Emulators are programs that allow you to run software designed to work with other platforms and other operating systems. They really work for any type of software, but they are mainly used to run console video games on computers. Today we focus on Cemu, the star emulator Wii U .
Cemu has gone through a long journey of more than five years to reach a point of maturity that allows many of the Wii U video games to be playable. We had to wait until the arrival of the Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for this emulator to be considered fairly stable and functional.
Reasons to use Cemu
You may be wondering what is the point of resorting to Cemu instead of using a Wii U. There are several reasons to do so, starting with the fact that the Wii U has been discontinued for years and you can no longer buy it, unless you go to the market for second hand.
Another reason is that emulators can greatly improve the graphics quality of video games . While The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild runs at 720p and 30fps on the Nintendo Wii U console, the Cemu emulator is capable of 4K resolution and 60fps speed if you have a powerful computer. Also, it supports texture mods to further enhance the graphics.
Another reason is that you will not need to buy a Wii U . This is important if you don't have a lot of space in your bedroom or living room. Buying a new console always means taking up more space and having to take care of the maintenance of one more device. With Cemu you can play Wii U games on your computer in a very comfortable way.
The last reason is the flexibility that emulators offer us when playing games. With the Wii U you have no choice but to play with the controllers compatible with the console, which are the official Nintendo and little else. With Cemu you can play with any control system , including the PS4 keyboard and controller.
Is it legal to use an emulator like Cemu?
Emulators are always in a position of compromise with legality. Actually, emulators are totally legal programs , which is why there are so many projects with official websites open to the public and they don't have any kind of problem.
What is illegal is to use the ROMs of the games without having paid for them . Logically, emulators are created to use these games, that is why we say that they are in a compromised position with respect to the law.
Theoretically, you could get the ROMs legally as long as you have a Wii U console, purchased games, and know how to create ISO images using the console and games. For this process there is a program called ddd Title Dumper, although it requires that you have a "modified" console to be able to run homebrew software.
What do I need to be able to use Cemu?
The official requirements to use Cemu can be consulted on the official website of the project. We summarize them below:
- Windows 7 (x64) or higher
- OpenGL 4.1 minimum (4.6 is used if available)
- RAM: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB or more recommended
- Microsoft Visual C ++ 2017 X64 Redistributable: vc_redist.x64.exe
- Graphics Card Compatibility: Intel is not officially endorsed in the latest version. It works with visual problems.
- Controllers: Currently the DRC (GamePad), Pro Controller and Classic Controller are emulated. Wiimotes are also emulated with native support. The keyboard + mouse combination is supported. The GamePad's touch input can be controlled with the left mouse button. Gyro functionality is emulated with limitations and can be controlled with the right mouse button.
The requirements for emulators are always quite controversial, as their performance can vary greatly from one game to another . This means that your computer can be left over to play a game, but many others run very slow or not even start.
Previous steps to be able to use Cemu
To start using the Cemu emulator, you just have to download it from the project's official website. Download the latest version of Cemu from its website and unzip the folder. The content will look something like this:
We recommend that you do not run Cemu yet. There is a mod called Cemuhook that you will need to add graphics packages and specific performance options. Download the version corresponding to your version of Cemu and open the compressed Cemuhook folder. Then you just have to drag all its content to the folder where you have unzipped all the Cemu files.
Another recommended step is to add some graphics packages . These packages have many utilities, from bug fixes on specific hardware, making the game look or work better, and even complete mods for Wii U games. You can download the most important ones from their official page on Github.
Once again, open the folder you have downloaded and copy all the content to the graphicsPacks folder that you will find in the Cemu archives. They take up little space, so we recommend that you copy them all and you will not have to do the process again for each game.
The last thing you will need to install is the shader caches . Cemu's operation means that every time it has to calculate a new shader, the game will spend a while working on it. Fortunately, you can find a list of full caches for various games in the CemuCaches subdirectory.
Download the caches of the games you are going to play and open the folder. The cache file is a .bin file that you will have to copy to Cemu's shaderCache / transferable / folder.
After all these steps, you can now open the executable Cemu.exe to start using the emulator.
This is everything you need to know about Cemu, the best emulator for Wii U today. You can share the post to help us reach more people.