NorviTech Indigo

Suite / Indigo / Guide

Install Indigo

Indigo runs on a GameCube that already runs Swiss. You need that console's SD card, a computer that can read it, and about five minutes. Nothing is formatted or flashed, and your games, settings and saves stay where they are.

Already using Indigo? Go to Update Indigo.

Find your setup and follow its four steps. At power-on, Indigo starts when you switch on. From Swiss, your console starts as it does today and you open Indigo from Swiss: that works with every setup.

What starts your GameCube? When Indigo starts
GC Loader At power-on or from Swiss
PicoBoot or PicoLoader At power-on or from Swiss
FlippyDrive At power-on or from Swiss
Something else, or not sure From Swiss

GC Loader, at power-on

GC Loader starts Swiss from the boot.iso (or boot.gcm) on its SD card, and Swiss starts a boot.dol at the top of that card by itself, before it shows anything. Indigo takes that name, so Indigo starts every time you switch on. Leave boot.iso as it is: this needs Swiss there, as on most GC Loader cards.

  1. Download and unzip. Download the Indigo ZIP and unzip it on your computer. Inside are ipl.dol, a swiss folder and a readme. Older readmes say to drag the whole swiss folder onto the card: don't.

  2. Back up the card. Put GC Loader's SD card in your computer. Swiss hides its swiss folder, so first show hidden folders: press Shift-Command-Period in a Mac's Finder; on Windows, turn on Hidden items and File name extensions under View in File Explorer (View › Show on Windows 11). Then copy its swiss folder, and its boot.dol if it has one, to a folder on your computer.

  3. Copy two files onto the card.

    • ipl.dol: rename it to boot.dol and copy it to the top of the card (not into a folder), replacing the old boot.dol if there is one.
    • apploader.img: it is in the download's swiss/patches folder. Copy it into the card's swiss/patches folder, replacing the old one; make the folders if they aren't there. With In-Game Reset set to Apploader (Settings › Quick), leaving a game then returns to Indigo, even from games you start in the normal Swiss. If you also use an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko, copy it into that card's swiss/patches folder too.

    The card then looks like this:

    SD card

    • boot.iso unchanged
    • boot.dol new
    • swiss/
      • patches/
        • apploader.img new
    • games/ unchanged

  4. Start Indigo. Eject the card, put it back and switch on. Indigo starts straight away.

Your card's files are in Indigo too: System › File Browser. To start stock Swiss again, take boot.dol off the card or rename it: while it is there, Swiss starts it every time.

Where everything goes

The card with everything Indigo can use. Only Indigo's own file, apploader.img and the web browser come from the download: the rest are your files, and downloads you can add any time. Indigo's own file and boot.iso aren't drawn here, because they depend on your setup: its step 3 shows them. Most people keep everything on one card; if you use two, put the poster pack and your apps on the card with your games.

SD card

  • boot.iso
    On a GC Loader card, the disc image that starts Swiss. Leave it as it is.
  • boot.dol new
    Indigo itself. Step 3 of your setup says which name it has and where it goes.
  • apps/ programs for the Apps face
    Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.dol a homebrew program
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.png its picture
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
  • games/ games for the Library
    Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Pikmin.iso a game
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo/ a folder of games
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
      • The Wind Waker.iso
        Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo.png the folder's picture
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
  • gcbrowser/ the web browser's certificates
    From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
  • swiss/
    • cheats/ cheats, one file per game
      The cheat pack fills this folder, one file per game, such as GMSE01.txt. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy the files in its swiss/cheats folder into this one; make it if it isn't there.
    • indigo/
      • cubebrowser.dol the web browser, for the Web face
        From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
    • patches/
      • apploader.img new returns to Indigo after a game
        From the download. It makes leaving a game return to Indigo; copy it to every card you use with Swiss. See Leaving a game.
    • saves/ saves copied off memory cards
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • settings/ your settings
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • ui/
      The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • posters.pak box art for the Library
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • stills.pak pictures for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • descriptions.txt descriptions for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • discs.pak disc art for Jewel Case
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.

GC Loader, from Swiss

GC Loader starts Swiss from the boot.iso (or boot.gcm) on its SD card. Leave that file as it is, and don't rename anything to boot.iso. Your console starts as it does today, and you open Indigo from Swiss.

