Feedback Can Dolphin replace my Wii?

[CoolKid575]

I'm an HS senior who's moving out for college in a few months, and I've been heavily considering selling my Wii / games since my dorm is tiny (approx 80 square feet of personal space). Has Dolphin advanced enough to replace the actual console? I have an Acer Swift Go 14 with 16GB RAM, an Intel Ultra Core 7 and integrated graphics; usually I just play common games like Xenoblade Chronicles, DanceDanceRevolution and Zelda Wind Waker, so I'm not too worried about compatibility, but I'm concerned about stuttering with the heavier titles as well as compatibility issues with my current controllers. I've read mixed accounts about how well Dolphin can replicate a Wii-like experience, so I figured I'd ask the forum, especially since previous threads about this on Reddit are multiple years old.

 

[azy77]

I'd say yeh, you can even use real wiimotes on it, I changed the adapter on a sensor bar to usb and it works just like the console.

I still prefer using an actual Wii U on a big TV but for your circumstances it will be fine. I'm sure there's a compatibility list somewhere but it ran everything I threw at it.

 

[Aep]

I'm an HS senior who's moving out for college in a few months, and I've been heavily considering selling my Wii / games since my dorm is tiny (approx 80 square feet of personal space). Has Dolphin advanced enough to replace the actual console? I have an Acer Swift Go 14 with 16GB RAM, an Intel Ultra Core 7 and integrated graphics; usually I just play common games like Xenoblade Chronicles, DanceDanceRevolution and Zelda Wind Waker, so I'm not too worried about compatibility, but I'm concerned about stuttering with the heavier titles as well as compatibility issues with my current controllers. I've read mixed accounts about how well Dolphin can replicate a Wii-like experience, so I figured I'd ask the forum, especially since previous threads about this on Reddit are multiple years old.

Nope. Not enough. It is not close enough yet.

You will realistically only get $50 or such for your Wii anyways.

Post automatically merged: Apr 18, 2025

Additionally, without a Wii, you cannot legally rip games anyways and we do not assist with piracy here.

 

[1vanchom]

You should try the experience using Dolphin before selling your Wii. And also you need it to rip your games.

Performance-wise, your computer won't have any issues; you just need a Pentium Gold and 4GB of RAM for decent/good emulation (wii emulation doesn't need a strong GPU).

In my opinion, Dolphin greatly improves the experience if you tune it correctly. I only prefer to play on the real hardware if I have a CRT TV, since it's limited to 480p. Dolphin renders games above the native resolution, up to 4K, and in some cases looks better overall.

The compatibility with games and controllers is quite good, the problem is that you need to set up everything correctly to have a great experience. Patience and time would be required to understand how to take advantage of it.

By the way, you may experience stuttering, but not due to heavy loads (you won't have any with your PC). It usually happens the first time you load the game's resources unless you decide to tweak some settings, but explaining the concept is complicated.

Those who understand emulation will tell you that Dolphin is one of the best at it, but if you don't understand it, you won't enjoy it at all.

 

[XFlak]

I think probably the biggest selling feature of dolphin is its net play, one day I plan to test it out personally but I've heard good things
https://dolphin-emu.org/docs/guides/netplay-guide/

 

[cearp]

Additionally, without a Wii, you cannot legally rip games anyways and we do not assist with piracy here.

That's not true: https://github.com/bradenmcd/friidump

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I'm an HS senior who's moving out for college in a few months, and I've been heavily considering selling my Wii / games since my dorm is tiny (approx 80 square feet of personal space). Has Dolphin advanced enough to replace the actual console? I have an Acer Swift Go 14 with 16GB RAM, an Intel Ultra Core 7 and integrated graphics; usually I just play common games like Xenoblade Chronicles, DanceDanceRevolution and Zelda Wind Waker, so I'm not too worried about compatibility, but I'm concerned about stuttering with the heavier titles as well as compatibility issues with my current controllers. I've read mixed accounts about how well Dolphin can replicate a Wii-like experience, so I figured I'd ask the forum, especially since previous threads about this on Reddit are multiple years old.

It's better than real hardware. GC/Wii graphics quality is significantly boosted by HD resolutions. I haven't played on a real Wii in many years.
One thing worth noting is that real Wiimotes are still needed for many games. A sensor bar is also recommended.
Wii Motion Plus is more buggy on emulator, it's recommended to use Bluetooth passthrough for better Wii Motion Plus support, which gets it close to real hardware. That also means no Dolphin Bar, as that isn't compatible with BT passthrough.

