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Emulation Homebrew PCSX2-Wii Alpha

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Gekko2 for Wii: The PS2 BIOS Menu Is Alive — Alpha Coming Soon!

Hi GBAtemp!
Handheld Game Consoles

For the past eight months, I’ve been working on an experimental project exploring PlayStation 2 emulation on the Nintendo Wii. Some of you may know it as PCSX2-Wii. It now has a new name: Gekko2.
Emulator software

My original goal was simple: get the real PS2 BIOS running. Before worrying about games or playable performance, I wanted to see the Sony startup screen and eventually reach the familiar OSDSYS menu — Browser and System Configuration.
Video Games

After months of reading code, debugging, testing, and working through countless problems, the BIOS menu finally renders in the native development build. Entering the Browser and returning to the menu has also been tested. On my actual Wii, I’ve reached the Sony Computer Entertainment startup screen — another huge milestone for this project.



OSDSYS screenshot from the native development build, not a Wii hardware capture.

Seeing that blue animation and those familiar menu options after so much work was an incredible moment for me.

Why the name change?

The project has grown into its own Wii-focused experiment, with a custom PowerPC recompiler, a Wii-specific frontend, and an experimental GX renderer. Gekko2 gives it an identity of its own: a gecko mascot, a nod to Nintendo’s PowerPC heritage, and a “2” for the PlayStation 2.
Nintendo

The new name doesn’t erase its influences. Credit and thanks go to the PCSX2 team and contributors for their emulator, documentation, and years of PS2 research, which have been important references throughout development. Gekko2 is an independent homebrew project, not an official PCSX2 release. Thanks also to the ps2sdk, devkitPro, and libogc contributors for their tools and documentation.
Emulator software
Gekko2: https://github.com/Mafiacoding/Gekko2
PCSX2: https://pcsx2.net/
PCSX2 source: https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2

Join the Gekko2 Team if you want to help or donate me an energy drink just contact me.


This has been a long learning process, with plenty of dead ends along the way. I’ve used Claude AI and, later, GPT-6.1 to help investigate code, debug problems, and rethink approaches, alongside my own reading, testing, and hardware feedback.

What’s next?

The priority is making BIOS boot and navigation reliable, then improving performance. Work is progressing on the custom PowerPC JIT and experimental GX rendering, but both are still incomplete. There are no confirmed playable games or promised FPS targets yet.
Video Games

Tekken Tag Tournament has reached the Namco logo during boot testing. That’s encouraging progress, but it does not yet demonstrate a working title screen or gameplay. A development framebuffer capture is included below.

Alpha coming soon!

The first alpha will be an experimental release for people interested in following the project and helping test it. There’s no firm release date yet. No BIOS or game files will be included.
Video Games

After eight months, I finally have something worth sharing. Thanks for reading — I’m looking forward to sharing more progress with the GBAtemp community!
Handheld Game Consoles

PCSX2-Wii-R1258-Tekken-Namco.png





Tekken Tag Tournament: the Namco startup logo rendered by the development build. Native framebuffer capture, not a Wii hardware screenshot. This shows boot progress; gameplay has not been demonstrated.


 

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Tekken Tag Is also Booting but just until the Namco Logo. Progress will follow soon. it was never my goal to reach full speed i just had nothing to do and i had so much fun with this project that i was working like almost every day until today.
 
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I would be surprised if any PS2 game reaches full speed on the Wii, but it very cool to see someone still trying. Just seeing the BIOS boot is completely funny.
 
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This is truly amazing. With Wii U speeds in vWii it should be even better.

And it just occurred to me that it is possible with this to backport to Windows XP and 7. I wish older versions of pcsx2, like 1.6.0 had an internal game fps counter/display.

Can you also add Gamecube controller support?
 
Last edited by Vetus_Mundi,
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Vetus_Mundi said:
This is truly amazing. With Wii U speeds in vWii it should be even better.

And it just occurred to me that it is possible with this to backport to Windows XP and 7. I wish older versions of pcsx2, like 1.6.0 had an internal game fps counter/display.

