Difference between pages "Macintosh line" and "Cemu"

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m (68k: PCE does much better than just the Macintosh Plus.)
 
m (Lot's of outdated info, I can't fix everything right now.)
 
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{{Infobox console
+
{{Infobox emulator
|title = Apple Macintosh
+
|logo = Cemu-Logo.png
|logo =  
+
|version = {{CemuVer}}
|developer = Apple Computer, Inc.
+
|active = Yes
|type = [[:Category:Computers|Home computer]]
+
|platform = [[Emulators on Windows|Windows]]
|release = 1984
+
|architecture = x86_64
|discontinued =  
+
|target = [[Wii U emulators|Wii U]]
|predecessor = [[Apple II Line|Apple ][]]
+
|developer = Exzap, Petergov
|successor =  
+
|website = [http://cemu.info Cemu]
|emulated = {{✓}}
+
|license = Closed-source freeware
 +
|compatibility = [https://compat.cemu.info Compatibility list]
 +
|support = [https://www.patreon.com/cemu Patreon]
 +
|bios = [[Emulator_Files#Wii_U|Optional]]
 
}}
 
}}
The '''[[wikipedia:Macintosh|Macintosh]]''' is a family of personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Inc. since January 1984. The original Macintosh was the first mass-market personal computer that featured a graphical user interface, built-in screen, and mouse, eschewing the command-line interface and/or BASIC interpreter that had been the mainstay for home computers since the late '70s. Apple sold the Macintosh alongside its popular [[Apple II Line|Apple II]] family of computers for almost ten years before they were discontinued in 1993, and later shortened the line to '''Mac''' in 1998.
+
{{Outdated}}
 +
'''[[wikipedia:Cemu|Cemu]]''' is a closed-source [[Wii U emulators|Wii U emulator]] for Windows. Its development was started circa 2015 and it's known to be the very first Wii U emulator ever that can boot games.
  
Throughout its history the Macintosh comprised three processor architectures that represented the three commonly known generations. From its launch in 1984 up until 1994, Apple sold Macintoshes with the Motorola 68k family of CPUs. In the early 90s, Apple partnered with Motorola and IBM to create the Power architecture, using a CPU brand called PowerPC and naming some models accordingly like Power Mac. They then switched to x86 in 2006, explaining that Power failed to be competitive with Intel's Pentium M series. Macintosh computers have always included a platform-exclusive operating system that never had a consistent name.<ref group=N>It used to be called System or System Software until version 8, when it was renamed Mac OS in 1997. Version 10 was named Mac OS X in 2000, and when version 10.8 was released in 2012, it was shortened to OS X and then macOS when version 10.12 was released in 2016. Don't try to make sense of this.</ref> Old World ROMs used System 1-7, and Mac OS 8 and 9 gradually dropped 68k support in favor of PowerPC. When Mac OS X was released in 2001, it required a New World ROM.<ref group=N>Though that didn't stop some programmers from making bootloaders for the very late Old World ROM models that used PowerPC.</ref> Some quick ways to distinguish an Old from a New World ROM is by checking for a built-in floppy drive and/or USB port. Old World ROMs used ADB for keyboard and mouse connectivity, whereas a New World ROM would have a USB port and no floppy drive. Mac OS X, which has different underpinnings from its predecessor, was introduced for PowerPC Macs in 2000 and is still in active development to this day, albeit for x86 (and ARM for its mobile cousin [[iOS emulators|iOS]]).
+
Before updates are publicly released, they're accessible to backers over at [https://www.patreon.com/cemu their Patreon].
  
A ton of Macintosh emulators have appeared over the years, some early in the system's release and others as late as a few years ago. Apple has strict terms about how their operating systems are used, which forces most emulators to maintain a macOS port to some degree. It should be noted that we do not aim to be the last word on Mac emulation; there's a community called E-Maculation that covers this more thoroughly, as they offer builds for many of the emulators shown here on their forums. We'll either be further ahead or severely behind.
+
==Download==
 
