Key Takeaways
1. Dolphin emulator can now boot every playable Wii game, achieving full compatibility with the Wii library.
2. Booting a game does not guarantee full playability; a game is considered “playable” if it runs well with minor glitches.
3. The only software that cannot be booted on Dolphin is the Wii U Menu, with no other titles listed as “Broken.”
4. Approximately 97.3% of Gamecube, Wii, and Virtual Console games are classified as playable or perfect, with 69.4% being perfect.
5. Dolphin is compatible with multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS (if jailbroken), and Xbox consoles.
The Dolphin emulator stands out as the leading option for emulating Gamecube and Wii games, and there’s a solid reason for this: it can now successfully start every game that was playable on an actual Nintendo Wii.
Recent Developments
On March 24, a user named u/error521 shared on Reddit that Dolphin had achieved the milestone of being able to boot all Wii titles, overcoming the last obstacle in boot compatibility. For some time now, Dolphin has successfully booted every Gamecube title and Virtual Console game, which means that any game playable on the Nintendo Wii can also be launched through Dolphin.
Understanding Playability
However, it’s important to note that booting a game doesn’t guarantee that it’s fully playable. According to Dolphin’s compatibility chart, a game is deemed “playable” if it “runs well [with] only minor graphical or audio glitches.” As per Dolphin’s definition, playable titles are those that can be completed from start to finish.
Current Limitations
At this point, the only software that still can’t be booted on Dolphin is the Wii U Menu. It’s a bit puzzling why the menu for the Wii’s successor is included in the compatibility list for the Wii. Aside from this, the “Broken” section, which lists software that fails to boot, is completely empty.
There are a few games that only manage to get through the boot sequence before reaching a menu (about 0.3% of the Wii’s library, including Gamecube games). Approximately 2.0% of Wii games can start but are prone to crashes or significant graphical/audio issues. Nevertheless, an impressive 97.3% of Gamecube, Wii, and Virtual Console games are classified as either “playable” (with minor glitches) or “perfect” (with no gameplay issues). Out of these, 69.4% are regarded as “perfect.”
Availability and Platforms
Dolphin is the most well-known emulator for Nintendo Gamecube and Wii, essentially because it’s the only widely accessible emulator for the Wii. It is compatible with Windows 10 and later, macOS Catalina and later, Linux, Android 5.0 and later (64-bit only), iOS (if jailbroken or using AltStore, with JIT required), Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X.
For additional information about Dolphin, you can visit the project’s official website.
Dolphin Compatibility List
u/error521 on r/emulation
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