For a long time, the idea of running general-purpose operating systems on hardware designed for specific tasks, such as gaming consoles, has fascinated tech enthusiasts. One of the more well-known examples is the PS3 running Yellow Dog Linux, and others like PS2 Linux and Dreamcast Linux, though these are now quite outdated. However, a recent discovery on the NetBSD website revealed that the Wii, a popular gaming console, is now officially supported with the latest stable release of NetBSD, marking a significant milestone. Finding a Sacrificial Wii The journey began at the EMF Camp 2024 Swap Shop, a place known for its pre-loved game consoles and other retro tech. The Wii was picked up primarily to experiment with homebrew games and emulation, but the plan quickly evolved when I found out about the official NetBSD support for the console. Is the Wii Fast Enough? The Wii's single-core 'Broadway' CPU is part of IBM’s PowerPC 750 lineage, which dates back to the late 90s. Despite its age, the PowerPC 750 has been used in various spaceflight applications, including the James Webb Space Telescope and the Mars Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. However, its compute performance is limited, with a maximum TDP of only 9.8 W and a clock speed about 33% higher than the Wii’s version. Installing NetBSD on the Wii Softmodding the Wii is a relatively straightforward process these days, compared to the older exploits like the Twilight Hack. The Wilbrand exploit is recommended, which involves exploiting the Wii Message Board to run unsigned code and install the Homebrew Channel. This process requires knowledge of the console’s MAC address and generating a few files to load from an SD card. While larger SDHC cards can be used, a 1GB non-SDHC card worked best due to known compatibility issues with homebrew applications. Once the Homebrew Channel was installed, the NetBSD image (wii.img.gz) was downloaded from the NetBSD website. A 32GB SDHC card was used for the installation, which is the maximum supported by the Wii. The Raspberry Pi Imager was used to unpack and write the image, ensuring a smooth and error-free process. Booting into NetBSD is as simple as launching it from the Homebrew Channel. The system includes a pre-configured SSH daemon, which required setting a password for the root user and enabling root login by modifying the sshd_config. A static network configuration was set up, and the Wii’s official RVL-015 LAN Adapter was used for network connectivity, though most generic USB adapters should also work. Setting Up the Web Server After ensuring the system was up and running, the pkgin package manager was installed to manage additional software. lighttpd, a lightweight web server, was chosen due to its suitability for resource-constrained environments. The basic lighttpd configuration was copied, and the server was enabled and started. My blog, built with Hugo, consists of static pages, which were rsynced to the Wii, allowing it to serve the site over standard HTTP. However, serving multiple encrypted TLS requests in parallel proved to be a challenge for the Wii’s limited processing power. To manage this, I moved the TLS termination to a Caddy instance, acting as a reverse proxy. Caddy handles encryption and certificate management, while the Wii continues to serve content directly. This setup also allows for filtering out known scraper User Agents, reducing the load on the single-core CPU. Status Monitoring To monitor the Wii’s performance and resource usage, I created a simple shell script that runs every 15 minutes from the crontab, outputting system stats to a basic HTML file in the webroot. This status page, available at blog.infected.systems/status, provides insights into the system’s health without additional stress. Power Consumption and Cost The Wii’s power consumption was surprisingly low, adding a consistent ~18 W to my homelab’s overall usage. This translates to approximately 13.2 kWh/month, costing around £3.47 on my UK power tariff. Interestingly, this makes the Wii a cheaper option for hosting a static website compared to many VPS providers. Final Observations Overall, the experience of running a production workload on the Wii was much better and easier than anticipated. The key challenges were resource management and the need to reboot the entire console for system updates. The compact size and low power consumption of the Wii make it an intriguing and cost-effective option for hosting small, static websites, especially when paired with a reverse proxy like Caddy for handling modern web protocols. Industry Insight and Company Profile NetBSD, known for its support of a wide range of hardware, including older and less conventional platforms, has once again demonstrated its versatility and reliability. This Wii port, primarily developed by Jared McNeill, showcases the project's commitment to innovation and maintaining support for diverse hardware. Tech enthusiasts and experimenters will find this setup not only nostalgic but also an excellent opportunity to learn and optimize under stringent resource constraints. The minimalistic approach, combined with the Wii’s affordable nature, could inspire more creative and resource-efficient hosting solutions in the future.