  1. Download and unzip. Download the Indigo ZIP and unzip it on your computer. Inside are ipl.dol, a swiss folder and a readme. Older readmes say to drag the whole swiss folder onto the card: don't.

  2. Back up the card. Put GC Loader's SD card in your computer. Swiss hides its swiss folder, so first show hidden folders: press Shift-Command-Period in a Mac's Finder; on Windows, turn on Hidden items and File name extensions under View in File Explorer (View › Show on Windows 11). Then copy its swiss folder to a folder on your computer.

  3. Copy two files onto the card.

    • ipl.dol: rename it to indigo.dol and put it in the card's apps folder. Make the folder if there isn't one.
    • apploader.img: it is in the download's swiss/patches folder. Copy it into the card's swiss/patches folder, replacing the old one; make the folders if they aren't there. With In-Game Reset set to Apploader (Settings › Quick), leaving a game then returns to Indigo, even from games you start in the normal Swiss. If you also use an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko, copy it into that card's swiss/patches folder too.

    The card then looks like this:

    SD card

    • boot.iso unchanged
    • apps/
      • indigo.dol new
    • swiss/
      • patches/
        • apploader.img new
    • games/ unchanged

  4. Start Indigo. Eject the card, put it back and switch on. Swiss starts as usual. Go to the top of GC Loader's card (Swiss may open your last game's folder first: choose .. at the top of the list to go up), then open apps, then indigo.dol. If Swiss shows a list of devices, choose GC Loader.

Where everything goes

The card with everything Indigo can use. Only Indigo's own file, apploader.img and the web browser come from the download: the rest are your files, and downloads you can add any time. Indigo's own file and boot.iso aren't drawn here, because they depend on your setup: its step 3 shows them. Most people keep everything on one card; if you use two, put the poster pack and your apps on the card with your games.

SD card

  • boot.iso
    On a GC Loader card, the disc image that starts Swiss. Leave it as it is.
  • apps/ programs for the Apps face
    Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • indigo.dol new
      Indigo itself. Step 3 of your setup says which name it has and where it goes.
    • gbi.dol a homebrew program
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.png its picture
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
  • games/ games for the Library
    Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Pikmin.iso a game
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo/ a folder of games
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
      • The Wind Waker.iso
        Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo.png the folder's picture
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
  • gcbrowser/ the web browser's certificates
    From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
  • swiss/
    • cheats/ cheats, one file per game
      The cheat pack fills this folder, one file per game, such as GMSE01.txt. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy the files in its swiss/cheats folder into this one; make it if it isn't there.
    • indigo/
      • cubebrowser.dol the web browser, for the Web face
        From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
    • patches/
      • apploader.img new returns to Indigo after a game
        From the download. It makes leaving a game return to Indigo; copy it to every card you use with Swiss. See Leaving a game.
    • saves/ saves copied off memory cards
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • settings/ your settings
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • ui/
      The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • posters.pak box art for the Library
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • stills.pak pictures for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • descriptions.txt descriptions for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • discs.pak disc art for Jewel Case
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.

PicoBoot or PicoLoader, at power-on

Most PicoBoot chips, and PicoLoaders with its gekkoboot firmware, run gekkoboot, which starts the ipl.dol at the top of the SD card in your SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. Indigo takes its place, so Indigo starts every time you switch on. Ready-made solderless PicoLoaders have Swiss built in instead.

Check first: with the card in and a wired controller, hold D-Pad Down while you switch on. If a screen of text stays up while you hold it, your chip reads ipl.dol: carry on. If there is no text (Swiss, the GameCube animation or its menu appears straight away), follow PicoBoot or PicoLoader, from Swiss instead. Do the same if the card's ipl.dol is something you want to keep starting, such as cubeboot.

  1. Download and unzip. Download the Indigo ZIP and unzip it on your computer. Inside are ipl.dol, a swiss folder and a readme. Older readmes say to drag the whole swiss folder onto the card: don't.

  2. Back up the card. Put the SD card in your computer. Swiss hides its swiss folder, so first show hidden folders: press Shift-Command-Period in a Mac's Finder; on Windows, turn on Hidden items and File name extensions under View in File Explorer (View › Show on Windows 11). Then copy its ipl.dol and its swiss folder to a folder on your computer. Your old ipl.dol is then safe, and you can always put it back.

