So I started cloning the Wii U gamepad [video]

(youtube.com)

79 points | by ingve 5 days ago ago

9 comments

  • hmm37 4 days ago ago

    This is great. A few years ago, I decided to buy a WII U, since I have basically every Nintendo console system since the NES. But the gamepad screen was broken and I couldn't sync the gamepad to the screen until I fixed it. And I tried to see if there was any alternative, but there wasn't until now. Hopefully that means more WII Us can be saved... You can sometimes find used Wii Us for $30 without the gamepad, while the gamepad itself costs around $100..

    • lathiat 7 hours ago ago

      Yeah. As noted in the video the only way to get a new one was via a support process with Nintendo and they ran out of stock in 2024.

  • csb6 5 days ago ago

    Here is a link to the repository for the gamepad simulator: https://github.com/vanilla-wiiu/vanilla

  • saagarjha 8 hours ago ago

    I wonder if you could run this on the Steam Deck or similar hardware.

    • homarp 7 hours ago ago

      per the github repo:

      What devices are supported?

          Steam Deck
          Linux (check Wi-Fi hardware compatibility)
          Nintendo Switch (requires Broadcom firmware patch or external Wi-Fi adapter)
          Android (currently frontend only)
          Windows (currently frontend only)
          Raspberry Pi (requires external Wi-Fi adapter)
          iOS - Coming soon
    • chocochunks 5 hours ago ago

      You can. It works really well, except for not supporting the Wii U power button and not yet allowing button reconfig. The latter is annoying because you are using Xbox bindings on Nintendo.

  • zoklet-enjoyer 8 hours ago ago

    Oh wow. I never played my Wii U without the gamepad, so I didn't know this. Makes sense that the gamepads are still as expensive as they are.

  • kh_hk 3 hours ago ago

    So I see the merit of a well produced video, don't get me wrong. But wasn't this a bit of a lot of bluff for not so much content?

    • Someone1234 3 hours ago ago

      My impression the video isn't designed for people "inside baseball," and tries to establish context for "What even is this thing that you're working on?" I guess the author could add a skip if viewers don't want 5-minutes~ of Wii U background/context.

      Here is a rough timestamped-link for skipping the context:

      https://youtu.be/jlbcKuDEBw8?si=X1S3g2npigtWf5bk&t=303