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How To Install And Use Dolphin Emulator
Dolphin Emulator is a GameCube and Nintendo Wii emulator for PC, Mac, and Android. It's one of the most popular emulators for those consoles. Even if you own a new Nintendo Switch and enjoy the company's latest titles, you might enjoy retro games. Learn how to download, install, and use Dolphin Emulator on your Windows PC, Mac, or Android phone below.
QUICK ANSWER
To install Dolphin Emulator on a PC or Mac, head to the official website's download page and download the most recent version on your platform. Install it like you would any other app, and then you can proceed with the setup process. For Android phones, download the app from the Google Play Store like any other app.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
Download and install Dolphin Emulator on WindowsThere are two methods to install Dolphin Emulator on a Windows PC. The first is the traditional method, where you install it as a program on your computer and open it like any app. The other method contains the app in a folder that you place where you want and access as you choose. We'll do both here.
Download the beta version (recommended)
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
The beta version gets updated more consistently than the legacy version. Thus, we recommend this one since it is in active development. This tutorial is for Windows 11, and it's slightly different from previous operating systems.
Pro tip: Since it is a portable app, you can move the folder wherever you want for easier access. I usually stash it on the desktop, but you can even pop it onto a flash drive if you want to.
Download and install Dolphin Emulator on Mac
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
This is very similar to the beta version of Windows, where it's a portable application, and you just need to open it. Again, we recommend the beta version instead of the legacy version since it is in active development. Here are the steps.
Set up a game directory (both PC and Mac)
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Regardless of your method, you'll want to create a folder to stash your game ROMs. This is a super easy process but a very necessary one. Otherwise, your Downloads folder is going to get crowded after a while.
Pro-tip: I recommend doing this process regardless of your platform — PC or Mac. The screenshot above was taken on Windows 11, but I also repeated this method when testing on my Macbook Air.
Once you're done, you need to add some ROMs. After that, you can set up your emulator and start playing.
How to play a game in Dolphin Emulator
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
You'll need a ROM before you can start, and unfortunately, that's outside the scope of this guide. Legally, you can only play ROMs that you have ripped from your own physical collection. We'll leave it at that.
However, once you obtain a ROM, put it in your ROM folder, and load up the emulator, things get pretty easy.
Of course, some base configurations work fine out of the box, but you may want to configure it further before playing. We'll show you how to do that next.
Set up and use Dolphin Emulator on Windows and MacLuckily, Dolphin Emulator comes pretty well set up out of the box. It should play most games at good frame rates, with only minor adjustments needed depending on your computer. For example, the GameCube and Nintendo Wii controls come pre-mapped to your keyboard. You just have to learn which buttons do what. There is minimal setup needed to pop in and play, but we'll still go over some common items for customization purposes.
While there may be some small changes between platforms, setup on Windows and macOS is nearly identical, and the same instructions should work 99% of the time between them.
How to configure a controller on Dolphin Emulator
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Configuring your controls not only allows you to remap your keyboard to be more comfortable but also helps you learn what each button does. We very heavily recommend a wired GameCube controller along with a USB GameCube adapter. The three joystick configuration for the GameCube controller doesn't translate well to mouse and keyboard. In any case, here's how to configure everything.
The controller configuration screen definitely looks intimidating at first. We recommend taking your time and looking through everything. Don't be afraid to tinker and mess around. You can always hit the Default button to restore everything to its original settings.
How to configure graphics settings on Dolphin Emulator
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Graphics settings are set pretty well out of the box, and my PC and Mac had no problems running Super Mario Sunshine at max frames. However, your system may need some adjustments to get the best possible performance, so we'll show you how to do that.
Standard graphics settings
Pro-tip: One of the changes we recommend is increasing the Internal Resolution under the Enhancements tab if your computer can handle it. The higher resolution not only looks better but gives you a larger screen to play with.
For the most part, it seems Dolphin is configured for efficiency out of the gate. Many graphical settings, like anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering, etc., are at their lowest possible settings or turned off entirely. There doesn't seem to be much to do if your FPS is too low, but there's plenty to do if your machine can handle a higher workload.
