Wii-Linux Wiki - User contributions [en]

Recommended Apps

2026-07-20T23:11:21Z

Tech64DD: add link to helpmii page

Here's a list of apps for [[Wii-Linux]], curated by Techflash and some others, to help you get the most out of your Linux experience.
Most of these will need additional on-disk swap space. [[HelpMii]] can instruct you how to do that fairly easily.

{| class="wikitable"
! App Type !! App Name !! [[ArchPOWER]] package name !! Notes
|-
| Xorg Window Manager || i3wm || i3 || Faster, but not very friendly to new users
|-
| Xorg Window Manager || JWM || jwm || Fast, Needs additional configuration to look good
|-
| Xorg Window Manager || IceWM || icewm || Still relatively fast, but friendlier to new users
|-
| Xorg Terminal Emulator || XTerm || xterm || Blazingly fast, but may want to do some configuration to make it look nicer
|-
| Xorg Terminal Emulator || Suckless Terminal || st || About the same as XTerm, a little bit slower
|-
| Shell || tcsh || tcsh || Starts faster than bash. Note that the tcsh syntax is different from bash/zsh/sh for advanced features and scripting.
|-
| Text Web Browser || Lynx || lynx || Probably the best performance you're going to get out of a Wii-Linux browser. Does not even attempt CSS or JavaScript.
|-
| Web Browser || NetSurf || netsurf || Not all too fast, medium compatibility, no functional JavaScript
|-
| Web Browser || ArcticFox || arcticfox || Very slow, decent compatibility, good JavaScript
|-
| Web Browser || Phantom Satellite || phantomsatellite-gtk2 || Slightly faster than ArcticFox, medium compatibility, good JavaScript
|-
|Web Browser
|Links / xlinks
|links
|Similar to Lynx, but also has a fast, quite responsive GUI mode under X with picture support
|-

| Discord Client || Abaddon || abaddon || Dreadfully slow, takes '''minutes''' to load Requires very fast swap to be remotely usable
|-
| Audio Playback || aplay || alsa-utils || Works great, but only for WAV files or raw audio
|-
| Audio Playback || Mpg123 || mpg123 || Works great, but only for MP3 Files
|-
| Audio Playback || play / sox || sox || Works great for all formats I threw at it, but you'll need to install the "optional dependencies" for most formats. pacman will list these out after the package is installed.
|}

Installation Guide

2026-07-20T23:10:23Z

Tech64DD: add links to helpmii and configmii pages

This guide will walk you through the process of setting up a [[Wii-Linux]] system using the official [[ArchPOWER]] images.

== Requirements ==

* A Wii modified to run homebrew apps via BootMii ([https://wii.hacks.guide/ Wii Hacks Guide] will walk you through this process)
* An SD card of at least 2GB (unlike official Wii Software, Wii-Linux doesn't require an SDHC or smaller SD Card)
* USB storage device for the root partition ('''''optional''''')
* Access to a Linux system that can hold your root partition
** GNU tar is '''required''' to properly extract the rootfs.
** We assume this is a physical machine. Virtual machines will require special configuration to pass through the root device, which is beyond the scope of this guide
** Use of Windows Subsystem for Linux or the ChromeOS "Linux development environment" (aka Crostini) is also beyond the scope of this guide.

We also assume you are comfortable with technical tasks like partitioning media and installing packages.

== Installation process ==

# Ensure that you meet the [[#Requirements|requirements]].
# Identify which install process you would like to use, [[#PC Installer|the script-based PC Installer]], or [[#Manual Installation|Manual Installation]]
# Follow the steps shown for that process.
# Continue to [[#Booting|boot the system]] and [[#After boot|after-boot setup]] to set up anything you'd like (such as networking)
# Success!

== PC Installer ==

'''If you get any errors during this process, please ask for help via #support in [https://discord.gg/K6ea48VUXU the Wii-Linux Discord Server]'''

# Download the installer
#* <code>git clone https://github.com/Wii-Linux/pc-installer</code>
# Run the installer
#* <code>cd pc-installer; sudo ./installer.sh</code>
# Select what disk you would like to use by it's number listed in the brackets
# Pick whether or not you would like to store the root filesystem on a different device (for example, USB storage).
#* If yes, you must have followed the partitioning steps from [[#Manual Installation|the manual installation section]].
#* If yes, you will be prompted to select your root device shortly.
# If you didn't chose yes above, you'll be asked if you want to do an Automatic or Manual install.
#* Automatic will partition and format your SD Card for you
#* Manual will assume that you've partitioned your SD Card already, and will format the partitions you specify if you haven't already.
# After the card has been partitioned, the necessary files will be downloaded and installed for you.
# You will need to answer a few configuration questions.
# Success! Continue to boot your freshly prepared install!

== Manual Installation ==

# From the [https://wii-linux.org/downloads Wii Linux downloads page], download "Latest build's ArchPOWER rootfs (.tar.gz)" and "Latest build's ArchPOWER SD Card files".
# Partition the media. You will need a FAT32 partition on your SD card, and will need an ext4 partition on either the SD card or USB storage.
#* The SD card files take up around 34 megabytes of space. To ensure plenty of space for updating, we recommend at least 256MB for the FAT partition.
#** If you plan to use other Wii homebrew from your SD Card, you probably want to have more space, likely at least 1GB
#* If you are using USB storage for the root, you don't need to partition the SD card.
# Format the root partition as ext4.
#* <code>sudo mkfs.ext4 -L 'arch' /dev/[root block device here]</code>
# Extract the SD card files to the SD card's FAT32 partition.
## <code>sudo mount /dev/[SD card block device here] /mnt</code>
## <code>cd /mnt</code>
## <code>tar -xzvf [/path/to/boot_files.tgz]</code>
## <code>cd; sudo umount /mnt</code>
# Extract the rootfs.
## <code>sudo mount /dev/[root block device here] /mnt</code>
## <code>cd /mnt</code>
## <code>tar -xvP --acls --xattrs --same-owner --same-permissions --numeric-owner --sparse -f [/path/to/rootfs.tar.gz]</code>
##* You '''must''' use these flags to extract the rootfs properly
## <code>sync; cd; sudo umount /mnt</code>
# Remove the SD card (and root device if you have a dedicated one) from the Linux machine.

== Booting ==

# Insert the SD card and USB device into the Wii.
# Enter BootMii.
#* If you were able to install BootMii as boot2, your Wii will automatically enter BootMii.
#* If you followed the Wii Hacks Guide and installed Priiloader, hold Reset as you power the Wii on, then select the "BootMii IOS" option.
#* You can also open the menu from the Homebrew Channel (HOME button on a Wii Remote, START button on a GameCube controller)
# Wait for gumboot to load the kernel.
#* You can navigate the gumboot menu using the power and reset buttons on the Wii, or the D-pad on a GameCube controller, but that isn't needed for the first boot.
# At the Wii Linux boot menu, select ArchPOWER (or wait a few seconds).
# Watch the systemd boot messages and wait for the login prompt.

== After boot ==

The login prompt will have the default root password, and will instruct you to run [[HelpMii]] and [[ConfigMii]] to help set up your system. HelpMii will let you read the [https://github.com/Wii-Linux/helpmii/blob/main/getstarted.txt Getting Started Guide] on your Wii, which will show you how to do important tasks like using <code>nmtui</code> to set up your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection and how to add swap space.

You may want to check the [[Recommended Apps]] list to get started.

Bootstrapping a Wii-Linux Distro

2026-07-20T23:08:57Z

Tech64DD: add links to helpmii and configmii pages

There's 4 or 5 stages to bootstrapping a [[Wii-Linux]] Distro, depending on the current state of the distro you'd like to bootstrap.

== 1. Porting the distro to 32-bit Big-Endian PowerPC 750, if required ==
This is obviously the hardest step. If the distro does not already natively support 32-bit PPC (e.g. [[Debian-Ports PPC|Debian]]), or have a community-maintained port (e.g. [[ArchPOWER]]), or perhaps doesn't support PPC750, then you will need to create the port yourself.
The difficulty of this step could range from Impossible (distro is set up in such a way to make this task 100% impossible), to very easy (most of the groundwork is already there, just needs to be compiled), to already done (such a port already exists).

Due to the incredible variety of difficulties that could be encountered in this step, accomplishing it will not be covered here, but here's some tips, if you do find yourself in this incredibly unfortunate situation:
* Work with other members of the PowerPC community. Maintainers or contributors of other projects that support 32-bit PPC (like ArchPOWER or Adélie) are often willing to help, share patches, etc.
* Establish a team of multiple people that are also interested in porting your target distro to 32-bit PPC.
* Try to get a minimum-viable-product built first, before trying to get anything more difficult. Tackle basic system utilities (coreutils, bash, util-linux), important applications (an init system), and important libraries (libc, libstdc++, readline) first, and see if you can get something booting.

== 2. Making sure that it boots correctly on the Wii ==
It's possible that the distro might not support Linux 4.5 correctly. If this is the case, and the things that are not supported are critical, then you may need to fall back to step 1, and rebuild those critical portions against older Linux headers.

It's also possible (modern versions of Debian are good examples of this) that the distro may need more than 88MB of RAM in order to boot. If this is the case, you'll need to mod the loader to enable swap before booting that distro.

It's also possible that the distro might not support PPC750, and requires PPC7400/"G4" or higher. If that's the case, you will need to rebuild the distro for PPC750 or under.

Assuming that none of those are an issue, it probably boots up mostly unscathed. Now, there's a few more things you'll want to check and/or fix:
* Are the kernel modules working?
** Do necessary ones load automatically? If not, you may need to force some on startup. '''b43''' is particular problematic for this.
* Is networking working properly?
** Does the distro have any network management out of the box? If so, you'll want to add some.
** Does the Wi-Fi card function properly?
*** If not, make sure that you added the '''openfwwf''' firmware.
*** Also, make sure that the '''b43''' kernel module is loading, it sometimes doesn't by default.

If you've gotten all of these essentials working, you're ready to move onto step 3.

== 3. Adding Wii-specific customizations ==
After you have a successfully booting distro, you'll want to customize the system to be more well-suited to the Wii. Here's some ideas:
* Include the Wi-Fi firmware by default
* Build the kernel (+ modules) and loader as packages that can be seamlessly upgraded with the rest of the system
* Add detection for your distro to the loader
* Including networking and Bluetooth configuration utilities by default
* Port Wii-Linux applications like [[ConfigMii]] and [[HelpMii]]

== 4. Automating everything so far ==
Now that you have a fully working system, you'll want to automate all of the steps to get there. This will allow for easier updates in the future.

If you need an example of how to do this, the [https://github.com/Wii-Linux/build-stack/blob/main/generate-archpower-rootfs.sh build script Wii-Linux uses to make ArchPOWER images] is on GitHub.

== 5. Publicize it! ==
The final step - get your new distro out there so people can use it! There's 2 routes you could reasonably go with this, both of them are described here.

=== Get it hosted by the Wii-Linux project ===
Feel free to reach out! If your distro port is actually good, the Wii-Linux project will gladly host images for it, and provide (limited) build infrastrcture. Talk to us via any of the standard methods (e.g. Discord), and we can discuss possibilities.

=== Hosting it yourself ===
You'll need the following:
* VPS or dedicated machine
** Ability to set up an HTTP server
** Enough disk space to hold any required files
* Decent networking
** Public, static IP address(es)
** High speed (preferablly 100mbps or higher upload speed)
** High uptime
* (optional, but highly recommended) domain name

You'll need to set up hosting for your built images, custom packages, and probably also a project homepage.

ConfigMii

2026-07-20T23:05:23Z

Tech64DD: add some links

[[File:Configmii.png|thumb|Screenshot]]
ConfigMii is a simple TUI application that allows for configuration of some basic aspects of a [[Wii-Linux]] installation. It is included by default in the Wii-Linux [[ArchPOWER]] rootfs.

== Usage ==
Simply run the <code>configmii</code> command to start the program. Use the arrow keys and enter key to select and confirm respectively.

== Features ==
As of version 1.5.2 it supports the following features:

* Changing the Login banner with an ArchPOWER variant that includes or doesn't include the default login credentials and help text
* Various ArchPOWER package management operations
** Update the system
** Clean up orphaned packages
** Clear the cache
** Toggle the Wii-Linux 'testing' repository
** Toggle pacman download timeout
** Toggle pacman download animation
* Installing a Desktop Environment or Window Manager
Features that are yet to be added include:

* Kernel command line editing

== Links ==

* https://github.com/Wii-Linux/configmii - GitHub repository

HelpMii

2026-07-20T23:04:35Z

Tech64DD: add some links

[[File:Helpmii.png|thumb|Screenshot]]
HelpMii is a simple TUI application that provides help with the usage of [[Wii-Linux]]. It is included by default in the Wii-Linux [[ArchPOWER]] rootfs.

== Usage ==
Simply run the <code>helpmii</code> command to start the program. Use the arrow keys and enter key to select and confirm respectively.

== Features ==
As of version 1.3.1 it supports the following features:

* Showing a QR code and link to join the official Wii-Linux Discord server
* Getting started guide for basic Linux tasks
* Uploading logs to get support in the Discord server

== Links ==

* https://github.com/Wii-Linux/helpmii - GitHub repository

HelpMii

2026-07-20T23:03:39Z

Tech64DD: created the page

[[File:Helpmii.png|thumb|Screenshot]]
HelpMii is a simple TUI application that provides help with the usage of Wii-Linux. It is included by default in the Wii-Linux ArchPOWER rootfs.

== Usage ==
Simply run the <code>helpmii</code> command to start the program. Use the arrow keys and enter key to select and confirm respectively.

== Features ==
As of version 1.3.1 it supports the following features:

* Showing a QR code and link to join the official Wii-Linux Discord server
* Getting started guide for basic Linux tasks
* Uploading logs to get support in the Discord server

== Links ==

* https://github.com/Wii-Linux/helpmii - GitHub repository

Troubleshooting/FAQ

2026-07-20T22:41:18Z

Tech64DD: fix rest of wording to be more wiki appropriate

This page contains some fixes for common issues and frequently asked questions with [[Wii-Linux]].

== [[Gumboot]] isn't loading! What's going on? ==
Depends on what's wrong with it.
* '''Black screen? Immediate reboot?''' Check if you have [[BootMii]] installed correctly.
* '''Blinking disk slot?''' Check if your SD Card is inserted properly, this means that BootMii can't find <code>bootmii/ppcboot.elf</code>, <code>bootmii/armboot.bin</code>, or its config.
* '''HBC / Priiloader won't load BootMii?''' Check if BootMii is installed correctly as an IOS - these can't load BootMii as boot2.

== I get an error from Gumboot trying to load the kernel! What's wrong? ==
Check that you copied all of the files properly. It's possible that the kernel was corrupted while copying it.
Try putting the SD Card in a computer, deleting wiilinux/vX_X.krn, and copying it out of the SD Files archive.

