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?

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
.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/

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.

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

How-to: Use a Real Wii Remote with Dolphin / Primehack?

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

Wii Remote - Guide

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.

How-to: Enable GameCube Boot Main Menu

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

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