Other configuration settings
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Dolphin Emulator has some additional configuration settings you can access by tapping Options at the top of the window and then Configure. This houses some general configuration controls. You shouldn't need to mess with this all that much, but it may help with troubleshooting if your emulator is bugging out. Below, we'll talk about each tab in the Configure menu.
That's about it for configuration. As we said earlier, the emulator comes set up pretty well out of the box, so aside from controller configurations and maybe increasing the graphics settings, there isn't much to do to play.
Download and install Dolphin Emulator on Android
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
We recommend using the Google Play version since it gets regular updates anyway. Unlike many emulators, the latest beta version is automatically added to Google Play, so you don't have to manually update ever again.
Create a ROM directory for Dolphin Emulator
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Much like the PC version, we recommend you create a folder on your phone to stash your ROMs. It makes it easier for the emulator to find new games, and it also makes it vastly easier to back up if you ever need to switch your phone. For this tutorial, we use Solid Explorer (Google Play), but you can use any good file browser app.
Pro-tip: When upgrade your phone someday, use an app like Autosync (Google Play) or Google Drive to back up the folder. You can download the folder on your new phone, and it'll be there when you need it.
This part isn't 100% necessary, but it is highly recommended. Otherwise, your emulator is reading game ROMs out of your Downloads folder, where you can accidentally delete it if you're not paying attention. It's always good to get permanent files out of the Downloads folder.
Set up Dolphin Emulator on AndroidDolphin Emulator on Android is a lot like its PC and Mac variant. It's mostly set up to go out of the box, and all you really need to do is minor tweaks to get it set up for you. Let's go down through some common configurations to get you all set up and ready to go.
Configure your Dolphin Emulator controls
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
You have two options here. You can use on-screen controls or a hardware controller. We'll show you how to configure both. For this tutorial, we used a Moga XP5-X Plus Bluetooth controller.
Customize on-screen controlsTip: You have to do this manually for every game, and you'll need to manually toggle the controls back on if you don't have your controller with you on any given day.
You can find additional keyboard controls by hitting the Cogwheel on the Dolphin Emulator home screen and selecting GameCube Input or Wii Input. However, that's more for hardware controller stuff than on-screen controls.
Configure hardware controllers in Dolphin Emulator
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Pro-tip: To hide your on-screen controls, open any game and open the menu. Go to Overlay Controls, then Toggle Controls, and tap the Toggle All button to hide all of the buttons. There are also additional options for setting up a GameCube adapter or Dolphin Bar. They are pretty straightforward but do require hardware purchases first.
Configure graphics for Dolphin Emulator on Android
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
You shouldn't need to configure Dolphin Emulator on your Android phone. The default settings work on the vast majority of modern Android devices. However, if you do, here's where you can find them.
There are a lot of really cool things in there, and each setting has an explanation of what it does. Thus, poke around in there if you want to have some fun or if you need to turn the settings up or down to match your tastes or hardware. Again though, you don't need a high-end gaming phone to use Dolphin emulator.
Other configuration settings
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
There are a few other spots of note in the settings that you may want to know about. You can reach this part of the menu by opening Dolphin, tapping the Cogwheel, and then selecting the Config option.
There are some other configurations, but like most of the emulator, they aren't things you should need to touch unless something very odd is happening. We also recommend checking out the official subreddit if you run into issues.
FAQ Can my PC run Dolphin Emulator?
In a word, probably. Dolphin Emulator doesn't have a demanding minimum specs requirement. A quad-core CPU with a high clock speed is recommended alongside at least 2GB of RAM and a GPU that supports DirectX 11.1 or OpenGL 4.4. The emulator also requires a 64-bit OS.
Is it illegal to use Dolphin Emulator?No. Emulator and ROM use are 100% legal. However, they exist in a moral gray area since you are, in essence, pirating old video games. There's still a lot of legal debate about this topic, but you won't go to jail for using an emulator.
CommentsDolphin In Zoo Choked To Death On Fake Seaweed
A captive dolphin has died at a Swedish zoo after it ingested a piece of artificial seaweed that had been placed in its tank.
