Even still, a 1TB external drive can store over 300 games. Each game can take up to an hour to rip, and can be anywhere from 1GB to 5GB, though double-layer disks like Super Smash Bros: Brawl can be 8GB in size. After that, you can use USB Loader GX to rip your game disks to an external hard drive. These can both be long processes, and may differ depending on what system version you have. To go this route, first homebrew your Wii, and install USB Loader GX. In the case of emulation, homebrewing allows you to install games to a hard drive, which can be then be connected to a computer to be used with Dolphin. This is worth doing anyway, as it lets you turn your old console into a DVD player, run emulators, and install games to a hard drive. The process is a little complicated, and involves installing the Homebrew channel on your Wii.

It's compatible with Windows and macOS, with an older release available on Linux.Įmulators are commonly used to pirate games, but they can be used without downloading ROMs, too-and in the case of Dolphin, you can rip your own games to your PC using a Wii.

You could also use a GameCube Controller, but you will have to buy a USB adapter.

You can use Wii Remotes with Dolphin, along with any other gamepad, including Xbox 360 and One Controllers.

This can also be done by installing USB Loader GX on the Wii, which is actually required anyway to legally get your game disks to play on Dolphin, but it is still an advantage over a regular Wii.

All your games will be in one place and load extremely fast.

There are also many community made texture and shader packs which improve the look of the game substantially. There are hacks that let games run at 60 frames per second. In fact, even games for the GameCube, which had a maximum of 480p and were stuck at a 3:4 aspect ratio, upscale very well to full widescreen HD or even 4K.

If you have good hardware, you can crank up the graphics settings on older games.

Why do this if you already have a Wii? Let me count the ways:

Installing Dolphin is easy, and you can even rip your own games from a Wii if you're willing to homebrew it. Dolphin can run your collection of Wii and GameCube games very well at 1080p on most new PC's, and even older systems still can crank out playable speeds in standard definition 480p (which is the GameCube's native resolution). Related: How to Play Your Favorite NES, SNES, and Other Retro Games on Your PC with an Emulatorĭolphin is an open source Wii and GameCube emulator that supports the majority of games for both consoles.

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