  3. Copy two files onto the card.

    • ipl.dol: copy it to the top of the card (not into a folder), replacing the old ipl.dol.
    • apploader.img: it is in the download's swiss/patches folder. Copy it into the card's swiss/patches folder, replacing the old one; make the folders if they aren't there. With In-Game Reset set to Apploader (Settings › Quick), leaving a game then returns to Indigo, even from games you start in the normal Swiss.

    The card then looks like this:

    SD card

    • ipl.dol new
    • swiss/
      • patches/
        • apploader.img new
    • games/ unchanged

  4. Start Indigo. Eject the card, put it back and switch on without holding any buttons. Indigo starts.

Keep the normal Swiss one button away (optional). If the old ipl.dol was Swiss and the card has no z.dol yet, copy the old file from your backup to the top of the card and name it z.dol. Hold Z on a wired controller while you switch on to start it. Other buttons are in gekkoboot's table.

Where everything goes

The card with everything Indigo can use. Only Indigo's own file, apploader.img and the web browser come from the download: the rest are your files, and downloads you can add any time. Indigo's own file and boot.iso aren't drawn here, because they depend on your setup: its step 3 shows them. Most people keep everything on one card; if you use two, put the poster pack and your apps on the card with your games.

SD card

  • ipl.dol new
    Indigo itself. Step 3 of your setup says which name it has and where it goes.
  • apps/ programs for the Apps face
    Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.dol a homebrew program
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.png its picture
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
  • games/ games for the Library
    Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Pikmin.iso a game
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo/ a folder of games
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
      • The Wind Waker.iso
        Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo.png the folder's picture
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
  • gcbrowser/ the web browser's certificates
    From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
  • swiss/
    • cheats/ cheats, one file per game
      The cheat pack fills this folder, one file per game, such as GMSE01.txt. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy the files in its swiss/cheats folder into this one; make it if it isn't there.
    • indigo/
      • cubebrowser.dol the web browser, for the Web face
        From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
    • patches/
      • apploader.img new returns to Indigo after a game
        From the download. It makes leaving a game return to Indigo; copy it to every card you use with Swiss. See Leaving a game.
    • saves/ saves copied off memory cards
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • settings/ your settings
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • ui/
      The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • posters.pak box art for the Library
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • stills.pak pictures for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • descriptions.txt descriptions for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • discs.pak disc art for Jewel Case
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.

PicoBoot or PicoLoader, from Swiss

Your console starts as it does today, and you open Indigo from Swiss.

  1. Download and unzip. Download the Indigo ZIP and unzip it on your computer. Inside are ipl.dol, a swiss folder and a readme. Older readmes say to drag the whole swiss folder onto the card: don't.

  2. Back up the card. Put the SD card from your SD2SP2 or SD Gecko in your computer. Swiss hides its swiss folder, so first show hidden folders: press Shift-Command-Period in a Mac's Finder; on Windows, turn on Hidden items and File name extensions under View in File Explorer (View › Show on Windows 11). Then copy its swiss folder to a folder on your computer.

  3. Copy two files onto the card.

    • ipl.dol: rename it to indigo.dol and put it in the card's apps folder. Make the folder if there isn't one. Leave any ipl.dol at the top of the card as it is.
    • apploader.img: it is in the download's swiss/patches folder. Copy it into the card's swiss/patches folder, replacing the old one; make the folders if they aren't there. With In-Game Reset set to Apploader (Settings › Quick), leaving a game then returns to Indigo, even from games you start in the normal Swiss.

    The card then looks like this:

    SD card

    • apps/
      • indigo.dol new
    • swiss/
      • patches/
        • apploader.img new
    • games/ unchanged

  4. Start Indigo. Eject the card, put it back and start Swiss the way you do now. Open the card, then apps, then indigo.dol.

Where everything goes

The card with everything Indigo can use. Only Indigo's own file, apploader.img and the web browser come from the download: the rest are your files, and downloads you can add any time. Indigo's own file and boot.iso aren't drawn here, because they depend on your setup: its step 3 shows them. Most people keep everything on one card; if you use two, put the poster pack and your apps on the card with your games.

