New here, turning my gaming rig into a party machine?

[Blue Shift]

Hi, folks! I'm lookin' for advice about the stuff in my thread title right now, although I'll probably stick around these forums if and when I get this potential Dolphin setup up and running.

So, if I'm reading all of this right...

Code:

GDR Drive: $20
Bluetooth Dongle: $15
Infrared LEDs: $5
Wiimotes: $20 each

= Legal Wii, $60 total.
Plus game costs, which will be low if I can find them used.

This is absolutely ridiculous, and AWESOME!

I'm really posting this so that I can run all of this information by you before purchasing anything...



First Hurdle: System

I'm assuming that Dolphin will run just fine on Win 7 64-bit? Here are my relevant hardware specs:

geforce 7950gt
athlon x2 5000+ black edition
4gb ddr2 ram
1440x900 primary screen

So, an aging gaming rig. I'm planning to do some pretty large upgrades over the next few years, but I'm hoping that Dolphin will run O.K. with my current system. 30 frames per second is just fine.


Second hurdle: Games

Here's the most Legit GDR drive that I've found,
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-GDR...B0006AZ5AO

Is there anything to worry about with used drives? Do these things have a short lifespan?

I'd rather pick up an H10N (It's SATA!), but haven't been able to find one. My MoBo does have both standard IDE and SATA ports.

I'd like to be able to run the following games: New Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3. And my existing collection of Gamecube games, which are now useless since my TV Tuner (which the GC plugs into) is FUBAR. Will all of this stuff run on Dolphin using the image-dump method?
Edit: It looks like Super Mario Galaxy could be an issue?

Are the versions of Metroid Prime 1 and 2 that come with the trilogy any better than the gamecube versions, or would I not benefit from going that route rather than buying MP3 and using my GC discs for the first 2?
Edit: Since running Trilogy is apparently a bitch, I'll stick with the separates.


Third hurdle: Input

Infrared LEDs, Bluetooth dongles, Wiimotes... Is there an easy way to rig up a ghetto sensor bar using the LEDs, that won't catch my dorm room on fire? Do I only need one bluetooth dongle, or is it one per wiimote?

Or are Wiimotes even worth the effort? I have one USB 360 controller (which is awesome because M$ copied the GC controller), and would be more than happy to invest in more of them rather than wiimotes. That is, unless most wii players actually like the things, and they work well with Dolphin...

When the Razer-Sixense motion wand controllers arrive (PC exclusive), do you think they'll be Dolphin-compatable?



I'm an old Nintendo fan, but I just can't justify owning a console. Hopefully Dolphin will allow me to support the aspects of Nintendo that I like (first-party games) without having to fork over any cash for the stuff I don't want ("meh" consoles). Thanks for reading!

[GodRays]

Duuude, buy a Wii ! It's not that expensive !

Anyway, Wiimotes work fine with Dolphin, you only need 1 BT dongle.

The Metroid Trilogy 1+2 games are 99% the same, stick with the originals.

Also, you can use your x360 gamepad as a "classic controller" addon, for the games that support it.

[Blue Shift]

Duuude, buy a Wii ! It's not that expensive !

Anyway, Wiimotes work fine with Dolphin, you only need 1 BT dongle.

The Metroid Trilogy 1+2 games are 99% the same, stick with the originals.

Also, you can use your x360 gamepad as a "classic controller" addon, for the games that support it.

Thanks for the heads-up on the bluetooth dongle and the Metroid trilogy.

Thanks for letting me know that the 360 controllers are compatable. However, that's not really what I asked. What I'd like to know, as a non-Wii user, is whether or not it's worth having a wiimote for the games mentioned above.


So, does anyone know whether or not my hardware is good enough to run games with Dolphin? 1440x900 @30fps preferred.

[GodRays]

Try them yourself, some will work fine, especially the New Super Mario, you can also check their official threads and the compatibility list.

Metroid Prime 3 is unplayable without a Wiimote, it needs some weird motions to get past some points. NewSMB *can* be played without wiimote, but using some prerecorded macros to simulate shaking etc.

[Pringles]

NewSMB *can* be played without wiimote, but using some prerecorded macros to simulate shaking etc.

Uh, what part in the game are you referring to? I reached World 6 without needing to record any simulation of shaking. I was using a Logitech RumblePad II controller. (Basically resembles a PS2 controller). All I did was map the L1 key to the Shake button inside the config, and that's it. Worked fine. Unless there's something specific you need to do beyond World 6?

[GodRays]

NewSMB *can* be played without wiimote, but using some prerecorded macros to simulate shaking etc.

Uh, what part in the game are you referring to? I reached World 6 without needing to record any simulation of shaking. I was using a Logitech RumblePad II controller. (Basically resembles a PS2 controller). All I did was map the L1 key to the Shake button inside the config, and that's it. Worked fine. Unless there's something specific you need to do beyond World 6?

I've played the start, so I only saw the shaking. But I saw other talking about tilting some platforms upwards and downwards in later worlds. Maybe I got confused with another game ?

[Pringles]

Tilting is Pitch Up and Pitch Down in the Wiimote Button Config, and is used to control the platforms you mentioned. (I set this to L2 and R2 keys).

Shake is used to spin Mario, or make him fly when using that Flying Cap.

[Blue Shift]

If MP3 requires a wiimote, then I'll be getting at least one of them. If they help in NSMB, and add to the "fun" of the game for most players, then I'll be sure to nab several.

What I need to know first, though, is whether or not this rig will be able to run Dolphin. And I'll need a GDR drive. Again, is there anything to worry about when purchasing a used drive?

[Blue Shift]

Bump. Can this rig handle wii games at 1440x900, while getting 25-30fps average?

[Blue Shift]

Okay... Since apparently no one has any idea whether or not this thing can handle Wii games via Dolphin, I'll get bite the bullet and get a GDR drive, for use with my Gamecube games at first. If they run at 45-60fps, I'll look at buying Wii games and building accessories.