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5 Essential Homebrew Applications

By , About.com Guide

So, you’ve installed the homebrew channel on your Wii. Now what? Here are five applications to help you get the most out of your homebrewed Wii.

The Homebrew Browser

There are two ways to install new homebrew games and applications onto your Wii. You can use an SD card reader on your PC, manually copying applications onto your card, or you can use the Homebrew Browser, which lists all of the major Wii homebrew software and lets you install it simply by clicking “download.” This is especially important with software that doesn’t have good installation instructions, like WiiXplorer (see below), which offers a bunch of different files without an explanation of which ones you need and where they go. With HBB, you just download WiiXplorer and you’re done. If your Wii has an internet connection, the Homebrew Browser is definitely the way to go.
Manufacturer's Site

WiiSCU

One of the problems with running homebrew is it makes it highly inadvisable to allow Nintendo to update your Wii’s operating system. Yet, some updates are necessary to run certain things on the Wii, like The Shopping Channel. To the rescue comes WiiSCU. While Wii updates seem like one big update, they are actually made up of a bunch of little updates, and WiiSCU will let you pick and choose which updates you want and only install those.
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WiiMC

Want to watch videos on your Wii? WiiMC is the best Media Player currently available for homebrew.  Slicker and more fully featured than the excellent Mplayer CE, WiiMC  will play DVDs or video files on an SD card or USB drive.  Like Mplayer CE it actually plays more video formats than the PS3.  It also plays MP3s, can be used as a picture viewer and can access radio station services like SHOUTCast Radio.  With a clean, well-designed interface, WiiMC is one of the most professional looking homebrew applications available for Wii homebrew and a model of how things should be done.

Manufacturer's Site

WiiXplorer

Sometimes you have a file on an SD card or a USB drive that you would like to delete or move or rename. Sure, you could just hook the card or drive up to your PC, but with WiiXplorer you don’t have to. A basic file manager for the Wii, this is yet another program that saves you the trouble of getting off the couch.
Manufacturer's Site

Gecko OS

Gecko OSNuke

Gecko OS allows you to play games released in other countries. For some reason, console makers release games in Japan or Europe that only play on consoles sold in Japan or in Europe, meaning if a game you want to play hasn’t been released for the American market, like Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, you’re out of luck. GeckoOS bypasses the Wii's country-specific coding.

Gecko OS also can be used to cheat on games you are stuck in.

It also will run games skipping any unwanted system updates, although there are simpler ways to do so. Like homebrew in general, GeckoOS gives you way more control over your Wii than Nintendo wants you to have.

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