== How do I modify the kernel arguments? ==
Open the kernel binary (<code>wiilinux/vX_X.krn</code>) in a hex editor, search for the ASCII text <code>root=</code>, then user overwrite mode to modify the arguments (tip: overwrite the large chunk of padding, that's what it's there for!)

== The kernel seems to load (green bar on Gumboot), but then the screen stays on garbled colors, fully black, or black screen with the loader text! What's wrong? ==
This could be tons of things.
* '''If you're getting the garbled colors''', it means the kernel failed to initialize very early on, before initializing the [[AVE-RVL]].
* '''If you're getting a fully black screen without even the loader text at the top''', that means that it failed after initializing the AVE-RVL, gcnfb, but before displaying the loader text.
* '''If you're getting a black screen with the loader text at the top left''', it means the kernel has initialized a decent bit, but something isn't working. Try setting the kernel arguments (see the previous answer, right above this), replace the loglevel=x parameter with loglevel=7 to get full kernel logs on the screen, or check a USB gecko.
For all of these, having a [[USB Gecko]] would be very beneficial.

== I see the login screen, but I can't type on my USB keyboard, what gives? ==
Check your USB keyboard connection, is it plugged in, and plugged in all the way? (more common than you might think)
Try pressing num lock/caps lock/scroll lock, do the lights come on? If not, check if your keyboard is just dead (plug it into another device). If you've verified all of this, and it still doesn't work, ask for assistance.

== Why is my WiFi so slow? I can't even get 1MB/s! ==
That's just how it is. It's [https://web.archive.org/web/20180817063137/http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Wii:WLAN hardware limitations], that's how it is in all standard Wii software as well, the Wii's WiFi chipset is just that slow. I highly recommend using USB Ethernet, or a supported USB WiFI adapter wherever possible if you care about speed.

== Why isn't [some package name here] in the ArchPOWER repos? ==
We don't maintain the [[ArchPOWER]] repos, but Techflash does maintain a small group of extra packages for ArchPOWER in a seperate repo.
Ask Techflash, He'll check for you, and build it if possible.

== Why is logging in so slow? ==
Arch (and by extension, ArchPOWER) uses a fairly inefficient (though more secure) hashing algorithm for the password by default, that is quite slow on the Wii's mediocre CPU. If you'd like a better balance between security and speed, you can use SHA256 instead.
Simply edit <code>/etc/login.defs</code>, then replace <code>YESCRYPT</code> with <code>SHA256</code>, then regenerate the password of each user.
'''New rootfs's have this by default.'''

== Why I get out-of-memory errors despite turning on a swapfile/swap partition? ==
This is a bug in the default Wii-Linux configuration that was shipped for quite some time, but eventually fixed. 
You can either: 
A) Update your system (the latest wii-linux-meta fixes it) 
B) Delete, or fix, <code>/etc/udev/rules.d/99-zram.rules</code> to not have 100M allocated

== Can I play [insert game here] on Wii Linux? ==
Short Answer: '''No'''. Stop trying. You don't want to get it to work. 
Long answer: Well.... technically, yes.
It's very likely compiled for x86, so it'll need to be emulated. That's already unusably slow on the Wii, but let's carry on.
There's no graphics acceleration of any kind, so it'll be rendering on the emulated x86 CPU, and then drawing to the screen w/ native PPC code, but still on the CPU
So, yes, it may execute the game's code, technically, but you sure as hell won't be "playing" it.

== Why is my Wii Remote unpaired after going back to the Wii Menu? ==
The Linux kernel interacts in some weird way with the Bluetooth module causing Wii Remotes to get unpaired when rebooted into the Wii System Menu (and only the menu, other software like the Homebrew Channel works fine). The exact cause of this problem isn't known yet. You'll have to simply pair the Wii Remote(s) again with the console.

== Can I use a Wii Remote as a mouse? ==
Yes but no. The software to do this (xwiimote) has not seen any actual updates since 2013 and does not work on modern systems. You can use cwiid, which is packaged, to interact with a Wii Remote, but it does not give you mouse emulation.

== Why is pairing my Wii Remote to Linux so finnicky? ==
Linux USB support isn't perfect, and the internal Broadcom 2045A Bluetooth card in the Wii is connected over USB, so it can cause some issues. There is nothing that can currently be done to work around or fix this.

== Why do package downloads sometimes fail / "Operation too slow"? ==
The Wii's WiFi connection is ''incredibly'' slow. This leads to downloads sometimes just failing due to timeout. Newer Wii-Linux builds have <code>DisableDownloadTimeout</code> set in <code>/etc/pacman.conf</code>, so this issue should be mitigated. Existing Wii-Linux installs can set this either with [[ConfigMii]], or by manually editing the config file.

Troubleshooting/FAQ

2026-07-20T22:38:51Z

Tech64DD: fix wording to be more wiki appropriate

This page contains some fixes for common issues and frequently asked questions with [[Wii-Linux]].

== [[Gumboot]] isn't loading! What's going on? ==
Depends on what's wrong with it.
* '''Black screen? Immediate reboot?''' Check if you have [[BootMii]] installed correctly.
* '''Blinking disk slot?''' Check if your SD Card is inserted properly, this means that BootMii can't find <code>bootmii/ppcboot.elf</code>, <code>bootmii/armboot.bin</code>, or its config.
* '''HBC / Priiloader won't load BootMii?''' Check if BootMii is installed correctly as an IOS - these can't load BootMii as boot2.

== I get an error from Gumboot trying to load the kernel! What's wrong? ==
Check that you copied all of the files properly. It's possible that the kernel was corrupted while copying it.
Try putting the SD Card in a computer, deleting wiilinux/vX_X.krn, and copying it out of the SD Files archive.

== How do I modify the kernel arguments? ==
Open the kernel binary (<code>wiilinux/vX_X.krn</code>) in a hex editor, search for the ASCII text <code>root=</code>, then user overwrite mode to modify the arguments (tip: overwrite the large chunk of padding, that's what it's there for!)

== The kernel seems to load (green bar on Gumboot), but then the screen stays on garbled colors, fully black, or black screen with the loader text! What's wrong? ==
This could be tons of things.
* '''If you're getting the garbled colors''', it means the kernel failed to initialize very early on, before initializing the [[AVE-RVL]].
* '''If you're getting a fully black screen without even the loader text at the top''', that means that it failed after initializing the AVE-RVL, gcnfb, but before displaying the loader text.
* '''If you're getting a black screen with the loader text at the top left''', it means the kernel has initialized a decent bit, but something isn't working. Try setting the kernel arguments (see the previous answer, right above this), replace the loglevel=x parameter with loglevel=7 to get full kernel logs on the screen, or check a USB gecko.
For all of these, having a [[USB Gecko]] would be very beneficial.

== I see the login screen, but I can't type on my USB keyboard, what gives? ==
Check your USB keyboard connection, is it plugged in, and plugged in all the way? (more common than you might think)
Try pressing num lock/caps lock/scroll lock, do the lights come on? If not, check if your keyboard is just dead (plug it into another device). If you've verified all of this, and it still doesn't work, ask for assistance.

== Why is my WiFi so slow? I can't even get 1MB/s! ==
That's just how it is. It's [https://web.archive.org/web/20180817063137/http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Wii:WLAN hardware limitations], that's how it is in all standard Wii software as well, the Wii's WiFi chipset is just that slow. I highly recommend using USB Ethernet, or a supported USB WiFI adapter wherever possible if you care about speed.

== Why isn't [some package name here] in the ArchPOWER repos? ==
I don't maintain the [[ArchPOWER]] repos, but I do maintain a small group of extra packages for ArchPOWER in a seperate repo.
Ask Techflash, He'll check for you, and build it if possible.

== Why is logging in so slow? ==
Arch (and by extension, ArchPOWER) uses a fairly inefficient (though more secure) hashing algorithm for the password by default, that is quite slow on the Wii's mediocre CPU. If you'd like a better balance between security and speed, you can use SHA256 instead.
Simply edit <code>/etc/login.defs</code>, then replace <code>YESCRYPT</code> with <code>SHA256</code>, then regenerate the password of each user.
'''New rootfs's have this by default.'''

== Why I get out-of-memory errors despite turning on a swapfile/swap partition? ==
This is a bug in the default Wii-Linux configuration that was shipped for quite some time, but eventually fixed. 
You can either: 
A) Update your system (the latest wii-linux-meta fixes it) 
B) Delete, or fix, <code>/etc/udev/rules.d/99-zram.rules</code> to not have 100M allocated

== Can I play [insert game here] on Wii Linux? ==
Short Answer: '''No'''. Stop trying. You don't want to get it to work. 
Long answer: Well.... technically, yes.
It's very likely compiled for x86, so it'll need to be emulated. That's already unusably slow on the Wii, but let's carry on.
There's no graphics acceleration of any kind, so it'll be rendering on the emulated x86 CPU, and then drawing to the screen w/ native PPC code, but still on the CPU
So, yes, it may execute the game's code, technically, but you sure as hell won't be "playing" it.

== Why is my Wii Remote unpaired after going back to the Wii Menu? ==
The Linux kernel interacts in some weird way with the Bluetooth module causing Wii Remotes to get unpaired when rebooted into the Wii System Menu (and only the menu, other software like the Homebrew Channel works fine). The exact cause of this problem isn't known yet. You'll have to simply pair the Wii Remote(s) again with the console.

== Can I use a Wii Remote as a mouse? ==
Yes but no. The software to do this (xwiimote) has not seen any actual updates since 2013 and does not work on modern systems. You can use cwiid, which is packaged, to interact with a Wii Remote, but it does not give you mouse emulation.

== Why is pairing my Wii Remote to Linux so finnicky? ==
Linux USB support isn't perfect, and the internal Broadcom 2045A Bluetooth card in the Wii is connected over USB, so it can cause some issues. There is nothing that can currently be done to work around or fix this.

== Why do package downloads sometimes fail / "Operation too slow"? ==
The Wii's WiFi connection is ''incredibly'' slow. This leads to downloads sometimes just failing due to timeout. Newer Wii-Linux builds have <code>DisableDownloadTimeout</code> set in <code>/etc/pacman.conf</code>, so this issue should be mitigated. Existing Wii-Linux installs can set this either with [[ConfigMii]], or by manually editing the config file.

ConfigMii

2026-07-15T16:48:17Z

Tech64DD: add usage

[[File:Configmii.png|thumb|Screenshot]]
ConfigMii is a simple TUI application that allows for configuration of some basic aspects of a Wii-Linux installation. It is included by default in the Wii-Linux ArchPOWER rootfs.

== Usage ==
Simply run the <code>configmii</code> command to start the program. Use the arrow keys and enter key to select and confirm respectively.

== Features ==
As of version 1.5.2 it supports the following features:

* Changing the Login banner with an ArchPOWER variant that includes or doesn't include the default login credentials and help text
* Various ArchPOWER package management operations
** Update the system
** Clean up orphaned packages
** Clear the cache
** Toggle the Wii-Linux 'testing' repository
** Toggle pacman download timeout
** Toggle pacman download animation
* Installing a Desktop Environment or Window Manager
Features that are yet to be added include:

* Kernel command line editing

== Links ==

* https://github.com/Wii-Linux/configmii - GitHub repository

ConfigMii

2026-07-15T16:41:37Z

Tech64DD: add screenshot

[[File:Configmii.png|thumb|Screenshot]]
ConfigMii is a simple TUI application that allows for configuration of some basic aspects of a Wii-Linux installation. It is included by default in the Wii-Linux ArchPOWER rootfs.

== Features ==
As of version 1.5.2 it supports the following features:

* Changing the Login banner with an ArchPOWER variant that includes or doesn't include the default login credentials and help text
* Various ArchPOWER package management operations
** Update the system
** Clean up orphaned packages
** Clear the cache
** Toggle the Wii-Linux 'testing' repository
** Toggle pacman download timeout
** Toggle pacman download animation
* Installing a Desktop Environment or Window Manager
Features that are yet to be added include:

* Kernel command line editing

== Links ==

* https://github.com/Wii-Linux/configmii - GitHub repository

Main Page

2026-07-15T16:40:33Z

Tech64DD: group the bootloaders together

== Welcome to the Wii-Linux Wiki! ==

You've reached the wiki page of [[Wii-Linux]]. Here you may find some information related to Wii-Linux, it's development, and a bit about the [[GameCube]], [[Wii]], and [[Wii U]] hardware itself.

''' You may also want to check out a similar wiki site, '''[https://wiibrew.org WiiBrew].

== Navigation ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Hardware !! Software !! Misc
|-
| valign="top" |
* Consoles
** [[Wii U]]
** [[Wii]]
** [[GameCube]]
* Accessories
** [[EXI]] bus (incl. MemCard Slots)
*** [[SD Gecko]]
*** [[USB Gecko]]
*** [[Memory Card]]
*** [[Microphone]]
*** [[Broadband Adapter]]
*** [[Modem]]
** [[GameCube Controller]]
| valign="top" |
* [[Wii-Linux]]
* [[Wii-Linux Distros|Distros]]
** [[ArchPOWER]]
** [[Void-PPC]]
** [[Debian-Ports PPC]]
* [[Recommended Apps]]
* Bootloaders
** [[NPLL]]
** [[Gumboot]]
| valign="top" |
* [[Troubleshooting/FAQ]]
* [[Useful Development Info]]
|}

File:Helpmii.png

2026-07-15T16:37:11Z

Tech64DD:

File:Configmii.png

2026-07-15T16:36:27Z

Tech64DD:

NPLL

2026-07-15T15:21:46Z

Tech64DD: add images

[[File:Npllssht mainmenu.png|thumb|Main Menu]]
[[File:Npllssht sysinfo.png|thumb|The System Information screen]]
NPLL is the [[Nintendo]] PowerPC Linux Loader - a bootloader that functions as a universal PowerPC binary, executable on all 3 of Nintendo's PowerPC consoles: the [[GameCube]], [[Wii]], and [[Wii U]]. It was created by [[User:Techflash|Techflash]] to replace the legacy [[Gumboot]], due to its many shortcomings. It is currently the primary bootloader of the [[Wii-Linux]] project.

As of July 15th, 2026, NPLL is currently at version v0.3.1.

