Wiki/wiki-rtd/docs/wiki_emulator_guides/dolphin-primehack/dolphin-primehack-guide.md

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.

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Dolphin Links:

Dolphin - Webpage

Dolphin - Wiki

Dolphin - Game Compatibility

Dolphin - Performance Guide

Dolphin - Github

Primehack Links

Primehack - Wiki

Primehack - FAQ

Primehack - Github

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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?

.ciso
.dff
.dol
.elf
.gcm
.gcz
.iso
.json
.m3u
.rvz
.tgc
.wad
.wbfs
.wia
.7z
.zip

NOTE:

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

Does Dolphin require BIOS or Firmware?

No

Folder structure

Dolphin

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

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

PrimeHack

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

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

Where do I 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.

Dolphin Controls

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 - How do I use a Real Wii Remote with RetroDECK and Dolphin / Primehack?

To get a Wii Remote working on Dolphin / Primehack and Linux read more here in this in-depth guide:

Wii Remote - Guide

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
A	A or Left Mouse Click
B	B
1	Y
2	X
-	Select
+	Start
C	R1
Z	R2 or L2
Shake Wii Mote	L1
Shake Nunchuck	L1 + L2
D-Pad Up	D-Pad Up
D-Pad Down	D-Pad Down
D-Pad Left	D-Pad Left
D-Pad Right	D-Pad Right
Home	R3

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).
• That also means if you run RetroDECK on a computer you could also use your mouse.

External Controllers - Joystick as Temporary Mouse

For all external controllers without a touchpad (this can also be used for those with touchpad if wanted).

By holding SELECT and moving the Right Joystick you can use it as a mouse for various systems that uses mouse input.

Function	Button / Combination	Comment
Joystick as Mouse	SELECT + Right Stick	Cursor Movement
Right Mouse Click	SELECT + L3
Left Mouse Click	SELECT + R3

Steam Deck

Function	Button / Combination	Comment
Right Touchpad		The entire touchpad acts a mouse
Right Touchpad Press	Left Mouse Click

The Steam Deck uses the Right Touchpad for mouse movement and Wii Pointer emulation, clicking on the Touchpad will produce a Left Click and send the press of the A button.

Dualshock 4 and DualSense

The touchpads acts as a mouse and can be used to navigate mouse based inputs and be used for Dolphin.

Function	Button / Combination	Comment
Full Touchpad		The entire touchpad acts a mouse
Right Touchpad Click	Left Mouse Click
Left Touchpad Click	Right Mouse Click

Steam Controller - Gordon

You can use the general:

Hold SELECT or L4 and move the Right Touchpad while holding if you don't want to switch modes.

Right Touchpad: Joystick Mode / Mouse Mode Switch

By pressing R4 you can switch the right touchpad between semi-permanent Right Joystick Mode or Mouse Mode.

Function	Button / Combination	Comment
Touchpad as Mouse / Joystick Switch	R4	The entire touchpad acts a mouse or the right joystick
Left Click - Mouse Mode	R3	Left Click

Wii Motion - Tilt Emulation

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

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

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.

Add 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?

Primehack is based on Dolphin so the method is the same.

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 or Primehack 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.

Add 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.