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Dolphin / Primehack - General Guide

Dolphin feature rich a GameCube and Wii Emulator.

Primehack is a fork of Dolphin intended just to give Metroid Prime Trilogy mouselook controls and other improvements.

Dolphin - Webpage

Dolphin - Wiki

Dolphin - Game Compatibility

Dolphin - Performance Guide

Dolphin - Github

Primehack - Wiki

Primehack - FAQ

Primehack - Github

Where to put the games?

Gamecube:

Should be put under the retrodeck/roms/gc/ directory.

Wii:

Should be put under the retrodeck/roms/wii/ directory.

What file formats does Dolphin / Primehack support?

File Format Description
.ciso Compressed ISO image file
.dff Digital Forensics File
.dol GameCube executable file
.elf Executable and Linkable Format
.gcm GameCube disc image file
.gcz Compressed GameCube disc image
.iso Standard ISO disc image
.json JavaScript Object Notation file
.m3u Playlist file
.rvz Compressed GameCube/Wii disc image (Recommended)
.tgc GameCube disc image format
.wad WiiWare and Virtual Console game file
.wbfs Wii Backup File System image
.wia Compressed Wii disc image
.7z Compressed archive file
.zip Compressed archive file

NOTE:

.wbfs and .wad are the original format supported by the Wii console.

Does Dolphin require BIOS or Firmware?

Optional IPL.bin for GameCube boot intros.

Where to put the GameCube BIOS?

Dolphin looks for the IPL.bin in the save folders. Put each region's IPL.bin in the corresponding saves folder.

Type Folder Flatpak Source Emulator Folder Comment
GameCube Saves EU retrodeck/saves/gc/dolphin/EU/ var/data/dolphin-emu/GC/EUR/ dolphin-emu/GC/EUR/
GameCube Saves US retrodeck/saves/gc/dolphin/US/ var/data/dolphin-emu/GC/USA/ dolphin-emu/GC/USA/
GameCube Saves JP retrodeck/saves/gc/dolphin/JP/ var/data/dolphin-emu/GC/JAP/ dolphin-emu/GC/JAP/

Folder structure

Dolphin

This shows what folder corresponds to each folder in the standard Dolphin structure

Type Folder Flatpak Source Emulator Folder Comment
GameCube Saves EU retrodeck/saves/gc/dolphin/EU/ var/data/dolphin-emu/GC/EUR/ dolphin-emu/GC/EUR/
GameCube Saves JP retrodeck/saves/gc/dolphin/JP/ var/data/dolphin-emu/GC/JAP/ dolphin-emu/GC/JAP/
GameCube Saves US retrodeck/saves/gc/dolphin/US/ var/data/dolphin-emu/GC/USA/ dolphin-emu/GC/USA/
Mods retrodeck/mods/Dolphin/ var/data/dolphin-emu/Load/GraphicMods dolphin-emu/Load/GraphicMods/
ROMs Gamecube Folder retrodeck/roms/gc/
ROMs Wii Folder retrodeck/roms/wii/
Screenshots retrodeck/screenshots/ var/data/dolphin-emu/ScreenShots/ dolphin-emu/ScreenShots/
States retrodeck/states/dolphin/ var/data/dolphin-emu/StateSaves/ dolphin-emu/StateSaves/
Texture Packs retrodeck/mods/Dolphin/ var/data/dolphin-emu/Load/Textures/ dolphin-emu/Load/Textures/
Wii Saves retrodeck/saves/wii/dolphin/ var/data/dolphin-emu/Wii/ dolphin-emu/Wii/

PrimeHack

This shows what folder corresponds to each folder in the standard PrimeHack structure

Type Folder Flatpak Source Emulator Folder Comment
GameCube Saves EU retrodeck/saves/gc/primehack/EU/ var/data/primehack/GC/EUR/ primehack/GC/EUR/
GameCube Saves JP retrodeck/saves/gc/primehack/JP/ var/data/primehack/GC/JAP/ primehack/GC/JAP/
GameCube Saves US retrodeck/saves/gc/primehack/US/ var/data/primehack/GC/USA/ primehack/GC/USA/
Mods retrodeck/mods/Primehack/ var/data/primehack/Load/GraphicMods primehack/Load/GraphicMods/
ROMs Gamecube Folder retrodeck/roms/gc/
ROMs Wii Folder retrodeck/roms/wii/
Screenshots retrodeck/screenshots/ var/data/primehack/ScreenShots/ primehack/ScreenShots/
States retrodeck/states/primehack/ var/data/primehack/StateSaves/ primehack/StateSaves/
Texture Packs retrodeck/mods/Primehack/ var/data/primehack/Load/Textures/ primehack/Load/Textures/
Wii Saves retrodeck/saves/wii/primehack/ var/data/primehack/Wii/ primehack/Wii/

How-to: Change the language of Dolphin / Primehack

  1. In the Configurator open either Dolphin or Primehack.
  2. Navigate to Options -> Configuration -> Interface .
  3. Select preferred language in the drop-down menu.
  4. Close the Emulator, Configurator and return to RetroDECK.

