GNU/Linux is the most compatible and recommended operating system to use with Vanilla, and thankfully it is available on many of Vanilla's target devices such as the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch.

For the most part, any modern Linux PC should be able to run Vanilla out of the box, however you should double check the Wireless Compatibility page to see if the wireless hardware on your computer is known to be compatible or not.

The following are notes on specific platforms/situations that should be taken into account:

Windowed Mode

By default, Vanilla starts in full screen for the best experience on touch-based devices with limited input. If you're on a desktop computer or a developer, you may prefer running in windowed mode. This can be done by running with the -w parameter. For example:

./vanilla-pi -w

Skipping the sudo/root/administrator prompt when syncing or connecting to a console

[!WARNING] Following this guide has security risks. Make sure you read through everything before deciding whether to do this or not.

Connecting to the Wii U as a gamepad requires obtaining low-level access to the wireless hardware, which requires vanilla-pipe to run as root. By default, running a program as root on Linux requires the user to enter their password (or the password of an administrator), which can be inconvenient and irritating when trying to play games, especially on touch-based platforms where a keyboard is not readily available and/or typing is inconvenient.

To solve this, Vanilla provides an optional script that installs a Polkit rule that allows vanilla-pipe to run as root without password entry. Note that there are inherent security risks with allowing an executable to run as root without user intervention, and while vanilla-pipe doesn't do anything explicitly dangerous, we cannot make any security guarantees when doing this.

In order to install the Polkit action, run the vanilla-polkit-install.sh script as root and follow the prompts. (On the Steam Deck you will need to run steamos-readonly disable in order for the script to access the required directory).

Uninstall

If you wish to undo this, simply delete the following files from your system:

/usr/share/polkit-1/actions/com.mattkc.vanilla.policy
/usr/share/polkit-1/rules.d/com.mattkc.vanilla.rules

Raspberry Pi

While Vanilla is technically capable of running on Raspberry Pis, Pis frequently use embedded Broadcom wireless hardware which is FullMAC, and therefore unable to connect to a Wii U. If you attach a secondary USB wireless adapter that is compatible, Vanilla should run fine.

Nintendo Switch

Similarly to the Raspberry Pi, the Nintendo Switch uses an embedded FullMAC Broadcom wireless adapter which is incapable of connecting to a Wii U on its own in the stock firmware. However, since the Switch is a significant target device, there are now firmware patches for its wireless adapter (BCM4356) you can install to run Vanilla without a secondary USB wireless adapter. The patches and their installation instructions are located here. The installation process can be complex, so a compatible secondary USB wireless adapter can still be used to facilitate a connection.

Steam Deck

The Steam Deck has its own dedicated page on this wiki for further details about setting it up.