SD card

  • apps/ programs for the Apps face
    Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • indigo.dol new
      Indigo itself. Step 3 of your setup says which name it has and where it goes.
    • gbi.dol a homebrew program
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.png its picture
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
  • games/ games for the Library
    Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Pikmin.iso a game
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo/ a folder of games
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
      • The Wind Waker.iso
        Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo.png the folder's picture
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
  • gcbrowser/ the web browser's certificates
    From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
  • swiss/
    • cheats/ cheats, one file per game
      The cheat pack fills this folder, one file per game, such as GMSE01.txt. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy the files in its swiss/cheats folder into this one; make it if it isn't there.
    • indigo/
      • cubebrowser.dol the web browser, for the Web face
        From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
    • patches/
      • apploader.img new returns to Indigo after a game
        From the download. It makes leaving a game return to Indigo; copy it to every card you use with Swiss. See Leaving a game.
    • saves/ saves copied off memory cards
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • settings/ your settings
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • ui/
      The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • posters.pak box art for the Library
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • stills.pak pictures for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • descriptions.txt descriptions for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • discs.pak disc art for Jewel Case
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.

FlippyDrive, at power-on

FlippyDrive starts the boot.dol at the top of its microSD card. Indigo takes its place, so Indigo starts every time you switch on, instead of FlippyDrive's own menu.

  1. Download and unzip. Download the Indigo ZIP and unzip it on your computer. Inside are ipl.dol, a swiss folder and a readme. Older readmes say to drag the whole swiss folder onto the card: don't.

  2. Back up the card. Put FlippyDrive's microSD card in your computer. Swiss hides its swiss folder, so first show hidden folders: press Shift-Command-Period in a Mac's Finder; on Windows, turn on Hidden items and File name extensions under View in File Explorer (View › Show on Windows 11). Then copy its swiss folder, and its boot.dol if it has one, to a folder on your computer.

  3. Copy two files onto the card.

    • ipl.dol: rename it to boot.dol and copy it to the top of the card (not into a folder), replacing the old boot.dol if there is one.
    • apploader.img: it is in the download's swiss/patches folder. Copy it into the card's swiss/patches folder, replacing the old one; make the folders if they aren't there. With In-Game Reset set to Apploader (Settings › Quick), leaving a game then returns to Indigo, even from games you start in the normal Swiss.

    The card then looks like this:

    FlippyDrive microSD

    • boot.dol new
    • swiss/
      • patches/
        • apploader.img new
    • games/ unchanged

    Indigo's Library shows the games in a games folder. If yours sit loose at the top of the card, make a games folder and move them into it.

  4. Start Indigo. Eject the card, put it back and switch on without holding any buttons. Indigo starts.

If FlippyDrive's own menu appears instead of Indigo, it didn't find boot.dol: check the name and that it is at the top of the card. If the GameCube menu or a disc starts, FlippyDrive is set to skip its card: open config.ini at the top of the card and set boot_mode to normal. To get FlippyDrive's own menu back, delete boot.dol; to start as you did before, put your old boot.dol back.

Where everything goes

The card with everything Indigo can use. Only Indigo's own file, apploader.img and the web browser come from the download: the rest are your files, and downloads you can add any time. Indigo's own file and boot.iso aren't drawn here, because they depend on your setup: its step 3 shows them. Most people keep everything on one card; if you use two, put the poster pack and your apps on the card with your games.

FlippyDrive microSD

  • boot.dol new
    Indigo itself. Step 3 of your setup says which name it has and where it goes.
  • apps/ programs for the Apps face
    Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.dol a homebrew program
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.png its picture
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
  • games/ games for the Library
    Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Pikmin.iso a game
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo/ a folder of games
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
      • The Wind Waker.iso
        Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo.png the folder's picture
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
  • gcbrowser/ the web browser's certificates
    From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
  • swiss/
    • cheats/ cheats, one file per game
      The cheat pack fills this folder, one file per game, such as GMSE01.txt. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy the files in its swiss/cheats folder into this one; make it if it isn't there.
    • indigo/
      • cubebrowser.dol the web browser, for the Web face
        From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
    • patches/
      • apploader.img new returns to Indigo after a game
        From the download. It makes leaving a game return to Indigo; copy it to every card you use with Swiss. See Leaving a game.
    • saves/ saves copied off memory cards
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • settings/ your settings
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • ui/
      The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • posters.pak box art for the Library
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • stills.pak pictures for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • descriptions.txt descriptions for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • discs.pak disc art for Jewel Case
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.