== Features ==

* Console support
** GameCube
** Wii
** Wii U
* Graphics support
** [[GameCube Hardware/Flipper|Flipper]]/[[Wii Hardware/Hollywood|Hollywood]] Video Interface framebuffer
** [[Wii U Hardware/Latte|Latte]] R700 framebuffer
* Text console output support
** Framebuffer text console
** [[Wii U Hardware/DRC|DRC]] text console over [[linux-loader]]'s [[IPC]] interface
** [[USB Gecko]] text console over EXI
* Block storage support
** SD Cards over Hollywood/Latte [[Shared Hardware/SDHCI|SDHCI]]
** eMMC over Latte SDHCI
** SD Cards in an [[SD Gecko]] over EXI
** [[Wii Hardware/NAND|NAND]] over Hollywood/Latte [[Shared Hardware/NAND Interface|NAND Interface]]
** [[NROM]], DVD-ROM (in compatible drives), and DVD-R (in compatible drives), over [[Wii Hardware/Drive Interface|Hollywood Drive Interface]]
** NROM, miniDVD-ROM, and miniDVD-R over [[GameCube Hardware/Drive Interface|Flipper Drive Interface]]
* Filesystem support
** FAT + exFAT, via [https://elm-chan.org/fsw/ff/ FatFs], on standard storage media
** ISO9660 on optical storage media
** [[SFFS]] on NAND
* Input support
** Wii/Wii U front buttons via Hollywood [[GPIO]] and [[Shared Hardware/Processor Interface|Processor Interface]]
** [[GameCube Controller]], GameCube Keyboard, and N64 Controller, via Flipper/Hollywood [[SI|Serial Interface]]
* Executable support
** Standard ELF executable
* Config format support
** Legacy Gumboot config (gumboot.lst)

File:Npllssht sysinfo.png

2026-07-15T15:15:32Z

Tech64DD: Screenshot of the system information screen of NPLL taken by Techflash

== Summary ==
Screenshot of the system information screen of NPLL taken by Techflash

File:Npllssht mainmenu.png

2026-07-15T15:14:35Z

Tech64DD: Screenshot of the main menu of NPLL taken by Techflash

== Summary ==
Screenshot of the main menu of NPLL taken by Techflash

Troubleshooting/FAQ

2026-07-15T14:13:02Z

Tech64DD: add link to configmii page

This page contains some fixes for common issues and frequently asked questions with [[Wii-Linux]].

== [[Gumboot]] isn't loading! What's going on? ==
Depends on what's wrong with it.
* '''Black screen? Immediate reboot?''' Check if you have [[BootMii]] installed correctly.
* '''Blinking disk slot?''' Check if your SD Card is inserted properly, this means that BootMii can't find <code>bootmii/ppcboot.elf</code>, <code>bootmii/armboot.bin</code>, or its config.
* '''HBC / Priiloader won't load BootMii?''' Check if BootMii is installed correctly as an IOS - these can't load BootMii as boot2.

== I get an error from Gumboot trying to load the kernel! What's wrong? ==
Check that you copied all of the files properly. It's possible that the kernel was corrupted while copying it.
Try putting the SD Card in a computer, deleting wiilinux/vX_X.krn, and copying it out of the SD Files archive.

== How do I modify the kernel arguments? ==
Open the kernel binary (<code>wiilinux/vX_X.krn</code>) in a hex editor, search for the ASCII text <code>root=</code>, then user overwrite mode to modify the arguments (tip: overwrite the large chunk of padding, that's what it's there for!)

== The kernel seems to load (green bar on Gumboot), but then the screen stays on garbled colors, fully black, or black screen with the loader text! What's wrong? ==
This could be tons of things.
* '''If you're getting the garbled colors''', it means the kernel failed to initialize very early on, before initializing the [[AVE-RVL]].
* '''If you're getting a fully black screen without even the loader text at the top''', that means that it failed after initializing the AVE-RVL, gcnfb, but before displaying the loader text.
* '''If you're getting a black screen with the loader text at the top left''', it means the kernel has initialized a decent bit, but something isn't working. Try setting the kernel arguments (see the previous answer, right above this), replace the loglevel=x parameter with loglevel=7 to get full kernel logs on the screen, or check a USB gecko.
For all of these, having a [[USB Gecko]] would be very beneficial.

== I see the login screen, but I can't type on my USB keyboard, what gives? ==
Check your USB keyboard connection, is it plugged in, and plugged in all the way? (more common than you might think)
Try pressing num lock/caps lock/scroll lock, do the lights come on? If not, check if your keyboard is just dead (plug it into another device). If you've verified all of this, and it still doesn't work, ask for assistance.

== Why is my WiFi so slow? I can't even get 1MB/s! ==
That's just how it is. It's [https://web.archive.org/web/20180817063137/http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Wii:WLAN hardware limitations], that's how it is in all standard Wii software as well, the Wii's WiFi chipset is just that slow. I highly recommend using USB Ethernet, or a supported USB WiFI adapter wherever possible if you care about speed.

== Why isn't [some package name here] in the ArchPOWER repos? ==
I don't maintain the [[ArchPOWER]] repos, but I do maintain a small group of extra packages for ArchPOWER in a seperate repo.
Ask me, I'll check for you, and build it if possible.

== Why is logging in so slow? ==
Arch (and by extension, ArchPOWER) uses a fairly inefficient (though more secure) hashing algorithm for the password by default, that is quite slow on the Wii's mediocre CPU. If you'd like a better balance between security and speed, you can use SHA256 instead.
Simply edit <code>/etc/login.defs</code>, then replace <code>YESCRYPT</code> with <code>SHA256</code>, then regenerate the password of each user.
'''New rootfs's have this by default.'''

== Why I get out-of-memory errors despite turning on a swapfile/swap partition? ==
This is a bug in the default Wii-Linux configuration that was shipped for quite some time, but eventually fixed. 
You can either: 
A) Update your system (the latest wii-linux-meta fixes it) 
B) Delete, or fix, <code>/etc/udev/rules.d/99-zram.rules</code> to not have 100M allocated

== Can I play [insert game here] on Wii Linux? ==
Short Answer: '''No'''. Stop trying. You don't want to get it to work. 
Long answer: Well.... technically, yes.
It's very likely compiled for x86, so it'll need to be emulated. That's already unusably slow on the Wii, but let's carry on.
There's no graphics acceleration of any kind, so it'll be rendering on the emulated x86 CPU, and then drawing to the screen w/ native PPC code, but still on the CPU
So, yes, it may execute the game's code, technically, but you sure as hell won't be "playing" it.

== Why is my Wii Remote unpaired after going back to the Wii Menu? ==
The Linux kernel interacts in some weird way with the Bluetooth module causing Wii Remotes to get unpaired when rebooted into the Wii System Menu (and only the menu, other software like the Homebrew Channel works fine). The exact cause of this problem isn't known yet. You'll have to simply pair the Wii Remote(s) again with the console.

== Can I use a Wii Remote as a mouse? ==
Yes but no. The software to do this (xwiimote) has not seen any actual updates since 2013 and does not work on modern systems. You can use cwiid, which is packaged, to interact with a Wii Remote, but it does not give you mouse emulation.

== Why is pairing my Wii Remote to Linux so finnicky? ==
Linux USB support isn't perfect, and the internal Broadcom 2045A Bluetooth card in the Wii is connected over USB, so it can cause some issues. There is nothing that can currently be done to work around or fix this.

== Why do package downloads sometimes fail / "Operation too slow"? ==
The Wii's WiFi connection is ''incredibly'' slow. This leads to downloads sometimes just failing due to timeout. Newer Wii-Linux builds have <code>DisableDownloadTimeout</code> set in <code>/etc/pacman.conf</code>, so this issue should be mitigated. Existing Wii-Linux installs can set this either with [[ConfigMii]], or by manually editing the config file.

ConfigMii

2026-07-15T14:11:28Z

Tech64DD: add missing features and future features

ConfigMii is a simple TUI application that allows for configuration of some basic aspects of a Wii-Linux installation. It is included by default in the Wii-Linux ArchPOWER rootfs.

== Features ==
As of version 1.5.2 it supports the following features:

* Changing the Login banner with an ArchPOWER variant that includes or doesn't include the default login credentials and help text
* Various ArchPOWER package management operations
** Update the system
** Clean up orphaned packages
** Clear the cache
** Toggle the Wii-Linux 'testing' repository
** Toggle pacman download timeout
** Toggle pacman download animation
* Installing a Desktop Environment or Window Manager
Features that are yet to be added include:

* Kernel command line editing

== Links ==

* https://github.com/Wii-Linux/configmii - GitHub repository

ConfigMii

2026-07-15T14:05:41Z

Tech64DD: create page

ConfigMii is a simple TUI application that allows for configuration of some basic aspects of a Wii-Linux installation. It is included by default in the Wii-Linux ArchPOWER rootfs.

== Features ==
As of version 1.5.2 it supports the following features:

* Changing the Login banner with an ArchPOWER variant that includes or doesn't include the default login credentials and help text
* Various ArchPOWER package management operations
** Update the system
** Clean up orphaned packages
** Clear the cache
** Toggle the Wii-Linux 'testing' repository
* Installing a Desktop Environment or Window Manager

== Links ==

* https://github.com/Wii-Linux/configmii - GitHub repository

Wii-Linux

2026-07-15T13:54:55Z

Tech64DD: add link to the openwrt page

''' Note: ''' This page has been written by Techflash. As the creator of the current iteration of Wii-Linux, I am of course biased towards my own work. However, I do attempt to remain as neutral as possible here.

----

Wii-Linux can refer to multiple things. It often refers to the project started by Techflash, which bears the name of Wii-Linux. It can also refer to other, often older, efforts of putting Linux on the Wii.

This page details the history of Wii-Linux as a whole, as it leads up to, and relates to, Techflash's current Wii-Linux project.

== Background ==
Please see [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux the related WiiBrew article] for background info on Wii-Linux.

== History ==

=== gc-linux (2005 ~ 2010) ===
The gc-linux developers were the ones who originally got Linux running on the GameCube (and later, the Wii). They were the developers of the MIKE (MINI Kernel) series of kernels for the Wii, as well. All of the gc-linux kernels were of the 2.6 line, and the final release was 2.6.32. They developed the [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux/Distros#Whiite Whiite] distro, based on Debian "lenny" / 5.0.

This is where the vast majority of the current kernel changes originated from.

=== DeltaResero and neagix (2014 ~ 2018) ===
==== 3.15 kernel / "stable-v3.x" ====
During this period of time, both DeltaResero and neagix both were working, occasionally trading commits around, to try to port the old 2.6.32 patches over to a new, 3.x version. Eventually they ended up settling on 3.15.10. This kernel worked quite well with very minimal problems.

==== 4.3 kernel / "experimental-v4.x" ====
By this point, focus had largely shifted over to neagix's wii-linux-ngx repository, however, both neagix and DeltaResero were still quite active together, working on things such as USB fixes. This kernel sadly did not have the same level of polish as "stable-v3.x", however. Some features, like the framebuffer patches, were not implemented here. This was unfortunately the last Wii-Linux related activity from the two.

=== Wii-Linux Continuation Project (2022 - Present) ===
The history of the Wii-Linux Continuation Project is a little confusing, as it originally started as 2 different projects, from 2 different people. Here's an attempted explanation.

==== TheOtherOne's 4.4 CIP kernel ====
TheOtherOne created a kernel port, based on the Linux 4.4 LTS, with the CIP80 patches applied. This was based off neagix's "experimental-v4.x" kernel. This kernel sadly had a few problems. Namely, due to being on "experimental-v4.x", it was lacking a few quality of life features. This is where Techflash got involved. He attempted to fix up the kernel and add some quality of life features back into it. He shipped this kernel with the Wii-Linux Continuation Project's Void-PPC based rootfs for a while, up until 5/30/2024, the transition to the 4.5 kernel. Unfortunately, TheOtherOne seems to have discontinued development on this kernel, and Techflash has largely abandoned it in favor of 4.5.

==== Techflash's kernel ====
Techflash originally attempted to rebase TheOtherOne's 4.4 kernel onto 4.5, however, this proved challenging, due to the CIP patches that were applied. Ultimately, he ended up going for the original set of 4.4 patches that TheOtherOne applied to her CIP tree, directly applied those onto a clean copy of Linux 4.4, and rebased that to 4.5. Of note is that this code still shares it's origin with neagix's "experimental-v4.x", and as such, shares it's problems. Of particular importance is the lack of neagix and FarterSoft's RGB patches, exposing an RGB565 framebuffer, as opposed to the Wii's native YUV framebuffer, to usespace. This is a feature that's natively supported using the DRM graphics subsystem in modern Linux versions, however, this was still the best way to do this translation back during the time when the patches were written. Techflash later added these changes from the "stable-v3.x" branch in, allowing Xorg and other graphical apps to run correctly. He has also re-added the legacy USB Gecko driver, and overhauled the EXI stack, allowing users to use the USB Gecko as a TTY once again. The latest stable version of Techflash's kernel is '''7.1.2'''. Older versions (4.14.336 LTS, 4.14.275 LTS (for [[OpenWRT]]), 4.9.337 LTS, 4.6.0, and 4.5.0) are still present. The mainline port received a release as stable on 7/14/2026 and replaced kernel 4.19.325. It includes many fixes like improved USB support, audio support, proper EXI support, working DVD drive support and many more.

== Compatibility & Support Matrix ==
[https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-ngx/issues/6 Detailed regression tracking is available here]

If a release isn't listed here, it's implied to also be an old interim release and should not be used.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Last updated: July 14th, 2026
!Kernel Version
!2.6.32
!3.15.10
!4.3.6
!4.4.302-cip80
!4.5.0
!4.9.337
!4.14.275
!4.14.336
!4.19.325-cip121
!5.4.293
!5.10.237
!5.15.184
!6.6.0¹
!7.1.2
!Upstream
|-
|Wii-Linux Kernel Branch
|stable-v2.6.32
|stable-v3.x
|experimental-v4.x
|wii-v4.4
|wii-v4.5
|wii-v4.9
|wii-v4.14-openwrt
|wii-v4.14
|wii-v4.19
|wii-v5.4
|wii-v5.10
|wii-v5.15
|wii-v6.6
|wii-mainline
|N/A
|-
|Original Creator
|gc-linux
|DeltaResero
|neagix
|TheOtherOne
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Linus Torvalds
|-
|Wii-Linux Support Status²
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old stable)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |'''YES (For OpenWRT)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|Recommended for use
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (if using OpenWRT)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
|-
|[[GameCube Hardware/Drive Interface|GameCube DVD-ROM]] / [[Wii Hardware/Drive Interface|Wii DVD-ROM]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IOS Boot]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (Indirectly via NPLL)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IPC]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Wi-Fi|Wii Wi-Fi]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/USB|Wii USB]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Hollywood|Wii SD Card]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[Wii]] Power Button Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Framebuffer Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Audio Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Hardware/GX|GCN/Wii GX (GPU)]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (in -gxfb branch)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[EXI]] Bus Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (as SPI host)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[SD Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (via mmc-spi)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[USB Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
|-
|[[Microphone|GCN Microphone]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Memory Card|GCN Memory Card]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube Controller|GCN Controller]] / SI Bus Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|}
¹ - Upstream-based 6.6 branch, not based on gc-linux

² - Status of whether or not you will recieve support for getting it running or doing anything with it. You should use the version marked as '''Latest Stable''' unless there is a specific reason not to

³ - Bespoke downstream EXI stack that doesn't tie into the upstream SPI stack and duplicates tons of code

⁴ - Via bespoke EXI stack, unusably slow
[[Category:Software]]

NetBSD

2026-07-15T13:53:11Z

Tech64DD: add link to official website

{{seealso|https://netbsd.org/ Official NetBSD Website}}

'''NetBSD''' is one of the BSD operating systems, descended from the Berkeley System Distribution. Starting with version 10.0, NetBSD supports the [[Wii]] as a first class platform.

