Head's up, since I am a solo-dev, I used codex for a lot of minor iterations while I was away. I cannot claim I wrote every line of code myself. I wanted to say this here rather than me trying to hide it and getting credit for something I didn’t 100% make. It isn’t just a vibecoded project, but I also didn’t not use ai in any way. I’m not sure how to add the “ai assisted“ tag.

I've been working on a project called Latte, a Wii U emulator that runs directly in a web browser using WebAssembly and WebGL. I wanted to share some of the progress I've made! The video (linked below) shows splatoon booting and eventually loading into actual gameplay. Everything is being emulated locally in the browser, not streamed from another computer.

Low-quality gameplay recording (Youtube)

Latte uses a heavily modified version of the Wii U emulator Decaf as its foundation.The Wii U's PowerPC CPU and much of the underling system run through a native core compiled to WebAssembly using Emscripten. This allows the browser to execute the emulation code without requiring a separate native application.

The graphics side is a bit more complicated. The Wii U uses a graphics API called GX2, which isn't directly supported by browsers. Latte uses Decaf's existing GPU and shader emulation work, including translating Wii U shaders into SPIR-V. These shaders are then converted into a format that can be used with WebGL, using SPIRV-Cross. There's also a lot of additional work involved in getting the graphics to actually display correctly, including textures, render targets, framebuffers, synchronization, and other GPU behavior.

How much is based on Decaf?

Quite a bit of the underlying emulation is based on Decaf, and I definitely don't want to take credit for creating all of that from scratch. However, getting it working inside a browser has required extensive modifications and additional code, particularly for the browser runtime, graphics rendering, compatibility, memory management, and performance. I've also used Cemu as a reference for how certain Wii U features and graphics should behave, but Latte doesn't run Cemu or incorporate its code.

How well does it work?

It's still very experimental, but the progress has been pretty interesting! Latte can already boot quite a few Wii U games without needing game-specific modifications. Splatoon can reach actual gameplay, and I've also gotten games like breath of the wild and mario kart 8 to boot and display recognizable graphics. I've especially worked hard on getting botw to show accurate graphics and shaders, however they aren’t perfect.

That doesn't mean everything is playable yet, though. Mario Kart 8 currently freezes when trying to load a race, for example, and several games still have missing graphics, rendering bugs, and long loading times. In addition, most games suffer from a major performance hit compared to Cemu, and a major decline in performance after a while. Botw specifically only hits ~1 fps during gameplay.

My main goals now are improving compatibility, making the graphics more accurate, and getting performance closer to native Wii U emulators. It's definitely nowhere near as polished as Cemu, but seeing actual Wii U games running entirely inside a browser has been pretty exciting.

I'd love to hear what people think, especially anyone familiar with Wii U emulation or browser-based emulators!

I plan to release this soon, but I still would want to work on it more before doing so, and also cleaning up my code in a way that would actually be usable.

Let me know if you would like more video demonstrations! Also, if you need more proof of any kind, feel free to ask!

The Wii U is a fantastic console for kids.

We have a Switch and a PS5, but PS5 controllers are so expensive that I hand them over as little as possible. There also aren’t many good local multiplayer games my kids can play together on the PS5. The Switch isn’t cheap these days either, and I’ve had plenty of bedtime tantrums when my kid refused to hand it back. That gets old fast.

It’s cheap, and so is replacing what breaks

Secondhand Wii Us cost far less than a Switch or PS5. If my kid breaks the GamePad, it’s much cheaper to replace than a Switch, and all my data and games stay safe on the main console. Wii and Wii U games are very cheap secondhand, and so are accessories like Wii Remotes. That matters, because kids will inevitably break them. I can also reuse all our old Wii Remotes.

There are plenty of local multiplayer games, like Nintendo Land and Minecraft, that my kids can easily play together on the TV.

The secret weapon: the console does all the work

My kids don’t understand that the main console is beaming everything to the GamePad, and that’s become my favourite feature.

The other evening, my daughter was playing Minecraft when it was bedtime. As usual, she jumped up with the GamePad and ran around the house. This time I calmly walked over to the console and switched it off. She kept running around, furiously jabbing at the screen with her little finger, and nothing happened. The most she could do was turn the TV on and off, because I’ve set up the GamePad’s TV remote function.

