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Wii U
Wii U |
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Developer: Nintendo
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This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes. |
The Wii U is Nintendo's third disc-based home console. Its main gimmick over its predecessor was its reliance on the GamePad, a large tablet controller which added touch screen functionality to games and could also function as a main screen in the absence of a TV. Despite a generally solid first-party library, it suffered from a severe lack of third-party support.
Additionally, Nintendo couldn't reduce the price due to high production costs, the GamePad was considered too bulky/redundant/confusing by most third-party developers, and customers were thrown off by the all-too-similar name to its predecessor. Unsurprisingly, it was discontinued after four years of support on January 31, 2017, with the Switch releasing 1 month later.
To do:
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Contents
Sub-Page
Notes |
Unused Boot Screens
DUMMY
Found within the folder /storage_mlc/sys/title/00050010/10066000/meta are some dummy boot screen images in standard TGA format. The title it belongs to is identified as simply "ecop". The dummy icon is also used in discs' update partitions and some kiosk (CAT-I RTL) demos on kiosk unit install discs.
"drc" is the internal name for the GamePad.
Wii U-Wii U System Transfer
The system transfer file has a few graphics left in its "meta" folder, instead of some placeholders. This suggests that originally the transfer tool was going to be an app rather than a mode in the system settings. The splash boot screen for the DRC and TV are the same, just different sizes.
Early App Icons
These are all early versions of the icon graphics used for the default apps in the Wii U. They are located in a file called OfficialAppIcon.szs, which is found in a couple of directories, with one exception.
Something you'll notice with the early icons (counting out the ones with 仮's) is that they sport a darker version of the spotted background used in the final icons.
Hidden Screenshots
Hidden inside 00050010/10040100/content/Us/Model/AccountTvCap_Us/gsys.bfres are two early screenshots of the Wii U.
Text |
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本体に新しいユーザーを追加します。 |
Translation |
Added new user to this unit. |
An early screenshot of the account creator, named acsCreate_sys1_001A0. It is copied with different language tags at the end for each supported language, as if it were "translated".
A screenshot of a very early build of the System Settings app. It even uses the prototype Gamepad design! The name of the graphic is update.
The text translates as...
Text | Translation |
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ここにボタンの名前を入る | Insert the button's name here |
トップ メニュー | Top Menu |
全項目 | All Items |
(日)付と時刻 | Date and Time |
テレビ画面 | TV Screens |
テレビサウンド | TV Sound |
Wii Uコントローラ | Wii U Controller |
Wiiリモコンセンサー(バー) | Wii Remote Sensor Bar |
やめる | Quit |
eShop Icon Mistake
This placeholder icon is used in the USA Wii U eShop metadata for the Nintendo 3DS version of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (and its demo, but only the former can be seem through the eShop interface as non-Wii U demos' icons don't appear in the Wii U eShop interface). The icon has the last modified date of Tue, 29 Nov 2016 01:11:29 GMT.
DS Virtual Console Development Text
Welcome to Hachihachi ! Choose your ROM with the Wii U GamePad: Unable to delete FS client for the SD card! Unable to add FS client for the SD card! Unable to mount the SD card! - B to exit to parent directory - A to enter a directory or launch a ROM C:\Dev\Mercurial\hanafuda\hachihachi-packaging\hachihachi\source\host\rom_selector.cpp
It seems the developers behind the Nintendo DS Virtual Console had the ability to switch ROMs on the fly. "Hachihachi" seems to be the internal name of the emulator itself. "Hanafuda" are a type of Japanese playing cards, and were Nintendo's flagship product in the pre-video game era.
Media Player Test File
The file mvplayer.rpl in the directory for WebKit files contains URLs for videos that were likely tested with the Wii U during development. The domain doesn't resolve to an IP address, so it's possible that the server is down or these URLs could have only been accessed through Nintendo's internal network. This file can also be found in several games that utilize the Nintendo Web Framework.
