Wii Homebrew Launcher Released

[wraggster]

hell_hibou (http://wiihomebrewlauncher.be.cx/) has released the Wii Homebrew Launcher heres the translation:

http://wii-news.dcemu.co.uk/WiiHL.JPG


Wii Homebrew Launcher is an interface similar to that of the Wii to launch since the Homebrew 'Front-SD'. Each Homebrew is represented as a string customizable.

Installation

-- Copy the file boot.elf on an SD card.
-- Create a folder homebrew to the root of the DS.


For each Homebrew:

-- Create a sub folder in the Homebrew (8 characters max)

-- Copy elf file in this directory and rename the boot.elf

-- [Optional] To give a name to hombrew, title.txt create a file, edit it, and enter the name you want.

-- [Optional] To give a specific icon, create an image of 132x95 pixels at 24 bits bmp format. Name the title.bmp and copy it in the repertoire of homebrew.

Use

Navigation is also a using a joystick GameCube.

-- UP / DOWN / LEFT / RIGHT: Select Homebrew
-- A: Starting the Homebrew selected
-- R / L: Change the page (if more than 11 Homebrew)
-- Z: Refresh the list of channels

Another awesome homebrew release for the Nintendo Wii

Download and give feedback via comments

[rbervoets]

0000hhh lookin cool :)

[Maggifixxx]

Is this the official one?
From Segher Bushing ect?

EDIT: Doesn't seem like it's the one we waiting for...
but nice, gonna try it later...

[supersoni88]

not the thing i've been waiting for but im still gonna give it a go

[supersoni88]

UPDATE:
works real good actually...i have no problems with it

[mikebeaver]

Is this working without a Mod chip or not? dumb question but I know sod all about Wii brew's!

Mike..

[wraggster]

yeah all without a modchip

[supersoni88]

yeah no modchip, using the twilight hack

[RV2006]

I like this!
I've already made icons for all the Wii emulators. (although most are rubbish...still I've attached them (except the nes one. thats really poor!! XD) , but make sure you rename them back to title (bar the rin one of course!))
Still, its nice to see someone working on a nice interface
(it would be nice to have a little midi or something playing quietly in the background...)

[basilb]

I think there was a reason the other homebrew launcher channel had a timelimit on it, as with the snes9x channel


-nevermind I misunderstood, it doesn't install itself to the main wii channel board. It'll be more worthwhile when the wiimote gets working with homebrew.

[Bobelvago]

Awesome! But the only emulators I have are SNES/RIN [I don't have USBGhecko]. Are there any other emulators that do not require USB Ghecko?

[Ryan915]

There wasn't until vicious1988 released an updated NES emulator for the Wii about an hour ago now. This release supports front SD loading: http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=103261

[Bobelvago]

OMG NES!

My life is now complete, Vicious is amazing!

So only NES,SNES, and RIN now eh? Alright cool :D.

[Sir_Voe]

There's also Genesis Plus and ScummVM.

[supersoni88]

I like this!
I've already made icons for all the Wii emulators. (although most are rubbish...still I've attached them (except the nes one. thats really poor!! XD) , but make sure you rename them back to title (bar the rin one of course!))
Still, its nice to see someone working on a nice interface
(it would be nice to have a little midi or something playing quietly in the background...)

not bad..i have some icons made too :p


here, remember to rename each of them "title.bmp" otherwise they wont show when u boot up the launcher

[supersoni88]

OMG NES!

My life is now complete, Vicious is amazing!

So only NES,SNES, and RIN now eh? Alright cool :D.

you forgot genesis plus...it has front SD support now :p

[Ryan915]

Wow didn't know that, last time I heard it required an SDGecko. Did it even get posted on DCEmu?

[Adyum]

Nope it is only posted on the site where the dev is happening. You should go and download it though.

[supersoni88]

Wow didn't know that, last time I heard it required an SDGecko. Did it even get posted on DCEmu?

yeah it did, i dont think they updated it on the side of the wii news page yet...
here's a link:
http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=102913

[Bobelvago]

http://www.tehskeen.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14325

This?

