It’s been a while (again), hasn’t it?
For downloads and installation instructions for the beta version, head to our website: https://dolphinios.oatmealdome.me/beta
To report an issue, head to our issue tracker: https://github.com/OatmealDome/dolphin-ios/issues
Looking for the PC, Mac, or Android version of Dolphin? Get it from https://dolphin-emu.org!
What is DolphiniOS?
Dolphin is an emulator for the GameCube and Wii consoles. It lets you play games made for these consoles on PCs, Macs, phones, and tablets. For more information, go to https://dolphin-emu.org.
For more information, go to https://dolphin-emu.org.
DolphiniOS is a port of Dolphin to iOS and iPadOS. It is not affiliated with the Dolphin Project.
A Note on the App Store
As you will read below, we are adding a (very slow) No JIT mode. Because of this, you might be wondering if we’re going to submit DolphiniOS to the App Store.
We are not planning to do this at the moment. Here’s why.
Experience Matters
It is our opinion that the No JIT experience is still not good enough for the majority of users.
With default settings, Mario Kart Wii runs at ~30fps (50% speed) on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. This is the fastest iPhone on the market right now, and it can’t reach full speed.
To reach acceptable speeds, you need a high end device (like a recent iPhone or iPad Pro) and enable speed hacks. These hacks can cause instability and are entirely incompatible with some games. For example, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker will immediately freeze with VBI Skip. If configured incorrectly, some hacks can also decrease performance. Several games may even not be playable at all even with speed hacks enabled due to them being just too demanding.
Having to fiddle with settings or requiring a high end device just to get decent performance just doesn’t sound like a good user experience to us.
Official Dolphin
The official Dolphin project is the team that develops the emulator core that we incorporate into our app.
DolphiniOS development is primarily handled by two people (OatmealDome and Simonx22), along with a few external contributors. The Dolphin project, on the other hand, has many more developers and is managed by a non-profit foundation. They are significantly better equipped to handle an App Store release and any potential legal issues that may come with one.
As such, it is our belief that the developers for the official version of Dolphin should give their approval for and be involved in an App Store release.
Please do not ask the Dolphin developers for permission on behalf of us. We do not want them to be overwhelmed with requests from iOS users. We will contact the team ourselves if we wish to discuss the topic with them.
In Conclusion
When considering all of the factors, we strongly believe that an App Store release is simply not a good idea at the moment.
We might reconsider our stance in the future if Apple opens up JIT to more apps, or if the Cached Interpreter is able to reach full speed in the future.
Changes
Let’s go into details of what changed in this beta.
Core Update
The Dolphin core has been updated to the latest version (2412). We hope to update the core more frequently in the future.
Please note that save states made in previous beta versions are not compatible and cannot be loaded. GameCube memory cards and Wii in-game save files are not affected and will continue to work after updating.
No JIT Mode (Slow)
We’ve added an official No JIT mode, courtesy of brand175.
When you start a game without JIT available, you can now choose to boot the game using the Cached Interpreter instead. If you set your CPU emulation engine in Settings to Cached Interpreter, you can even skip the JIT screen entirely.
Please note that the Cached Interpreter is unable to reach full speed with default settings, even on high-end gaming PCs. As mentioned above, you will need to turn on speed hacks (VBI Skip, CPU underclock, etc) and use a high end device to reach acceptable speeds.
Touch Screen Wii Pointer
The touch screen pointer returns from 3.2.1!
We’ve also ported a new mode from the Android version of Dolphin: drag. In this mode, your screen acts like a laptop trackpad when moving the pointer. Drag mode is now the new default. You can still use the old “follow” mode if you wish – just select it in the menu.
Please note that you must hold the device horizontal to use the pointer in some Wii software. This is due to the game checking to see if the Wiimote is in an orientation where the pointer can be used (i.e. flat and pointing at the TV) before allowing it to be shown on screen.
Import BootMii NAND Backup
You can now choose to import a BootMii NAND backup from the software list. This is useful for playing on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection revival servers, like Wiimmfi.
Those using No JIT mode should be aware that Wiimmfi can and will ban your device from Mario Kart Wii online if emulation dips below 100% speed. We recommend playing online only with JIT enabled.
Respect Silent Mode
This is a feature ported from Delta. You can now choose to ignore the current state of your device’s Ring/Silent switch and force audio to always play.
Please don’t use this in public. 😅
Change Disc
Disc changing has been re-implemented. As long as you have both disc files imported (i.e. they are in the Software folder and shown in the software list), DolphiniOS will automatically detect when a game is asking for a new disc and automatically change to the correct disc.
If the disc isn’t changed automatically, check to see if Change Disc Automatically is enabled in Settings -> Config -> General.
Other Returning Features
We’ve re-added several other features from 3.2.1:
- Adjusting touch screen controller transparency
- Multiple save state slots
- Open button in the software list
- Delete button in the software list
- Launch GameCube Main Menu button
New Icons
The official version of Dolphin recently updated their logo, so we’ve added new icons based on the official macOS icon. The official icon was designed by MayImilae, and the iOS versions were made by Kongolabongo and brand175.
Full List
You can see a complete list of all the additions and bug fixes in this beta on our GitHub.
What’s Missing
The rewrite is not complete at the moment. There still a few features missing, including:
- Install WAD button
- Rumble on/off toggle
- Automatic save state when the app enters the background
If you rely on any of these features, you may want to continue using version 3.2.1 for now.
The Future Starts with You!
If you encounter any bugs on this beta build or want to request a feature, please open an issue on our issue tracker.
We are aiming to release 4.0.0 to the stable channel sometime in the near future.
Remember: Testing is the future, and the future starts with you.