+
{| cellpadding="4"
==Emulators==
 
===68k===
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
 
|-
 
|-
! scope="col"|Name
+
|align=center|{{Icon|Win-big}}
! scope="col"|Operating System(s)
+
|'''[http://cemu.info/index.html#download Latest public release]'''<br/><small>Available one week after the Patreon builds release</small>
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
|Mini vMac
 
|Windows, macOS, Linux
 
|[https://www.gryphel.com/c/minivmac/download.html 36.04]
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|Basilisk II
 
|Windows, macOS, Linux
 
|[https://github.com/cebix/macemu 1.0 R5]
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|vMac
 
|Multi-platform
 
|[http://www.vmac.org/ 0.19]
 
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
 
|-
 
|[[MAME]]
 
|Windows, macOS, Linux
 
|[https://www.mamedev.org/release.html {{MAMEVer}}]
 
|{{✓}} ||{{na|text=TBD}}
 
|-
 
|<abbr title="PC Emulator">PCE</abbr>
 
|Windows, macOS, Linux
 
|[http://www.hampa.ch/pce/download.html 0.2.2]
 
|{{~}} ||{{na|text=TBD}}
 
|-
 
|[[Clock Signal]]
 
|macOS, Linux
 
|[https://github.com/TomHarte/CLK/releases {{clkver}}]
 
|{{✓}} ||{{na|text=TBD}}
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
;Basilisk II
+
==System requirements==
:An emulator targeting the "Mac Classic" and "Mac II" lines. The successor to Basilisk, a similar emulator for Linux and BeOS, it works by providing replacement drivers for components that would normally be hardware (a sort of HLE approach). Aside from the usual Windows, macOS, and Linux ports, Basilisk II also received an acclaimed PSP port (by way of homebrew).
+
You will also need enough storage for the [[Wii U emulators|Wii U]] games. Running Cemu on [[Wine]] has been reported to work just as well as Windows.
 +
===Minimum===
 +
* Windows 7 (64-bit)
 +
* Graphics Card: Supports at least OpenGL 4.5 or Vulkan 1.1
 +
* Memory: 4 GB
 +
===Recommended===
 +
* Windows 10 (64-bit)
 +
* Graphics Card: Supports OpenGL 4.6 (Vulkan 1.1 for AMD or Intel)
 +
* Memory: 8 GB or more
 +
 
 +
==Game formats and needed files==
 +
===Physical dumps===
 +
You'll first need to fill in the "keys.txt" file in Cemu's directory. It has a sample line with a bogus key and a comment, which you may as well delete.
 +
 
 +
Your file must have many lines like this, one for the Wii U Common Key (D7B00402659BA2ABD2CB0DB27FA2B656), and one line for the Game Key of each game. Sharing these keys isn't exactly safe legally, but ROM sites at least share [http://pastebin.com/GWApZVLa the Game ones]. Note that for games using the Loadiine format, you won't need a Game Key at all, but those will need Cemu versions from 1.4.0 onward.
  
;Mini vMac
+
Your ISO must be either uncompressed, compressed using WUD format, or in Loadiine format (only possible for versions 1.4.0 onward) to boot in Cemu. Here's a [http://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19WV2YQvS2PkiHnQTlYP7cE2eHOPl06Rx4tCvfud_Hpw/edit?pref=2&pli=1#gid=0 compatibility list]. Dump your discs using [https://gbatemp.net/threads/wudump-dump-raw-images-from-a-wiiu-game-disc.451736/ Wudump].
:The successor to vMac, an older emulator. Targets the Macintosh Plus, but is known to support other models.
 
  
;[[MAME]]
+
===Digital copies===
:To say it's a multi-system emulator would be an understatement. It covers a wide range of electronic history, with its namesake being arcade machines. Just typing in "Macintosh" will list basically everything Mac-related like the original Macintosh 128K (unfortunately labelled as Not Working) and the Macintosh II (which is OK). [https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/0f028a8bd2afcb32ccdab0291eb3a798a98a1afc/src/mame/machine/mac.cpp#L14 See the full list here.]
+
Cemu supports either physical games dumps in WUD, or compressed WUX format, as well as game dumps converted to the Loadiine format. Loadiine games come as multiple directories with game files and a .rpx file.
  
;PCE <small>(PC Emulator)</small>
+
Nintendo's CDN for Wii U and 3DS digital games is rather poorly secured, due to a huge oversight when designing the software protection for these consoles. As such, with tickets proving you bought the game (but which you can get through less legit ways), there are downloader utilities like NUSGrabber, FunKiiU, UWizard, or jnus among others, and decryption tools like UWizard and CDecrypt, to obtain a functional copy. The process of how to exactly acquire those files is detailed elsewhere on this wiki.
:A multi-system emulator. Computers it targets include the Macintosh Plus, SE and Classic. Stables used to release every two years but stopped in 2013. A snapshot exists for December 2018 however, which suggests that the project isn't completely dead.
 
