I Turned an Old Wii Into a Gaming PC!

[@flumpdinkronk1551]

You showed switch emulation? You're a brave man I really hope nintendo doesn't smell blood

[@Nanuks_Fun_Zone]

its too late. the nintendo ninjas are already on their way

[@Moskeeto]

It's ok. He's doing it on a Wii.

[@guerreiropro21]

nintendo would accept it if he was on the next nintendo console

[@Poizon_SSBU]

I do that all the time and my shit doesnt get taken down

[@samuele7630]

@@flumpdinkronk1551 he's fine lol. It's not like he's developing an emulator

[@88tx]

now take the wii internals and put it in a minisforum mini pc case.

[@FlameSoulis]

I actually am just thinking about taking my hand at using it as an excuse to make a custom waterblock for the system and build a really decked out case.

[@harshlarose6670]

People made portable wiis in a small tin can so probably not that impossible

[@Sameelfellow]

this is actually totally doable, the youtuber shankmods put a wii in an altoids tin

[@Megaderpus_Maximus]

2 words, Kill Mii.

[@mem_arg3691]

Matt; please don't show Nintendo games being emulated, they'll use that as grounds for a copyright strike to take down your video

[@thee-wastegamer4044]

It's De Facto only games older than the GameCube these days but yes, Nintendo can still go after you if they don't like what they see.

[@AlexGamingConsole]

You guys are so damn scared

[@callmenose]

@@AlexGamingConsole because nintendo is genuinely one of the most sue happy game companies

[@jasonalmont7572]

Luckily he owns all those games and is in America. He’s safe.

[@DaigoDX]

This is actually not true. Everyone takes this as fact. But several emulation channels and rom hack channels the cover only Nintendo content have actually proven that the take downs and copyright strikes were made by an imposter, trying to pass as Nintendo. Go watch kaze emanuar’s videos about it.

[@lamasalamasa1080]

you can turn off USB power config in the BIOS.

[@Yazzan_]

Also on power plans if running Windows

[@bingo5694]

"purchased on ebay about a year ago with the intention of doing this project" Painfully relatable words.

[@beachcow1650]

only a year? i order stuff for projects then put it in a box and forget about it for like 5 years

[@ralifoux]

Ah yes, the PiiCii I seriously love these kind of videos, great job with another build! Looking forward to what else you come up with!

[@PrinceXTC86]

The PiiCii xD I love that!

[@RestoreTechnique]

The Minii PiiCii

[@JotaroKujo-gw6ng]

OH MY PiiCii!

[@AnarchistGrandpa]

HE DID IT. This is a dream from my highschool days come true.

[@zeroturn7091]

As weird as it sounds I would totally buy a Wii case if it came in a mATX form factor. My vote would be for a TiVo S1 Sleeper.

[@thatfarmer_kid1295]

There is most likely a Bios option in the computer named something like “usb charging” which supplies usb port voltage even when the pc is off. This setting is usally enabled by default and I assume it’s why the power light it on even when the pc is off. I’d say it’s worth taking a look at lol. Either way this project is amazing! I love the craftsmanship!

[@thatzaliasguy]

This would be a baller gaming Linux sleeper to bring to LAN parties.

[@I_am_a_human_not_a_commodity]

"Bro, it's a LAN party. Where's your computer?" 😂

[@abtaylors]

This minus the Linux and it would be great

[@NotTheGaslighter]

​@@abtaylors minus the Linux? we're not in 2012 anymore

[@thatzaliasguy]

There was a dude at QuakeCon this year that built a tiny PC into a DreamCast. Even had the DreamCast mouse and keyboard.

[@zdanee]

This is great! You can add some RGB to the now defunct disc-tray like in the original Wii. Another area to explore is if you skip the internal USB-hub do you have enough space for a USB-4 eGPU at the front? It probably also wouldn't hurt to add a pair of 40mm Noctua fans at the in and outlet to move a bit more air, your 3D printed parts might start to deform otherwise.

[@WHYNOTONY]

I love how in these types of videos, I always think something will be an issue only for it to not be an issue at all and then the simplest thing becomes an issue (Wii pc -> how will it fit -> fits easily but the power button is the real problem)

[@gubbothehuggo2771]

That little white matchbox known as the wii has a VERY small form factor. People don’t realize how tiny it is until they see one in person. I’m amazed you found parts to put in it.

