Hacking [QUESTIONS] Is it possible to make a custom shell for the Wii U?

HRudyPlayZ · Jun 30, 2018

Hello guys, i'd like to make a custom homemenu app which replicates the nintendo one to add some features.
I also wants it to be compatible with CBHC so i can boot it at launch.

I don't necessarily need to overwrite the existing menu (which could cause a lot of instabilities),
just copying the menu to an homebrew app who gets launched by CBHC.

I'm thinking of using GX2, it could be some kind of custom shell for adding new features to the homemenu.

So here are my questions:

1. Is it possible to use CBHC to launch a custom homebrew which can replicates the wii u menu? (I think it's possible but i'm not sure)

2. Can CBHC launch the custom homebrew app when you click "Close Software" when you are in the home menu in-game?

3. Is it possible to get informations on what software is installed (to add, for example, a new button to launch that app)?

4. Can we change the system apps (like the settings app to add a new tab to it, the notification app, the friends app...) ?

5. Is it possible to launch apps from an homebrew?

6. Is it possible to add new notifications?

Thanks for trying to answer my questions.

HRudyPlayZ · Jul 16, 2018

(Sorry for bumping this post, i know this is against gbatemp's rules but it's been more than a week & still didn't got any answers)

AmandaRose · Jul 16, 2018

HRudy94 said:
Up

(Sorry for double-posting/up but it's been more than a week & still didn't got any answers

It's against site rules to bump threads. Please be patient and if someone knows the answer they will reply.

HRudyPlayZ · Jul 16, 2018

Thank you, i'll be patient. I'm also gonna post on r/wiiuhacks.

Creatable · Jul 17, 2018

I had this same idea, however implementation could take a while. Yes, you can launch homebrew on start via CBHC, however making an app that displays game titles, images, and launches them would be a great deal of work for a community this small, even if it was all text based.
Now, if you worked off of loadiine (EW, LOADIINE) you could probably have a nice base, that doesn't load games via the system functionality. That may be a bit easier, but I'm not an expert on how Loadiine even works, and you can't use WUPInstaller stuff with it, which is what I imagine is what installed games are like in terms of formatting. If games on your nand / external hard drive are in Loadiine format by default, it could probably be done quite easily with a bit of modification for where it looks for the games from. It also might be a bit faster due to the fact that you're loading from your nand.

Ryccardo · Jul 20, 2018

HRudy94 said:
1. Is it possible to use CBHC to launch a custom homebrew which can replicates the wii u menu? (I think it's possible but i'm not sure)

2. Can CBHC launch the custom homebrew app when you click "Close Software" when you are in the home menu in-game?

3. Is it possible to get informations on what software is installed (to add, for example, a new button to launch that app)?

4. Can we change the system apps (like the settings app to add a new tab to it, the notification app, the friends app...) ?

5. Is it possible to launch apps from an homebrew?

6. Is it possible to add new notifications?

1- yes (CBHC can be modded to add a new homebrew-from-SD to its menu; or an installed title can be set as launcher app in syshax.xml)

2- Close Software just (ends up) launching the default launcher as declared in system.xml (= CBHC, which will display the menu or autoboot as usual); therefore it may be appealing to set this hypothetical shell replacement as, well, shell replacement in syshax.xml (syshax is by convention a copy of system.xml made just before setting the now-hacked DS game as launcher app, so that the actual launcher can be kept track of)

I assume, not having looked at the relevants parts of the source, most CFWs try to apply some patches to (what they assume, usually rightfully) the launcher - this means CBHC's source code should be reviewed and forked for potential interactions, before actually doing this mod

3- In the hypothetical new shell? Sure, this new app can do anything it wants (that's possible in the WiiU kernel/IOSU system... which can be patched by CBHC beforehand, or in-app)

4- Theoretically yes, but the effort to add any nontrivial change (like adding any functionality, even a string of text) will be very irrealistic without source code or at least an annotated disassembly (have a look at how hard the Pokemon glitch scene was changed in this decade by the strong will and time combined investments of a not-too-small team of interested and skilled people)

5- It's possible (all a matter of imitating how the official launcher does it), but I am not sure if this is already implemented in the standard WiiU homebrew libraries (and I can't check, because I don't even know the name of what's the WiiU equivalent of 3DS's ctrulib)

6- same as 5, basically

7 (bonus answer)- yes it's not bound by a 300 title limit

The WiiU (and Wii, DSi) launcher is a lot closer to a regular (non-multitasking) app than its 3DS equivalent, meaning a "full" replacement will likely be much easier (on a relative scale...!) than it is on 3DS without breaking apps/OS functionality; but still, significant research on the official launcher (see point 4) is needed

HRudyPlayZ · Jul 21, 2018

Thank you for replying

i'll do my best (at least i'll try) to make that app.

lebrawurschd · Jul 23, 2018

i had such a app like that on my wiiu to get it was able to list and launch apps but I had to relaunch it after closing a game never tried to get rid. I probably have a backup of the source files somewhere. I share them if I find them

Hacking [QUESTIONS] Is it possible to make a custom shell for the Wii U?

Developer, Gamer and Power User.

Developer, Gamer and Power User.

Do what I do. Hold tight and pretend it’s a plan

Developer, Gamer and Power User.

Well-Known Member

Penguin accelerator

Developer, Gamer and Power User.

Well-Known Member

Similar threads

Popular threads in this forum