  
;Clock Signal
+
Load the .rpx file from [Your gamelocation]/code/[yourgame].rpx with Cemu.
:A multi-system emulator with immature full-hardware emulation of the Macintosh Plus.
 
  
===PowerPC===
+
===Updates and DLC===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
+
Prior to 1.7.3, only updates were supported though pasting update files on the main game's folders (keeping in mind the main game is in Loadiine format) and overwriting any files. DLC wouldn't work at all through this method, though with some specific games there were workarounds and some could play DLC tracks in Mario Kart 8 through swapping of specific files. From 1.7.3 onwards, proper support for DLC and updates was included in Cemu.
|-
+
 
! scope="col"|Name
+
The Update installation method has been reworked since 1.11.0 simplifying the installation method a lot.
! scope="col"|Operating System(s)
+
To install updates and DLC on Cemu on (1.11.0)+ versions you need to follow theses steps :  
! scope="col"|Latest Version
+
 
! scope="col"|Active
+
*On Cemu interface, select File -> Install game update or DLC
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
+
*Select the meta.xml in the meta folder of the update or DLC
|-
+
*Run the game to update the UI and show the update and/or DLC version
|SheepShaver
+
 
|Windows, macOS, Linux
+
===Amiibo support===
|[https://github.com/cebix/macemu 2.4]
+
[[Amiibo]] are hard-to-find figurines unlocking various on-disc content in select 3DS and Wii U games. They use the NFC technology. Nintendo Amiibo data is distributed online as NFC tags (.bin files). There's a regularly updated complete set of the official ones but there are also unofficial spoofed packs on various other sites.
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
+
 
|-
+
Recent versions of Cemu include Amiibo support. Simply go to NFC / Scan NFC Tag from file, and load the relevant .bin file. Keep in mind Amiibo support in Cemu is incomplete right now and not all figurines are compatible yet - though incompatibilities may be caused by bad Amiibo dumps as well.
|PearPC
+
 
|Windows, macOS, Linux
+
==Setting up Cemu==
|[https://github.com/sebastianbiallas/pearpc 0.6.0]
+
===Controls===
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
+
Cemu added native support for Wii Remote controllers as of 1.12.0.
|-
+
 
|Classic Environment
+
Cemu cannot connect to a real (or emulated) [[Nintendo 3DS emulators|3DS]].
|Mac OS X (PPC)
+
 
|Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger"
+
===Cemuhook===
|{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
+
Using this is completely optional but highly recommended. Without Cemuhook, some games won't have texts, have laggy cutscenes and display numerous other bugs.
|-
+
 
|[[QEMU]]
+
Download [http://sshnuke.net/cemuhook/ the latest version] compatible with your Cemu version, unpack it to the same directory as cemu.exe and right-click on dbghelp.dll, check Proprieties, Digital Signatures tab, select a signature and press Details. This should make it no longer crash at start-up. Make sure you also have the latest GPU driver installed, as well as both x86 and x64 versions of the [https://aka.ms/vs/15/release/vc_redist.x64.exe Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 X64 Redistributable].
|Windows, macOS, Linux
+
 
|4.0.0
+
After the first boot of Cemu with cemuhook installed, accept to download the missing shared fonts to make the text in some games (Super Mario Maker among others) display correctly.
|{{✓}} ||{{na|text=TBD}}
+
Whenever you boot Cemu now, this cemuhook tool is enabled by default and offers various additions for better motion control emulation or some graphical hacks that greatly enhance Zelda BOTW in particular.
|-
+
Various way to take advantages of the cemuhook motion control emulation are listed [http://compat.cemu.info/wiki/Motion_Sensing#Full-motion_Solutions here].
|Rosetta
+
 
|Mac OS X (Intel)
+
Enabling "GX2SetGPUFenceSkip (HACK)" enhances graphical emulation in BOTW in particular. A pre-installed Graphical Pack that comes with recent versions of Cemuhook, "LWZX Crash Workaround", as well as the "GX2DrawDone()" option under Experimental, should help with some general crashes specific to BOTW.
|Mac OS X 10.6.8 (Intel)
+
 