FlippyDrive, from Swiss

Your console starts as it does today, and you open Indigo from Swiss.

  1. Download and unzip. Download the Indigo ZIP and unzip it on your computer. Inside are ipl.dol, a swiss folder and a readme. Older readmes say to drag the whole swiss folder onto the card: don't.

  2. Back up the card. Put FlippyDrive's microSD card in your computer. Swiss hides its swiss folder, so first show hidden folders: press Shift-Command-Period in a Mac's Finder; on Windows, turn on Hidden items and File name extensions under View in File Explorer (View › Show on Windows 11). Then copy its swiss folder to a folder on your computer.

  3. Copy two files onto the card.

    • ipl.dol: rename it to indigo.dol and put it in the card's apps folder. Make the folder if there isn't one. Leave any boot.dol at the top of the card as it is.
    • apploader.img: it is in the download's swiss/patches folder. Copy it into the card's swiss/patches folder, replacing the old one; make the folders if they aren't there. With In-Game Reset set to Apploader (Settings › Quick), leaving a game then returns to Indigo, even from games you start in the normal Swiss.

    The card then looks like this:

    FlippyDrive microSD

    • apps/
      • indigo.dol new
    • swiss/
      • patches/
        • apploader.img new
    • games/ unchanged

  4. Start Indigo. Eject the card, put it back and start Swiss the way you do now. If FlippyDrive starts its own menu, start Swiss instead by holding X on a wired controller in port 1 while you switch on: in the bootloader that opens, choose Boot Onboard DOL, then swiss-gc. In Swiss, open FlippyDrive (not FlippyDrive Flash), then apps, then indigo.dol.

Where everything goes

The card with everything Indigo can use. Only Indigo's own file, apploader.img and the web browser come from the download: the rest are your files, and downloads you can add any time. Indigo's own file and boot.iso aren't drawn here, because they depend on your setup: its step 3 shows them. Most people keep everything on one card; if you use two, put the poster pack and your apps on the card with your games.

FlippyDrive microSD

  • apps/ programs for the Apps face
    Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • indigo.dol new
      Indigo itself. Step 3 of your setup says which name it has and where it goes.
    • gbi.dol a homebrew program
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.png its picture
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
  • games/ games for the Library
    Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Pikmin.iso a game
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo/ a folder of games
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
      • The Wind Waker.iso
        Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo.png the folder's picture
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
  • gcbrowser/ the web browser's certificates
    From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
  • swiss/
    • cheats/ cheats, one file per game
      The cheat pack fills this folder, one file per game, such as GMSE01.txt. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy the files in its swiss/cheats folder into this one; make it if it isn't there.
    • indigo/
      • cubebrowser.dol the web browser, for the Web face
        From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
    • patches/
      • apploader.img new returns to Indigo after a game
        From the download. It makes leaving a game return to Indigo; copy it to every card you use with Swiss. See Leaving a game.
    • saves/ saves copied off memory cards
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • settings/ your settings
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • ui/
      The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • posters.pak box art for the Library
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • stills.pak pictures for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • descriptions.txt descriptions for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • discs.pak disc art for Jewel Case
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.

Something else, or not sure

This works with any console that already starts Swiss: Swiss built into a chip, cubeboot, Swiss on a Wii, or any setup above. Your console starts as it does today, and you open Indigo from Swiss.

  1. Download and unzip. Download the Indigo ZIP and unzip it on your computer. Inside are ipl.dol, a swiss folder and a readme. Older readmes say to drag the whole swiss folder onto the card: don't.

  2. Back up the card. Put the SD card you open in Swiss in your computer. On a Wii, use the card in your SD Gecko, not the Wii's own SD card: Swiss can't read the Wii's slot in GameCube mode. Swiss hides its swiss folder, so first show hidden folders: press Shift-Command-Period in a Mac's Finder; on Windows, turn on Hidden items and File name extensions under View in File Explorer (View › Show on Windows 11). Then copy its swiss folder to a folder on your computer.

