Okay, so, I wanted to play some old-school GameCube and Wii games on my iPhone. I’d heard about this thing called Dolphin Emulator, but getting it on an iPhone seemed tricky. But, I decided to give it a shot, and let me tell you, it was a bit of a ride.
First off, I found out that the official Dolphin Emulator isn’t directly available on the App Store. I mean, that makes sense, right? Apple is pretty strict about what goes on there. So, I had to look into other ways to get it.
I learned about this thing called DolphiniOS. Apparently, it’s a version of Dolphin that’s been tweaked to work on iOS devices. It can handle both GameCube and Wii games, which is pretty sweet. Also, it supports iOS 14 and up, so I was good to go since I’m not on some ancient version of iOS.
Now, here’s where it got a little complicated. I found that I needed to use a third-party tool called Cydia Impactor. I know, it sounds a bit shady, but it’s pretty well-known in the community. This tool helps you install these files, which are basically apps that aren’t from the App Store. I found the latest DolphiniOS on a forum. There are newer methods now, but this is what worked for me.
So I downloaded Cydia Impactor and the DolphiniOS file, then connected my iPhone to my computer. The process was a bit nerve-wracking because I’d never done anything like this before. I followed some online guides, which were mostly helpful. Basically, I had to drag and drop the DolphiniOS file into Cydia Impactor and then enter my Apple ID and password. It felt weird giving this random tool my Apple ID, but it was needed to install the app.
After a few minutes, the app showed up on my phone, but it wouldn’t open. I had to go into my iPhone’s settings, find the “Device Management” section, and “trust” the profile linked to my Apple ID. I guess it’s a security thing.
Finally, I tapped the DolphiniOS icon, and bam, it launched! I was so stoked. The interface was pretty straightforward. I had already downloaded some game files (legally, of course, from my own game discs). Using the Memory Card Manager I transfered save files to and from virtual GameCube memory cards. I could add them to the emulator through the app, which was surprisingly easy. I selected a game, and it started up. Man, the nostalgia hit me hard. The games ran pretty smoothly, though I did have to tweak some settings to get the best performance.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I did:
- Found out about DolphiniOS and why I needed it.
- Learned about Cydia Impactor and downloaded it.
- Downloaded the DolphiniOS file.
- Connected my iPhone and installed DolphiniOS using Cydia Impactor.
- Trusted the developer profile in my iPhone settings.
- Added game files and started playing.
A few tips if you’re gonna try this:
- Make sure you understand the risks of installing apps from outside the App Store.
- Double-check where you’re downloading DolphiniOS from to avoid any shady versions.
- Be patient with the process; it might take a few tries.
It was definitely an adventure, but totally worth it to play my favorite old games again. If you’re up for a little challenge, give it a shot. It’s pretty cool what you can do with these devices.