=== Comparison with Wii-Linux ===

* [[Wii-Linux]] is launched from boot2 via [[Gumboot]] or [[NPLL]]. While NetBSD has boot2 support in the current branch, as of May 2025, release builds are started via the Homebrew Channel.

* Wii-Linux is able to use part of MEM1 as system RAM, while NetBSD only seems to use MEM2. Hence, a Wii-Linux system has access to more RAM. (This is somewhat mitigated by the NetBSD init system being ''much'' simpler than systemd.)

* The Wii-Linux [[ArchPOWER]] image has better menu-driven configuration tools. While NetBSD's <code>sysinst</code> can be used for tasks like network configuration, it is not as easy to use as tools like <code>nmtui</code> or [[ConfigMii]].

* NetBSD's package manager is not included as part of the base system, and has to be installed using <code>sysinst</code>.

* USB used to be more stable in NetBSD compared to Wii-Linux, but as of the mainline Wii-Linux kernel's release, USB should be about as stable as NetBSD.

* The framebuffer driver in both Wii-Linux and NetBSD emulates RGB colors, so graphical software doesn't have to be rewritten for the Wii's YUYV framebuffer. NetBSD's driver does this via the [[Hardware/GX|GX]] GPU, using a scratch framebuffer in memory, copying into the EFB (via the CPU) every frame, and then using GX to do the conversion + copy back to the XFB. Linux does this via software math. Both approaches have similar performance.

* As of May 2025, NetBSD doesn't have drivers for [[GameCube Controller]] or the [[USB Gecko]], and the driver for the internal Wi-Fi adapter is not yet available in release builds.

OpenWRT

2026-07-15T13:51:23Z

Tech64DD: create initial page

=== '''WARNING: This page is incomplete and may contain wrong information.''' ===
{{seealso|https://openwrt.org Official OpenWRT Website}}

The OpenWRT project is a small Linux distribution mainly targeted towards embedded systems like WiFi routers to act as a fully customizable firmware. OpenWRT is compatible with Wii-Linux kernel 4.14.275.

GameCube Hardware/Flipper

2026-07-15T13:27:50Z

Tech64DD: fix drive interface link

"Flipper" is the name of the chipset inside of the [[GameCube]]. The Flipper chipset contains multiple pieces of hardware all lumped into one. [[Nintendo]] claims that the Flipper package is the [[Hardware/GX|GameCube's GPU]], however, this is not the case. Flipper ''contains'' the GPU, but it is not, itself, the GPU.

The Flipper chipset runs at 162MHz. It's contents run at various fractions of that speed.

== Flipper contents ==
The Flipper chip contains the following:
* The [[GameCube Hardware/Drive Interface|GameCube Drive Interface]]
* The GX GPU from ArtX @ chipset clock
* Various interfaces like [[AI]], [[SI]], [[EXI]].
* An audio [[DSP]] by Macronix @ 1/2 chipset clock

[[Category:GameCube Hardware]]

Wii Hardware/Hollywood

2026-07-15T13:27:17Z

Tech64DD: fix links about the drive interfaces

"Hollywood" is the name of the chipset inside of the [[Wii]]. The Hollywood chipset contains multiple pieces of hardware all lumped into one. [[Nintendo]] claims that the Hollywood package is the [[Hardware/GX|Wii's GPU]], however, this is not the case. Hollywood ''contains'' the GPU, but it is not, itself, the GPU.

The Hollywood chip runs a 243MHz (162MHz in Back-Compat mode). It's contents run at various fractions of that speed.

== Hollywood contents ==
The Hollywood chip contains the following:
* [[Wii Hardware/USB|USB (EHCI, and 2x OHCI) Host Controllers]]
* SD Host Controller
* SHA-1 and AES engines to handle encryption
* NAND Interface
* 802.11 Wi-Fi Interface (Bluetooth is simply connected over the internal OHCI controller)
* GPIO Interface
* The [[Starlet]] ARM security co-processor @ chipset clock
* A new [[Wii Hardware/Drive Interface|Wii Drive Interface]] replacing the legacy [[GameCube Hardware/Drive Interface|GameCube Drive Interface]]
* The [[Hardware/GX|GX]] GPU from ArtX, based on the same GX core in the [[Flipper]] chipset, running @ chipset clock
* An audio [[DSP]] by Macronix @ 1/2 chipset clock
* All of the legacy Flipper interfaces, like [[AI]], [[SI]], [[EXI]], and so on.

[[Category:Wii Hardware]]

Wii Hardware/USB

2026-07-15T13:13:23Z

Tech64DD: replace kernel version with mainline

The [[Wii]] features 3 USB Host Controllers:
* 1x "EHCI" USB 2.0 controller, managing the 2 user-accessible ports on the back of the console.
* 2x "OHCI" USB 1.1 controllers, 1 managing the internal [[Wii Hardware/Bluetooth|Broadcom 2045A]] Bluetooth chipset, and the other handling when legacy devices are plugged into the 2 back ports.

[[Wii-Linux]] has had support for USB since the beginning. gc-linux added support for it in MIKEp1, the first release. Support in versions between gc-linux and Techflash's 4.5 port used to have issues. USB hubs sometimes caused strange behavior, and sometimes the driver threw <code>-EINVAL</code> (error -22) when a device is inserted. USB support was greatly improved with mainline and should be more reliable than past versions.

[[Category:Wii Hardware]]

Wii Hardware/Drive Interface

2026-07-15T13:10:42Z

Tech64DD: replace kernel version with mainline

The [[Wii]] contains a DVD optical disc drive. In early model Wiis (pre-2008), this drive is capable of reading burned DVD-R discs, through a hidden "DVD video" mode that the drive can be set to. Later models removed this functionality. It is interfaced with via the DI (Drive Interface) in the [[Hollywood]] chipset.

== Compatibility with Wii-Linux ==
There is a driver in [[Wii-Linux]] known as <code>rvl-di</code> (file path: <code>drivers/block/rvl-di.c</code>) for interfacing with the DVD drive. Older versions of Wii-Linux supported the DVD drive, however support has heavily deteriorated over the years:

* 3.15.10 (stable-v3.x): Full support
* 4.3.6 (experimental-v4.x): Hang trying to read data from the disc.
* 4.4.302-cip80: Can't read any drive response data (even metadata).
* 4.19 (possibly older?): can't even send basic commands to the drive, like a drive reset.
* Mainline: Full support (via new driver, ported from [[NPLL]])

== Notes ==
[[NetBSD]] has a functional driver for the Wii's DVD drive.
[[Category:Wii Hardware]]

ArchPOWER

2026-07-15T01:00:31Z

Tech64DD: add proper image caption

[[File:ArchPOWER-Wii-Linux-Screenshot.png|thumb|Screenshot of ArchPOWER running i3, NetSurf, xterm and fastfetch.]]
ArchPOWER is a Linux distro developed by [https://github.com/kth5 kth5] for the purpose of porting Arch Linux to run on 32-bit Big-Endian PowerPC (what the [[Wii]], [[Wii U]], and [[GameCube]] use), 64-bit Big-Endian PowerPC and 64-bit Little-Endian PowerPC and supported 64-bit RISC-V until it dropped support for it. The project has a [https://archlinuxpower.org website] and a [https://github.com/kth5/archpower GitHub].

The developer, kth5 is an active member of the [https://discord.gg/K6ea48VUXU| Wii-Linux Discord], and is quite interested in getting the full lineup of PowerPC-based Nintendo consoles supported. He's managed to get Wii U support working and hapily distributes the necessary packages for the linux-wiiu project. He's shown an interest in getting the Wii supported as well, however, due to the severe age of the Wii-Linux kernel, this has proven tricky, and efforts to get official packaging status have largely stagnated for the time being.

Despite this, Techflash maintains a custom ArchPOWER package repository, and maintains packages on it himself, and an unofficial rootfs is produced with these - the primary Wii-Linux distro as of current writing.

[[Category:Software]]
[[Category:Wii-Linux Distros]]

Debian-Ports PPC

2026-07-15T00:24:17Z

Tech64DD: remove mention of kernel version

Debian officially supported the 32-bit Big-Endian PowerPC architecture from Debian 2.2 up until Debian 8. After Debian 8, it became POWER (64-bit Little-Endian PowerPC).

Debian 8 for PowerPC was the original distro choice of neagix, and can boot with all of his kernels, as well as the current [[Wii-Linux]] kernel.

Unfortunately, Debian 8 is getting quite old, and is beyond it's EOL date, and as such, won't be supported by the Wii-Linux project.

Fortunately, Debian-Ports exists, and has a version of Debian 12 and 13 for PowerPC. Unfortunately, it does not work particularly well. It's lacking in software support compared to other options, and horendously slow on the Wii. It can take upwards of 20 minutes just to install a package.

If you want to install it anyways, you won't get support for it, though it can boot if you really want to for whatever reason.

[[Category:Software]]
[[Category:Wii-Linux Distros]]

Gumboot

2026-07-15T00:18:51Z

Tech64DD: improve image formatting

[[File:Gumboot-neagix-menu.png|thumb|Screenshot]]
Gumboot is a [[MINI]]-based boot menu for the [[Wii]], created by neagix, specifically for use on his [[Wii-Linux|wii-linux-ngx]] project. Techflash ended up making [https://github.com/Wii-Linux/gumboot a fork] of Gumboot to fix bugs and update it for the modern era. Gumboot is currently the main bootloader used by the [[Wii-Linux]] project.

GameCube

2026-07-15T00:12:34Z

Tech64DD: fix typo

The GameCube is a video game console that was produced by [[Nintendo]]. It is the secondary target device of the [[Wii-Linux]] project. Wii-Linux can boot on it but has several large issues.

== Hardware ==
* IBM PowerPC 750CXe-based CPU "Gekko", 486MHz
* "[[Flipper]]" Chipset, 162MHz
* 24MB of 1T-SRAM
* 16MB of DSP-attached "ARAM" (Auxilary / Audio RAM)
* [[GameCube Hardware/DVD-ROM|DVD-ROM drive]]

More detailed information about the GameCube can be obtained from its [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameCube_technical_specifications Wikipedia article].

[[Category:Nintendo Consoles]]

GameCube

2026-07-15T00:08:27Z

Tech64DD: udev probing issue was fixed

The GameCube is a video game console that was produced by [[Nintendo]]. It is the secondary target device of the [[Wii-Linux]] project. Wii-Linux can boot on it but has several large issues.

== Hardware ==
* IBM PowerPC 750CXe-based CPU "Gekko", 486MHz
* "[[Flipper]]" Chipset, 162MHz
* 24MB of 1T-SRAM
* 16MB of DSP-attached "ARAM" (Auxilary / Auido RAM)
* [[GameCube Hardware/DVD-ROM|DVD-ROM drive]]

More detailed information about the GameCube can be obtained from its [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameCube_technical_specifications Wikipedia article].

[[Category:Nintendo Consoles]]

SD Gecko

2026-07-15T00:07:23Z

Tech64DD: mention faster speeds with mainline kernel

The SD Gecko is a passive adapter that plugs into the memory card slots (the [[EXI]] bus), and exposes an SD Card over it. It uses the fact that the EXI bus is very similar to SPI, plus the fact that SD Cards natively support SPI. Due to this inherent compatibility, SD Geckos are incredibly cheap and simple to make.

== Compatibility ==
SD Geckos are compatible with [[Wii-Linux]] up to and including 4.5. They somewhat broke in the migration to 4.19, but improved support with notably faster speeds was added in 7.1.2. SD Geckos do not appear to be compatible with [[NetBSD]].

[[Category:Accessories]]

Wii Hardware/NAND

2026-07-15T00:01:00Z

Tech64DD: improve image formatting

[[File:Wii-Nand-Hynix.jpg|alt=|thumb|333x333px|Hynix branded NAND on a Wii's motherboard]]
{{seealso|https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Hardware/NAND https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Hardware/NAND}}

The [[Wii]] contains a 4 Gigabit (512 Megabyte) NAND flash memory chip. The NAND is used to store, among other things, every IOS installed on the system, each stage past boot0 (which is stored in ROM) of the bootloader process as described on [[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Starlet]], your system menu and channels, and your game save files.
There is currently no way to read or write the NAND in [[Wii-Linux]] nor [[NetBSD]].

== Data Sizes ==
The NAND is split into 4096 sections referred to as "Blocks". Each block contains 64 pages, and each page contains 2048 bytes of data with 64 bytes of error correction info.

== Physical Data Layout ==
* Block 0 contains boot1, which is the encrypted second stage of the bootloader, loaded and decrypted by Starlet during execution of boot0. There is currently no safe way to modify the contents of this block.
* Blocks 1-7 contain 2 copies of boot2, with blockmaps. Boot2 is stored in a modified WAD format, with a ticket encrypted and signed using [[Nintendo]]'s common key. It is recommended to only modify this area when installing Bootmii as boot2.
* Block 8 contains the start of per-console data, as well as the header metadata for the NAND filesystem. This and the next 4087 blocks are generally safe to modify, as long as you have [[BootMii]] as boot2 and don't erase the FAT. This is the area that would be exposed with a filesystem by a driver, were one to be made.

[[Category:Wii Hardware]]

ArchPOWER

2026-07-14T23:58:15Z

Tech64DD: improve image formatting

[[File:ArchPOWER-Wii-Linux-Screenshot.png|thumb|Screenshot]]
ArchPOWER is a Linux distro developed by [https://github.com/kth5 kth5] for the purpose of porting Arch Linux to run on 32-bit Big-Endian PowerPC (what the [[Wii]], [[Wii U]], and [[GameCube]] use), 64-bit Big-Endian PowerPC and 64-bit Little-Endian PowerPC and supported 64-bit RISC-V until it dropped support for it. The project has a [https://archlinuxpower.org website] and a [https://github.com/kth5/archpower GitHub].

The developer, kth5 is an active member of the [https://discord.gg/K6ea48VUXU| Wii-Linux Discord], and is quite interested in getting the full lineup of PowerPC-based Nintendo consoles supported. He's managed to get Wii U support working and hapily distributes the necessary packages for the linux-wiiu project. He's shown an interest in getting the Wii supported as well, however, due to the severe age of the Wii-Linux kernel, this has proven tricky, and efforts to get official packaging status have largely stagnated for the time being.

Despite this, Techflash maintains a custom ArchPOWER package repository, and maintains packages on it himself, and an unofficial rootfs is produced with these - the primary Wii-Linux distro as of current writing.