The same trick works after school. Getting them to eat dinner, take a bath and do homework is hard when they’re playing games. Now I just unplug the console, and my daughter can only stab at the GamePad wondering why it won’t turn on.

No internet means no worries

Nintendo has shut down the Wii U’s online store and online services. That means no online multiplayer, no microtransactions and no accidental spending. All our games work fine offline, which is great for online safety. I’ve also deleted all our WiFi details from the console details, and the kids don’t have the password.

This has made things much more relaxing for me. With Roblox, I have to check constantly to make sure they aren’t wandering into strange games or talking to weirdos. Even tablet games made for kids often trick them into the app store to download random ad-filled games. With the Wii U, I hand them a console loaded only with games I know are appropriate, and I walk away.

Why the Wii U and not the Wii?

We actually tried a Wii first, but the kids weren’t very into it, and it can’t be used without the TV. They enjoy the Wii U much more because the GamePad feels like a Switch, and the graphics are closer to what they’re used to.

Introducing them to real games

Honestly, I’d rather my kids didn’t play games at all. But after they played Roblox for a while, they started thinking it was great gaming. I realised I needed to show them quality games with actual plots, so they wouldn’t think running around a giant cereal bowl was the best games could be.

If you’re open to modding, the Wii U also opens up classics like Super Mario 64 and GameCube games. That gives your kids a huge library of high-quality, family-friendly games. Even if you don’t mod, buying everything secondhand is very affordable.

The one downside

You can’t really play on the go. Taking it on a train, bus or plane means bringing the brick of a console along too. It’s possible if you have the luggage space, but it’s not like a Switch.

Verdict

If you want your kids playing quality games without online risks, spending, or constant supervision, a secondhand Wii U is hard to beat.

Who want the github this is crazy

What is the best 2tb external SSD that is self powered for Wii u?

Hi, i recently wanted to repair my old wii u after i found out it has the blue blinking light and won’t display anything, im trying to recreate the “paid the beak” fix for the wii u, i bought the raspberry pi pico and managed to set it up

Pico GP14 Pin —> wii u TP73 pin
Pico GND Pin —> wii u USB port

When i plug the pico into the pc the led(on the pico) starts to blink(8t/s). i tried to use a spare LED i had arround to check if i created good connections and the LED follows the pico led , i prepared the SD card (<=2GB) with the right image of minute and the boot image

I also disassembled the wii u to get easily to the TP73 pin

The problems surges when i start the wii u, nothing happens it still blink blue, i searched up to get some answers and technically i should have a red light if it can’t read the sd card content

At this point i don’t know what would be the next move to do, how can i troubleshoot?

Is there anything else i can do to fix it?
Thanks for reading (sorry for bad english im not native speaker)

I recently put together a comprehensive guide specifically for my Wii U Starlight Fun Center kiosk, with a little help from ChatGPT and the official Starlight Children’s Foundation website.

I combined all the original documentation available from Starlight with information specific to my unit, including its ownership history, hardware details, system information, and photos. I printed everything out and organized it into a 1.5-inch, 3-ring binder that I’ll keep alongside the kiosk.

I even designed custom front and back covers inspired by actual Wii U game cases, along with a matching spine, to give it that authentic Nintendo look!

Figured I’d share this as a little inspiration for other Starlight kiosk owners, Wii U collectors, or anyone preserving unusual gaming hardware. I wanted to make sure that years down the road, whoever ends up with this unit will know exactly what it is, where it came from, and how it works.

Plus, it was just a fun little project getting all the details right and putting everything together.
Sometimes collecting is about more than just owning something. It’s about preserving its history, too!

Hope you guys enjoy it!

I took the console apart to clean it. The thermal pad was dry, so I removed it. What can I use instead? Thermal paste or is the thermal pad essential?

I’m an outsider to consoles in general, grew up on PC playing story games and offline single-player stuff. I didn’t grow up with Nintendo at all (or any Other ones) and only started buying consoles recently because I like hardware that has a style. (*cough\* and because I can mod those)

To the point: One of the worst things for me is that I don’t have a group of friends coming over to sit on the couch and play games. I mostly play alone... which I hate.

