What type of ROM does Dolphin emulator use?

The Dolphin emulator uses GameCube ROMs in various file formats, including ISO, GCM, NRG, CISO, WBFS, and GCZ, allowing users to play GameCube and Wii games on their PC or other devices. Dolphin supports playing games dumped in these formats, with uncompressed dumps typically being 1.4GB for GameCube games and 4.7GB for Wii games.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. Does Dolphin use ISO or ROM?: Dolphin supports playing games dumped in GCM/ISO formats, which are uncompressed dumps, and should be 1.4GB for GameCube games and 4.7GB for Wii games.
2. What does Dolphin Emulator use?: Dolphin is a free and open-source video game console emulator for GameCube and Wii that runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S.
3. Can Dolphin run GameCube ROMs?: Yes, Dolphin is an emulator for two recent Nintendo video game consoles: the GameCube and the Wii, allowing PC gamers to enjoy games for these two consoles in full HD (1080p) with several enhancements.

Legality and Safety

4. Are GameCube ROMs illegal?: Yes, downloading Nintendo ROMs is illegal, even if you own the game.
5. Is Dolphin emulator safe and legal?: The Dolphin emulator is not illegal, as it is a completely re-made version of the original Wii and GameCube consoles, using their own code, knowledge, and licensing.
6. Is it legal to use Dolphin emulator?: Projects like Dolphin are seemingly not illegal, given they can be used to run homebrew games and applications, developed by fans of an abandoned console.

Technical Requirements

7. What are the requirements for Dolphin Emulator?: The requirements for Dolphin Emulator include a 64-bit x86-64 or AArch64 processor, OpenGL ES 3.0 or higher, and Android 9 or higher recommended for mobile devices.
8. Do you need C++ for Dolphin emulator?: The Windows development versions require the 64-bit Visual C++ redistributable for Visual Studio 2022 to be installed.
9. Can Dolphin play zipped ROMs?: No, the Dolphin core doesn’t support compressed archives, but RetroArch can decompress the archive and load the decompressed file into Dolphin.

File Formats and Compatibility

10. Can Dolphin run .ISO files?: Yes, Dolphin can run .ISO files, which are CD-ROM image files that contain the directory structure, files, and metadata necessary to recreate a CD-ROM.
11. What is an ISO file ROMs?: An ISO file is a CD-ROM image that contains the directory structure, files, and metadata necessary to recreate a CD-ROM.
12. Are ROMs and ISO the same?: No, ROMs are files written onto cartridge-based media, while ISOs are image files written onto disc-based media.

Emulation and Gaming

13. Is it illegal to emulate ROMs?: Playing ROMs on an emulator is not legal, but no one has ever been prosecuted for it.
14. Can Dolphin read discs?: No, regular drives are unable to read GameCube and Wii games, so games must be dumped or found through other means to use with Dolphin.
15. Can Dolphin run Nintendo games?: Yes, Dolphin lets you play GameCube, Wii, WiiWare, and Virtual Console games, which is a pretty massive library, with features like 5K resolution, save states, and native GameCube/Wii controller support.