[@jaydrawmusic]

You could use a piece of fiber optic to bring the mobo LED to the front. it would be blue but would work without much modding.

[@ChrisKewl]

I'm building a sleeper PC out of an old cable box. Love these fun projects!

[@XeroShifter]

I'm not usually into sleepers because I really love small computers, but this somehow does both, and I love it. I need it. Man I cant wait to be able to update my living room PC to something a bit more performant.

[@rem_0]

This is actually so cool, functional controller ports is the chefs kiss!

[@ShiggitayMediaProductions]

Yeah sleeper PCs are awesome.

[@TheRealMaxPowers]

@@ShiggitayMediaProductions but that's not what a sleeper PC is..

[@ShiggitayMediaProductions]

@@TheRealMaxPowers Does it look like any kind of custom PC to you from the front? To the uninformed it's literally a Wii. It's got the appearance of a Wii. It's got a PC hardware inside, sure, but at this point the Wii itself is considered retro, as are computers of its era, hence, sleeper PC in a sleeper console case. That's how I see it.

[@TheRealMaxPowers]

@@ShiggitayMediaProductions the term "sleeper" comes from the car world. it means a car that looks like an every day normal car but is hiding this fact. Hiding the fact that you car is fast could mean not making it look overly flashy and hiding such things as a loud exhaust note or a loud turbo woosh. A sleeper computer follows the same path as you build a very modern fast computer in say for example a emachines case from 1998. I understand what you mean by suggesting that a computer in a wii case would be a sleeper but its missing a sleeper's key feature. Brutal speed hidden in an unsuspecting package.

[@ShiggitayMediaProductions]

@@TheRealMaxPowers I disagree, but let's agree to disagree... I feel my description is spot on, but I digress.

[@Draidenfriday]

You should add a blu ray drive in the disc slot, that way you could play movies and disc games. I know they aren’t really being made anymore but I have a disc drive on my pc and use it all the time.

[@thenintendoninjasarecoming]

16:18 bro said the e word

[@AphexWebb]

I love it. Yes, you could have just used the NUC as is, but integrating it into the Wii case, custom designing a board frame, IO shield and controller bracket to hold the internals together with little CAD experience is impressive. You seem to have a nack for it. Sure, your cut out at the back is a little rough. Nothing than can't be refined later on. All in all, I really enjoyed this build project. I'd recommend getting a router for cutting out plastic and finishing with a file. Great stuff! Look forward to more of your creations.

[@AlcyoneHere]

the counter sunk bolts look crazy good! Really adds alot to the builds overall look. 🔥

[@MajorArchitect-0]

I've been building personal consoles like this for several years. Learned so many lessons. Namely been doing the N64 myself, getting full controller port functionality direct to emulation was groundbreaking. Memory packs and accessories work just like the original console. Also getting the original analog video out fully functional. Fun stuff.

[@karibes]

Damn, that looks so awesome! Long live Wii U! You brought the smile upon us 👍 One thing.... please don't show Nintendo games being emulated (blur those parts if needed) because Nintendo may use copyright strike to take down your video!

[@jareddoesstuff358]

I'm glad you saved the old board, wii's are my favorite console for use as a soft modded emulation machine. Emulators from NES and Gameboy to Sega CD runs like a dream on there which works well for me since I love retro JRPG's. Then add in the native Gamecube support as well and it's kind of a beast of a system.

[@tobiwonkanogy2975]

if you wanted some better air flow you could always cut a crescent above the fan . looks great and everything takes time to perfect .

[@Nightfear77]

I've honestly missed your content, your no bs presentation style is extremely easy to watch. The finial product is also really impressive, I suspected that you had used laptop parts, but seeing the mini pc board used was certainly interesting

[@YaBoiSmurf]

this is clean, but at 5:11 im confused on why you'd use a metal type c adapter/dock when you're only using it for USBs? there are plastic ones that wouldve allowed you to disassemble it and give yourself more workable space or even a tad bit better airflow since the only fan you have is from the heatsink.