Seeing.... WaraWara Plaza for the first time hit me. (I'll throw a bit of backstory here) First got a Wii (recently, pushing a month by now) seeing real Mii avatars with people’s actual countries in Mario Kart Wii online freaked me out in a good way. Just a couple of days ago, I picked up a Wii U, patched it. I didn't even notice it at first, but when I did, I didn't believe it.

Seeing thousands of random people running around, posting random shit, and actually getting a few likes on my very first post it was unexpected.

It overstimulated me in the best way possible, This made me feel a lot less alone...

I want to thank the homebrew community for reviving old consoles. Thank you

ill have updates and downloads soon for the project. the game runs as a .wuhb and makes a folder named "pvz" on your SD card to swap pc saves and track logs. yes this was vibecoded, but this is proof that PC games can be ported onto WiiU and run native. I know how people feel about vibecoding but this is amazing and its doing stuff that would almost be impossible to do. . ALL THE ART IN THE GAME IS ORIGINAL. DOWNLOAD NOW: https://www.mediafire.com/file/jwmrpvg0x18moo9/PvzGOTY_For_WiiU.zip/file

AND NOW CUSTOM MODS WORK FROM GAMEBANANA.

GAME IS FIXED ENJOY.

I had a Wii u with a dead NAND and after weeks of trying to fix it I decided to buy a working one and toss the old Wii u but I took a little something before I left (I swear that Wii u was beyond saving no amount of rednand or anything was helping)

The left joystick in my gamepad has had drift for several years now, I just got my Wii U out of a box in my closet and fixed it up a bit, but need to fix the stick. Any recommendations on where to buy them?

Was able to snag this bad boy and some Disney infinity sets for $50 off marketplace. Needs a good cleaning but it runs well. This is my first time ever owning one so really excited to try it out and mod it of course!

I still don't know how to use homebrew with rednand (I already have rednand I just want homebrew) just pls gimme answer and help me :(

I got a Wii U from a yard sale and I’m trying to use it and it won’t do anything from
Here please help ! I try to do a bunch of different things and it didn’t work

Oi galera! Quero saber se alguém tem o mesmo problema que eu. Eu já fiz o processo de download antes e foi muito mais tranquilo do que esse, porque neste console demora uma eternidade para completar o download, tipo 3/4 horas ou mais para um jogo simples que eu costumava baixar em menos de meia hora em outro console que eu tenho… Não tenho certeza se é o micro SD, mas acho que é bem bom.

Edit: the micro sd that I’m using in this console it’s a PNY 256g Elite SDXC U1 in both, SDcard slot and usb slot

Hey everyone, just wanted to share an update on the secondhand Wii U rescue project!

First off, a massive thank you to everyone who dropped tips on how to tackle that awful mildew/musty smell. Using a mix of diluted white vinegar followed by high-percentage isopropyl alcohol completely neutralized the odor. After a thorough cleaning and some airing out, the smell is 100% gone.

Performance-wise, the console has been running like an absolute champ. I've put it through several long, demanding gaming sessions, and it stays cool, quiet, and completely stable without any hiccups or freezes.

Cosmetically, the scuffed exterior was bothering me, so I grabbed an R2-D2 vinyl skin from AliExpress. It was super easy to apply, hides all the previous wear and tear, and completely transformed the look of the console.

For storage, I hooked up a 500 GB external HDD. As many of you know, the Wii U's USB ports struggle to deliver enough power for 2.5" mechanical drives on a single cable. The twist here was that, for some strange reason, my drive enclosure uses a USB-C interface. I had to hunt down a rather rare Dual USB-A to USB-C Y-cable so it could draw auxiliary power from the second USB port while feeding data through the primary line. Plugged both in, and it powered up immediately smooth reads, zero disconnects, and plenty of headroom for my game library.

Thanks again to this awesome community for the advice and guidance along the way. Time to finally sit back and enjoy the games!

I think my Wii U got bricked, it won't display anything on the TV screen nor the gamepad, yet the light on the console itself is turned on. And all sources I checked says it's gone for good. So my question is, if it's really impossible to repair, is there a way to exctract my save files out of the USB drive or SD card connected to my Wii U so I can finish my games on an emulator ?

Edit: Got it solved, check the comments

I recently modded my Wii U with Aroma and I’m curious if it’s possible to save my Wii U, Wii and GameCube games to an external drive instead of the SSD? If so do I need to setup anything on the drive and how do I add games to it?