[[Category:Software]]
[[Category:Wii-Linux Distros]]

Wii Hardware/USB

2026-07-14T23:40:17Z

Tech64DD: mention improved mainline support

The [[Wii]] features 3 USB Host Controllers:
* 1x "EHCI" USB 2.0 controller, managing the 2 user-accessible ports on the back of the console.
* 2x "OHCI" USB 1.1 controllers, 1 managing the internal [[Wii Hardware/Bluetooth|Broadcom 2045A]] Bluetooth chipset, and the other handling when legacy devices are plugged into the 2 back ports.

[[Wii-Linux]] has had support for USB since the beginning. gc-linux added support for it in MIKEp1, the first release. Support in versions between gc-linux and Techflash's 4.5 port used to have issues. USB hubs sometimes caused strange behavior, and sometimes the driver threw <code>-EINVAL</code> (error -22) when a device is inserted. USB support was greatly improved with 7.1.2 and should be more reliable than past versions.

[[Category:Wii Hardware]]

SD Gecko

2026-07-14T23:32:27Z

Tech64DD: mention improved mainline support

The SD Gecko is a passive adapter that plugs into the memory card slots (the [[EXI]] bus), and exposes an SD Card over it. It uses the fact that the EXI bus is very similar to SPI, plus the fact that SD Cards natively support SPI. Due to this inherent compatibility, SD Geckos are incredibly cheap and simple to make.

== Compatibility ==
SD Geckos are compatible with [[Wii-Linux]] up to and including 4.5. They somewhat broke in the migration to 4.19, but improved support was added in 7.1.2. SD Geckos do not appear to be compatible with [[NetBSD]].

[[Category:Accessories]]

Wii Hardware/Drive Interface

2026-07-14T23:15:47Z

Tech64DD: full support for the dvd drive in mainline

The [[Wii]] contains a DVD optical disc drive. In early model Wiis (pre-2008), this drive is capable of reading burned DVD-R discs, through a hidden "DVD video" mode that the drive can be set to. Later models removed this functionality. It is interfaced with via the DI (Drive Interface) in the [[Hollywood]] chipset.

== Compatibility with Wii-Linux ==
There is a driver in [[Wii-Linux]] known as <code>rvl-di</code> (file path: <code>drivers/block/rvl-di.c</code>) for interfacing with the DVD drive. Older versions of Wii-Linux supported the DVD drive, however support has heavily deteriorated over the years:

* 3.15.10 (stable-v3.x): Full support
* 4.3.6 (experimental-v4.x): Hang trying to read data from the disc.
* 4.4.302-cip80: Can't read any drive response data (even metadata).
* 4.19 (possibly older?): can't even send basic commands to the drive, like a drive reset.
* 7.1.2: Full support

== Notes ==
[[NetBSD]] has a functional driver for the Wii's DVD drive.

Troubleshooting/FAQ

2026-07-14T23:14:11Z

Tech64DD: tiny formatting fix

This page contains some fixes for common issues and frequently asked questions with [[Wii-Linux]].

== [[Gumboot]] isn't loading! What's going on? ==
Depends on what's wrong with it.
* '''Black screen? Immediate reboot?''' Check if you have [[BootMii]] installed correctly.
* '''Blinking disk slot?''' Check if your SD Card is inserted properly, this means that BootMii can't find <code>bootmii/ppcboot.elf</code>, <code>bootmii/armboot.bin</code>, or its config.
* '''HBC / Priiloader won't load BootMii?''' Check if BootMii is installed correctly as an IOS - these can't load BootMii as boot2.

== I get an error from Gumboot trying to load the kernel! What's wrong? ==
Check that you copied all of the files properly. It's possible that the kernel was corrupted while copying it.
Try putting the SD Card in a computer, deleting wiilinux/vX_X.krn, and copying it out of the SD Files archive.

== How do I modify the kernel arguments? ==
Open the kernel binary (<code>wiilinux/vX_X.krn</code>) in a hex editor, search for the ASCII text <code>root=</code>, then user overwrite mode to modify the arguments (tip: overwrite the large chunk of padding, that's what it's there for!)

== The kernel seems to load (green bar on Gumboot), but then the screen stays on garbled colors, fully black, or black screen with the loader text! What's wrong? ==
This could be tons of things.
* '''If you're getting the garbled colors''', it means the kernel failed to initialize very early on, before initializing the [[AVE-RVL]].
* '''If you're getting a fully black screen without even the loader text at the top''', that means that it failed after initializing the AVE-RVL, gcnfb, but before displaying the loader text.
* '''If you're getting a black screen with the loader text at the top left''', it means the kernel has initialized a decent bit, but something isn't working. Try setting the kernel arguments (see the previous answer, right above this), replace the loglevel=x parameter with loglevel=7 to get full kernel logs on the screen, or check a USB gecko.
For all of these, having a [[USB Gecko]] would be very beneficial.

== I see the login screen, but I can't type on my USB keyboard, what gives? ==
Check your USB keyboard connection, is it plugged in, and plugged in all the way? (more common than you might think)
Try pressing num lock/caps lock/scroll lock, do the lights come on? If not, check if your keyboard is just dead (plug it into another device). If you've verified all of this, and it still doesn't work, ask for assistance.

== Why is my WiFi so slow? I can't even get 1MB/s! ==
That's just how it is. It's [https://web.archive.org/web/20180817063137/http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Wii:WLAN hardware limitations], that's how it is in all standard Wii software as well, the Wii's WiFi chipset is just that slow. I highly recommend using USB Ethernet, or a supported USB WiFI adapter wherever possible if you care about speed.

== Why isn't [some package name here] in the ArchPOWER repos? ==
I don't maintain the [[ArchPOWER]] repos, but I do maintain a small group of extra packages for ArchPOWER in a seperate repo.
Ask me, I'll check for you, and build it if possible.

== Why is logging in so slow? ==
Arch (and by extension, ArchPOWER) uses a fairly inefficient (though more secure) hashing algorithm for the password by default, that is quite slow on the Wii's mediocre CPU. If you'd like a better balance between security and speed, you can use SHA256 instead.
Simply edit <code>/etc/login.defs</code>, then replace <code>YESCRYPT</code> with <code>SHA256</code>, then regenerate the password of each user.
'''New rootfs's have this by default.'''

== Why I get out-of-memory errors despite turning on a swapfile/swap partition? ==
This is a bug in the default Wii-Linux configuration that was shipped for quite some time, but eventually fixed. 
You can either: 
A) Update your system (the latest wii-linux-meta fixes it) 
B) Delete, or fix, <code>/etc/udev/rules.d/99-zram.rules</code> to not have 100M allocated

== Can I play [insert game here] on Wii Linux? ==
Short Answer: '''No'''. Stop trying. You don't want to get it to work. 
Long answer: Well.... technically, yes.
It's very likely compiled for x86, so it'll need to be emulated. That's already unusably slow on the Wii, but let's carry on.
There's no graphics acceleration of any kind, so it'll be rendering on the emulated x86 CPU, and then drawing to the screen w/ native PPC code, but still on the CPU
So, yes, it may execute the game's code, technically, but you sure as hell won't be "playing" it.

== Why is my Wii Remote unpaired after going back to the Wii Menu? ==
The Linux kernel interacts in some weird way with the Bluetooth module causing Wii Remotes to get unpaired when rebooted into the Wii System Menu (and only the menu, other software like the Homebrew Channel works fine). The exact cause of this problem isn't known yet. You'll have to simply pair the Wii Remote(s) again with the console.

== Can I use a Wii Remote as a mouse? ==
Yes but no. The software to do this (xwiimote) has not seen any actual updates since 2013 and does not work on modern systems. You can use cwiid, which is packaged, to interact with a Wii Remote, but it does not give you mouse emulation.

== Why is pairing my Wii Remote to Linux so finnicky? ==
Linux USB support isn't perfect, and the internal Broadcom 2045A Bluetooth card in the Wii is connected over USB, so it can cause some issues. There is nothing that can currently be done to work around or fix this.

== Why do package downloads sometimes fail / "Operation too slow"? ==
The Wii's WiFi connection is ''incredibly'' slow. This leads to downloads sometimes just failing due to timeout. Newer Wii-Linux builds have <code>DisableDownloadTimeout</code> set in <code>/etc/pacman.conf</code>, so this issue should be mitigated. Existing Wii-Linux installs can set this either with ConfigMii, or by manually editing the config file.

Wii-Linux

2026-07-14T23:12:57Z

Tech64DD: specify that 4.5 was an old stable release

''' Note: ''' This page has been written by Techflash. As the creator of the current iteration of Wii-Linux, I am of course biased towards my own work. However, I do attempt to remain as neutral as possible here.

----

Wii-Linux can refer to multiple things. It often refers to the project started by Techflash, which bears the name of Wii-Linux. It can also refer to other, often older, efforts of putting Linux on the Wii.

This page details the history of Wii-Linux as a whole, as it leads up to, and relates to, Techflash's current Wii-Linux project.

== Background ==
Please see [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux the related WiiBrew article] for background info on Wii-Linux.

== History ==

=== gc-linux (2005 ~ 2010) ===
The gc-linux developers were the ones who originally got Linux running on the GameCube (and later, the Wii). They were the developers of the MIKE (MINI Kernel) series of kernels for the Wii, as well. All of the gc-linux kernels were of the 2.6 line, and the final release was 2.6.32. They developed the [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux/Distros#Whiite Whiite] distro, based on Debian "lenny" / 5.0.

This is where the vast majority of the current kernel changes originated from.

=== DeltaResero and neagix (2014 ~ 2018) ===
==== 3.15 kernel / "stable-v3.x" ====
During this period of time, both DeltaResero and neagix both were working, occasionally trading commits around, to try to port the old 2.6.32 patches over to a new, 3.x version. Eventually they ended up settling on 3.15.10. This kernel worked quite well with very minimal problems.

==== 4.3 kernel / "experimental-v4.x" ====
By this point, focus had largely shifted over to neagix's wii-linux-ngx repository, however, both neagix and DeltaResero were still quite active together, working on things such as USB fixes. This kernel sadly did not have the same level of polish as "stable-v3.x", however. Some features, like the framebuffer patches, were not implemented here. This was unfortunately the last Wii-Linux related activity from the two.

=== Wii-Linux Continuation Project (2022 - Present) ===
The history of the Wii-Linux Continuation Project is a little confusing, as it originally started as 2 different projects, from 2 different people. Here's an attempted explanation.

==== TheOtherOne's 4.4 CIP kernel ====
TheOtherOne created a kernel port, based on the Linux 4.4 LTS, with the CIP80 patches applied. This was based off neagix's "experimental-v4.x" kernel. This kernel sadly had a few problems. Namely, due to being on "experimental-v4.x", it was lacking a few quality of life features. This is where Techflash got involved. He attempted to fix up the kernel and add some quality of life features back into it. He shipped this kernel with the Wii-Linux Continuation Project's Void-PPC based rootfs for a while, up until 5/30/2024, the transition to the 4.5 kernel. Unfortunately, TheOtherOne seems to have discontinued development on this kernel, and Techflash has largely abandoned it in favor of 4.5.

==== Techflash's kernel ====
Techflash originally attempted to rebase TheOtherOne's 4.4 kernel onto 4.5, however, this proved challenging, due to the CIP patches that were applied. Ultimately, he ended up going for the original set of 4.4 patches that TheOtherOne applied to her CIP tree, directly applied those onto a clean copy of Linux 4.4, and rebased that to 4.5. Of note is that this code still shares it's origin with neagix's "experimental-v4.x", and as such, shares it's problems. Of particular importance is the lack of neagix and FarterSoft's RGB patches, exposing an RGB565 framebuffer, as opposed to the Wii's native YUV framebuffer, to usespace. This is a feature that's natively supported using the DRM graphics subsystem in modern Linux versions, however, this was still the best way to do this translation back during the time when the patches were written. Techflash later added these changes from the "stable-v3.x" branch in, allowing Xorg and other graphical apps to run correctly. He has also re-added the legacy USB Gecko driver, and overhauled the EXI stack, allowing users to use the USB Gecko as a TTY once again. The latest stable version of Techflash's kernel is '''7.1.2'''. Older versions (4.14.336 LTS, 4.14.275 LTS (for OpenWRT), 4.9.337 LTS, 4.6.0, and 4.5.0) are still present. The mainline port received a release as stable on 7/14/2026 and replaced kernel 4.19.325. It includes many fixes like improved USB support, audio support, proper EXI support, working DVD drive support and many more.

== Compatibility & Support Matrix ==
[https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-ngx/issues/6 Detailed regression tracking is available here]

If a release isn't listed here, it's implied to also be an old interim release and should not be used.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Last updated: July 14th, 2026
!Kernel Version
!2.6.32
!3.15.10
!4.3.6
!4.4.302-cip80
!4.5.0
!4.9.337
!4.14.275
!4.14.336
!4.19.325-cip121
!5.4.293
!5.10.237
!5.15.184
!6.6.0¹
!7.1.2
!Upstream
|-
|Wii-Linux Kernel Branch
|stable-v2.6.32
|stable-v3.x
|experimental-v4.x
|wii-v4.4
|wii-v4.5
|wii-v4.9
|wii-v4.14-openwrt
|wii-v4.14
|wii-v4.19
|wii-v5.4
|wii-v5.10
|wii-v5.15
|wii-v6.6
|wii-mainline
|N/A
|-
|Original Creator
|gc-linux
|DeltaResero
|neagix
|TheOtherOne
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Linus Torvalds
|-
|Wii-Linux Support Status²
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old stable)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |'''YES (For OpenWRT)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|Recommended for use
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (if using OpenWRT)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
|-
|[[GameCube Hardware/DVD-ROM|GameCube DVD-ROM]] / [[Wii Hardware/DVD-ROM|Wii DVD-ROM]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IOS Boot]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (Indirectly via NPLL)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IPC]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Wi-Fi|Wii Wi-Fi]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/USB|Wii USB]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Hollywood|Wii SD Card]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[Wii]] Power Button Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Framebuffer Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Audio Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Hardware/GX|GCN/Wii GX (GPU)]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (in -gxfb branch)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[EXI]] Bus Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (as SPI host)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[SD Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (via mmc-spi)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[USB Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
|-
|[[Microphone|GCN Microphone]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Memory Card|GCN Memory Card]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube Controller|GCN Controller]] / SI Bus Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|}
¹ - Upstream-based 6.6 branch, not based on gc-linux

² - Status of whether or not you will recieve support for getting it running or doing anything with it. You should use the version marked as '''Latest Stable''' unless there is a specific reason not to

³ - Bespoke downstream EXI stack that doesn't tie into the upstream SPI stack and duplicates tons of code

⁴ - Via bespoke EXI stack, unusably slow
[[Category:Software]]

Troubleshooting/FAQ

2026-07-14T22:49:23Z

Tech64DD: usb support isn't that bad anymore

This page contains some fixes for common issues and frequently asked questions with [[Wii-Linux]].