|{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
+
As of version 1.18.0, cemuhook is no longer considered required to run the emulator, as all major functions previously provided by cemuhook have been implemented into the emulator itself.
|-
+
 
|}
+
===Shader caches===
 +
When your game is loaded, check for its ID on the title bar in front of "SaveDir:" and note it down. The directory where transferable shader caches are stored is <code>.\Cemu\shaderCache\transferable</code>. They're generated the first time you play through a game and at that time cause noticeable stuttering. You can download a complete cache from places like [http://www.reddit.com/r/Cemucaches/comments/7bv7el/complete_shader_cache_collection_1110c_v2/ here] and rename them to match your game version's ID to spare yourself most of that unpleasant experience. Just keep in mind that shader caches from versions older than 1.8.0 are incompatible with later versions of Cemu.
 +
 
 +
At startup, Cemu will prepare a compiled version of that cache under <code>.\Cemu\shaderCache\precompiled</code> and that one depends on your GPU driver, so you might want to erase it if any problems or crashes when compiling shaders at startup occur.
 +
 
 +
==Troubleshooting/speeding up==
 +
===Shader caches===
 +
Shaders are normally cached as you play the game. This can cause a lot of stutters and slow the game down. However, as of version 1.19.0, Cemu added support for Asynchronous Shader Compiling on their Vulkan API which can make shader compiling near instantaneous on modern hardware, so try enabling that before hunting for shader caches.
 +
 
 +
Cemu accepts other shader caches that can be traded online. It's often very difficult to generate a complete cache for large games, and will not completely eliminate stuttering, which is why using Asynchronous Shader Compiling is recommended instead.
 +
 
 +
[[File:Shadercachestuff.png|thumb|Some settings in the Nvidia control panel might help.]]
 +
 
 +
Some games' transferable caches may cause slowdowns on some graphics cards like the GeForce GTX 970. If this is the case, you will have to generate your own shaders and delete the ones you downloaded. In the case of the GeForce, also consider deleting the .bin and .toc file in your GLCache at <code>%APPDATA%\NVIDIA\GLCache\(hexstring)\(hexstring)</code>.
  
;SheepShaver
+
==Graphic Packs==
:An open-source "run-time environment" that includes a PowerPC emulator for non-PowerPC systems. Originally commercial software, it is the companion app of Basilisk II, which emulates 68k Macs. It hasn't seen significant development in a while, yet it runs most if not all Mac OS applications in full speed on any Windows PC. It can interface with and copy files to and from host hardware, but suffers from the lack of memory management unit support, not to mention that it is riddled with hacks and workarounds, which accounts for why some applications such as the default bundled Internet Explorer flat-out crashes, and can only run up to 9.0.4. Like Basilisk and vMac, it needs a firmware image from a working Mac.
+
To work around emulation bugs and other problems the way [[Dolphin]] does, "Graphic Packs" are title-specific property sheets which define advanced settings you might not be able to change in the interface. Basic rendering options including shadow resolution and quality, post-processing effects like bloom, lighting and god rays, custom anti-aliasing, and such can be applied here. You can even use them to ''reduce'' the internal resolution for an increase in the framerate. This is not to be confused with '''Texture Packs''', which are replacement textures; Cemu doesn't support that, but it is planned.
  
;PearPC
+
The "Graphic Packs" themselves are folders under the <code>graphicPacks</code> directory. They can be named anything, but they should contain the "<code>rules.txt</code>" file. A bare-bones example of a "Graphics Pack", called "Bayo_1080p", would look like this:
:This emulator had been developed since 2004 and marketed itself as a Mac on Windows solution. However, it encountered controversy when another team announced the closed-source CherryOS, which aimed to do the same thing and was revealed to have used [[source code|code]] from PearPC (violating its license). PearPC lacks a usable interface (all that's available is the "Change CD" button), so using a frontend may be necessary.
 
