Modded Nintendo Consoles: Enhancing Gaming Experience with Mods

Modifying gaming consoles and using unofficial accessories to play backed-up games is discussed, highlighting potential risks and benefits.

### Modding Nintendo Consoles and Games: Tips, Risks, and Future of Retro Gaming
* 🎮  The MIG Switch is a modified cartridge that makes playing backed-up Switch games easy without requiring **rare hardware revisions or mod chips**.
* 🕹️  Modding the Wii U with custom firmware unlocks the ability to play **backups and GameCube ISOs** without an **emulation performance hit**.
* 🖥️  Modding the Wii for HDMI output improves the visual quality by **disabling Nintendo's native 1080p scaling and smear filter**.
* 🎮  The Mr. FPGA project offers a **nearly perfectly accurate retro gaming experience** in one tiny box, with cores available for **consoles up to the 5th generation**.
* 💰  While modding can be seen as piracy by Nintendo, history shows that **making paying for games a better experience** is the most effective way to combat piracy.
* 🔒  Nintendo's current approach to shutting down mods may not work in the long term due to **hackers outsmarting DRM schemes**.
* 🔄  Projects like N64 RECM simplify recompiling fifth-generation Nintendo games for PC, unlocking **quality of life upgrades** like widescreen support and higher frame rates.
* 🚀  Rocket money offers a subscription management service that helps users **track and cancel subscriptions easily**.

this dangerous modified cartridge makes playing backed-up Switch games so easy that anyone can do it. No rare hardware revisions, no mod chips, nothing. And when I say dangerous, I don't mean to you, you'll be fine. I mean for me. If this video gets taken down, the MIG Switch is going to be the reason. You see, I'm not doing anything illegal, and I won't be violating any of Nintendo's copyrights in this video. But what I will be doing is showing you guys some accessories and modifications that Nintendo wishes were illegal, and they are well known for. Oh, we're back. That's great. Well, quick before it happens again, let me tell you about our sponsor, Hetzner. They offer GDPR-compliant high-performance cloud servers, which consist of on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs on a metered pay-as-you-go basis. Don't miss out and use code LT24 at the link below for €20 off. Well, if the goal was for me to not be able to tell that I've got a pirate cartridge in here, mission accomplished. This feels exactly

like the real thing, and that's because as far as your switch can tell, it is the original cartridge. Now, we may never find out who exactly is making the Mig switch. I mean, sure, Mr. Bowser, a notorious Nintendo hacker, SL main villain, got out of jail the year prior to its release, and sure, his email was tied to the product's URL for a second, but come on, Nintendo's leash on him is so tight that they allegedly garnished $175 of his prison wage. And besides, it takes a lot longer than that to design a tool that is this seamless and sophisticated. To use it, all you need is the Mig switch itself, your switch console, and the contents of your own authentic game cartridge, which you can obtain using either the Mig switch dumper accessory or the Mig dump tool app. We're going to have more of a guide-style video for some of the too-hot-for-YouTube stuff that we're doing today over at lg. g/f floatplane, but at least for this mod, I think you guys will

figure it out on your own. It's not perfect as of right now. It's pretty hard to get your hands on the dumper. And if your intention was to use it for pirating switch games, you should be warned that it is hard to find ROMs in the correct format online. Also, if you intend to use a ROM that you obtained via illegitimate means online, be warned that logging in with a card that has been ripped and used by multiple people could easily get you flagged if Nintendo decides to employ very Draconian countermeasures against this device. Now, I have my doubts about them doing that since this would also impact the owners of secondhand games, but Nintendo has done some pretty surprising stuff in the past. Speaking of the ghosts of Nintendo's past, with two more eShop closures in 2023, the only Nintendo approved way to grow your Wii U library is to pay the exorbitant collector taxes for those sweet teal DVD cases. But this video isn't about the Nintendo approved way, is it? It's modding.

time folks. Thanks to the helpful folks over at Wii U Hack.GU, you too can have your Wii U swearing allegiance to the flag in less than 30 minutes. Custom firmware unlocks the ability to play backups, as well as unlocking hidden features like compatibility with Gamecube isos in hardware. That's right, my friends, no emulation performance hit. To oversimplify things a little bit, the Wii U's Espresso processor is essentially three Wii CPUs duct-taped together, which each in turn are the Gamecube's Gecko chip on steroids. The Wii U system controller then just adjusts the cores, disables some RAM, and enables a hidden GPU block, and baby, you're Cuban. Man, I have really got to do this to mind three generations of hardware-level Nintendo game support, and that is on top of the dozens of other machines that you can emulate, that is depending on the OS that you choose to install. Now the standard moving forward is Aroma, but a lot of Homebrew is still awaiting compatibility updates, so we'd recommend installing both it and the older TI Misu.

