Wii U

Brick related

1. WiiUBru brick database
2. Hardmod guide (SLC)
3. Punderino's packaging of SystemConfigTool is safe to install on rednand (of course), and sysnand only if you have CBHC. Uninstall it before removing CBHC, and be careful as it's easy to accidentally format your console if you don't think before clicking! And to be honest, as cool as it is, all its features (on a retail console) can be done manually or with other tools... If you install it on USB you will need said drive to boot.

Vwii

• Homebrew Channel 1.1.3 wad (also for real Wii)
• Unbricking with a file-level slccmpt backup: restore files with wupserver/ftpiiu, then fix permissions with wupserver
• Miis in Wiimote storage? Download (with NUSDownloader) and install a regular Wii Mii Channel!
• Yes, you can also install the Wii Photo Channel, etc -- or install the weather/news stubs (HAFA, HAGA), open them, and decline the update to access Vwii System Settings! (Just for fun)
• Don't even think of installing Wii Menu or (C)IOS though on Vwii or viceversa!

Secret options

• In system settings, where you can select between Data Management or Format HDD, hold Down+Select+Start. There you can enable dummy HDD access to combat aggressive auto-standby on your drive!
• While on a NNID password field, hold Y+Select+Start on gamepad. This is a "master cookie" feature if you bought the console used or whatever and now can't sign in or create an user.
• In SystemConfigTool or slc:/proc/prefs/nn.xml you can allegedly turn off update checking, but it might only apply to dev consoles. It also doesn't say updates of what...

3DS

ARM9LoaderHax speedrun

On 2017-1-6, I became the first person in the world to have uploaded video proof of installing A9LH on a fully updated (11.2) and unmodded New 3DS.

I did take a small risk, as OTPless installation carries an approximately 3% chance of failure, but this actually was a non-issue as I already had a NAND backup from the first time I hacked it, over a year and half ago!

I also didn't do my best (hesitated a little on the home menu), yet nobody to the best of my knowledge tried to beat me yet :)

For more information, including the rules I set for speedrunning this "game", please see the video description.

Custom Firmware

1. Wolfvak's CakesFW for 11.1 kernel with extra patches included: Cakes CFW for 11.1 kernel
2. Before I switched to Cakes, I mantained my fork of Luma called Puma33DS
3. Reinand just made a comeback with 5.0, this will be interesting

Special Characters

1. Private-use characters of the standard system font
2. Private-use characters of Mario Kart 7
3. Discussion on how to edit the characters of the standard 3DS keyboard and a prebuilt European region keyboard with private-use symbols and hiragana/katakana

Romhacking tools, etc

1. d0k3 provides occasionally updated Windows 32-bit builds of ctrtool, 3dstool, makerom etc. as 3DS-Tools-Collection
2. I wrote half-assed tutorials on using the above for game CXIs and system CFAs. Of course the beauty of these tools is that, by thinking and having the structure of a 3DS title in mind, any combination can be handled!
3. Asdolo's signature has links to his not excellent, but very convenient, VC injectors for Windows!

GBATemp predictions that actually turned out to be true

• "and I wish [Nintendo] would have emailed me a link to the rom hosted on the nitendo servers since I hear you can download at like 10,000kb/s from them!" -- Law, 2010-3-23

  While theorized since the Wii, in March 2016 titlekey exchanges and CDN commercial game downloaders became popular and set a new quality standard for game dumps

• "I would class custom firmware on the 3DS as an actual reflashed physical NAND, which boots directly into your modified system menu, without booting first, and then requiring button presses to launch the hack." -- Jao Chu, 2014-11-30

  Between 13 and 16 months later depending on your technical skill, A9LH happened (and set a new quality standard for CFW booting), not to mention the future sighax.

• "Explain to me how rxtools [then 2.2.1] is contributing to piracy then." -- zoogie, 2015-3-20

  Just a couple months later RxPasta, a unauthorized fork with sigpatches, happened. Then RxTools 2.5 with sigpatches. Needless to say, it set a new standard for CFWs.

• "I am hoping that one day that I can finally sign up to the Nintendo Developer Portal and get the latest SDK and Unity for N3DS for personal use" -- Voxel Studios, 2016-4-6

  Of course, Nintendo had to open developer registrations to everyone (conspiracist would say to compete with freely distributable homebrew). And it set a new standard for dev tool warezers, not having to rely on Ryanrocks or Chinese uploaders anymore!

