Mac OS X Cheetah Successfully Ported to Nintendo Wii - MacRumors
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Mac OS X Cheetah Successfully Ported to Nintendo Wii

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Developer Bryan Keller was curious whether an old version of Apple's Mac operating system was capable of running on the Nintendo Wii after seeing Windows NT ported to the gaming device, so he decided to give it a try. He was able to get Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah to operate on the Nintendo Wii, and he shared a blog post walking through the project.

os x cheetah wii
The Wii uses a PowerPC 750CL processor, which is a newer version of the PowerPC 750CXe that Apple used in the G3 iBook and iMac, which is why Keller had a hunch that the process would be successful. Keller wrote a custom bootloader and eventually managed to load OS X, with the multi-step process detailed on his website.

He had to patch the OS X kernel source code and compile a modified kernel binary, then write custom drivers so the kernel was able to read from the Wii SD card slot to boot into the file system. He also had to write a framebuffer driver for the OS X interface, bridge a color incompatibility between the Wii video hardware and OS X graphics code, and seek out decade-old OS X Cheetah USBFamily source code on IRC to get peripherals working.

Keller was able to get the Mac OS X Cheetah installer running with a functional keyboard and mouse, turning the Wii into a usable system running OS X.

Keller was invested enough in the project that he took the Wii with him on vacation to Hawaii so he could work on it. For those curious about how he solved the myriad problems required to get OS X running on a Wii, his website is worth checking out. Anyone who wants to try setting up OS X on a Wii can get the project source code on GitHub.

Top Rated Comments

CheesePuff Avatar
CheesePuff
12 hours ago at 04:42 pm

oh and based on the view outside dude's window ... he needs prioritize going outside, not putting an out of date OS on an out of date game console.
some people have, you know... hobbies
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheDailyApple Avatar
TheDailyApple
10 hours ago at 06:26 pm
I bad for all the people dumping on this. Sure it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s no different than spending time on any other type of puzzle. Some people like to challenge themselves, tinker, and test what can be done and whether they’re able to do it.

Whether it’s due to jealousy, a difference of opinion about what’s fun, or something else, I don’t understand what people have against others doing what they enjoy when they’re able.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G
GrumpyOldGuy52
12 hours ago at 04:34 pm

But why:confused:
Why not?

I mean, why port Doom to an Anker charging station ('https://hackaday.com/2025/08/21/playing-doom-on-the-anker-prime-charging-station/')? If you can make it happen, do it. Maybe it ends up being of limited practical use, but, for all we know, this project leads to another that gives us Snow Leopard on a PlayStation 3 or something, which leads to something else.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
icerabbit
12 hours ago at 05:00 pm
Whenever I use one of our G4 Cubes or my older Mac mini jukebox running 10.6.8 ... it really tugs at heart strings how things were simpler, colorful, immediately identifiable and straightforward.

Years into whatever trend, we're still stuck with narrower fonts, grey on grey on grey, monochrome ... then a major shift to " Liquid Glass " ... ugh.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
V
vvvvvv
12 hours ago at 04:43 pm

oh and based on the view outside dude's window ... he needs prioritize going outside, not putting an out of date OS on an out of date game console.
you’re posting on a forum called MacRumors
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
E
eifelbube
12 hours ago at 05:01 pm
I wonder if he could port it to the iPad …

Back then, 21 system preferences nicely laid out and visible.
Today, I occasionally have to search for settings.



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Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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