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Are M1 Macs now the BEST at Wii/GC emulation? Wiimote Joycons, Dolphin Metal ARM and macOS Ventura



macOS Ventura Beta:
Download Dolphin: https://dolphin-emu.org
Buy Joycons for Mac: https://geni.us/joycons

Quick video demonstrating huge improvements in Wii/GameCube emulation support on M1/M2 Apple Silicon Macs thanks to updates in macOS Ventura as well as the latest builds of Dolphin. This provide huge performance boost through Metal on many games. Also Joycon is now supported as an alternative Wiimote control scheme and is surprisingly accurate and playable.

Timestamps:
00:00 Dolphin ARM, Metal update and Joycon support
00:41 macOS Ventura update
00:59 Download Dolphin nightly
01:48 Install Dolphin nightly
02:08 Find Wii/Gamecube games
02:42 Pair Joycons
03:47 Setup Joycons in Dolphin
04:29 Setup Nunchuk and remapping
05:36 Enable Metal graphics API and change resolution
06:06 Temporarily disable Nunchuk
06:37 Wii Sports
07:04 Pointer precision with Joycon
07:30 No Nunchuk motion controls.. yet!
07:39 Metal vs MoltenVK Vulkan performance comparison
08:06 Resident Evil 4 Wii

► Links:
Master M1 game compatibility list: https://www.applegamingwiki.com/wiki/M1_compatible_games_master_list
Please join me on Discord here: https://discord.gg/28CAAr6SpB
Check out AppleGamingWiki: https://applegamingwiki.com

► Get the NEW M1 Macs here (Amazon links):
https://geni.us/mbp-m1pro-14
https://geni.us/mbp-m1pro-16
https://geni.us/mbp-m1max-16
https://geni.us/applem1macbookair
https://geni.us/applem1macbookpro
https://geni.us/applem1macmini
https://geni.us/applem1imac

► My Recording Setup:
►► My equipment:
DJI Pocket 2 – https://geni.us/djipocket2combo
SanDisk Extreme 256 GB – https://geni.us/sandiskextreme256gb
MacBook Air M1 – https://geni.us/applem1macbookair
Anker SD Card Reader USB 3.0 – https://geni.us/ankersd
►► Mac:
Record screen audio and gameplay (Mac): https://youtu.be/i6UewWGWfe0
Set 16:9 aspect ratio (Mac): https://youtu.be/TtKNqoCbOaI
Highlight mouse cursor (Mac): https://youtu.be/jDJECtQO97Y
Display keystrokes (Mac): https://youtu.be/1MRQ9DmxmU0
Snap windows (Rectangle, Mac): https://youtu.be/qUPSnDYJU6A
OBS setup (Mac): https://youtu.be/rpYxhzlaDj8
Temperature/fan monitor (Mac): https://youtu.be/ovnDeHiXnKU
►► General:
Microphone setup (Blue Yeti): https://youtu.be/81DsMgR2Qd4
Greenscreen setup (OBS): https://youtu.be/mO4QhV-1rKo
Note-taking (Notion, Mac): https://youtu.be/DaMPeS8Bet8
Highlight mouse cursor (Windows): https://youtu.be/kM0RgM7TDFc
DIY 2TB SSD USB-C (Mac and Windows): https://youtu.be/43X3Mk5vQK4

► Windows gaming on Mac:
►► Windows on M1 Mac Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVxzCteaWnc
►► CrossOver FREE 14 DAY TRIAL – use coupon APPLEGAMINGWIKI for 25% DISCOUNT: https://www.codeweavers.com/?ad=835
►► Parallels 17 use code APPLEWIKI10 for 10% DISCOUNT: https://prf.hn/click/camref:1101lfR6V

Amazon Affiliates Disclosure: Andrew Tsai is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites as well as other affiliate programs.

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50 Comments

  1. Also, motion controls on the nunchuck CAN be enabled, but you have to right click on the motion sensor buttons, which will open a window that allows you to select any input from any device. From there, you have to select the specific Joy Con (L) device and map the correct sensors.

    Dolphin button mapping is VERY powerful IF you know how to set it up properly

  2. 4:09 Just connected my Joy cons and when I go to Dolphin Emulator controller settings the motion input page is blank and it doesn't detect any movement. Is this due to MacOS Sonoma?

  3. Thx you man, you turned my life around. Can I ask you a question? the joycons that you know, can I also use them with other emulators? like Citra-qt, Openemu, Nestopia etc. etc.?

  4. Anyone seeing a shimmering/blurring effect happening in some games in dolphin? New Super Mario Bros and Donkey Kong Country Returns on Wii have this happening when you are running and the screen is scrolling from side to side. Also seeing this on Mario Kart Double Dash for GC. I’m currently on an M1 MacBook. Any help or tips about fixing this would be appreciated. 🙏🏻

  5. Current nintendo emulators (at least Wii/Wii u and switch) run 50% natively in M chips due the instructions are the same than those consoles (ARM). In case of switch, latest emulators are being optimized due in the background they share the same Operating System (FreeBSD)

  6. Any way to connect the wii remote (both standard/moment plus) with a M2? (ventura). I already found the bluetooth address of the device but can't generate a correct pin code

  7. I got this to work but when I’m trying it again the motion controls are not responding I can still use the controller just can’t fix the motion any tips ?

  8. I've had an issue where when I try to connect my Wii remote to bluetooth and when I do it tells me to enter a 4-digit code and i cant connect my wii remote to dolphin emulator. I am using a macOS Ventura and would appreciate some help

  9. You literally saved me after hours and hours of searching!! can't believe your video wasn't recommended till now! really can't thank you enough I almost gave up

  10. Eh? Dolphin is so light it runs on basically anything from 2010 onwards. A 200 dollar laptop will let you upscale 4k quite easily. Macs will simply run Dolphin and pair joycons just like anything else, just at 15 times the price. Jesus, people will make a video about anything I guess, just need that bait headline.