http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/youtube-sh-720p.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/stream/bipbop/bipbopall.m3u8 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/apple-sh-1080p.mov http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/Motocross_720p_30fps_noaudio.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/audio/audio-tron-legacy-the-grid.m4a http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/audio/audio-girl-talk-play-your-part.m4a http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/stream/key1_iv1_20s/crypt_index.m3u8 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/mobiclip-batman-1080p-m.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/school.f4v http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/BigBuckBunny_1080p.f4v http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/sony-nex5N-1080p.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/qtredirect1/thumb.mov http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/home_1080p-muxed.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/PS3_BIOHAZARD_720_9000kbps.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/PeakPrecision_V2.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/skyloft.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/stream/10309/tnMmRuNDpPZGSugjcn3u6Rms4QSiS63S.m3u8 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/nikon-d7000-1080p.mov http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/PS3_FFXIII_1080_9000kbps.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/PS3_PULSE_1080_10000kbps.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/vimeo.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/Come_Follow_Me.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/rocketstart_wobbly.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/stream/relative-url/hit.m3u8?arg=foo/bar http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/Unboxing_MediaPlayer_SDK_720p.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/sony-psn-god-of-war-III-720p.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/imdb1.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/imad07.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/ustream.ts http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/video/Small_Potatoes_Episode_2_b010pyk0.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/audio/AAC-LC_Mono_48000Hz_WonderfulTonight.mp4 http://keyframe.ntd.nintendo.com/original/stream/byterange_apple/index.m3u8
Nintendo 64 Virtual Console Internal Project Name
The internal project name of the Nintendo 64 Virtual Console emulator is "VESSEL", according to multiple strings in the rpx.
Build Dates and Other Text
Home Menu
There's the revision number present in Common/System/revision.txt. It's the same for every region.
v0 | v24 | v35 | v72 |
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19194 |
23164 |
23271 |
25520 |
v84 | v153 | v169 | v180 |
25520 |
34999 |
37525 |
38945 |
There's a timestamp present in Common/System/timeStampV.txt or Common/System/timeStamp.txt. Again, it's the same for each region.
v0 | v24 | v35 | v72 |
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2012/08/23 18:55 |
2012/11/05 20:58 |
2012/11/21 14:05 |
2013/04/11 14:58 |
v84 | v153 | v169 | v180 |
2013/04/11 14:58 |
2014/05/08 09:07 |
2014/09/05 15:35 |
2015/04/27 16:05 |
System Settings
There's the revision number present in Common/System/revision.txt. It's the same for every region.
v0 | v24 | v35 | v72 | v84 |
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19210 |
23159 |
23271 |
25519 |
26478 |
v137 | v153 | v164 | v178 | v257 EUR |
34999 |
37525 |
37897 |
38928 |
39222 |
There's a timestamp present in Common/System/timeStampV.txt or Common/System/timeStamp.txt. Again, it's the same for each region.
v0 | v24 | v35 | v72 | v84 |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012/08/23 18:55 |
2012/11/05 15:43 |
2012/11/21 14:05 |
2013/04/10 21:04 |
2013/06/21 14:42 |
v137 | v153 | v164 | v178 | v257 EUR |
2014/05/08 09:07 |
2014/09/05 15:35 |
2014/10/22 15:05 |
2015/04/17 13:56 |
2019/05/21 09:57 |
GamePad Factory Mode
Please elaborate. Having more detail is always a good thing. Specifically: What byte(s) in the EEPROM needs to be changed to active the factory mode? |
A factory diagnostics utility is present in the GamePad firmware. There is a flag in the EEPROM that controls whether diagnostics is enabled. It was disabled before GamePads left the factory, but at least one GamePad was known to have left the factory with diagnostics enabled. It can also be activated by inserting an unknown debugging device (probably used with gamepad repairs) into the accessory port.
Revisional Differences
To do: There are more drastic changes. |
The Nintendo TVii option was removed on August 11, 2015 following the discontinuation of the service. The application itself wasn't actually removed however, and can still be opened through the quick start menu, although it gives a network error message after loading.
From version 1.0.0 to 5.2.0, the menu design was completely different from the current one, with icons in different positions and an overall different menu design.
Old | New |
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- Pages missing developer references
- Games developed by Nintendo
- Pages missing publisher references
- Games published by Nintendo
- Wii U games
- Pages missing date references
- Games released in 2012
- Games with hidden development-related text
- Games with unused graphics
- Games with debugging functions
- Games with revisional differences
- Works In Progress
- To do
- Articles requiring elaboration
- BIOS/Firmware ROMs
Cleanup > Articles requiring elaboration
Cleanup > Pages missing date references
Cleanup > Pages missing developer references
Cleanup > Pages missing publisher references
Cleanup > To do
Cleanup > Works In Progress
Games > BIOS/Firmware ROMs
Games > Games by content > Games with debugging functions
Games > Games by content > Games with hidden development-related text
Games > Games by content > Games with revisional differences
Games > Games by content > Games with unused graphics
Games > Games by developer > Games developed by Nintendo
Games > Games by platform > Wii U games
Games > Games by publisher > Games published by Nintendo
Games > Games by release date > Games released in 2012