The Nintendo Switch is undeniably a juggernaut, one of the most successful consoles ever. However, before the Switch’s meteoric rise, Nintendo’s most successful home console was 2006’s Wii – which introduced the world to motion controls as the primary way to interact with a game.
Nintendo Wii transformed into a mini gaming PC, image credit: Tech By Matt/YouTube.
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On YouTube, Gaming enthusiast Tech By Matt has posted a deep dive into his latest creation, turning an original Nintendo Wii console into a gaming PC. One that is powerful enough to (ironically) emulate and play Nintendo Switch games like Super Mario Odyssey at a playable frame rate.
For those with a Nintendo Wii, you might recall that it was a pretty small console – too small to fit an ITX motherboard. So Matt decided instead to use the components from a mini PC – the Minisforum UM773 Lite with a Ryzen 7 7735HS APU. The best part is that the original power button turns on the PC, and the GameCube ports still work when you plug in the original GameCube controllers.
However, the Wii’s DVD drive had to be removed to fit everything in.
Naturally, a lot of work went into the mod, plenty of 3D printing, soldering, and pulling apart a PC GameCube controller USB adapter to make it fit into the Wii’s small enclosure. Interestingly, the integrated Radeon 680M graphics are powerful enough to run PlayStation 3 games like Ratchet & Clank but struggle with the Wii U version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Modding old video game consoles into gaming PCs or turning them into handhelds is quickly becoming a thing for modders and enthusiasts – and we’re here for it. A Mini PC that looks like (or used to be!) a Nintendo Wii would be fantastic for retro gaming.