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Dolphin controller setup

To set up a controller in Dolphin, open Controllers, set Wii Remote 1 to Emulated Wii Remote (or a GameCube port to Standard Controller), press Configure, pick your controller under Device, then click each box and press the button you want in it. For Wii games, the Nunchuk goes under Extension, and aiming can come from the mouse, a stick or the controller’s motion sensor.

Updated 29 October 2026 · Em português

The diver holding a controller linked by glowing threads to a slim white remote Ollie holds up

Set up a controller for Wii games

  1. In Dolphin, press Controllers in the toolbar, or go to Options › Controller Settings. The Settings window opens on its Controllers page.
  2. Under Wii Remotes, keep Emulate the Wii’s Bluetooth adapter selected, set Wii Remote 1 to Emulated Wii Remote and press Configure beside it.
  3. At the top of the window, pick your controller under Device. An Xbox controller shows up as XInput/0/Gamepad, a DualShock 4 as SDL/0/PS4 Controller and a DualSense as SDL/0/DualSense Wireless Controller.
  4. On the General and Options tab, click a box, then press the button you want in it on your controller. Do it for A, B, 1, 2, −, + and HOME under Buttons, and the four directions under D-Pad. A middle click clears a box; a right click shows more options.
  5. Under Extension, pick Nunchuk and press Configure Extension. On the tab it opens, map the Nunchuk’s stick and its C and Z buttons.
  6. Press Close: Dolphin saves the mapping when the window closes. To keep a named copy, type a name under Profile and press Save first.
The diver linking up a ring of glowing jellyfish

A layout that works on a controller

This layout covers the games that use a Wii Remote and Nunchuk, with PlayStation and Xbox button names:

Wii Remote A and B
Cross and R2 on a PlayStation controller; A and RT on an Xbox one.
1 and 2
Square and Triangle; X and Y on Xbox.
Shake the Wii Remote
Circle; B on Xbox.
Nunchuk
The left stick, with C on L1 (LB) and Z on L2 (LT). Pressing the left stick shakes the Nunchuk.
Aiming
The motion sensor on a DualShock 4 or DualSense, with R3 to recenter; on an Xbox controller, the right stick, which tilts the Wii Remote while RB is held.
Home
The touchpad click on PlayStation; the Xbox button on Xbox.

It’s the layout Water sets up on each DualShock 4, DualSense or Xbox controller connected when a Wii game starts, up to four.

Aiming at the screen without a Wii Remote

  • With the mouse. Dolphin’s Default mapping, on keyboard and mouse, already points with the cursor: the left click is A and the right click is B.
  • With the right stick. On the Motion Simulation tab, under Point, map the four directions to the right stick. That’s the way on an Xbox controller, which has no motion sensor.
  • With the motion sensor. A DualShock 4 or DualSense has a gyroscope and an accelerometer, and Dolphin reads both. On the Motion Input tab, keep Enabled ticked under Point and fill in Accelerometer and Gyroscope: right-click each box and pick the Accel or Gyro input of the same direction from the list. Map Recenter to a button to bring the aim back to the middle.
The diver and Ollie adjusting a brass gauge

A controller for GameCube games

Under GameCube Controllers, set Port 1 to Standard Controller and press Configure. The rest is the same: your controller under Device, then a click in each box of Buttons, Control Stick, C Stick, Triggers and D-Pad.

For a second player, do the same on Port 2 with the other controller. With two identical controllers, the number in the middle of the name tells them apart: XInput/0/Gamepad is one, XInput/1/Gamepad the other.

Using a real Wii Remote

The PC needs Bluetooth; on most desktops that means a USB or PCIe adapter, as Dolphin’s guide points out.

  • Dolphin’s guide says to set the slot to Real Wii Remote, press Refresh, then press 1 and 2 together on the Wii Remote, or the Sync button on -TR models. With Continuous Scanning ticked, pressing the buttons is enough.
  • Don’t pair the Wii Remote in Windows’ Bluetooth settings, which can get in the way of Dolphin’s connection, and switch off any Wii or Wii U nearby while you connect.
  • If a game drops the Wii Remote after a while idle, press one of its buttons, or use Tools › Connect Wii Remotes › Connect Wii Remote 1.
  • On Windows, the arrow beside Refresh also has Sync: choose it, then press the Sync button on the Wii Remote (not 1 and 2), and it’s paired so that any button reconnects it later. Reset removes the Wii Remotes Windows remembers. Refresh and its arrow are greyed out while Continuous Scanning is ticked, so untick it first.
  • If a Wii Remote drops or won’t respond, try closing Steam: Dolphin’s team says it’s the program they most often see disrupting Wii Remotes on Windows.
  • Passthrough a Bluetooth adapter hands the whole adapter to the emulated Wii: it stops serving other Bluetooth devices, save states become unavailable, and Windows needs a special driver.

Dolphin controller not working?

  • The port is set to None. A GameCube port needs Standard Controller, and a Wii slot Emulated Wii Remote. On None, the game sees no controller there.
  • A Wii game, a GameCube port. Nintendo says GameCube controllers generally work only in GameCube games, and only some Wii games use them. For a Wii game, set up Wii Remote 1.
  • The wrong device, or [disconnected]. The same controller can show up more than once in the Device list: pick the SDL/… entry for a DualShock 4 or DualSense, the one with the motion sensor, and XInput/… for an Xbox controller. If the list shows your controller with [disconnected] in front of it, Dolphin can’t find it: connect the controller and press Refresh, beside the list.
  • Nothing responds after Default. The Default button maps the first device in the list, usually the keyboard and mouse. Pick your controller under Device again and map it.
  • It only works with Dolphin in front. Tick Background Input, under Common on the Controllers page: the controller then works while another window is in front.
The diver with a magnifying glass and Ollie looking over a controller

Or let Water do it

Water is a game launcher for Windows that plays GameCube and Wii games in Dolphin, set up for you; Water isn’t affiliated with Dolphin. It maps a DualShock 4, DualSense or Xbox controller with no driver to install, and a second controller is player two. In Wii games your controller becomes a Wii Remote and Nunchuk, aiming with its motion sensor or its right stick. You press Install, then Play: see the GameCube and Wii emulator.

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The diver and Ollie at work with a wrench and a screwdriver