Although discontinued some time ago, the Nintendo Wii remains the most important console in many players’ lives. It introduced many to gaming who would not have come to it otherwise with its library of easily accessible, fun games and innovative motion controls. Fans still hold a soft spot for its games and many that have not been ported to newer Nintendo consoles are still hoped for. Players were disappointed when, recently, the Amazon listing for a Switch port of Skyward Sword vanished. Hopefully Nintendo will still make the port happen, and maybe even update the game a bit.
Meanwhile, the Wii had a lot going for it during its heyday, setting itself apart from the console battles between the Xbox and PlayStation lines. The Wii remote was a new, highly inclusive controller that allowed for players of all ages to join in on the fun. It has been naturally succeeded by the Switch, but for its time, it was a huge deal.
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Unfortunately, Nintendo Japan has officially ceased repairing the Wii, and the console seems well and truly finished. However, not all of its fans are willing to let the Wii go quietly into the night when there is a use for the console yet. Tech wizard GingerOfMods has created something spectacular: a miniaturized, fully functional Wii shaped like a Gameboy Color. Dubbed the Wiiboy Color by its creator, it can, astoundingly, play Wii games perfectly in a tiny, portable package.
While the recent leak of the Wii Sourcecode may possibly have helped with the Wiiboy Color’s creation, this isn’t GingerOfMods’ first rodeo. He has created other custom console and potable console mods before, and the Wiiboy is the result of a lot of trial and error. It combines parts from a DS Lite and Switch with the trimmed down hardware of the Wii, all inside a custom 3D printed case. The result is a functional, easily portable console that plays Wii games like a dream.
The controls are mapped to a GameCube controller rather than a Wiimote, which makes sense for the way the Wiiboy has the physical buttons and joysticks laid out. There is an option within the console itself to map out controls for games that used the Wiimote exclusively to the Wiiboy’s controls. The console even has the rumble feature essential to some games using the Wiimote. This means that some of the best Wii launch titles can run on the Wiiboy no problem.
The games themselves are stored in a USB cleverly tucked into the casing. This means that hooking the Wiiboy up to the computer allows for players to add even more games easily, which is good because the Wiiboy cannot run discs. Of course, players will have to be careful what they download, as Nintendo is known to come down hard on ROM sites. The Wiiboy is available for purchase through contacting its creator, but since each one is handmade and the parts are expensive, they are far from cheap. Players should think carefully about how much they want Wii games on the go before making a buy.
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