== [[Gumboot]] isn't loading! What's going on? ==
Depends on what's wrong with it.
* '''Black screen? Immediate reboot?''' Check if you have [[BootMii]] installed correctly.
* '''Blinking disk slot?''' Check if your SD Card is inserted properly, this means that BootMii can't find <code>bootmii/ppcboot.elf</code>, <code>bootmii/armboot.bin</code>, or its config.
* '''HBC / Priiloader won't load BootMii'''? Check if BootMii is installed correctly as an IOS - these can't load BootMii as boot2.

== I get an error from Gumboot trying to load the kernel! What's wrong? ==
Check that you copied all of the files properly. It's possible that the kernel was corrupted while copying it.
Try putting the SD Card in a computer, deleting wiilinux/vX_X.krn, and copying it out of the SD Files archive.

== How do I modify the kernel arguments? ==
Open the kernel binary (<code>wiilinux/vX_X.krn</code>) in a hex editor, search for the ASCII text <code>root=</code>, then user overwrite mode to modify the arguments (tip: overwrite the large chunk of padding, that's what it's there for!)

== The kernel seems to load (green bar on Gumboot), but then the screen stays on garbled colors, fully black, or black screen with the loader text! What's wrong? ==
This could be tons of things.
* '''If you're getting the garbled colors''', it means the kernel failed to initialize very early on, before initializing the [[AVE-RVL]].
* '''If you're getting a fully black screen without even the loader text at the top''', that means that it failed after initializing the AVE-RVL, gcnfb, but before displaying the loader text.
* '''If you're getting a black screen with the loader text at the top left''', it means the kernel has initialized a decent bit, but something isn't working. Try setting the kernel arguments (see the previous answer, right above this), replace the loglevel=x parameter with loglevel=7 to get full kernel logs on the screen, or check a USB gecko.
For all of these, having a [[USB Gecko]] would be very beneficial.

== I see the login screen, but I can't type on my USB keyboard, what gives? ==
Check your USB keyboard connection, is it plugged in, and plugged in all the way? (more common than you might think)
Try pressing num lock/caps lock/scroll lock, do the lights come on? If not, check if your keyboard is just dead (plug it into another device). If you've verified all of this, and it still doesn't work, ask for assistance.

== Why is my WiFi so slow? I can't even get 1MB/s! ==
That's just how it is. It's [https://web.archive.org/web/20180817063137/http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Wii:WLAN hardware limitations], that's how it is in all standard Wii software as well, the Wii's WiFi chipset is just that slow. I highly recommend using USB Ethernet, or a supported USB WiFI adapter wherever possible if you care about speed.

== Why isn't [some package name here] in the ArchPOWER repos? ==
I don't maintain the [[ArchPOWER]] repos, but I do maintain a small group of extra packages for ArchPOWER in a seperate repo.
Ask me, I'll check for you, and build it if possible.

== Why is logging in so slow? ==
Arch (and by extension, ArchPOWER) uses a fairly inefficient (though more secure) hashing algorithm for the password by default, that is quite slow on the Wii's mediocre CPU. If you'd like a better balance between security and speed, you can use SHA256 instead.
Simply edit <code>/etc/login.defs</code>, then replace <code>YESCRYPT</code> with <code>SHA256</code>, then regenerate the password of each user.
'''New rootfs's have this by default.'''

== Why I get out-of-memory errors despite turning on a swapfile/swap partition? ==
This is a bug in the default Wii-Linux configuration that was shipped for quite some time, but eventually fixed. 
You can either: 
A) Update your system (the latest wii-linux-meta fixes it) 
B) Delete, or fix, <code>/etc/udev/rules.d/99-zram.rules</code> to not have 100M allocated

== Can I play [insert game here] on Wii Linux? ==
Short Answer: '''No'''. Stop trying. You don't want to get it to work. 
Long answer: Well.... technically, yes.
It's very likely compiled for x86, so it'll need to be emulated. That's already unusably slow on the Wii, but let's carry on.
There's no graphics acceleration of any kind, so it'll be rendering on the emulated x86 CPU, and then drawing to the screen w/ native PPC code, but still on the CPU
So, yes, it may execute the game's code, technically, but you sure as hell won't be "playing" it.

== Why is my Wii Remote unpaired after going back to the Wii Menu? ==
The Linux kernel interacts in some weird way with the Bluetooth module causing Wii Remotes to get unpaired when rebooted into the Wii System Menu (and only the menu, other software like the Homebrew Channel works fine). The exact cause of this problem isn't known yet. You'll have to simply pair the Wii Remote(s) again with the console.

== Can I use a Wii Remote as a mouse? ==
Yes but no. The software to do this (xwiimote) has not seen any actual updates since 2013 and does not work on modern systems. You can use cwiid, which is packaged, to interact with a Wii Remote, but it does not give you mouse emulation.

== Why is pairing my Wii Remote to Linux so finnicky? ==
Linux USB support isn't perfect, and the internal Broadcom 2045A Bluetooth card in the Wii is connected over USB, so it can cause some issues. There is nothing that can currently be done to work around or fix this.

== Why do package downloads sometimes fail / "Operation too slow"? ==
The Wii's WiFi connection is ''incredibly'' slow. This leads to downloads sometimes just failing due to timeout. Newer Wii-Linux builds have <code>DisableDownloadTimeout</code> set in <code>/etc/pacman.conf</code>, so this issue should be mitigated. Existing Wii-Linux installs can set this either with ConfigMii, or by manually editing the config file.

Wii-Linux

2026-07-14T22:06:06Z

Tech64DD: remove section about future mainline plans in history

''' Note: ''' This page has been written by Techflash. As the creator of the current iteration of Wii-Linux, I am of course biased towards my own work. However, I do attempt to remain as neutral as possible here.

----

Wii-Linux can refer to multiple things. It often refers to the project started by Techflash, which bears the name of Wii-Linux. It can also refer to other, often older, efforts of putting Linux on the Wii.

This page details the history of Wii-Linux as a whole, as it leads up to, and relates to, Techflash's current Wii-Linux project.

== Background ==
Please see [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux the related WiiBrew article] for background info on Wii-Linux.

== History ==

=== gc-linux (2005 ~ 2010) ===
The gc-linux developers were the ones who originally got Linux running on the GameCube (and later, the Wii). They were the developers of the MIKE (MINI Kernel) series of kernels for the Wii, as well. All of the gc-linux kernels were of the 2.6 line, and the final release was 2.6.32. They developed the [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux/Distros#Whiite Whiite] distro, based on Debian "lenny" / 5.0.

This is where the vast majority of the current kernel changes originated from.

=== DeltaResero and neagix (2014 ~ 2018) ===
==== 3.15 kernel / "stable-v3.x" ====
During this period of time, both DeltaResero and neagix both were working, occasionally trading commits around, to try to port the old 2.6.32 patches over to a new, 3.x version. Eventually they ended up settling on 3.15.10. This kernel worked quite well with very minimal problems.

==== 4.3 kernel / "experimental-v4.x" ====
By this point, focus had largely shifted over to neagix's wii-linux-ngx repository, however, both neagix and DeltaResero were still quite active together, working on things such as USB fixes. This kernel sadly did not have the same level of polish as "stable-v3.x", however. Some features, like the framebuffer patches, were not implemented here. This was unfortunately the last Wii-Linux related activity from the two.

=== Wii-Linux Continuation Project (2022 - Present) ===
The history of the Wii-Linux Continuation Project is a little confusing, as it originally started as 2 different projects, from 2 different people. Here's an attempted explanation.

==== TheOtherOne's 4.4 CIP kernel ====
TheOtherOne created a kernel port, based on the Linux 4.4 LTS, with the CIP80 patches applied. This was based off neagix's "experimental-v4.x" kernel. This kernel sadly had a few problems. Namely, due to being on "experimental-v4.x", it was lacking a few quality of life features. This is where Techflash got involved. He attempted to fix up the kernel and add some quality of life features back into it. He shipped this kernel with the Wii-Linux Continuation Project's Void-PPC based rootfs for a while, up until 5/30/2024, the transition to the 4.5 kernel. Unfortunately, TheOtherOne seems to have discontinued development on this kernel, and Techflash has largely abandoned it in favor of 4.5.

==== Techflash's kernel ====
Techflash originally attempted to rebase TheOtherOne's 4.4 kernel onto 4.5, however, this proved challenging, due to the CIP patches that were applied. Ultimately, he ended up going for the original set of 4.4 patches that TheOtherOne applied to her CIP tree, directly applied those onto a clean copy of Linux 4.4, and rebased that to 4.5. Of note is that this code still shares it's origin with neagix's "experimental-v4.x", and as such, shares it's problems. Of particular importance is the lack of neagix and FarterSoft's RGB patches, exposing an RGB565 framebuffer, as opposed to the Wii's native YUV framebuffer, to usespace. This is a feature that's natively supported using the DRM graphics subsystem in modern Linux versions, however, this was still the best way to do this translation back during the time when the patches were written. Techflash later added these changes from the "stable-v3.x" branch in, allowing Xorg and other graphical apps to run correctly. He has also re-added the legacy USB Gecko driver, and overhauled the EXI stack, allowing users to use the USB Gecko as a TTY once again. The latest stable version of Techflash's kernel is '''7.1.2'''. Older versions (4.14.336 LTS, 4.14.275 LTS (for OpenWRT), 4.9.337 LTS, 4.6.0, and 4.5.0) are still present. The mainline port received a release as stable on 7/14/2026 and replaced kernel 4.19.325. It includes many fixes like improved USB support, audio support, proper EXI support, working DVD drive support and many more.

== Compatibility & Support Matrix ==
[https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-ngx/issues/6 Detailed regression tracking is available here]

If a release isn't listed here, it's implied to also be an old interim release and should not be used.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Last updated: July 14th, 2026
!Kernel Version
!2.6.32
!3.15.10
!4.3.6
!4.4.302-cip80
!4.5.0
!4.9.337
!4.14.275
!4.14.336
!4.19.325-cip121
!5.4.293
!5.10.237
!5.15.184
!6.6.0¹
!7.1.2
!Upstream
|-
|Wii-Linux Kernel Branch
|stable-v2.6.32
|stable-v3.x
|experimental-v4.x
|wii-v4.4
|wii-v4.5
|wii-v4.9
|wii-v4.14-openwrt
|wii-v4.14
|wii-v4.19
|wii-v5.4
|wii-v5.10
|wii-v5.15
|wii-v6.6
|wii-mainline
|N/A
|-
|Original Creator
|gc-linux
|DeltaResero
|neagix
|TheOtherOne
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Linus Torvalds
|-
|Wii-Linux Support Status²
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |'''YES (For OpenWRT)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|Recommended for use
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (if using OpenWRT)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
|-
|[[GameCube Hardware/DVD-ROM|GameCube DVD-ROM]] / [[Wii Hardware/DVD-ROM|Wii DVD-ROM]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IOS Boot]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (Indirectly via NPLL)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IPC]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Wi-Fi|Wii Wi-Fi]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/USB|Wii USB]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Hollywood|Wii SD Card]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[Wii]] Power Button Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Framebuffer Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Audio Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Hardware/GX|GCN/Wii GX (GPU)]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (in -gxfb branch)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[EXI]] Bus Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (as SPI host)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[SD Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (via mmc-spi)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[USB Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
|-
|[[Microphone|GCN Microphone]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Memory Card|GCN Memory Card]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube Controller|GCN Controller]] / SI Bus Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|}
¹ - Upstream-based 6.6 branch, not based on gc-linux

² - Status of whether or not you will recieve support for getting it running or doing anything with it. You should use the version marked as '''Latest Stable''' unless there is a specific reason not to

³ - Bespoke downstream EXI stack that doesn't tie into the upstream SPI stack and duplicates tons of code

⁴ - Via bespoke EXI stack, unusably slow
[[Category:Software]]

Wii-Linux

2026-07-14T22:03:24Z

Tech64DD: fix colors on compatibility table

''' Note: ''' This page has been written by Techflash. As the creator of the current iteration of Wii-Linux, I am of course biased towards my own work. However, I do attempt to remain as neutral as possible here.

----

Wii-Linux can refer to multiple things. It often refers to the project started by Techflash, which bears the name of Wii-Linux. It can also refer to other, often older, efforts of putting Linux on the Wii.

This page details the history of Wii-Linux as a whole, as it leads up to, and relates to, Techflash's current Wii-Linux project.

== Background ==
Please see [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux the related WiiBrew article] for background info on Wii-Linux.

== History ==

=== gc-linux (2005 ~ 2010) ===
The gc-linux developers were the ones who originally got Linux running on the GameCube (and later, the Wii). They were the developers of the MIKE (MINI Kernel) series of kernels for the Wii, as well. All of the gc-linux kernels were of the 2.6 line, and the final release was 2.6.32. They developed the [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux/Distros#Whiite Whiite] distro, based on Debian "lenny" / 5.0.

This is where the vast majority of the current kernel changes originated from.

=== DeltaResero and neagix (2014 ~ 2018) ===
==== 3.15 kernel / "stable-v3.x" ====
During this period of time, both DeltaResero and neagix both were working, occasionally trading commits around, to try to port the old 2.6.32 patches over to a new, 3.x version. Eventually they ended up settling on 3.15.10. This kernel worked quite well with very minimal problems.

==== 4.3 kernel / "experimental-v4.x" ====
By this point, focus had largely shifted over to neagix's wii-linux-ngx repository, however, both neagix and DeltaResero were still quite active together, working on things such as USB fixes. This kernel sadly did not have the same level of polish as "stable-v3.x", however. Some features, like the framebuffer patches, were not implemented here. This was unfortunately the last Wii-Linux related activity from the two.

=== Wii-Linux Continuation Project (2022 - Present) ===
The history of the Wii-Linux Continuation Project is a little confusing, as it originally started as 2 different projects, from 2 different people. Here's an attempted explanation.

==== TheOtherOne's 4.4 CIP kernel ====
TheOtherOne created a kernel port, based on the Linux 4.4 LTS, with the CIP80 patches applied. This was based off neagix's "experimental-v4.x" kernel. This kernel sadly had a few problems. Namely, due to being on "experimental-v4.x", it was lacking a few quality of life features. This is where Techflash got involved. He attempted to fix up the kernel and add some quality of life features back into it. He shipped this kernel with the Wii-Linux Continuation Project's Void-PPC based rootfs for a while, up until 5/30/2024, the transition to the 4.5 kernel. Unfortunately, TheOtherOne seems to have discontinued development on this kernel, and Techflash has largely abandoned it in favor of 4.5.

