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.
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.
MPlayer CE
Want to watch videos on your Wii? MPlayer CE is a media player that will play DVDs video files on an SD card or USB drive. Admittedly not quite as full featured as the PS3, but it actually plays more video formats.
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.
Gecko OS
GeckoOS 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.
GeckoOS also lets you to play games that insist on system updates you don't want. For example, Super Mario Bros. Wii won't normally run without a system update, but run through Gecko the update is unnecessary. Like homebrew in general, GeckoOS gives you way more control over your Wii than Nintendo wants you to have.
