USB Passthrough
Since 4.0.2, Dolphin has the ability to passthrough USB HID devices designed for use with Wii software. 5.0-2352 enables USB passthrough for all devices. This gives emulated Wii software full control of a hardware device connected to your PC. This is very useful for devices not currently emulated by Dolphin and games that highly depend on extra hardware.
List of Wii Devices and IDs
| Device | VID | PID | Type | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii LAN Adapter (RVL-015) | 0B95 | 7720 | ? | Unsupported, Wii networking is emulated using the host's default network connection |
| Headbanger Chat Headset | 0E6F | 010B | ? | ? |
| Disney Infinity Reader (Portal Device) | 0129 | HID | Supported | |
| EA Active Dongle | 21A4 | AC40 | ||
| Logitech Vantage USB Microphone | 046D | 0A03 | OH0/VEN | |
| Logitech Speed Force Wireless | 046D | C29C | ? | |
| Harmonix Guitar Controller for Nintendo Wii | 1BAD | 0004 | HID | |
| Rock Band Drum Set | 3110 | |||
| Harmonix Drum Controller for Nintendo Wii | 3138 | |||
| Harmonix RB3 Keyboard for Nintendo Wii | 3330 | |||
| Harmonix RB3 MIDI Keyboard Interface for Nintendo Wii | 3338 | |||
| Harmonix RB3 Mustang Guitar for Nintendo Wii | 3430 | |||
| Harmonix RB3 MIDI Guitar Interface for Nintendo Wii | 3538 | |||
| Skylanders Giants Portal | 1430 | 0150 | ||
| Skylanders Swap Force Portal | ||||
| Skylanders Wireless Receiver for Wii | ||||
| Tony Hawk Ride/Shred Skateboard | 0100 | |||
| Wii Speak (RVL-029) | 057E | 0308 | OH0 | |
| Ubisoft Camera | 030A | VEN | ||
| Internal Bluetooth Module | 0305 | OH1 | See Bluetooth Passthrough |
Setting up
Linux
Linux support does not require any special drivers. However, a udev rule must be created to allow access to the devices. Note, the Vendor ID and Product ID SHOULD be verified from the device itself before creating the rule.
1. Paste the following into /etc/udev/rules.d/52-dolphin.rules (/lib/udev/rules.d/52-dolphin.rules if making a package). Do not forget to replace the XXXX with the appropriate Vendor and Product IDs.
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ENV{DEVTYPE}=="usb_device", ATTRS{idVendor}=="XXXX", ATTRS{idProduct}=="XXXX", MODE="0666"
2. Reload udev rules with:
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
3. Reinsert the accessory.
Windows
For users wishing to use the USB Microphone, USB Camera, or Wii Speak, it is highly recommended to use 5.0-10617 or newer. It contains important fixes to both libusb and Dolphin that fix crashes and fix support in devices across many games.
Install Dedicated Driver
Single Interface Devices
Download and open Zadig, then:
1. In the "Options" menu in Zadig, make sure "List All Devices" is enabled.
2. Look through the devices for the device to passthrough.
3. On the right column, select "libusbk" then click "Replace Driver". Select "Yes" to modify the system driver.
Multi Interface Devices
For Microphone, Wii Speak, and USB Camera Passthrough, installing over the composite parent device is required.
Download and open Zadig, then:
1. In the "Options" menu in Zadig, make sure "List All Devices" is enabled and "Ignore Hubs or Composite Parents" is disabled.
2. Look through the composite parent of the device you wish to passthrough.
3. On the right column, select "libusbk" then click "Replace Driver". It may warn you that you're modifying a kernel driver, but, this is normal. Select "Yes" to modify the kernel driver.
Uninstalling Dedicated Driver
If for some reason you wish to restore the default driver to the device, open up "Device Manager." In the last, expand "libusbK devices" and find the device you wish to restore. Uninstall the device, then unplug the device and plug it back in. It will now be restored to its original state.
If you were using the WinUSB driver, the device will be located under "Universal Serial Bus Devices" instead, but the instructions are identical otherwise.
usbdk driver
usbdk is no longer supported nor recommended. While it provides the ability to simply install a driver without any further instructions, usbdk suffers severe instability issues. For legacy purposes, you can still use the x64 usbdk driver in older builds.
macOS
While this can be done in macOS, there is currently no easy to use guide for it. A modified variant of the Native GameCube Adapter for Wii U guide should work, but what needs to be changed is not immediately apparent.
Android
This feature is not supported on Android.
Configuring Dolphin
In 5.0-2352, an additional step was added for USB Passthrough. Because some devices being plugged into your computer can potentially hang or crash a game, you now must whitelist the emulated Wii so it can access this device. This is not required for Bluetooth Passthrough.
Guide to Whitelist a USB Device in Dolphin
1. Open Dolphin's configuration dialog.
2. Click on the Wii tab.
3. In the "Whitelisted USB passthrough devices", click on the "Add..." button.
4. Select the device you wish to passthrough.