I have a cat who finds the Wii sensor bar's cord irresistibly attractive, so the sensor bar stays in a drawer most of the time. However, when trying to start Wii mode on the Wii U, you're required to point the wiimote at the screen. Now I actually play wii 95% without the sensor bar anymore since most of what I play allows the classic controller, as does the UI. But it seems to not let me IN to wii mode without it.
I've tried launching the Wii mode from startup (holy B until the Wii U logo appears and it should go into Wii mode) as well as from the home screen icon, both bring you to the "point the remote at the screen" dialog. There's no way to interact with the dialog but to comply or cancel. Using a classic controller doesn't seem to change whether the screen prompts you.
Is there some way to get into Wii mode on a Wii U without the sensor bar at all? I have wiimotes, classic controllers (pro and normal) and nunchucks, and a Wii U pro controller if any of that helps.
Best Answer
Okay this CAN work however it does require the TV; you can't do this gamepad only (with or without sensor bar; the menu appears on the TV only). when the "point the wiimote at the TV" screen, plug in your Wii Classic Controller and move the left joystick; a hand cursor should appear. Highlight "gamepad and TV" or "TV only" as you please, then press A on the classic controller. It should boot right to Wii mode without the sensor bar now.
Also...the gamepad has a sensor bar in it! It actually works better than you'd think, though it's definitely best with a gamepad stand. You can't use the gamepad sensorbar to get into Wii mode unfortunately, so you WILL need either a classic controller or a sensorbar to get into wii mode, but after that you can use the gamepad as a sensor bar if you so wish.