==== Techflash's kernel ====
Techflash originally attempted to rebase TheOtherOne's 4.4 kernel onto 4.5, however, this proved challenging, due to the CIP patches that were applied. Ultimately, he ended up going for the original set of 4.4 patches that TheOtherOne applied to her CIP tree, directly applied those onto a clean copy of Linux 4.4, and rebased that to 4.5. Of note is that this code still shares it's origin with neagix's "experimental-v4.x", and as such, shares it's problems. Of particular importance is the lack of neagix and FarterSoft's RGB patches, exposing an RGB565 framebuffer, as opposed to the Wii's native YUV framebuffer, to usespace. This is a feature that's natively supported using the DRM graphics subsystem in modern Linux versions, however, this was still the best way to do this translation back during the time when the patches were written. Techflash later added these changes from the "stable-v3.x" branch in, allowing Xorg and other graphical apps to run correctly. He has also re-added the legacy USB Gecko driver, and overhauled the EXI stack, allowing users to use the USB Gecko as a TTY once again. The latest stable version of Techflash's kernel is '''7.1.2'''. Older versions (4.14.336 LTS, 4.14.275 LTS (for OpenWRT), 4.9.337 LTS, 4.6.0, and 4.5.0) are still present. The mainline port received a release as stable on 7/14/2026 and replaced kernel 4.19.325. It includes many fixes like improved USB support, audio support, proper EXI support, working DVD drive support and many more.

==== The future ====
The current plan is to continue working on mainline support and make it the definitive kernel to run.

== Compatibility & Support Matrix ==
[https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-ngx/issues/6 Detailed regression tracking is available here]

If a release isn't listed here, it's implied to also be an old interim release and should not be used.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Last updated: July 14th, 2026
!Kernel Version
!2.6.32
!3.15.10
!4.3.6
!4.4.302-cip80
!4.5.0
!4.9.337
!4.14.275
!4.14.336
!4.19.325-cip121
!5.4.293
!5.10.237
!5.15.184
!6.6.0¹
!7.1.2
!Upstream
|-
|Wii-Linux Kernel Branch
|stable-v2.6.32
|stable-v3.x
|experimental-v4.x
|wii-v4.4
|wii-v4.5
|wii-v4.9
|wii-v4.14-openwrt
|wii-v4.14
|wii-v4.19
|wii-v5.4
|wii-v5.10
|wii-v5.15
|wii-v6.6
|wii-mainline
|N/A
|-
|Original Creator
|gc-linux
|DeltaResero
|neagix
|TheOtherOne
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Linus Torvalds
|-
|Wii-Linux Support Status²
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |'''YES (For OpenWRT)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|Recommended for use
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (if using OpenWRT)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
|-
|[[GameCube Hardware/DVD-ROM|GameCube DVD-ROM]] / [[Wii Hardware/DVD-ROM|Wii DVD-ROM]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IOS Boot]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (Indirectly via NPLL)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IPC]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Wi-Fi|Wii Wi-Fi]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/USB|Wii USB]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Hollywood|Wii SD Card]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[Wii]] Power Button Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Framebuffer Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Audio Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Hardware/GX|GCN/Wii GX (GPU)]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (in -gxfb branch)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[EXI]] Bus Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (as SPI host)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[SD Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (via mmc-spi)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[USB Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
|-
|[[Microphone|GCN Microphone]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Memory Card|GCN Memory Card]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube Controller|GCN Controller]] / SI Bus Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|}
¹ - Upstream-based 6.6 branch, not based on gc-linux

² - Status of whether or not you will recieve support for getting it running or doing anything with it. You should use the version marked as '''Latest Stable''' unless there is a specific reason not to

³ - Bespoke downstream EXI stack that doesn't tie into the upstream SPI stack and duplicates tons of code

⁴ - Via bespoke EXI stack, unusably slow
[[Category:Software]]

Wii-Linux

2026-07-14T21:54:31Z

Tech64DD: update compatibility table with mainline

''' Note: ''' This page has been written by Techflash. As the creator of the current iteration of Wii-Linux, I am of course biased towards my own work. However, I do attempt to remain as neutral as possible here.

----

Wii-Linux can refer to multiple things. It often refers to the project started by Techflash, which bears the name of Wii-Linux. It can also refer to other, often older, efforts of putting Linux on the Wii.

This page details the history of Wii-Linux as a whole, as it leads up to, and relates to, Techflash's current Wii-Linux project.

== Background ==
Please see [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux the related WiiBrew article] for background info on Wii-Linux.

== History ==

=== gc-linux (2005 ~ 2010) ===
The gc-linux developers were the ones who originally got Linux running on the GameCube (and later, the Wii). They were the developers of the MIKE (MINI Kernel) series of kernels for the Wii, as well. All of the gc-linux kernels were of the 2.6 line, and the final release was 2.6.32. They developed the [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux/Distros#Whiite Whiite] distro, based on Debian "lenny" / 5.0.

This is where the vast majority of the current kernel changes originated from.

=== DeltaResero and neagix (2014 ~ 2018) ===
==== 3.15 kernel / "stable-v3.x" ====
During this period of time, both DeltaResero and neagix both were working, occasionally trading commits around, to try to port the old 2.6.32 patches over to a new, 3.x version. Eventually they ended up settling on 3.15.10. This kernel worked quite well with very minimal problems.

==== 4.3 kernel / "experimental-v4.x" ====
By this point, focus had largely shifted over to neagix's wii-linux-ngx repository, however, both neagix and DeltaResero were still quite active together, working on things such as USB fixes. This kernel sadly did not have the same level of polish as "stable-v3.x", however. Some features, like the framebuffer patches, were not implemented here. This was unfortunately the last Wii-Linux related activity from the two.

=== Wii-Linux Continuation Project (2022 - Present) ===
The history of the Wii-Linux Continuation Project is a little confusing, as it originally started as 2 different projects, from 2 different people. Here's an attempted explanation.

==== TheOtherOne's 4.4 CIP kernel ====
TheOtherOne created a kernel port, based on the Linux 4.4 LTS, with the CIP80 patches applied. This was based off neagix's "experimental-v4.x" kernel. This kernel sadly had a few problems. Namely, due to being on "experimental-v4.x", it was lacking a few quality of life features. This is where Techflash got involved. He attempted to fix up the kernel and add some quality of life features back into it. He shipped this kernel with the Wii-Linux Continuation Project's Void-PPC based rootfs for a while, up until 5/30/2024, the transition to the 4.5 kernel. Unfortunately, TheOtherOne seems to have discontinued development on this kernel, and Techflash has largely abandoned it in favor of 4.5.

==== Techflash's kernel ====
Techflash originally attempted to rebase TheOtherOne's 4.4 kernel onto 4.5, however, this proved challenging, due to the CIP patches that were applied. Ultimately, he ended up going for the original set of 4.4 patches that TheOtherOne applied to her CIP tree, directly applied those onto a clean copy of Linux 4.4, and rebased that to 4.5. Of note is that this code still shares it's origin with neagix's "experimental-v4.x", and as such, shares it's problems. Of particular importance is the lack of neagix and FarterSoft's RGB patches, exposing an RGB565 framebuffer, as opposed to the Wii's native YUV framebuffer, to usespace. This is a feature that's natively supported using the DRM graphics subsystem in modern Linux versions, however, this was still the best way to do this translation back during the time when the patches were written. Techflash later added these changes from the "stable-v3.x" branch in, allowing Xorg and other graphical apps to run correctly. He has also re-added the legacy USB Gecko driver, and overhauled the EXI stack, allowing users to use the USB Gecko as a TTY once again. The latest stable version of Techflash's kernel is '''7.1.2'''. Older versions (4.14.336 LTS, 4.14.275 LTS (for OpenWRT), 4.9.337 LTS, 4.6.0, and 4.5.0) are still present. The mainline port received a release as stable on 7/14/2026 and replaced kernel 4.19.325. It includes many fixes like improved USB support, audio support, proper EXI support, working DVD drive support and many more.

==== The future ====
The current plan is to continue working on mainline support and make it the definitive kernel to run.

== Compatibility & Support Matrix ==
[https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-ngx/issues/6 Detailed regression tracking is available here]

If a release isn't listed here, it's implied to also be an old interim release and should not be used.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Last updated: July 14th, 2026
!Kernel Version
!2.6.32
!3.15.10
!4.3.6
!4.4.302-cip80
!4.5.0
!4.9.337
!4.14.275
!4.14.336
!4.19.325-cip121
!5.4.293
!5.10.237
!5.15.184
!6.6.0¹
!7.1.2
!Upstream
|-
|Wii-Linux Kernel Branch
|stable-v2.6.32
|stable-v3.x
|experimental-v4.x
|wii-v4.4
|wii-v4.5
|wii-v4.9
|wii-v4.14-openwrt
|wii-v4.14
|wii-v4.19
|wii-v5.4
|wii-v5.10
|wii-v5.15
|wii-v6.6
|wii-mainline
|N/A
|-
|Original Creator
|gc-linux
|DeltaResero
|neagix
|TheOtherOne
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Linus Torvalds
|-
|Wii-Linux Support Status²
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |'''YES (For OpenWRT)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |YES (Latest stable)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|Recommended for use
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (if using OpenWRT)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''DEPRECATED (Old stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |YES (Latest stable)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
|-
|[[GameCube Hardware/DVD-ROM|GameCube DVD-ROM]] / [[Wii Hardware/DVD-ROM|Wii DVD-ROM]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IOS Boot]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (Indirectly via NPLL)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IPC]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Wi-Fi|Wii Wi-Fi]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/USB|Wii USB]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Hollywood|Wii SD Card]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[Wii]] Power Button Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Framebuffer Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Audio Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Hardware/GX|GCN/Wii GX (GPU)]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (in -gxfb branch)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[EXI]] Bus Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (as SPI host)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[SD Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (via mmc-spi)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[USB Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
|-
|[[Microphone|GCN Microphone]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Memory Card|GCN Memory Card]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube Controller|GCN Controller]] / SI Bus Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|}
¹ - Upstream-based 6.6 branch, not based on gc-linux

² - Status of whether or not you will recieve support for getting it running or doing anything with it. You should use the version marked as '''Latest Stable''' unless there is a specific reason not to

³ - Bespoke downstream EXI stack that doesn't tie into the upstream SPI stack and duplicates tons of code

⁴ - Via bespoke EXI stack, unusably slow
[[Category:Software]]

Wii-Linux

2026-07-14T21:40:58Z

Tech64DD: update kernel history with the release of mainline

''' Note: ''' This page has been written by Techflash. As the creator of the current iteration of Wii-Linux, I am of course biased towards my own work. However, I do attempt to remain as neutral as possible here.

----

Wii-Linux can refer to multiple things. It often refers to the project started by Techflash, which bears the name of Wii-Linux. It can also refer to other, often older, efforts of putting Linux on the Wii.

This page details the history of Wii-Linux as a whole, as it leads up to, and relates to, Techflash's current Wii-Linux project.

== Background ==
Please see [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux the related WiiBrew article] for background info on Wii-Linux.

== History ==

=== gc-linux (2005 ~ 2010) ===
The gc-linux developers were the ones who originally got Linux running on the GameCube (and later, the Wii). They were the developers of the MIKE (MINI Kernel) series of kernels for the Wii, as well. All of the gc-linux kernels were of the 2.6 line, and the final release was 2.6.32. They developed the [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii-Linux/Distros#Whiite Whiite] distro, based on Debian "lenny" / 5.0.

This is where the vast majority of the current kernel changes originated from.

=== DeltaResero and neagix (2014 ~ 2018) ===
==== 3.15 kernel / "stable-v3.x" ====
During this period of time, both DeltaResero and neagix both were working, occasionally trading commits around, to try to port the old 2.6.32 patches over to a new, 3.x version. Eventually they ended up settling on 3.15.10. This kernel worked quite well with very minimal problems.

==== 4.3 kernel / "experimental-v4.x" ====
By this point, focus had largely shifted over to neagix's wii-linux-ngx repository, however, both neagix and DeltaResero were still quite active together, working on things such as USB fixes. This kernel sadly did not have the same level of polish as "stable-v3.x", however. Some features, like the framebuffer patches, were not implemented here. This was unfortunately the last Wii-Linux related activity from the two.

=== Wii-Linux Continuation Project (2022 - Present) ===
The history of the Wii-Linux Continuation Project is a little confusing, as it originally started as 2 different projects, from 2 different people. Here's an attempted explanation.

==== TheOtherOne's 4.4 CIP kernel ====
TheOtherOne created a kernel port, based on the Linux 4.4 LTS, with the CIP80 patches applied. This was based off neagix's "experimental-v4.x" kernel. This kernel sadly had a few problems. Namely, due to being on "experimental-v4.x", it was lacking a few quality of life features. This is where Techflash got involved. He attempted to fix up the kernel and add some quality of life features back into it. He shipped this kernel with the Wii-Linux Continuation Project's Void-PPC based rootfs for a while, up until 5/30/2024, the transition to the 4.5 kernel. Unfortunately, TheOtherOne seems to have discontinued development on this kernel, and Techflash has largely abandoned it in favor of 4.5.

==== Techflash's kernel ====
Techflash originally attempted to rebase TheOtherOne's 4.4 kernel onto 4.5, however, this proved challenging, due to the CIP patches that were applied. Ultimately, he ended up going for the original set of 4.4 patches that TheOtherOne applied to her CIP tree, directly applied those onto a clean copy of Linux 4.4, and rebased that to 4.5. Of note is that this code still shares it's origin with neagix's "experimental-v4.x", and as such, shares it's problems. Of particular importance is the lack of neagix and FarterSoft's RGB patches, exposing an RGB565 framebuffer, as opposed to the Wii's native YUV framebuffer, to usespace. This is a feature that's natively supported using the DRM graphics subsystem in modern Linux versions, however, this was still the best way to do this translation back during the time when the patches were written. Techflash later added these changes from the "stable-v3.x" branch in, allowing Xorg and other graphical apps to run correctly. He has also re-added the legacy USB Gecko driver, and overhauled the EXI stack, allowing users to use the USB Gecko as a TTY once again. The latest stable version of Techflash's kernel is '''7.1.2'''. Older versions (4.14.336 LTS, 4.14.275 LTS (for OpenWRT), 4.9.337 LTS, 4.6.0, and 4.5.0) are still present. The mainline port received a release as stable on 7/14/2026 and replaced kernel 4.19.325. It includes many fixes like improved USB support, audio support, proper EXI support, working DVD drive support and many more.

==== The future ====
The current plan is to continue working on mainline support and make it the definitive kernel to run.