[@vvodcod]

agreed! maybe that's just what he had laying around but it seems like a waste of a nice USB hub

[@OnTheWebbb]

the power button always being on should be able to be fixed in the BIOS. There should be a setting that disables usb power when the machine is off! You can also try USB selective suspend in windows settings, but im not sure if this will work. Great stuff as always!

[@evergaolbird]

Matt, you should censor any content that shows Switch Emulation. Before their lawyers make a move on this video.

[@BobertSands]

Don't worry he was just playing a KZbin video of Switch gameplay ;)

[@yellowwinner1]

Just a quick note, because the Wii has been modded there's actually quite a large chance that the disc drive is still fully functional, just the modder messed up the system. Back in the day I actually did this once, but it can be easily fixed. Otherwise I love this video, I kinda want to try something like it.

[@Justanotherbeautifulday]

Matt, you’re moving up in the world man I can’t believe it!! You came so far, dude!!

[@ImOnMy116]

super impressive build here, so cool to see all the thought and prep that goes into a project like this!

[@RestoTek]

I got a pretty unique sleeper build coming up soon too, loved the video dude lots of effort and inventive!

[@Bassitude723]

This was so cool!!! Maybe a series where you work through as many home game consoles as you can going in chronological order of release?

[@NowThatsPCGaming]

I have been waiting for this video! Your console pc mods are legendary! Thank you for making my Sunday.

[@WHYNOTONY]

I need it, and I need it to make the "wii scream" on boot

[@Zm4rf]

12:25 you say "just listen" so i started cranking the volume only to be deafened by 2 ads 😂

[@kazefw3834]

Rip 😂😂

[@davegc1]

This is so cool! Maybe at some point my skills will be as good as yours so I can do mods like that ^^

[@stevenwilliams6638]

Great job Matt. I’m hoping you make some videos about 3D printing.

[@aluccard]

that was pretty awesome, I work online and having that mini PC for traveling would be great since I only play indies while I'm not in town

[@thatprettyparrot]

Personal recommendations if you make a version 2: - Since this is a one-off project, I highly recommend using superglue or even epoxy to secure the motherboard mounting plate, as it will not only keep the exterior looking factory-original but be tough enough to handle the mini-PC. And for screws, I highly recommend getting heat-set inserts for the screws, since it only requires a soldering iron and greatly improves any screw-mounted bits. - Depending on the way the board is positioned, the GameCube memory slots could be cut out to create an exhaust vent, since that mini-PC has two. Also, you can salvage dust mesh filters from the bottom panels of certain laptops, like ThinkPads or HPs, and then glue them to the inside to have a more finished look AND protect from dust. (Psst- take a hint from OEMs and make your vents toroids instead of rectangles) - If you find a miniPC with a slimmer Z height, you could turn the DVD slot into an intake vent for the fan that uses a channel guiding air to the rear. - For a more sleeper look, I highly recommend using laptop antennas. To protect against RF, you could 3D print a separator part to split the internal space into two chambers, then add aluminum foil over it.

[@jasonalmont7572]

Dopest Wii pc I’ve seen so far man, I wonder if a slot load Blu-ray would fit. Not that there would be much use for it but still cool.

[@memediatek]

With the right drive you can get 4k hdr movies in upto 10 times the quality of Netflix

[@maniac_magee3830]

There's a few thing I probably would've tried to do, like find a way to repurpose either a couple m.2 slots, or msata slots and tried to configured them in place of the gamecube memcard slots, and tried to shell a gamecube memory card to try to stuff a short m.2 for additional storage, would've put a blocker behind the disc slot, tried to slot a small slim fan near the intake, and also would've tried to get the sd card slot to be functional by replacing it with a cannibalized modern sd card reader

[@ImaginationToForm]

cool build. I bought a couple of Wiis to make into portables as well. So far I bought the screens and I'm designing a case and a circuit board for power and sound.

[@SSprogass]

I would love to see your innovations and your passion for this field. Great video, honestly.🤩

[@kdstyles1979]

this is AWESOME! I am doing a similar build with a Genesis 2 shell and an HP 800 G3 mini. having a ball putting everything together

[@Tailslol]

Not bad but you could have used laptop wifi antenna for a cleaner build.