  
;[[QEMU]]
+
[Definition]
:Known for its presence as an x86 hypervisor, QEMU emulates a wide range of architectures. In 2015, a Google Summer of Code event brought PowerPC Macintosh support from a curiosity to a possibility and it now supports [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T0kkk8WpQ-eWBIdxBnXWCfeyClVVLJyXvvF2NED2U6Q/view a specific range of versions] as of 2017. Like PearPC, QEMU is run from a shell.
+
titleIds = 0005000010172600,0005000010172700,000500001011b900,000500001014db00,0005000010157e00,0005000010157f00
 +
name = "Bayonetta 1 + 2 - 1080p"
 +
 +
[TextureRedefine]
 +
width = 1280
 +
height = 720
 +
overwriteWidth = 1920
 +
overwriteHeight = 1080
  
;Rosetta
+
Whenever the titleId matches the current one, Cemu will show the Graphics Pack under Options -> Graphics Pack. If you don't know what the titleId of the game you want is, check the <code>logs.txt</code> file. You can safely delete it in the event that it gets too big for a text editor to parse.
:Apple's official PowerPC emulator for x86-based Macs included in Tiger (10.4.4). Though it wasn't included in Snow Leopard, it was still possible to transfer it from a previous Leopard install. It was removed entirely in OS X Lion. Rosetta uses QuickTransit technology licensed from Transitive Corporation, and works transparently from the end-user, leading Apple to market it as "the most amazing software you'll never see." as it, unlike most emulators, does not have a user interface. Rosetta works best on software that isn't system-intensive, such as office applications; games and other software applications which rely on kexts, libraries or certain instructions may not work properly if at all. A compatibility list is available [https://web.archive.org/web/20060208152806/http://guides.macrumors.com/Rosetta_incompatibilities here].
 
  
===x86===
+
The overwriteWidth and overwriteHeight properties used in this example will upscale the game from 720p to 1080p. But if the game doesn't have all of its textures in the specified resolution, they won't be upscaled and could look messy as a result. In this case, this problem is seen in some FMVs in the game. This is the purpose of the TextureRedefine rule.
'''No Intel Mac emulators exist.''' However, using [https://github.com/DrDonk/unlocker macOS Unlocker for VMware], for example, you can patch VMware products to run macOS in a virtual machine. [https://github.com/img2tab/okiomov A script] has also emerged that allows one to install macOS Mojave in VirtualBox. If you want to run modern macOS software without a Mac, those are your two best options outside of doing a Hackintosh/OSx86 setup. There is also the work in progress [[Darling]] [[Compatibility layers|compatibility layer]] for running Intel macOS software on Linux. This project is similar to [[Wine]] but currently only has experimental support for GUI applications.
 
  
==Resources==
+
Since 1.13.0, the graphic packs system and interface was overhauled for better use and many bugs when using multiples graphic packs were fixed.
* [https://www.emaculation.com/doku.php '''E-Maculation'''] - This links to their wiki, but they also have a forum that's "super busy." They provide setup guides and builds when the emulators themselves don't.
+
For 1.15.1 and now on, users can download the community's graphics packs linked below directly from Cemu user interface and just check the graphics packs they want to enable. That update completly removed the need to manage files for the user.
* [http://macintoshgarden.org/guides#Selecting_an_Emulator Macintosh Garden] (They feature many abandonware games. This page shows guides with links to installing any of the three covered emulators, two for the 68K line called ''Basilisk II'' & ''Mini vMac''; and one for the PowerPC called ''SheepShaver''.)
 
* [https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/2886439?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=0 Pathways into Emulators - A Guide to Pre-Halo Bungie Games] (www.bungie.net forums. Mar 17 2011. Includes guide links for running ''Basilisk II'' on Windows, mac OS and Linux.)
 
  
==Notes==
+
See some of the community graphics packs at [http://slashiee.github.io/cemu_graphic_packs/ this page].
<references group=N />
 
  
{{Apple}}
+
==External links==
 +
* [https://wiki.cemu.info/wiki/Main_Page Wiki]
 +
* [https://discord.gg/5psYsup Discord]
  
[[Category:Computers]]
+
<references/>
 +
 +
[[Category:Emulators]]
 +
[[Category:Console emulators]]
 +
[[Category:Home console emulators]]
 +
[[Category:Wii U emulators]]
 +
[[Category:Windows emulation software]]
 +
[[Category:Closed-source emulators]]

Revision as of 04:07, 14 December 2021

Cemu
Cemu-Logo.png
Developer(s) Exzap, Petergov
Latest version 2.0
Active Yes
Platform(s) Windows
Architecture(s) x86_64
Emulates Wii U
Compatibility Compatibility list
Website Cemu
Support ($) Patreon
License Closed-source freeware
BIOS/Keys Optional

Cemu is a closed-source Wii U emulator for Windows. Its development was started circa 2015 and it's known to be the very first Wii U emulator ever that can boot games.

