Gecko / Ocarina codes

The community-built code format for GameCube and Wii, applied by a loader on the console rather than by a cartridge in front of it.

What a Gecko / Ocarina code is

Gecko codes are applied by software running on the console, so the format supports far more than a plain memory write: conditional blocks, loops and short assembly inserts are all part of it. That power is why a Gecko list is usually longer than the equivalent Action Replay one, and why a mistyped line can hang the console outright instead of doing nothing.

Entering one

Placed in a text file the loader reads at boot, or picked from a menu the loader presents, rather than typed into hardware.

What goes wrong

Because a Gecko code can execute instructions rather than only write values, a mistyped line is not a harmless no-op. Copy the whole block, never part of one.

• Made by community, in use 2008 onward.
• A code looks like: XXXXXXXX YYYYYYYY
• Ran on 2 of the consoles this library covers.