And whats ScummVM?

[supersoni88]

Nope it is only posted on the site where the dev is happening. You should go and download it though.

see my last post :p

[Bobelvago]

How do you go back to this "homebrew channel" whilst in a emulator or homebrew...?

[Ryan915]

yeah it did, i dont think they updated it on the side of the wii news page yet...
here's a link:
http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=102913
Your link takes you to the SNES9X thread :confused:


How do you go back to this "homebrew channel" whilst in a emulator or homebrew...?
I don't think you can, it would be nice though!

[Bobelvago]

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/9937/titleox0.png

RIN icon :D

[Sir_Voe]

How do you go back to this "homebrew channel" whilst in a emulator or homebrew...?

I know the SNES and Genesis emus have a selection in their menus to allow you to reset and go back to your booting method, which works the other elfloader, and as this seems to be the same thing just with a GUI, it should work.

[spider2745]

How do you go back to this "homebrew channel" whilst in a emulator or homebrew...?

To return to the wii loader menu
in chess press start
in tetris press L or R
in snake press z
in nes and snes9x emulators at the main menu select pso/sd reload
in genplus emulator at the main menu select system reboot
in rin for wii and ballion you cannot you have to turn off the console

[Demonic_Cr0w]

Damn, I can't get the icons to work! the right icon in the folder where the specific homebrew is and it doesn't show up. I rename them title.bmp and everything with the right format and all

[Bobelvago]

How is the tetris homebrew? Is it better then the Tetris and Dr. Mario for SNES or Tetris for NES/Gameboy?

[spider2745]

Damn, I can't get the icons to work! the right icon in the folder where the specific homebrew is and it doesn't show up. I rename them title.bmp and everything with the right format and all

Don't name it title.bmp just name it title i had the same problem

[Demonic_Cr0w]

Thanks bud ^^

[supersoni88]

Your link takes you to the SNES9X thread :confused:


I don't think you can, it would be nice though!

sorry about that...
http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=102995

[supersoni88]

How is the tetris homebrew? Is it better then the Tetris and Dr. Mario for SNES or Tetris for NES/Gameboy?

its not bad, but i recommend tetris and dr mario for the snes :p

[linkinworm]

this works fine for me, the instrustions were a lil confusing, but it works fine for me in PAL60 its better than the SD elf loader, that kinda hurt my eyes because it was like DoS standards

[slipknot1564]

Ill give it a go

[Nintendo Maniac 64]

Being one that takes things literally and is terrible at inferring, I cannot figure out for the life of me how to get this to work. Yes I read the instructions... if you call them instructions XD

Maybe someone could give some help in plain non-translated-jibberish english?

[spider2745]

Wii homebrew launcher Installation guide
step by step instructions

step 1
copy/move the launcher's boot.elf file
to the root of your sd card

step 2
create a folder named homebrew

step 3
create folders for each of your app's
inside the homebrew folder and then name them to match your app's

step 4
copy/move your app's .elf file to the respective
folder's and rename them boot.elf

step 5
create a text file inside your app's folder and rename it title
then write a name for your app inside the text file then exit and save

step 6
create a bitmap image file inside your app's folder
and have the width and height set at 132 x 95 pixels
and at 24 bits bmp then rename it title

hope this helps

EDIT again sorry just read step 5 the name of your app
can be as long as 26 characters max on screen

[Jay6]

Being one that takes things literally and is terrible at inferring, I cannot figure out for the life of me how to get this to work. Yes I read the instructions... if you call them instructions XD

Maybe someone could give some help in plain non-translated-jibberish english?

The boot.elf file goes onto the root of the sdcard. Then you have the Homebrew folder in which you will make a new folder for each emulator you have. Example: SNES9x, genplus, etc..
Inside each of the folders for your emulators, you'll have (snes9x example) your snesgx.dol and the boot.elf file. Additionally, if you make a new text document called title.txt, you can enter the name of the SNES emulator that will show up on the homebrew menu. Also, you can make an image that will appear on your homebrew menu, and it's 132 x 95 pixels. There are some samples in this topic if you need them.
You place roms on the root, where they'd normally go. For SNES, the folder's name is 'roms'...
Is that all you needed to know?