The dolphin named Nephele died at the Kolmården Wildlife Park on January 15. An autopsy completed on March 13 showed that the fake seaweed became lodged in her throat and prevented her from breathing.
The dolphin was taken from the wild near Florida back in 1989, when she was around 9 years old, according to wildlife charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC). Kolmården then purchased her from another zoo in Germany in 1994.
Bim Boijsen, chief veterinarian at Kolmården, told Newsweek that staff at the park were "deeply saddened" by what happened to Nephele.
A stock photo shows a captive dolphin swimming in a pool. A dolphin at a wildlife park south of Stockholm, Sweden, died after choking on seaweed, an autopsy found. A stock photo shows a captive dolphin swimming in a pool. A dolphin at a wildlife park south of Stockholm, Sweden, died after choking on seaweed, an autopsy found. C-foto/Getty"According to the autopsy, Nephele had ingested some of the artificial seaweed used as environmental enrichment. The piece of seaweed had unfortunately become positioned in such a way that it affected her breathing. Of course, we take this seriously and are deeply saddened by what has happened," Boijsen said.
"Enrichments are important for providing animals with a stimulating and dynamic environment. We have now taken several measures to prevent anything similar from happening again. We have removed the seaweed from the pool, increased our checks on enrichment and are in the process of developing and improving documentation to make it easier to detect deviations."
The keeping of marine mammals such as dolphins in captivity has long been a controversial subject. Organizations like WDC are actively working on campaigns against keeping the animals in tanks.
Dolphins are incredibly intelligent creatures and thrive on social interaction with others. Animal welfare advocates have noted that a tank in a marine park cannot possibly provide these intelligent creatures with enough stimulation.
"Like us, dolphins need to come to the surface to breathe, and choking in this way must have been a traumatic experience for Nephele," Danny Groves, head of communications at WDC told Newsweek.
"Instead of trying to make the captive environment more like the wild—a pointless pursuit—why not just leave whales and dolphins in the ocean where they belong, with their families and social groups, and plenty of real seaweed?"
According to WDC, over 60 dolphins have died at Kolmården since they first started theatrical dolphin shows in 1969. The charity also noted that the park was supposed to shut down its dolphins exhibit two years ago, however it is still up and running. The park still has 11 resident dolphins.
"It is difficult to comprehend why some still see keeping whales and dolphins in captivity for our entertainment as a good idea. Nephele would have been perfectly happy roaming for miles each day wild and free in the ocean. But after being snatched from the sea at the age of 9, she endured a life or boredom in a small tank," Groves said.
"Her tragic death is a chilling reminder of why captive whale and dolphin shows should be phased out for good. Swimming endlessly in circles, some lie on the floor of their tanks for many hours, chew on the sides of the pool and repeat the same patterns of behavior over and over.
"A life so devoid of natural stimulation that staff at this facility had to add fake seaweed to the tank for 'environmental enrichment' reasons and, presumably, to visually enhance the shows that Nephele performed in," Groves said.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about dolphins? Let us know via science@newsweek.Com.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Dolphin Mall Deemed "safe" After Reports Of Shots Fired Prompt Evacuations, Large Police Response
Shooting scare at Dolphin Mall sent shoppers scrambling
Shooting scare at Dolphin Mall sent shoppers scrambling 00:59SWEETWATER — Several police officers responded to Dolphin Mall after reports of "shots fired" scared dozens of customers off the property on Sunday afternoon.
CBS News Miami is currently on the scene to investigate as social media users express panic at the Miami-Dade County shopping center and shared videos of stores closing their doors, hiding customers and rushing outside for safety after some say there were "shots fired."
Sweetwater Police Lt. Johnathan Arche told CBS News Miami that there is no active shooter but officers are investigating what brought about the scare. Miami-Dade Police added that the situation was unfounded. The City of Sweetwater released a statement later Saturday evening, saying that the mall had been deemed safe after "no evidence was found to corroborate such reports."
This is a developing story. Tune into CBS News Miami on-air and online for the latest updates.
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