How I turned my Android phone into a mini Wii

Summary

Revo Launcher is a unique third-party Android launcher that transforms your home screen into something akin to Nintendo’s classic Wii Menu.
Revo is surprisingly well crafted, with fluid animations and attention to detail.
The app is so fun that I wish there were more gaming console OSs to choose from.

I’m always on the lookout for fun and quirky third-party Android launchers, and one in particular recently caught my eye: Revo Launcher. As with other launchers, Revo is a full home screen replacement, with the ability to pin and launch apps, dig through several customization settings, and more.

The twist? Revo Launcher forgoes the tried-and-true grid of home screen icons in favor of something far more joyful. Within seconds of installing and launching the app, it presents a full-blown Wii Menu interface on screen, complete with channels, sound effects, and other goodies inspired by Nintendo’s 2006-era Wii video game console.

To be clear, Revo isn’t emulating the Wii Menu, and it isn’t an emulation front-end in the style of RetroArch. Rather, it’s a dedicated Android launcher built using original code, designed to evoke the look and feel of the Wii. At first, my expectations weren’t particularly high, but after using it on my Pixel 9 Pro, I’m impressed by its craftsmanship.

5 ways Olauncher elevates my Android experience

I’ve tested a great many Android launchers throughout the years, and Olauncher remains one of my all-time favorites.

Through and through, Revo Launcher is a faithful adaptation of the original Wii Menu, with the same overall styling, design touches, and even navigational inertia. The app UI is optimized for phones in portrait orientation, adapting elements to better work with the tall, vertical displays found on our modern Android handsets. Interestingly, there’s no landscape support — a bit of a missed opportunity to really hone in on the widescreen Wii experience of yore.

By default, Revo presents ten empty app slots (each stylized as an independent channel) on each of its four horizontally paginated home screen pages. Tapping on each channel opens an oh-so-familiar splash screen, with options to Start or to return to the Revo Menu.

There are a number of configurable options within the launcher’s main settings page, including the ability to adjust grid size, the number of pages, the transition speed, and various gestures. Additional themes and animations can be loaded into the app, with a basic dark mode and a funky Matrix theme preloaded by default.

Cue the nostalgia

The Nintendo Wii was first released back in 2006, and it quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Anecdotally, just about everyone I know looks back at the home console with fondness, reminiscing about Wii Sports and Mario Kart Wii. The system remains memorable due to its heavy emphasis on motion controls, as well as its unique TV-remote-shaped game controller.

The Wii went on to sell over one hundred million units during its lifetime, and it remains one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time. Beyond quirky control schemes and family-friendly game titles, the Wii is notable for being the first Nintendo home console to use a dedicated menu for system navigation (its predecessor, the GameCube, had an OS that was only present when no software was loaded into the unit).

As far as game console operating systems go, the Wii Menu remains one of my favorites. It cleverly presents application icons as ‘channels,’ roughly approximating the paradigm of traditional cable TV stations. The interface itself is clean and minimalistic, while offering a ton of charm and whimsy. Pleasant sound effects are present throughout, animations are fluid and cohesive, and skeuomorphism is executed without evoking a sense of cheesiness.

… Launcher has proven to be an excellent blast-from-the-past.

In my experience, Revo Launcher has proven to be an excellent blast-from-the-past, melding together my love for retro gaming and my fascination with novel Android home screen launchers. It’s certainly not feature-packed or refined to the same degree as, say, major OEM launchers, but it’s surprisingly well-executed and responsive for an indie project.

Going forward, I can certainly see myself using Revo as a dedicated surface for quickly accessing all my Android emulation apps. After experiencing Revo for several days, all I can think about is how much I’d love to see an equivalent launcher made in the style of the Xbox 360’s iconic blades UI, or perhaps even the 3DS’s underappreciated menu system.