[@chris_hertford]

Great build love this type of stuff! Revisit this one day with tweaks to design! I suspect designing a 3d printed wii case for the original motherboard is in your future!

[@bomby5345]

You could add little shrouds inside the PC to guide the air from the heatsink to the vents in the case directly, to improve cooling.

[@JesusBleach]

a pc like this but with BATOCERA would be REALLY COOL, also on batocera can run your pre-installed pc windows games too, make sure to enable vulkan and sync options for PERFOMANCE BOOST

[@rudder3084]

I love this build, tbh I would be proud having this sit by the TV.

[@mistermagnifico]

🤯 Why have no one ever mentioned "partially printed" before in projects. It changes everything

[@kamal_2_gt]

Man i really enjoyed watching this video, u made me intrested in doing things like this, thanks for the video

[@victorvonjacoby9349]

I did the same with an old i5 pc I had but with a NES. This is hella awesome.

[@tremendoza]

For your LED, solder a wire from the motherboard's power LED or use the wire with the arduino to detect an on state. Not sure if you kept disc slot light guide but if you did then you should totally light it up. I love these types mods. Nice work!

[@abdulmuhammad-md7xi]

Your creativity is beautiful, don't be surprised if you create your own time machine. ❤🎉

[@addepaddes]

Really pretty system! I wonder if the Wii shell can be stood up aswell with these components inside :D I always had my Wii like that. Def. something for me to look into

[@SaenGaems]

those are some beautiful solder joints and dont let nobody tell you otherwise

[@sadravin1]

The LED easy fix: In windows, find Power Settings. You want the menu that lets you pick Performance, or Balanced. Use the advanced options, find USB power option, and select Disable or Let windows disable. This will turn off all the USB ports when the PC is off. That option is for people who want to charge their stuff on usb when the pc is off, and is enabled by default. A known issue that will kill the battery on a laptop if you leave an external drive plugged in while the laptop is off.

[@patrickhuser]

It looks awesome, but one last thing you should do is add a beveled cap around the edge where you did your Dremel job. This will give it clean lines along the rougher edge and just set it off.

[@patrickhuser]

Like a trim, for clarity

[@joshhardin666]

This is a fantastic sleeper setup :D great job!

[@UserX-02]

Bro thats actually so clean like what 😭😭 i NEED IT BRO

[@UNKNOWN10690]

"hey dude which pc did you get" "wii"

[@omegarugal9283]

no, you didnt turn a wii into a pc, you put a pc in a wii enclosure

[@yellowwinner1]

I mean considering it's 88 MB's of RAM and the not-even-a-GHz CPU, I doubt the Wii could run a modern OS, although if I remember correctly DOSBox runs on it meaning 9x is possible. Otherwise I don't know what else you'd expect from this 😅

[@TSSCATS]

It's called a sleeper pc buddy

[@StormBurnX]

Fun fact for the future: on windows, if your program is full screen but not 'fullscreen', Alt+Enter will enable that. Works great for, say, Dolphin emulation, to get rid of the title bar + task bar + black bars on the sides :)

[@deathbob091]

"far from perfect and its not very practical" could be the title of my auto biography , tinkering is what keeps my mind going . we must do as we do brother ! never stop tinkering

[@ophanim1245]

Awesome. Believe it or not, I was also working on a similar project to put my minisforum pc into an NES. I already have the NES I'm gonna gut I just need to get the wires for the power button and extending the usb ports. The damn power button is also something I was concerned about but after watching your video I'm sure I can get it done too. Cheers

[@MegaManNeo]

I wondered about that exact mod for a while. Not necessary with a minisforum board but with any SBC board inside the Wii's console case. You should make the DVD drive light up!

[@ShadyHero]

surprised you never said "this is pretty good performance, especially for a wii"

[@roflBeck]

That's really cool, nice job!

[@kadechamp9506]

This may look like a normal nuclear bomb but there is a gaming pc inside of it.

[@RuthlessMM71]

Please keep it up , i love your videos . Never stop.

[@jangb98]

You should try using the components of the Firebat Mini PC if you ever plan on doing another one of these. They come with AMD Radeon 680M integrated graphics that actually do really well with playing games. Sick project overall!