 

[a_username_that_is_cool]

I recommend for the best experience, dump your NAND using BootMii and import it into Dolphin. All save data and channels will be moved into dolphin.

 

[Aep]

That's not true: https://github.com/bradenmcd/friidump

You need very specific disc drive models that are almost extinct, and that does not work with gamecube games iirc.

Post automatically merged: Apr 18, 2025

It's better than real hardware. GC/Wii graphics quality is significantly boosted by HD resolutions. I haven't played on a real Wii in many years.
One thing worth noting is that real Wiimotes are still needed for many games. A sensor bar is also recommended.
Wii Motion Plus is more buggy on emulator, it's recommended to use Bluetooth passthrough for better Wii Motion Plus support.

It is not better than real hardware at all. They still don't emulate the Starlet.

 

[cearp]

You need very specific disc drive models that are almost extinct, and that does not work with gamecube games iirc.

The application I linked works fine for gamecube games too - I see some compatible drives on ebay!
I'm just giving an alternative, as you said it cannot be legally done without a wii, and some people might take you seriously...

 

[Aep]

The application I linked works fine for gamecube games too - I see some compatible drives on ebay!
I'm just giving an alternative, as you said it cannot be legally done without a wii, and some people might take you seriously...

Well the alternative is around the price of a Wii anyways to be fair.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

You need very specific disc drive models that are almost extinct, and that does not work with gamecube games iirc.

Post automatically merged: Apr 18, 2025

It is not better than real hardware at all. They still don't emulate the Starlet.

Why does it need to? Is there some compatibility issue that would be fixed by emulating the Starlet?

 

[MysticStarlight]

If you plan to play online through custom servers such as Wiimmfi, you will need to dump your nand with BootMii and write down your Wii's MAC address so you can import them into Dolphin in order to be able to connect. I don't know how ethical it is to keep using a nand and MAC address of a console you no longer own, but eh, I'm just letting you know.

 

[Aep]

Why does it need to? Is there some compatibility issue that would be fixed by emulating the Starlet?

Most homebrew. An emulator needs near cycle accuracy to replace a console for me.

Post automatically merged: Apr 18, 2025

If you plan to play online through custom servers such as Wiimmfi, you will need to dump your nand with BootMii and write down your Wii's MAC address so you can import them into Dolphin in order to be able to connect. I don't know how ethical it is to keep using a nand and MAC address of a console you no longer own, but eh, I'm just letting you know.

Yeah that is illegal.

 

[MysticStarlight]

Yeah that is illegal.

Well no Wiimmfi on Dolphin then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. There are other servers that don't require the use of real NANDs and MAC addresses such as NewWFC but that server isn't being moderated so expect lots of cheaters there.

 

[Aep]

Well no Wiimmfi on Dolphin then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. There are other servers that don't require the use of real NANDs and MAC addresses such as NewWFC but that server isn't being moderated so expect lots of cheaters there.

NAND dumps don't contain the MAC address. It is just the keys and serial number that is required for the WFC servers.

You also need a Wii's keys for the Wii Shop Channel to work in Dolphin.

 

[MysticStarlight]

NAND dumps don't contain the MAC address. It is just the keys and serial number that is required for the WFC servers.

You also need a Wii's keys for the Wii Shop Channel to work in Dolphin.

I know that, but Wiimmfi also uses the MAC address to identify consoles. So, (unless they have changed the requirements,) using a NAND backup of a console that's already registered on Wiimmfi without also setting the mac address will result in a "wait 7 days" error when logging in, and every time you reinstall Dolphin, it will generate a different mac address each time, which would eventually result in a ban (error code 23915).

 

[NaimArnold]

NAND dumps don't contain the MAC address. It is just the keys and serial number that is required for the WFC servers.

/shared2/succession/transfer.id

 

[water_kooler]

Can Dolphin replace a Wii?

Maybe for personal use. However, if I invite someone over to game, I don't want to spend 15 minutes tweaking the settings every time for the controllers and the little computer monitor.

On my homebrew Wii all of the emulators are ready to go and controllers work on a big TV. The PC on the other hand takes time to configure.