to your SD card. In the meantime, and there you have it, a modded Wii U is the easiest option if you want an almost One-Stop shop Nintendo machine. But is it the best option? Well, actually, maybe not. You see, because the Wii U was outsold by its older brother seven times over, it happens to be seven times rarer and therefore about seven times as expensive. So, if you need an HDMI output but you're not interested in the shrinking list of Wii U-only titles, the HDMI mod for the original Wii might be a better option. It grabs a digital signal right from the graphics chain, so there's no crappy conversion. But be warned, this install is definitely for advanced users only. But there are some very compelling reasons to put in the effort. The Wii has built-in hardware support for GameCube controllers, memory cards, and discs. It has a much bigger modding scene, so it's easier to find resources, and it doesn't require you to switch from TV to Gamepad in order to navigate menus. It also looks

a lot better, which I know sounds crazy, but hear me out. While the Wii U scales OG Wii games to 1080p for its HDMI output, it doesn't do it well. And yes, the Wii's output is blurry too, but that's only if you do things Nintendo's way. You see, instead of pushing more pixels or using sophisticated post-processing hardware in order to enhance smoothness, Nintendo chose to implement two visual shortcuts that seriously degrade the Wii's output. The first is that in widescreen mode, games are just natively rendered in 4x3, then they're stretched for the final output widescreen, more like wide scam. And the second, and more egregious of the two, was their smear filter that was meant to mitigate the flicker of interlaced video and also serve as a form of rudimentary anti-aliasing. Thankfully, with a modded Wii system, you can toggle these options off, and the soft mod is even simpler than the one for the Wii U. Just follow the guide at we.hack.gu.

install USB loader GX to The Homebrew Channel and disable both filters. At will, now there are times when you might want to leave the frame buffer option enabled in order to preserve the shape of onscreen objects, but other times, I promise that you will notice a significant improvement in both the analog signals. And assuming yours is modded, the HDMI output, which by the way, can both be used simultaneously even while playing GameCube games. Super cool for streamers. Speaking of the GameCube, the list of possible upgrades feels endless for this guy. Want a quieter fan? Great mod. A cheap connector onto a better one. Want to throw out this stupid brick of a power brick? Drop in a new type-C power board. Wired cables and high wave bird prices got you down? How about this Bluetooth compatible input board from Laser Bear. Now of course, none of those things really fit in with our title, so let's talk about playing backed up games. Now you could wait for the flippy drive to become available soon TM. It's going to

be less than $40, and we'll have a solderless install using this nifty folding cable that slides between the optical disc and the motherboard connectors. Anyone who pre-ordered is going to be able to play both backup ISOs and physical discs, which isn't a given for most drop-in optical drive emulators. But pre-order, that doesn't help me today, does it? So instead, we've used less than $5 worth of parts, a Micro SD card, and a soldering iron, and embarked upon an adventure of Pico booting our lunchbox and unlocking the wonders of the Galaxy Ube. You can back up your games, load up some homebrew, or our favorite, you can use your Game Boy Player without that stupidly expensive disc that you lost years ago. The non-official Game Boy experience is honestly better anyway. Once you've installed the mods you want, hey, maybe treat yourself to a shell replacement for both the console and the Game Boy Player to give it a Y2K aesthetic that would make Joanna Dark's

highlights blush speaking of Y2K. If you want to play N64 games, notice we don't have one of those consoles on the table. That's cuz you don't need one. Instead, you can get a Mr. FPGA and use the N64 core. Now, regular viewers of this Channel or who follow the Retro Gaming scene probably already know that the Mr. FPGA is an open-source project that aims to use programmable Hardware to provide a nearly perfectly accurate retro experience in one tiny box. And there are cores from more than just the N64. Pretty much anything up to the 50 generation of gaming, including retro PC platforms, can be not emulated but almost replicated in Hardware. There are a ton of options for parts, accessories, and cases. This retro Castle aluminum case is Bob from retro RGB's favorite one, so it's our favorite too. He's a great guy. But in the past, you were always locked to the de10 Nano, a development board that has more than doubled in Price ever since Terasic saw a jump in demand and figured out that