Before updates are publicly released, they're accessible to backers over at their Patreon.

Download

Windows Latest public release
Available one week after the Patreon builds release

System requirements

You will also need enough storage for the Wii U games. Running Cemu on Wine has been reported to work just as well as Windows.

Minimum

  • Windows 7 (64-bit)
  • Graphics Card: Supports at least OpenGL 4.5 or Vulkan 1.1
  • Memory: 4 GB

Recommended

  • Windows 10 (64-bit)
  • Graphics Card: Supports OpenGL 4.6 (Vulkan 1.1 for AMD or Intel)
  • Memory: 8 GB or more

Game formats and needed files

Physical dumps

You'll first need to fill in the "keys.txt" file in Cemu's directory. It has a sample line with a bogus key and a comment, which you may as well delete.

Your file must have many lines like this, one for the Wii U Common Key (D7B00402659BA2ABD2CB0DB27FA2B656), and one line for the Game Key of each game. Sharing these keys isn't exactly safe legally, but ROM sites at least share the Game ones. Note that for games using the Loadiine format, you won't need a Game Key at all, but those will need Cemu versions from 1.4.0 onward.

Your ISO must be either uncompressed, compressed using WUD format, or in Loadiine format (only possible for versions 1.4.0 onward) to boot in Cemu. Here's a compatibility list. Dump your discs using Wudump.

Digital copies

Cemu supports either physical games dumps in WUD, or compressed WUX format, as well as game dumps converted to the Loadiine format. Loadiine games come as multiple directories with game files and a .rpx file.

Nintendo's CDN for Wii U and 3DS digital games is rather poorly secured, due to a huge oversight when designing the software protection for these consoles. As such, with tickets proving you bought the game (but which you can get through less legit ways), there are downloader utilities like NUSGrabber, FunKiiU, UWizard, or jnus among others, and decryption tools like UWizard and CDecrypt, to obtain a functional copy. The process of how to exactly acquire those files is detailed elsewhere on this wiki.

Load the .rpx file from [Your gamelocation]/code/[yourgame].rpx with Cemu.

Updates and DLC

Prior to 1.7.3, only updates were supported though pasting update files on the main game's folders (keeping in mind the main game is in Loadiine format) and overwriting any files. DLC wouldn't work at all through this method, though with some specific games there were workarounds and some could play DLC tracks in Mario Kart 8 through swapping of specific files. From 1.7.3 onwards, proper support for DLC and updates was included in Cemu.

The Update installation method has been reworked since 1.11.0 simplifying the installation method a lot. To install updates and DLC on Cemu on (1.11.0)+ versions you need to follow theses steps :

  • On Cemu interface, select File -> Install game update or DLC
  • Select the meta.xml in the meta folder of the update or DLC
  • Run the game to update the UI and show the update and/or DLC version

Amiibo support

Amiibo are hard-to-find figurines unlocking various on-disc content in select 3DS and Wii U games. They use the NFC technology. Nintendo Amiibo data is distributed online as NFC tags (.bin files). There's a regularly updated complete set of the official ones but there are also unofficial spoofed packs on various other sites.

Recent versions of Cemu include Amiibo support. Simply go to NFC / Scan NFC Tag from file, and load the relevant .bin file. Keep in mind Amiibo support in Cemu is incomplete right now and not all figurines are compatible yet - though incompatibilities may be caused by bad Amiibo dumps as well.

Setting up Cemu

Controls

Cemu added native support for Wii Remote controllers as of 1.12.0.

Cemu cannot connect to a real (or emulated) 3DS.

Cemuhook

Using this is completely optional but highly recommended. Without Cemuhook, some games won't have texts, have laggy cutscenes and display numerous other bugs.

Download the latest version compatible with your Cemu version, unpack it to the same directory as cemu.exe and right-click on dbghelp.dll, check Proprieties, Digital Signatures tab, select a signature and press Details. This should make it no longer crash at start-up. Make sure you also have the latest GPU driver installed, as well as both x86 and x64 versions of the Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 X64 Redistributable.