[Nintendo Maniac 64]

Ok, I got the image and homebrew working, but still working on the TXT and name...

EDIT: Got the name half working. It only shows the 1st letter of the name I put in the TXT file.

[kingslime80]

OK. First install the latest Twilight Hack, then clear your SD card.
Next unzip the Launcher and put the .elf file on the root of the card as well as the "homebrew" directory. Rename the .elf file to "boot.elf". Next go into the homebrew directory and create directories for your homebrew that you want to run, such as SNES or Gameboy. Keep in mind these names CANNOT be more then 8 letters in leignth.
Now your ready to unzip the Homebrew into their newly made folders, renaming the .elf files to "boot.elf" as you go. Since their all in their seperate folders this should pose no problem.
At this point you should note, the "roms" directory for the SNES9x emulator needs to be in the root of the card anyways, as does the "nesroms" directory for the FCEUltra (NES) Emulator. The Gameboy games for RinWII can be anywhere, just keep track of them.
renaming the roms to 8-character names also helps display names for them.

I just wish someone could ecplain how to use the files for the "channel" windows for this system, I can't get them to work.

[spider2745]

They have to be 132 x 95 pixels
and at 24 bits bmp format
and name them just title lose the .bmp

[Nintendo Maniac 64]

I said I have the images working, but not the TXT name file thingy.

And note, actually having the .bmp works, but I'm assuming that what you're thinking is adding it to the name and not the actual extension part (I have file extensions shown at the end of filenames in my OS setup)

EDIT: Oh wait, was the above post to the post 2 up? >_> None the less, I still can't get the TXT part to work

[spider2745]

Forget the text file just name the folder the elf is in to match
example name the folder that the tetris elf is in tetris
sorry

[Nintendo Maniac 64]

Well, it's just that I wanted to use a name longer than 8 characters :P

EDIT: What sucks though is that since I'm using the same SD card for Wii homebrew that I am for DS homebrew, I have all my SNES roms in the folder "SNES" for SNEmulDS, but Snes9X for Wii needs them in the folder "roms" >_<

[Sir_Voe]

Well, it's just that I wanted to use a name longer than 8 characters :P

EDIT: What sucks though is that since I'm using the same SD card for Wii homebrew that I am for DS homebrew, I have all my SNES roms in the folder "SNES" for SNEmulDS, but Snes9X for Wii needs them in the folder "roms" >_<

Just open your SnemulDS .cfg file in a text editor and change the rom path from SNES to roms.

[spider2745]

Well you could copy the roms from one folder
to another if you have the space that's what i did

and as for the losing the .bmp just
don't put it in the file name it's already
a bitmap file so your really naming it title.bmp.bmp

[kingslime80]

They have to be 132 x 95 pixels
and at 24 bits bmp format
and name them just title lose the .bmp

I used the examples made earlier in the post, I put them in their appropriate folders and named them "title", no extention, no ".", but they STILL won't show up. What am I doing wrong?

[spider2745]

you have it named just title
width and height set at 132 x 95 pixels
and at 24 bits bmp right
the only other thing i can think of
is to check the size of the file the correct size is 36.7 KB

[Nintendo Maniac 64]

Well, I put the BMP file extension and it actually worked; just make sure you're making .BMP part of the extension, not part of the name!

[spider2745]

Yeah just name it title the .bmp file extension
is already there that's what's confusing about
the guide on the first page they want you to
name it title.bmp but the file extension is already
there i only got it working by accadent

[houseonfire]

The last one had a time limit... does this one?

[tehnoir]

The last one had a time limit... does this one?

By "last one" I assume you mean the homebrew channel...which this is not.
There is not a time limit on this, but don't confuse yourself. This is also not the same thing (or even similar for that matter) to previously released homebrew with time limits.

