How To Play Wii Games On PC [Windows]

If you were wondering how to play Wii games on your PC, well, wonder no more. The Nintendo Wii is nothing short of a technological marvel and boasts some of the most innovative and captivating games that the industry has to offer even after almost five years since its release, with the main hook of the console being is its ability to draw in both casual and hardcore gamers alike. Naturally, this has sparked interest in the gaming community and now everyone wants a taste of the Wii, but sadly not everyone can afford one (even though it’s quite cheap these days), which has led the community to resort to the method of emulation.

As the Wii is not a technological juggernaut by any means when compared to the Xbox 360 or the PS3, emulating the console on mid-range to high-end PCs is not only possible, but also quite accurate.

Here’s how you can get started on playing Wii games on your PC.

How to play Wii games on PC – Requirements

Here’s what you’ll need to play Wii games on a PC:

• A Windows-based PC that complies with the minimum system requirements for Dolphin Emulator.
• The latest version of the Dolphin Emulator.
• A Wiimote, nunchuck and sensor bar (optional).
• Bluetooth adapter (optional).
• Joystick or joypad (optional).
• A copy of the Wii game you want to play

How to play Wii games on PC – Getting Started

Dolphin Emulator has a fairly simple and easy to understand interface where all the basic settings you need to get started with playing Wii games on your PC are right at your finger tips. Getting the Wii game started is almost as easy as starting up the emulator and selecting the Wii game you want to play. Of course, you will need to have a copy of the Wii game on the hard drive in a supported format and Dolphin supports all available formats for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo GameCube such as elf, iso, ciso, wad, gcz, wad, gcm and dol.

The emulator boasts a steady stream of features to satisfy all your Wii needs. A recorder is available in case you want to document your progress through a game and upload the video to the web or just save it for kicks; saving and loading game states is also possible at any point in a game, and the emulator even features a cheat code section if you find that you are not able to complete a game without resorting to some unfair means.

How to play Wii games on PC – Setting it all up

Before you start to play Wii games on your PC, you will need to set up a few things in the program such as graphics and sound. The graphics and sound settings are fairly OK at the default levels, so leave them alone for the time being. But if you’re a speed freak or a tinkerer and want to get the maximum performance out of your PC, you will find some advanced settings here.

First off, you will need to map the keys of your keyboard or the buttons of your joypad or joystick to emulate the Wii controller in the game. So, just select the icon titled “GCPad” in the emulator and you will get a window similar to this:

All you need to do now is map a keyboard or joypad key to a corresponding button and you’re all set to start up a Wii game on your PC and start mashing the said buttons.

What if I have a Wiimote?

Dolphin Emulator also gives you the ability to play your Wii games on PC just like you would on the Wii by connecting you Wiimote and Nunchuck to the PC. What is even better is that Dolphin Emulator supports multiple Wiimotes, allowing you to play with up to four companions. A Bluetooth interface is used to connect the Wiimote with the Wii console.

In case your PC already has an internal Bluetooth adapter, you are ready to connect your Wiimote. Otherwise, you need to get an external Bluetooth dongle. In the Windows taskbar, right-click the Bluetooth symbol and click on “Add a device”. Press the 1+2 buttons on your Wiimote simultaneously and you will see the LEDs on the Wiimote start to blink. The Wiimote’s name will be Nintendo RVL-CNT-01 when it gets recognized by the PC. Go to the next step and click on “Pair without using a code” and wait a few seconds. After the configuration is completed, you are ready to use the Wiimote in Dolphin Emulator.

Open Dolphin Emulator and click on the “Wiimote” button and ensure the Input Source is set to “Real Wiimote”. After you select OK, the Wiimote should vibrate.

How to play Wii games on PC – Pairing your Wiimotes

There is also an alternative to connecting your Wiimote to your computer. In the “Wiimote” menu, you will see a button called “Real Wiimotes”. To pair up your Wiimote, simply press the buttons 1 and 2 on your Wiimote and then click on “Pair Up”. Wait a few seconds and the Wiimote should be connected. If not restart Dolphin Emulator and try again. After the Wiimote is connected, click “Refresh”.

Do I need the sensor bar to play Wii games on PC?

You need a wireless sensor bar in case you want to play Wii games in Dolphin Emulator that require one. Since the sensor bar is just a source of infrared light, it doesn’t need to be connected to PC. The Wiimote has an optical sensor that allows it to determine where it is pointing. The image sensor is used to locate the sensor bar’s points of light in the Wiimote’s field of view.

How to play Wii games on PC – Preparing to play!

That is all you need to do to get started on playing the Wii games on your PC that interest you the most. Pretty easy, huh? Once you’re done, just select “Open” and start up a Wii game of your choice. Dolphin Emulator emulates almost all Wii games flawlessly, with decent playable speed to boot, and like the Wii, it is able to play downloadable games and even emulate GameCube games. Just its ability to connect real Wiimotes to your PC makes it a pretty good alternative in case you don’t want to buy a Wii and just check out what the platform has to offer. The guys at Dolphin also offer a pretty comprehensive compatibility list in case you want to know which Wii games are fully compatible with the emulator.

Play Wii games on PC – Ending Notes

Please note that even though Dolphin Emulator can emulate pirated Wii games, it is not the way to go. Please do not resort to piracy. Buy the Wii games that you like because Nintendo deserves the money just for making the Wii the awesome console that it is and also for creating some of the most fun Wii games in history.

How was your experience with Dolphin Emulator? Do you like to play Wii games on your PC? Let us know in the comments.