Can you also add Gamecube controller support?
Click to expand...
Gamecube Controller Support is already included in the Alpha build.
 
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GEKKO2 Wii – Development Update: Now the Real Work Begins! 🚀​

Hey everyone!

It's time for another development update on GEKKO2, my PlayStation 2 emulator project for the Nintendo Wii.

Over the past months, we've made some incredible progress. What started as an experimental port has slowly evolved into something much bigger.

We've managed to reach several important milestones:

✅ PS2 BIOS booting on the Nintendo Wii
✅ Sony Computer Entertainment startup screen
✅ PS2 Browser and System Configuration menu accessible
✅ Early commercial game booting progress (Tekken Tag Tournament)
✅ Experimental GX hardware renderer integrated
✅ PowerPC Dynarec/JIT implementation in development
✅ Working Wii Remote controls
✅ Testing on both real Wii hardware and Dolphin

But reaching these milestones was only the beginning.

🔧 The Next Chapter: Performance Optimization​

Now that the basic emulator architecture is working, it's time to focus on what will probably be the most challenging part of the entire project:

Making PlayStation 2 emulation actually usable on Nintendo Wii hardware.

As many of you know, the Wii is significantly less powerful than the PlayStation 2 in certain areas, especially when it comes to reproducing the PS2's unique architecture through software emulation.

Simply getting something to boot is one thing.

Getting it to run at acceptable speeds is an entirely different challenge.

The current performance is still extremely slow, and there are several bottlenecks that need to be addressed before I can consider a public Alpha release.

⚡ Current Development Priorities​

1. PowerPC Dynarec / JIT Optimization

The Emotion Engine recompilation system is one of the biggest priorities.

I'm working on improving instruction coverage, register allocation, block caching, direct block linking, and reducing unnecessary CPU overhead.

The goal is to execute as much PS2 code as possible efficiently on the Wii's PowerPC CPU.

2. GX Hardware Acceleration

Another major focus is moving more rendering work away from the CPU and onto the Wii's GX graphics hardware.

This includes:

  • Improved framebuffer handling and reuse
  • Texture caching and synchronization
  • Hardware-accelerated triangles and sprites
  • Better blending and alpha handling
  • Reducing expensive CPU-to-GPU transfers
The less work the CPU has to perform for graphics, the more resources remain available for emulation.

3. VU0 / VU1 Optimization

The PS2's Vector Units are another major challenge.

Improving their instruction handling, timing accuracy, and eventually their recompilation performance will be essential for running 3D games.

4. Boot Times, Stability & Logging

Current BIOS boot times are still far too long.

I'm also investigating excessive logging, potential execution loops, and other issues that negatively affect performance.

The emulator's startup process and debugging system need to become significantly more efficient.

5. Emulator Interface & Usability

I'm also planning improvements to the user interface, including:

  • A dedicated Cold Boot option
  • Better pause/resume functionality
  • Cleaner loading screens
  • More reliable logging
  • Improved game loading and configuration

🎮 What About the First Alpha Release?​

I know some of you are waiting to finally test GEKKO2 on your own Wii.

And believe me, I want to share it with you!

However, I don't want to release an Alpha that takes forever to boot and barely responds to user input.

Before the first public build, I want to improve stability, reduce boot times, and make sure the emulator provides a reasonable testing experience.

That doesn't mean full-speed PS2 gameplay is expected for Alpha 1.

The initial release will still be highly experimental, with major compatibility and performance limitations.

But I want it to be an Alpha that people can actually explore, test, and provide useful feedback on.

There is currently no confirmed release date.

❤️ Thank You for Your Support!​

This project has already involved countless hours of development, debugging, testing, and experimentation.

There have been frustrating moments, unexpected breakthroughs, and plenty of situations where something that seemed impossible suddenly started working.

Seeing the PS2 BIOS appear on an actual Nintendo Wii was one of those moments I'll never forget.

GEKKO2 is still a long way from becoming a practical PS2 emulator, and I don't want to create unrealistic expectations.

But the progress so far has been enough to keep pushing forward.

The foundation is there. Now it's time to optimize it.

