Wii for PC

Super Mario Galaxy 2 played on a PC with an Xbox 360 Controller

When Nintendo's Wii console first debuted in the winter of 2006, it took the consumer electronics market by storm.  After the lower than hoped for success rate of their previous console the Gamecube, Nintendo was able to show its investors and loyal fans that even after all these years they could still reinvent themselves.  The hook that really helped differentiate the Wii from the competition was its unique implementation of motion controls.  Motion control was such a successful feature that it allowed Nintendo to barely upgrade the hardware that powered the Gamecube and still be able to outsell Xbox 360 and PS3 for quite a few years.  If you missed the motion control fad that began with the Wii but want to give it a try now, then your PC might be the best option.  If you have a computer with a discrete graphics card, four gigabytes of ram, and a dual core processor then Dolphin emulator can bring the Wii to life on your PC in ways that surpass Nintendo's own console.

To get started head on over to the Dolphin Emulator web page and download the program.  Next you are going to need some Wii or Gamecube roms.  Since the Wii is backwards compatible with Gamecube games, so is Dolphin Emulator.  If you have a Wii it is not too difficult to rip the games you already have and transfer them to your computer.  If not there are a variety of ways to find and download them on the web.  However, it is a much better idea to use games that you already own for various reasons.  Although it may seem a little strange to play your Wii games on a computer when you already own a Wii, there is one major advantage to doing so.  The original Wii was designed to work with standard definition television sets and lacks HD cables as well as an HDMI port.  Dolphin Emulator allows you to play Wii games in HD and the difference in picture quality is quite noticeable.  Also depending on your PC's hardware, it is possible to really boost the graphics of the Wii and apply anti-aliasing as well as other graphics enhancements.  Once you have your Wii ISOs you are ready to go.  Start Dolphin Emulator, indicate to the program where you store your games, and load whichever one you want to play.  Some games perform differently using Dolphin but from my test a great number of them perform exceptionally well on my own system.

So far the ease of use and visual options are probably enough alone to convince Wii users to make the switch to Wii on PC.  However, it gets better.  Dolphin emulator also supports a great number of controllers and configurations.  It can register up to four Wiimotes at a time once they are connected to your computer using Bluetooth.  To make the Wii on PC experience an exact replica of using a standard Wii, it is necessary to purchase a wireless sensor bar for the Wii or if you have a Wii you can use the one included with your console.  While this would be the ideal way to use Dolphin Emulator, keyboard and mouse as well as gamepads such as the Xbox 360 controller are also supported.  Dolphin uses a virtual Wiimote to set these up and all of the Wiis controls including tilt and shake can be mapped to various keys on your controller or keyboard.  Another nice feature that those familiar with emulators will know, is the ability to use a number of save states to instantly save and load your game.  This brings the save at anytime feature of PC gaming to console games.  With the Wii being phased out by early next year, Dolphin Emulator gives PC gamers a way to experience and appreciate the Wii without cluttering up their living rooms or spending unnecessary money.  All in all installing and setting up Dolphin Emulator is a pretty easy process and might end up being the perfect weekend project.

Dolphin, Backing Up Wii Games  , Zelda Skyward Sword Dolphin Screenshots