  3. Copy two files onto the card.

    • ipl.dol: rename it to indigo.dol and put it in the card's apps folder (on a Wii, the SD Gecko card's). Make the folder if there isn't one. Leave any ipl.dol, boot.dol or boot.iso at the top of the card as it is.
    • apploader.img: it is in the download's swiss/patches folder. Copy it into the card's swiss/patches folder, replacing the old one; make the folders if they aren't there. With In-Game Reset set to Apploader (Settings › Quick), leaving a game then returns to Indigo, even from games you start in the normal Swiss.

    The card then looks like this:

    SD card

    • apps/
      • indigo.dol new
    • swiss/
      • patches/
        • apploader.img new
    • games/ unchanged

  4. Start Indigo. Eject the card, put it back and start Swiss the way you do now. Open the card (on a Wii, the SD Gecko), then apps, then indigo.dol.

Where everything goes

The card with everything Indigo can use. Only Indigo's own file, apploader.img and the web browser come from the download: the rest are your files, and downloads you can add any time. Indigo's own file and boot.iso aren't drawn here, because they depend on your setup: its step 3 shows them. Most people keep everything on one card; if you use two, put the poster pack and your apps on the card with your games.

SD card

  • apps/ programs for the Apps face
    Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • indigo.dol new
      Indigo itself. Step 3 of your setup says which name it has and where it goes.
    • gbi.dol a homebrew program
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
    • gbi.png its picture
      Programs for the Apps face on Home: .dol, .dol+cli or .elf files. A PNG beside a program, with its name, is its picture. On a from-Swiss setup, Indigo's own indigo.dol is here too and shows as an app. See Apps.
  • games/ games for the Library
    Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Pikmin.iso a game
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo/ a folder of games
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
      • The Wind Waker.iso
        Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
    • Nintendo.png the folder's picture
      Your games, loose or one folder per game. To browse your own folders of games, turn on Library Folders (Settings › Setup › Library). A PNG beside a folder, with its name, is its picture. See Folders of games.
  • gcbrowser/ the web browser's certificates
    From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
  • swiss/
    • cheats/ cheats, one file per game
      The cheat pack fills this folder, one file per game, such as GMSE01.txt. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy the files in its swiss/cheats folder into this one; make it if it isn't there.
    • indigo/
      • cubebrowser.dol the web browser, for the Web face
        From the download, for the Web face: the web browser and its certificates. Put cubebrowser.dol on the card with your settings. Indigo names that card to the browser (GC Loader, SD2SP2 or SD Gecko); standalone launches retain automatic card detection. The browser reads gcbrowser from an SD2SP2, an SD Gecko or a GC Loader, not from a FlippyDrive's card: with a FlippyDrive, put gcbrowser on a card in an SD2SP2 or SD Gecko. With only a FlippyDrive, secure (https) pages don't open and the browser saves nothing.
    • patches/
      • apploader.img new returns to Indigo after a game
        From the download. It makes leaving a game return to Indigo; copy it to every card you use with Swiss. See Leaving a game.
    • saves/ saves copied off memory cards
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • settings/ your settings
      Indigo makes these. Memory Cards copies saves into saves, and your settings are in settings/global.ini.
    • ui/
      The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • posters.pak box art for the Library
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • stills.pak pictures for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • descriptions.txt descriptions for Spotlight
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.
      • discs.pak disc art for Jewel Case
        The poster pack goes here: posters.pak for box art, stills.pak and descriptions.txt for Spotlight, and discs.pak for Jewel Case. Unzip the pack on your computer and copy all four files from its swiss/ui folder into this one on the card holding your games; make the folder if it isn't there. Restart Indigo after updating artwork packs.

After the first start

Indigo opens on Home, with a cube and the name of the face underneath.

Home on the Library face: the glass cube shows a GameCube controller, LIBRARY is written underneath, and the hint line reads Turn and A Open.

  1. Turn the cube to Source, press A and choose the card that holds your games (on FlippyDrive, choose FlippyDrive, not FlippyDrive Flash). It can be a different card from the one Indigo started from.
  2. Open Library. It shows the games in the games folder at the top of that card, loose or one folder per game. Games anywhere else on the card don't show in the Library: move them into games to see them there.
SD card
└── games/
    ├── Super Mario Sunshine.iso
    └── The Wind Waker/
        └── game.iso

Indigo plays .iso, .gcm, .tgc and .fdi disc images. Convert .rvz and .gcz files, and unzip .zip files, first. To check which version you are running, open System › System Information and press R until About Indigo: it shows the commit, which each release's page on GitHub lists too.