DS and DSi

Shop closure and what it means for hacking

1. 2016-9-31: Adding credit becomes impossible (at least without calling nintendo?) thus blocking most people from purchasing formerly-exploitable DSiWare (which can be exploited with hardmod)
2. 2017-3-1: Ticket generation disabled, all new purchases will be impossible. But until that you can still get Opera and Flipnote, which are enough to get the nand key for hardmodding (itself enough for fixing the iEvolution)
3. 2017-12-31?: Shop completely closed, no more redownloads.

3 partially overlapping ways to run DSi HB

• CycloDS iEvolution: DS and DSi homebrews and (physical game) roms, but it was discontinued very early and its compatibility is low compared to more reputable DS-mode flashcards (R4ids.cn Gold, Acekard 2i, DStwo). It and the Acekard don't work on a fully updated system either. Hardmod time, and on a DSi you will understand why it's called hardmod.
• Biggest Loser: Requires the old model wifi card (DWM-015), a very cheap but unpopular shovelware, a save programmer, and a PC on the same network handy every time you want to use it...
• DSiWare exploits: Not possible on a fully updated system (hardmod, again) and/or if you didn't buy them while you could!

Note how the compatibility of these 3 methods is different!

Recommended flashcards

1. Original R4 (r4ds.cn, r4ds.com, unbranded rereleases)

   Buy it at: NDS-Card

   Compatibility: DS, DS Lite, 3DS with CFW

   Pros: Very cheap, unbrickable, excellent compatibility when used with Wood kernel

   Cons: No SDHC support (more than lack of space, the issue is that 2 GB cards are expensive nowadays, running for the same prices as a cheap but good 16/32)

2. R4i Gold (r4ids.cn ONLY) and R4i DSN

   Buy it at: NDS-Card

   Compatibility: All DS/DSi/3DS

   Pros: Cheap, excellent compatibility when used with Wood kernel

   Cons: Nothing in particular

3. Supercard DSTwo (supercard.sc)

   Buy it at: NDS-Card

   Compatibility: All DS/DSi/3DS

   Pros: Independent CPU for higher performance video decoding, SNES/GBA/PC emulation and more

   Cons: Expensive, high power drain

4. CycloDS iEvolution

Buy it at: Shop01Media

Compatibility: DS, DS Lite, DSi 1.4.3 and less, 3DS 2.x and less, 3DS with CFW

Pros: Runs DSi physical games and homebrews

Cons: Discontinued, rare and expensive for its below average (for 2012 and on) compatibility that won't improve

Piracy is the only option‽

(Coming Soon)

Super Mario 64 DS blockless challenge

1. World 1-5: Should be possible
2. World 1 100 coins: Slightly tedious but confirmed possible
3. World 2: All 8 possible
4. World 3-6: Impossible, requires vanish cap
5. World 3-7: Impossible, requires metal cap
6. World 4: all 8 possible
7. World Mario: Only switch star possible
8. World 5: Walljump to get to Luigi's world
9. World Luigi: No stars possible? will have to double check
10. World 5-5: Use Luigi's backflip to get to Big Boo, then backflip and floating jump to get on the roof. Not very easy!
11. World 5-6: Impossible, requires vanish cap to reach the room
12. World 6-3: Impossible, requires metal cap
13. World 6-4: Use Luigi's backflip while in a "hole" inside the poison
14. World 6-5: Use Luigi's backflip from a poison-less area with a single Monty mole
15. World 7: All 8 possible
16. World 8-4: You can carefully climb the pillars with a shell (no need to actually get the coins on top of them)... or enter the pyramid normally, stand on the tile in the sand just left of the quicksand directly under the entrance to the tomb, and use Luigi's backflip!
17. World 9-3: Not possible before beating Bowser 2 and getting the poles, unlike with caps :)
18. World 9-4: Impossible, requires metal cap
19. World 9-6: Impossible, requires vanish cap
20. World 9-7: Impossible, must be selected to be obtained

NX/Switch

Who the fuck cares about an expensive console with paid online, that will launch with games initially designed (or even actually released) for the WiiU, but won't be backwards compatible, and for a decent length of time not cheap or hackable?

Update: I have released an emulator webapp.

NES Mini

At least this one has a softmod for games (hakchi2), one for Linux, and the controllers are nice. But I won't be buying the New Nintendo Raspberry Pi either...