I'll continue sharing technical updates, screenshots, and development milestones as things progress.

Thanks again to everyone following this project!

And of course, huge respect and credit to the original PCSX2 developers, whose work and research have been invaluable to this project.

Stay tuned!

– Team GEKKO2


🌐 Official Website: https://mafiacoding.github.io/Gekko2/

☕ Support Development: https://ko-fi.com/teamgekko2

🎮 GEKKO2 Alpha: Coming when it's ready!
Post automatically merged:

As you can see it works, but the fps is slower as an Grandmother on Traffic
 

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Dragon91Nippon said:
I didn't think the Wii was powerful enough to run PS2 Emulation, this is very cool.
Click to expand...

We still don't know if it is or if it isn't and I think if we wanna see games like Jak and Daxter or Gran Turismo 4 ever running on the Wii it's gonna have to be through static recomps....although this emulator might one day run some simpler games 👀 we might see Capcom Fighting Jam playable or something similar.
 
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natedogg20050 said:
View attachment 593974


Gekko2 for Wii: The PS2 BIOS Menu Is Alive — Alpha Coming Soon!

Hi GBAtemp!
Handheld Game Consoles

For the past eight months, I’ve been working on an experimental project exploring PlayStation 2 emulation on the Nintendo Wii. Some of you may know it as PCSX2-Wii. It now has a new name: Gekko2.
Emulator software

My original goal was simple: get the real PS2 BIOS running. Before worrying about games or playable performance, I wanted to see the Sony startup screen and eventually reach the familiar OSDSYS menu — Browser and System Configuration.
Video Games

After months of reading code, debugging, testing, and working through countless problems, the BIOS menu finally renders in the native development build. Entering the Browser and returning to the menu has also been tested. On my actual Wii, I’ve reached the Sony Computer Entertainment startup screen — another huge milestone for this project.



OSDSYS screenshot from the native development build, not a Wii hardware capture.

Seeing that blue animation and those familiar menu options after so much work was an incredible moment for me.

Why the name change?

The project has grown into its own Wii-focused experiment, with a custom PowerPC recompiler, a Wii-specific frontend, and an experimental GX renderer. Gekko2 gives it an identity of its own: a gecko mascot, a nod to Nintendo’s PowerPC heritage, and a “2” for the PlayStation 2.
Nintendo

The new name doesn’t erase its influences. Credit and thanks go to the PCSX2 team and contributors for their emulator, documentation, and years of PS2 research, which have been important references throughout development. Gekko2 is an independent homebrew project, not an official PCSX2 release. Thanks also to the ps2sdk, devkitPro, and libogc contributors for their tools and documentation.
Emulator software
Gekko2: https://github.com/Mafiacoding/Gekko2
PCSX2: https://pcsx2.net/
PCSX2 source: https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2

Join the Gekko2 Team if you want to help or donate me an energy drink just contact me.


This has been a long learning process, with plenty of dead ends along the way. I’ve used Claude AI and, later, GPT-6.1 to help investigate code, debug problems, and rethink approaches, alongside my own reading, testing, and hardware feedback.

What’s next?

The priority is making BIOS boot and navigation reliable, then improving performance. Work is progressing on the custom PowerPC JIT and experimental GX rendering, but both are still incomplete. There are no confirmed playable games or promised FPS targets yet.
Video Games

Tekken Tag Tournament has reached the Namco logo during boot testing. That’s encouraging progress, but it does not yet demonstrate a working title screen or gameplay. A development framebuffer capture is included below.

Alpha coming soon!

The first alpha will be an experimental release for people interested in following the project and helping test it. There’s no firm release date yet. No BIOS or game files will be included.
Video Games

After eight months, I finally have something worth sharing. Thanks for reading — I’m looking forward to sharing more progress with the GBAtemp community!
Handheld Game Consoles

View attachment 593975




Tekken Tag Tournament: the Namco startup logo rendered by the development build. Native framebuffer capture, not a Wii hardware screenshot. This shows boot progress; gameplay has not been demonstrated.


Click to expand...
@NancyDS would be proud
 

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