After the first boot of Cemu with cemuhook installed, accept to download the missing shared fonts to make the text in some games (Super Mario Maker among others) display correctly. Whenever you boot Cemu now, this cemuhook tool is enabled by default and offers various additions for better motion control emulation or some graphical hacks that greatly enhance Zelda BOTW in particular. Various way to take advantages of the cemuhook motion control emulation are listed here.

Enabling "GX2SetGPUFenceSkip (HACK)" enhances graphical emulation in BOTW in particular. A pre-installed Graphical Pack that comes with recent versions of Cemuhook, "LWZX Crash Workaround", as well as the "GX2DrawDone()" option under Experimental, should help with some general crashes specific to BOTW.

As of version 1.18.0, cemuhook is no longer considered required to run the emulator, as all major functions previously provided by cemuhook have been implemented into the emulator itself.

Shader caches

When your game is loaded, check for its ID on the title bar in front of "SaveDir:" and note it down. The directory where transferable shader caches are stored is .\Cemu\shaderCache\transferable. They're generated the first time you play through a game and at that time cause noticeable stuttering. You can download a complete cache from places like here and rename them to match your game version's ID to spare yourself most of that unpleasant experience. Just keep in mind that shader caches from versions older than 1.8.0 are incompatible with later versions of Cemu.

At startup, Cemu will prepare a compiled version of that cache under .\Cemu\shaderCache\precompiled and that one depends on your GPU driver, so you might want to erase it if any problems or crashes when compiling shaders at startup occur.

Troubleshooting/speeding up

Shader caches

Shaders are normally cached as you play the game. This can cause a lot of stutters and slow the game down. However, as of version 1.19.0, Cemu added support for Asynchronous Shader Compiling on their Vulkan API which can make shader compiling near instantaneous on modern hardware, so try enabling that before hunting for shader caches.

Cemu accepts other shader caches that can be traded online. It's often very difficult to generate a complete cache for large games, and will not completely eliminate stuttering, which is why using Asynchronous Shader Compiling is recommended instead.

Some settings in the Nvidia control panel might help.

Some games' transferable caches may cause slowdowns on some graphics cards like the GeForce GTX 970. If this is the case, you will have to generate your own shaders and delete the ones you downloaded. In the case of the GeForce, also consider deleting the .bin and .toc file in your GLCache at %APPDATA%\NVIDIA\GLCache\(hexstring)\(hexstring).

Graphic Packs

To work around emulation bugs and other problems the way Dolphin does, "Graphic Packs" are title-specific property sheets which define advanced settings you might not be able to change in the interface. Basic rendering options including shadow resolution and quality, post-processing effects like bloom, lighting and god rays, custom anti-aliasing, and such can be applied here. You can even use them to reduce the internal resolution for an increase in the framerate. This is not to be confused with Texture Packs, which are replacement textures; Cemu doesn't support that, but it is planned.

The "Graphic Packs" themselves are folders under the graphicPacks directory. They can be named anything, but they should contain the "rules.txt" file. A bare-bones example of a "Graphics Pack", called "Bayo_1080p", would look like this:

[Definition]
titleIds = 0005000010172600,0005000010172700,000500001011b900,000500001014db00,0005000010157e00,0005000010157f00
name = "Bayonetta 1 + 2 - 1080p"

[TextureRedefine]
width = 1280
height = 720
overwriteWidth = 1920
overwriteHeight = 1080

Whenever the titleId matches the current one, Cemu will show the Graphics Pack under Options -> Graphics Pack. If you don't know what the titleId of the game you want is, check the logs.txt file. You can safely delete it in the event that it gets too big for a text editor to parse.

The overwriteWidth and overwriteHeight properties used in this example will upscale the game from 720p to 1080p. But if the game doesn't have all of its textures in the specified resolution, they won't be upscaled and could look messy as a result. In this case, this problem is seen in some FMVs in the game. This is the purpose of the TextureRedefine rule.

Since 1.13.0, the graphic packs system and interface was overhauled for better use and many bugs when using multiples graphic packs were fixed. For 1.15.1 and now on, users can download the community's graphics packs linked below directly from Cemu user interface and just check the graphics packs they want to enable. That update completly removed the need to manage files for the user.

See some of the community graphics packs at this page.

External links