== Compatibility & Support Matrix ==
[https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-ngx/issues/6 Detailed regression tracking is available here]

If a release isn't listed here, it's implied to also be an old interim release and should not be used.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Last updated: May 27th, 2026
!Kernel Version
!2.6.32
!3.15.10
!4.3.6
!4.4.302-cip80
!4.5.0
!4.9.337
!4.14.275
!4.14.336
!4.19.325-cip121
!5.4.293
!5.10.237
!5.15.184
!6.6.0¹
!7.0
!Upstream
|-
|Wii-Linux Kernel Branch
|stable-v2.6.32
|stable-v3.x
|experimental-v4.x
|wii-v4.4
|wii-v4.5
|wii-v4.9
|wii-v4.14-openwrt
|wii-v4.14
|wii-v4.19
|wii-v5.4
|wii-v5.10
|wii-v5.15
|wii-v6.6
|wii-mainline
|N/A
|-
|Original Creator
|gc-linux
|DeltaResero
|neagix
|TheOtherOne
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Techflash
|Linus Torvalds
|-
|Wii-Linux Support Status²
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |DEPRECATED (Old stable)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |'''YES (For OpenWRT)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Old interim release)
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest Stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (Broken)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (Testing)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|Recommended for use
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (if using OpenWRT)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:lightgreen;color:black" |'''YES (Latest stable)'''
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO (USB issues)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |Not Really (still WIP)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:orange;color:black" |UNKNOWN
|-
|[[GameCube Hardware/DVD-ROM|GameCube DVD-ROM]] / [[Wii Hardware/DVD-ROM|Wii DVD-ROM]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (Wii only)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IOS Boot]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (Indirectly via NPLL)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Wii IPC]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Wi-Fi|Wii Wi-Fi]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:salmon;color:black" |BROKEN
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/USB|Wii USB]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Wii Hardware/Hollywood|Wii SD Card]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[Wii]] Power Button Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Framebuffer Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube|GCN]]/[[Wii]] Audio Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Hardware/GX|GCN/Wii GX (GPU)]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL (in -gxfb branch)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[EXI]] Bus Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (as SPI host)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[SD Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL³
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL⁴
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:darkred;color:white" |REMOVED
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES (via mmc-spi)
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[USB Gecko]] Support
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:yellow;color:black" |PARTIAL
|-
|[[Microphone|GCN Microphone]] Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[Memory Card|GCN Memory Card]] Support
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|-
|[[GameCube Controller|GCN Controller]] / SI Bus Support
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
| style="background-color:green;color:white" |YES
| style="background-color:red;color:white" |NO
|}
¹ - Upstream-based 6.6 branch, not based on gc-linux

² - Status of whether or not you will recieve support for getting it running or doing anything with it. You should use the version marked as '''Latest Stable''' unless there is a specific reason not to

³ - Bespoke downstream EXI stack that doesn't tie into the upstream SPI stack and duplicates tons of code

⁴ - Via bespoke EXI stack, unusably slow
[[Category:Software]]

Main Page

2026-02-22T22:04:30Z

Tech64DD: renamed troubleshooting page

== Welcome to the Wii-Linux Wiki! ==

You've reached the wiki page of [[Wii-Linux]]. Here you may find some information related to Wii-Linux, it's development, and a bit about the [[Wii]] hardware itself.

''' You may also want to check out a similar wiki site, ''' [https://wiibrew.org WiiBrew].

== Navigation ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Hardware !! Software !! Misc
|-
| valign="top" |
* Consoles
** [[Wii U]]
** [[Wii]]
** [[GameCube]]
* Accessories
** Memory Card ([[EXI]] bus)
*** [[SD Gecko]]
*** [[USB Gecko]]
*** [[Memory Card]]
*** [[Microphone]]
*** [[Broadband Adapter]]
*** [[Modem]]
** [[GameCube Controller]]
| valign="top" |
* [[Wii-Linux]]
* [[Wii-Linux Distros|Distros]]
** [[ArchPOWER]]
** [[Void-PPC]]
** [[Debian-Ports PPC]]
* [[Recommended Apps]]
| valign="top" |
* [[Troubleshooting/FAQ]]
* [[Useful Development Info]]
|}

Troubleshooting/FAQ

2026-02-22T22:03:42Z

Tech64DD: add some FAQs about wiimotes

This page contains some fixes for common issues and frequently asked questions with [[Wii-Linux]].

== [[Gumboot]] isn't loading! What's going on? ==
Depends on what's wrong with it.
* '''Black screen? Immediate reboot?''' Check if you have [[BootMii]] installed correctly.
* '''Blinking disk slot?''' Check if your SD Card is inserted properly, this means that BootMii can't find <code>bootmii/ppcboot.elf</code>, <code>bootmii/armboot.bin</code>, or its config.
* '''HBC / Priiloader won't load BootMii'''? Check if BootMii is installed correctly as an IOS - these can't load BootMii as boot2.

== I get an error from Gumboot trying to load the kernel! What's wrong? ==
Check that you copied all of the files properly. It's possible that the kernel was corrupted while copying it.
Try putting the SD Card in a computer, deleting wiilinux/vX_X.krn, and copying it out of the SD Files archive.

== How do I modify the kernel arguments? ==
Open the kernel binary (<code>wiilinux/vX_X.krn</code>) in a hex editor, search for the ASCII text <code>root=</code>, then user overwrite mode to modify the arguments (tip: overwrite the large chunk of padding, that's what it's there for!)

== The kernel seems to load (green bar on Gumboot), but then the screen stays on garbled colors, fully black, or black screen with the loader text! What's wrong? ==
This could be tons of things.
* '''If you're getting the garbled colors''', it means the kernel failed to initialize very early on, before initializing the [[AVE-RVL]].
* '''If you're getting a fully black screen without even the loader text at the top''', that means that it failed after initializing the AVE-RVL, gcnfb, but before displaying the loader text.
* '''If you're getting a black screen with the loader text at the top left''', it means the kernel has initialized a decent bit, but something isn't working. Try setting the kernel arguments (see the previous answer, right above this), replace the loglevel=x parameter with loglevel=7 to get full kernel logs on the screen, or check a USB gecko.
For all of these, having a [[USB Gecko]] would be very beneficial.

== I see the login screen, but I can't type on my USB keyboard, what gives? ==
Check your USB keyboard connection, is it plugged in, and plugged in all the way? (more common than you might think)
Try pressing num lock/caps lock/scroll lock, do the lights come on? If not, check if your keyboard is just dead (plug it into another device). If you've verified all of this, and it still doesn't work, ask for assistance.

== Why is my WiFi so slow? I can't even get 1MB/s! ==
That's just how it is. It's [https://web.archive.org/web/20180817063137/http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Wii:WLAN hardware limitations], that's how it is in all standard Wii software as well, the Wii's WiFi chipset is just that slow. I highly recommend using USB Ethernet, or a supported USB WiFI adapter wherever possible if you care about speed.

== Why isn't [some package name here] in the ArchPOWER repos? ==
I don't maintain the [[ArchPOWER]] repos, but I do maintain a small group of extra packages for ArchPOWER in a seperate repo.
Ask me, I'll check for you, and build it if possible.

== Why is logging in so slow? ==
Arch (and by extension, ArchPOWER) uses a fairly inefficient (though more secure) hashing algorithm for the password by default, that is quite slow on the Wii's mediocre CPU. If you'd like a better balance between security and speed, you can use SHA256 instead.
Simply edit <code>/etc/login.defs</code>, then replace <code>YESCRYPT</code> with <code>SHA256</code>, then regenerate the password of each user.
'''New rootfs's have this by default.'''

== Why I get out-of-memory errors despite turning on a swapfile/swap partition? ==
This is a bug in the default Wii-Linux configuration that was shipped for quite some time, but eventually fixed. 
You can either: 
A) Update your system (the latest wii-linux-meta fixes it) 
B) Delete, or fix, <code>/etc/udev/rules.d/99-zram.rules</code> to not have 100M allocated

== Can I play [insert game here] on Wii Linux? ==
Short Answer: '''No'''. Stop trying. You don't want to get it to work. 
Long answer: Well.... technically, yes.
It's very likely compiled for x86, so it'll need to be emulated. That's already unusably slow on the Wii, but let's carry on.
There's no graphics acceleration of any kind, so it'll be rendering on the emulated x86 CPU, and then drawing to the screen w/ native PPC code, but still on the CPU
So, yes, it may execute the game's code, technically, but you sure as hell won't be "playing" it.

== Why is my Wii Remote unpaired after going back to the Wii Menu? ==
The Linux kernel interacts in some weird way with the Bluetooth module causing Wii Remotes to get unpaired when rebooted into the Wii System Menu (and only the menu, other software like the Homebrew Channel works fine). The exact cause of this problem isn't known yet. You'll have to simply pair the Wii Remote(s) again with the console.

== Can I use a Wii Remote as a mouse? ==
Yes but no. The software to do this (xwiimote) has not seen any actual updates since 2013 and does not work on modern systems. You can use cwiid, which is packaged, to interact with a Wii Remote, but it does not give you mouse emulation.

== Why is pairing my Wii Remote to Linux so finnicky? ==
Linux currently has crippling issues with USB support, and the internal Broadcom 2045A Bluetooth card in the Wii is connected over USB, so it inherits these issues. There is nothing that can currently be done to work around or fix this.

== Why do package downloads sometimes fail / "Operation too slow"? ==
The Wii's WiFi connection is ''incredibly'' slow. This leads to downloads sometimes just failing due to timeout. Newer Wii-Linux builds have <code>DisableDownloadTimeout</code> set in <code>/etc/pacman.conf</code>, so this issue should be mitigated. Existing Wii-Linux installs can set this either with ConfigMii, or by manually editing the config file.

Troubleshooting

2026-02-22T22:00:26Z

Tech64DD: Tech64DD moved page Troubleshooting to Troubleshooting/FAQ

#REDIRECT [[Troubleshooting/FAQ]]

Troubleshooting/FAQ

2026-02-22T22:00:26Z

Tech64DD: Tech64DD moved page Troubleshooting to Troubleshooting/FAQ

This page contains some fixes for common issues with [[Wii-Linux]].

== [[Gumboot]] isn't loading! What's going on? ==
Depends on what's wrong with it.
* '''Black screen? Immediate reboot?''' Check if you have [[BootMii]] installed correctly.
* '''Blinking disk slot?''' Check if your SD Card is inserted properly, this means that BootMii can't find <code>bootmii/ppcboot.elf</code>, <code>bootmii/armboot.bin</code>, or its config.
* '''HBC / Priiloader won't load BootMii'''? Check if BootMii is installed correctly as an IOS - these can't load BootMii as boot2.

== I get an error from Gumboot trying to load the kernel! What's wrong? ==
Check that you copied all of the files properly. It's possible that the kernel was corrupted while copying it.
Try putting the SD Card in a computer, deleting wiilinux/vX_X.krn, and copying it out of the SD Files archive.

== How do I modify the kernel arguments? ==
Open the kernel binary (<code>wiilinux/vX_X.krn</code>) in a hex editor, search for the ASCII text <code>root=</code>, then user overwrite mode to modify the arguments (tip: overwrite the large chunk of padding, that's what it's there for!)

== The kernel seems to load (green bar on Gumboot), but then the screen stays on garbled colors, fully black, or black screen with the loader text! What's wrong? ==
This could be tons of things.
* '''If you're getting the garbled colors''', it means the kernel failed to initialize very early on, before initializing the [[AVE-RVL]].
* '''If you're getting a fully black screen without even the loader text at the top''', that means that it failed after initializing the AVE-RVL, gcnfb, but before displaying the loader text.
* '''If you're getting a black screen with the loader text at the top left''', it means the kernel has initialized a decent bit, but something isn't working. Try setting the kernel arguments (see the previous answer, right above this), replace the loglevel=x parameter with loglevel=7 to get full kernel logs on the screen, or check a USB gecko.
For all of these, having a [[USB Gecko]] would be very beneficial.

== I see the login screen, but I can't type on my USB keyboard, what gives? ==
Check your USB keyboard connection, is it plugged in, and plugged in all the way? (more common than you might think)
Try pressing num lock/caps lock/scroll lock, do the lights come on? If not, check if your keyboard is just dead (plug it into another device). If you've verified all of this, and it still doesn't work, ask for assistance.

== Why is my WiFi so slow? I can't even get 1MB/s! ==
That's just how it is. It's [https://web.archive.org/web/20180817063137/http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Wii:WLAN hardware limitations], that's how it is in all standard Wii software as well, the Wii's WiFi chipset is just that slow. I highly recommend using USB Ethernet, or a supported USB WiFI adapter wherever possible if you care about speed.

== Why isn't [some package name here] in the ArchPOWER repos? ==
I don't maintain the [[ArchPOWER]] repos, but I do maintain a small group of extra packages for ArchPOWER in a seperate repo.
Ask me, I'll check for you, and build it if possible.

== Why is logging in so slow? ==
Arch (and by extension, ArchPOWER) uses a fairly inefficient (though more secure) hashing algorithm for the password by default, that is quite slow on the Wii's mediocre CPU. If you'd like a better balance between security and speed, you can use SHA256 instead.
Simply edit <code>/etc/login.defs</code>, then replace <code>YESCRYPT</code> with <code>SHA256</code>, then regenerate the password of each user.
'''New rootfs's have this by default.'''

== Why I get out-of-memory errors despite turning on a swapfile/swap partition? ==
This is a bug in the default Wii-Linux configuration that was shipped for quite some time, but eventually fixed. 
You can either: 
A) Update your system (the latest wii-linux-meta fixes it) 
B) Delete, or fix, <code>/etc/udev/rules.d/99-zram.rules</code> to not have 100M allocated

== Can I play [insert game here] on Wii Linux? ==
Short Answer: '''No'''. Stop trying. You don't want to get it to work. 
Long answer: Well.... technically, yes.
It's very likely compiled for x86, so it'll need to be emulated. That's already unusably slow on the Wii, but let's carry on.
There's no graphics acceleration of any kind, so it'll be rendering on the emulated x86 CPU, and then drawing to the screen w/ native PPC code, but still on the CPU
So, yes, it may execute the game's code, technically, but you sure as hell won't be "playing" it.

== Why is my Wii Remote unpaired after going back to the Wii Menu? ==
The Linux kernel interacts in some weird way with the Bluetooth module causing Wii Remotes to get unpaired when rebooted into the Wii System Menu (and only the menu, other software like the Homebrew Channel works fine). The exact cause of this problem isn't known yet. You'll have to simply pair the Wii Remote(s) again with the console.

== Why do package downloads sometimes fail / "Operation too slow"? ==
The Wii's WiFi connection is ''incredibly'' slow. This leads to downloads sometimes just failing due to timeout. Newer Wii-Linux builds have <code>DisableDownloadTimeout</code> set in <code>/etc/pacman.conf</code>, so this issue should be mitigated. Existing Wii-Linux installs can set this either with ConfigMii, or by manually editing the config file.

Broadband Adapter

2025-09-26T23:20:27Z

Tech64DD: broadband adapter is known working

The GameCube Broadband Adapter (sometimes abbreviated as BBA) is a device that plugs into the serial port (the [[EXI]] bus) on the bottom of a [[GameCube]], and exposes an RJ-45 (commonly referred to as Ethernet) plug. It's intended use is for online or local multiplayer games.

== Compatibility ==
The BBA has a driver in [[Wii-Linux]], and has been confirmed to be fully working.

Troubleshooting/FAQ

2025-08-10T01:22:58Z

Tech64DD: fix broken code block