actions to make sure I'm compliant. Each release includes a licenses folder with all the various licenses, the website has links to all the sources, etc. Modmii started out on Google code then sourceforge and now github, I don't remember if top level licenses were a thing back in those old environments, but definitely something for me to think about, thx!

And I did see notice.md btw before making my post, but it wasn't enough. I haven't had a chance to look through the changes to your repo since I posted, but I'm already quite happy so far with your attitude and quick action and reply. This is going much more smoothly than 2011 when it happened to me, lol (oh and I only remember the date cuz it was a big distraction days before my wedding, lol)

Alright I like you a little more now lol

quatric · Monday at 6:48 PM

@Ishtar bonus points for integrating the app with GameTDB

ExData7 · Wednesday at 9:29 PM

Does this have a built in updater, similar to USBloader GX?

Ishtar · Thursday at 8:48 PM

ExData7 said:
Does this have a built in updater, similar to USBloader GX?

Yes it does and it lets you pick between beta and stable.

Ishtar · 2026-10-03T22:39:54+0100

RiftWii 2.7.0 is out (stable)

It's been a week of betas and release candidates since 2.1.0, and testers checked all of it on real Wiis, so 2.7.0 is the new stable. If you're on 2.1.0 with updates set to Stable, RiftWii offers it by itself.

What's new since 2.1.0

Code builds: Brawl mods made of Gecko codes (Project+, REX, PMEX Remix) start from RiftWii, with a virtual SD card image so they don't need your real card's layout (experimental)
More drives: WBFS-formatted USB drives, drives with several partitions, drives over 1 TB, your own game folders, and .iso games in the wbfs folder like USB Loader GX keeps them
Mod packs on the USB drive, burned discs and USB DVD drives (experimental)
Just Dance 2014 to 2020 mods on a real Wii
A HOME Menu (Homebrew Channel, Wii Menu, Priiloader, power off) with your Wii Remotes' batteries
Screenshots in the menu, and in games (experimental, off by default)
Problem reports: Settings > Send a problem report gives you a link and a QR code, so you don't need to take your SD card out to send logs. RiftWii also offers one after a crash
Menu music, a first-start tutorial, the power button, Wii Message Board play times, and a faster start
USB Loader GX's per-game fixes and its automatic cIOS choice

Fixed: Mario Kart Wii's green screen, Wii Sports, Retro Rewind (faster too), Brawl stages from USB, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Rhythm Heaven Fever, Metroid: Other M Redux and a bunch of big packs.

Heads up: Remove black borders now only takes off the bars at the sides. The old full version is still there as "Remove all (experimental)", but it breaks some games (Kirby, Resident Evil 4). CTGP Revolution is still best started from the Homebrew Channel.

Download: RiftWii 2.7.0 (copy the zip's sd-card folder to your SD card)
Full changelog and guide: release page, guide

If something breaks, send me a problem report link here or on the Discord. Next up for the betas: custom menu themes.

Homebrew app [RELEASE] RiftWii: play Riivolution-format mods from USB, SD or disc

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