This launcher simply uses a Wii channel-esque display to show the various ELFs on your SD.

[Ryan915]

The WiiBrew page for this launcher contains some good info that might help a few people who are having trouble: http://wiibrew.org/index.php?title=Homebrew_apps/Wii_Homebrew_Launcher

They also have a homebrew pack that you can download which contains "8 Wii homebrew apps in the correct format for the launcher (including images)".

[spider2745]

Well, it's just that I wanted to use a name longer than 8 characters :P

Create a text file inside your app's folder and rename it title
then write a name for your app inside the text file then exit and save
it can be as long as at least 20 characters from what i've tried out

EDIT you can fit 26 characters max on screen

[Foose12]

This is exactly what I needed. One thing though. Is there a way to change the order that the apps are displayed?

[spider2745]

This is exactly what I needed. One thing though. Is there a way to change the order that the apps are displayed?

Yes first make sure your homebrew folder is empty
if you have any app's folders in there move them out
then move them back in 1 by 1 in the order you want them to appear

[Foose12]

Yes first make sure your homebrew folder is empty
if you have any app's folders in there move them out
then move them back in 1 by 1 in the order you want them to appear

Thanks, worked great:thumbup:

[Mr.Guy]

I know this inst the place to ask but would it be possible for someone to make a AR gamecube homebrew that works for the Wii? I'd rather not shill out 40 bucks for the Datel one. It would also be an other way to test the water and see if its possible.

[tehnoir]

I know this inst the place to ask

Then don't. Post it where it belongs.

[Mr.Guy]

Then don't. Post it where it belongs.

I would but they wont allow me to post a new thread you try it and see what I mean.

[masterchief929]

ok, i am a little worried about trying any homebrew on my wii.

First: is there any risk of damaging or ruining my wii?

Second: after i use the Twilight princess hack can i still play the game after i remove all the home brew files?

Third: if there is a risk of ruining/damaging my wii, what are the chances of that happening?

[tehnoir]

ok, i am a little worried about trying any homebrew on my wii.

First: is there any risk of damaging or ruining my wii?

Second: after i use the Twilight princess hack can i still play the game after i remove all the home brew files?

Third: if there is a risk of ruining/damaging my wii, what are the chances of that happening?

1&3) Naturally. You're running things on your Wii that aren't necessarily supposed to be on there. However, you can mitigate these risks by being careful about what you put on there. As you can see, not many (any?) people have reported bricking their Wii from using homebrew apps. But you also have to consider IOS37. If you do install any homebrew apps, don't install any Nintendo updates until they've been inspected by the homebrew community and risk has been accessed.

2) Back up your TP save first. i.e. - Save your TP save file to an SD card and back it up to your computer before installing the loader. Then, if you want to play Zelda, you can erase the save game of the exploit and replace it with your backed up original save.

[masterchief929]

thanks! thats very reassuring! im gonna go use the twilight hack now.

[Jay84Jay]

cant wait for the wiimote version of this , great stuff !

[spider2745]

Wii homebrew launcher version 3 released

http://wiihomebrewlauncher.be.cx/

version 3

http://perso.latribu.com/decker/wii/download/WiiHL-03.zip

mario theme

http://perso.latribu.com/decker/wii/download/Theme-Mario.zip

english translation of the loader's homebrew menu

http://perso.latribu.com/decker/wii/download/Lang-En.zip

installation

i'm assuming you already have a homebrew folder created on your sd card ok

step 1
move version's 3 boot.elf and the system folder to the root of your sd card

step 2
to apply the mario theme move the mario theme folder to the system folder on your sd card

step 3
to apply the english translation to the loader's homebrew menu
move the lang.ini file to the config folder inside the system folder on your sd card

improvements from version 2 to version 3

the ability to add customized themes
the number of characters you can fit on screen max
using the title text file has gone up from 26 to 38
pressing start on your controller brings up the homebrew menu
where yon can restart the loader reboot your wii or turn your wii off

[iSynic]

Very nice, thanks for the heads up.