Next: set up the library, learn the controls, and add posters and cheats when you want them.

Leaving a game

Set In-Game Reset (Settings › Quick) to Apploader; it starts at Disabled. Then hold A + Z + START to leave a game and return to Indigo, or R + Z + START to restart it. Apploader starts the apploader.img in swiss/patches, so copy the download's apploader.img to every card you use with Swiss. Reboot restarts the console the normal way instead, which can start the normal Swiss rather than Indigo.

Didn't start?

What you see What to do
Swiss, or your usual menu With a from Swiss route that is expected: open apps, then indigo.dol. At power-on, check the file's name (ipl.dol or boot.dol) and that it is at the top of the card, not in a folder. With PicoBoot or PicoLoader, Swiss may be built into your chip: use the from Swiss route.
An error, a black screen or the GameCube menu Check that you unzipped the download, and that the name is not boot.dol.dol or indigo.dol.dol. At power-on, put your old ipl.dol or boot.dol back from the backup to start as before.
Indigo starts, but there are no games On Source, choose the card with your games. Check that they are in games at the top of that card, in a format listed above.
Leaving a game goes back to the normal Swiss Set In-Game Reset to Apploader, not Reboot. Check that the download's apploader.img is in swiss/patches on every card you use with Swiss.

More help: Troubleshooting. When you ask for help, say which Indigo version you have, what starts your GameCube, and where you copied Indigo.

Update Indigo

  1. Download and unzip the new release, and back up the card's swiss folder. Swiss hides that folder: show hidden folders first (Shift-Command-Period in a Mac's Finder; Hidden items and File name extensions under View in Windows File Explorer).
  2. Rename the new ipl.dol to the name of the Indigo file you start now (ipl.dol, boot.dol or indigo.dol), then copy it over that file, in the same place. On Windows, show file name extensions first.
  3. Copy the new apploader.img from the download's swiss/patches folder into the card's swiss/patches folder, replacing the old one.
  4. Start Indigo. About Indigo (System › System Information, then R) shows the new release's commit.

This works for Indigo 1.x and 2.x. If you renamed stock Swiss to swiss.dol to get round issue 3 in 1.25.0, you can rename it back to z.dol: since 2.0, Indigo no longer starts a z.dol by itself.

Go back to stock Swiss

Stock Swiss is the normal Swiss, without Indigo's menus. Show hidden folders on your computer first, as in Update Indigo, to see the card's swiss folder.

  • At power-on: put your old ipl.dol or boot.dol back from the backup. If the card had no boot.dol before, delete Indigo's. With a z.dol shortcut, you can also hold Z while you switch on.
  • From Swiss: start Swiss as usual and don't open indigo.dol. Delete apps/indigo.dol to remove Indigo.
  • Leaving a game: Indigo's apploader.img makes In-Game Reset return to Indigo, even after games started in stock Swiss. Put back the swiss/patches/apploader.img from your backup, or delete it if the card had none. Without a backup, stock Swiss's copy is in Apploader/EXTRACT_TO_ROOT.zip, inside swiss_rNNNN.7z from a Swiss release; open a .7z with 7-Zip or The Unarchiver.

Both programs read the same settings file. Stock Swiss drops Indigo-only settings when it saves, such as Menu Color and Library Layout: copy swiss/settings/global.ini somewhere first if you want them back later.

Build it yourself

Most people should use the ready-made ZIP. For a source build, run the same container image as CI:

git clone https://github.com/spencernorton/indigo.git
cd indigo
docker run --rm -u "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -v "$PWD:/work" -w /work \
  ghcr.io/extremscorner/libogc2@sha256:f9ffb7e33c4ba4010da8e40c01366f7c24732130146abd99690403bd42d3e4c2 make dev
buildtools/sd_package.sh dev

sd_package.sh creates Indigo-dev.zip with the same files as a release: follow the steps above with its ipl.dol. Ignore the cube/swiss/swiss.dol the build leaves on your computer. Upstream's make all and make package targets need device firmware and prebuilt tools this fork does not redistribute; use make dev here.

← Guide · Controls →

From docs/guide/install.md in Indigo v2.8.0, rendered for the web. Spotted a mistake? Suggest an edit.