How-to: Enable GameCube Boot Main Menu

Prerequisite: Place the GameCube IPL.bin BIOS in the save folders (see above).

  1. Open Dolphin in RetroDECK Configurator by selecting Open Emulator -> Dolphin / Primehack.
  2. Go to Options -> Configuration -> GameCube and uncheck Skip Main Menu.

How-to: Enable Wii System Menu

  1. Open Dolphin in RetroDECK Configurator by selecting Open Emulator -> Dolphin / Primehack.
  2. Go to Tools -> Perform Online System Update -> Select the Region you want for the System Menu and install it.
  3. You can open the System Menu by going to: Tools -> Load Wii System Menu.

How-to: Add Mods

The ~/retrodeck/mods/dolphin/ / ~/retrodeck/mods/primehack/ that represents the /load/GraphicMods folder.

Note:

Some texture packs could made for a specific version or region of a game.

Make sure you have the right game and textures for it.

GAME_ID is different for every game.

Enable Mods

  1. Open up Dolphin or Primehack inside RetroDECK Configurator by pressing Open Emulator - Dolphin / Primehack.
  2. Press Options -> Graphic Settings.
  3. Enable Graphics Mods and set it to On.

Adding the mods

  1. Extract any mod files from compressed .zip or any other format into folders.
  2. Go into mods folders, they contain folders that are all named by GAME_ID.
  3. Move the mods into the right folder:

Dolphin: ~/retrodeck/mods/dolphin/<GAME_ID>

Primehack: ~/retrodeck/mods/primehack/<GAME_ID>

If all is correct the mods should be loaded on next game launch.

How-to: Add Texture Packs?

The ~/retrodeck/texture_packs/dolphin/ & ~/retrodeck/texture_packs/primehack/ represents the /load/Textures folder.

Some texture packs could made for a specific version or region of a game. Make sure you have the right game and textures for it.

GAME_ID is different for every game.

Enable Custom Textures

  1. Open up Dolphin inside RetroDECK Configurator by pressing Open Emulator - Dolphin / Primehack.
  2. Press Options -> Graphic Settings
  3. Load Custom Textures & Prefetch Custom Textures and set them to On.

Adding the textures

  1. Extract any texture pack files from compressed .zip or any other format into folders.
  2. Go into texture pack folders, they contain folders that are all named by GAME_ID.
  3. Move the textures into the right folder:

Dolphin: ~/retrodeck/texture_packs/dolphin/<GAME_ID>

Primehack: ~/retrodeck/texture_packs/primehack/<GAME_ID>

If all is correct the textures should be loaded on next game launch.

Gamecube Controls

The controls here are described as an Xbox Layout style controller.

Action Button Comment
A A
B B
X X
Y Y
Z R2 or L2
START START
Control Stick Left Stick
C Stick Right Stick
D-Pad Up D-Pad Up
D-Pad Down D-Pad Down
D-Pad Left D-Pad Left
D-Pad Right D-Pad Right

Wii Controls for Controllers

The controls here are described as an Xbox Layout style controller.

There are hotkeys in the Radial Menus to change the Wii Mote from Upright / Sidways.

Action Button Comment
1 Y
2 X
A A or Left Mouse Click
B B
C R1
D-Pad Down D-Pad Down
D-Pad Left D-Pad Left
D-Pad Right D-Pad Right
D-Pad Up D-Pad Up
Home R3
+ Start
- Select
Shake Nunchuck L1 + L2
Shake Wii Mote L1
Z L2

Wii Motion - Pointer Emulation

  • Mouse movement is the general way to to get the pointer emulation.
  • Left Mouse Click that correspons to a press of the A button (as that one is the one mostly used for Wii games that are based around pointing as the primary button).
  • RetroDECK Hotkeys features several ways to enable Joystick as Mouse Emulation.
  • You could also use a mouse / touchpad.

Wii Motion - Tilt Emulation

Tilt emulation is made possible by holding the L2 button and moving the Right Joystick.

Action Button Comment
Tilt Down L2 + Right Joystick Down
Tilt Left L2 + Right Joystick Left
Tilt Right L2 + Right Joystick Right
Tilt Up L2 + Right Joystick Up

Guide: Using Real Wii Remotes

How-to use Real Wii Remotes and Nunchuck hardware?

Read more here: Using Real Wii Remotes