Gamers were using it to play games. Thankfully, though, a clone board using the same FPGA chip is coming soon TM at the D1's original $99 price tag. Just uh, don't tell Nintendo. Speaking of, if you're even more price conscious, you'll be glad to know that PC software emulation is better than ever, and not just for the N64. Dolphin, the best GameCube and Wii Emulator, can boost both smoothness and fidelity, and all it costs you is a little bit of ACC accuracy. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are other projects like N64 RECM that are providing tools to simplify recompiling the code of fifth generation Nintendo games to run natively on PC. This will unlock quality of life upgrades like widescreen support and higher frame rates to make them more enjoyable than ever before. In fact, this one might be worth a dedicated video. So uh, give us a thumbs up and leave a comment if that's what you want to see. I can't wait to see some of the mods that

are going to show up for the these older games mods can long extend the life of products that you already own. And while I understand Nintendo's perspective that this type of modding is tantamount to piracy, which harms their bottom line in the short term, it's clear from their current diversification strategy that at least someone over there understands that there are other ways to capitalize on their beloved IP that can not only be less antagonistic toward their fans but also more lucrative for everyone else over at Nintendo. Here's what I'll say about the current approach to shutting down the kinds of mods that we've looked at today, especially for stuff you don't sell anymore. One, it's not going to work on their own principles, such as they are; hackers will outsmart your DRM scheme. Two, some of the highest software attach rates of consoles past were easy targets for pirates, meaning there may not be a direct long-term correlation between a platform's resilience to piracy and higher game sales. And number three, history has shown that the only way to

effectively combat theft or piracy is to make paying for games a better experience than downloading them. And I promise you that if Nintendo Hardware was the best and smoothest way to experience Nintendo software, switch emulation on handheld PCS wouldn't seem like such a threat. Just like our sponsor won't seem like a threat thanks to the smooth segue to Rocket money. At this point, it seems like almost every product and service has moved to a subscription model, which can make it all too easy for your hard-earned cash to start disappearing from your bank account. But Rocket money wants to help by putting control back in your capable hands. Are you getting lost in the weeds of all those subscriptions? Rocket money makes it simple to round them all up and cancel the ones you don't use. Just a couple clicks and you're free. The best part, they can even help with things like your phone or internet bill. Just upload your bill onto Rocket money and they can negotiate the best rates on your behalf. Go to Rocket money.com/lt or click the

link in the description to get started for free. You can also unlock even more features with premium. If you guys enjoyed this video, maybe check out the one we did on upgrading older gaming machines like my Sega Game Gear and David who wrote this video's PlayStation vaa.

5 Mods Nintendo wishes were Illegal

Linus Tech Tips is a passionate team of "professionally curious" experts in consumer technology and video production who aim to educate and entertain.


Linus Tech Tips

The MIG Switch: A Controversial Tool for Playing Backed-Up Games

The MIG Switch allows easy playing of backed-up Switch games without the need for rare hardware or mod chips, potentially causing a takedown of the video.

It functions seamlessly with the Switch console and authentic game cartridges, but obtaining the necessary tools for the mod can be challenging.

Using the MIG Switch for pirating games comes with the risk of being flagged by Nintendo for using illegitimate ROMs and shared game cards.

GU allows for Wii U modding, offering game backups and Gamecube compatibility without performance issues.

However, the original Wii with an HDMI mod may be a better option due to its greater availability, lower cost, built-in GameCube support, and better video output.

The modded Wii also provides an easier soft mod process and the ability to toggle visual enhancement options for improved output quality.

Upgrading Your GameCube: A Guide to Mods and Accessories

You can enhance your GameCube with mods like a quieter fan, a new power board, and a Bluetooth compatible input board.

A flippy drive is also on the horizon for playing backed up games without soldering.

FPGA to play N64 games and other retro gaming cores, offering a wide range of gaming options.

The Retro Castle aluminum case is a popular choice for housing these modifications, providing a stylish and functional upgrade for your GameCube.

A new clone board with the same FPGA chip as the original is coming soon at the original $99 price.

PC software emulation, especially for N64, GameCube, and Wii games, is improving in smoothness and fidelity.

Projects like N64 RECM are simplifying the recompiling of fifth generation Nintendo games for native PC play, offering quality of life upgrades.

Improving the Gaming Experience and Managing Subscriptions

Making the gaming experience with Nintendo hardware smoother can help combat switch emulation and piracy.

Rocket Money offers a solution to easily manage and cancel subscriptions, putting control back in the user's hands.

The service also provides assistance in negotiating the best rates for bills, offering a way to take charge of personal finances.