[@justjoe1071]

That soldering kit looks sweet. Got a fella contemplating.

[@joeykeilholz925]

Very cool. Love the emulation performance recap. Since emulation is legal and everything.

[@ShiggitayMediaProductions]

As impractical as it might seem, this is a super cool project! If I was to do something like this I'd totally try and add in a low profile GPU (at least an RTX 4060.,.. they do exist) and/or a super slim optical drive (i.e. get a portable DVD/BluRAY drive and extract it from its case like you did with the GameCube controller adapter) to make it the ultimate HTPC for the living room/game room, but I understand that you wanted to use as many original parts as possible, without makig a custom case panel to accomodate for component height, etc. You'd need to use a regular build to make that happen since I doubt most miniPCs would have a PCI-E slot available to it. Will you be releasing your design files/3D models for the project so others can take a stab at it, essentially open sourcing it? Cool video and thanks for posting!

[@lightningpo]

lmao you're massively underestimating the size of a wii. A better APU probably exists tho, and he could put a little fan in there on the bottom half

[@8bitnation419]

Hopefully that motherboard got sold or put into another shell or is used for an Ashida build. I would love to see a Wii PC build in a clear shell with RGB lighting. It would look so much cooler.

[@logipilot]

nice! As an engineer i prefer full 3D-construction _before_ any 3D-printing. Saves a bucket full of scrap material...

[@Glitchy24]

Awesome work man, good job

[@retalaonteany7899]

Nice work Matt. Hopefully Nintendo doesn't claim a strike on your channel for emulation.

[@ayydan]

I imagine that your issue with the LED was due to using the same ground as your power button. Typically LEDs are switched on the low side, meaning that voltage is always present on one pin, while ground is connected/disconnected to control it. Adding a fourth connection to the original pin for the LED would fix it in that case

[@carlbyronthompson]

Nice. BTW, check the bios for the power on the board when shut off. :)

[@Aether_819]

Great video! I'm here because of Zach's TechTurf

[@spritsfal5088]

Displaying Mario, Zelda AND Pokemon emulation? This man has balls of steel.

[@CreeperITA104]

No way man! You got an article on an italian tech blog, and it's pretty famous too!

[@roninviszla6628]

I'd try to find some gamecube (or possibly smaller) fans, and install them as an intake along the inside of the disc drive slot. that should improve temps. two oughta do it, maybe 3, if you wanna be sure. id also get velcro strips, and attach them to the usb hub, and inside the case, so its removable but secure.

[@johnsmltz217]

Let's hope Future Matt's land speed car is fast enough to outrun Nintendo's lawyers

[@funkymeister9nl]

7:12 i see what u did there :D

[@spitt0110]

That is an amazing build.

[@CelentAle]

I also have a nice MinisForum with Ryzen9, I'm doing the same thing and putting it inside the Amiga1200 body. A1200 that I have been putting in a TowerPC with 060+PPC CPU and 3D BVision card for 25 years.😋👍

[@anyaloid3019]

check if the mob have a led for power indication, if there is one, solder the wires to the inbuilt led indicators connections

[@apfeltaart]

Showing the Switch emulation is insane! Great job man

[@RenatoG1848]

You’re a mad lad Great video

[@TokedAllDay]

Hear me out.... Add two sd card readers to the memory card slots. Sweet build dude!

[@scott9269]

Maybe use the CPU cooler fan to power the LED as well. I don't think that shuts off, especially in an air-constrained case. Also, wiring in a small intake fan might be a good idea.

[@AdityaNarayanMohanty-n6n]

Who came from ZTT VIDEO 😂 GREAT CONTENT LOVE FROM INDIA

[@PyhisPahis]

if I recall correctly, you can make the wii to autoboot into usb loader gx, which is basically a replacement for the stock menu and it has controller support. also, desoler the other led and green one will be brighter ;)

[@caseymoss459]

to get the light to work you need to connect it to the power switch directly so it only has power when the switch is active

[@cedmanotro]

Nintendo lawyers going to come for you for showing switch emulation, good luck my man

[@ogsmileybill8549]

Shoulda did like an rgb light strip in the disc slot other than that very cool sleeper as always.