The situation with sensor bars has been so bad, just turning on a Wii and using its sensor bar is the preferred solution for many. There are some USB sensor bars on the market, but generally they are battery first, USB second, and STILL turn off automatically regardless of external power! And that's not even including sensor bars that can't even get the LEDs right. Third party sensor bars are usually battery powered, and that means they chew through batteries like crazy, have automatic shut offs, and generally aren't as bright as the original Wii sensor bar. The sensor bar on the Wii is just a set of IR lights, it should be easy! It's not. There has never been an ideal solution for sensor bars. It makes using Wii Remotes on Dolphin just as easy as using them on a real Wii we can't ask for more than that!
No more guides, no more having mess with Bluetooth settings, no more having to press the sync button every time just press a button and go, exactly how the Wii behaves. If continuous scanning is enabled and a RealWiimote is set up, when you start a game Dolphin will automatically connect the Wiimotes. Wii Remotes sync with the DolphinBar, and once they're synced a mere press of a button on the Wiimote is all that's required to connect it, just like the Wii. The DolphinBar supports standard Wiimotes and, with current firmwares, -TR Wiimotes natively! And it has all of the improvements of the Toshiba Stack, such as reduced lag and reliable connectivity even with speaker data on. Unfortunately, it was not exactly simple, and usually required the purchase of a Toshiba Stack Bluetooth adapter just for the -TR Wiimote - adapters which are becoming increasingly hard to find.
The only way for Windows users to get around this problem was to use the Toshiba Stack. The way -TR Wiimotes communicate with the Wii is slightly different from traditional Wiimotes, and this new functionality falls outside of the limited Bluetooth support included in the MS Bluetooth stack.
The RVL-CNT-01-TR Wii Remote Plus is the only Wii Remote Nintendo has sold for the past three years. But no one was prepared for the nightmare that was the RVL-CNT-01-TR. Connectivity issues and disconnection problems when enabling the Wiimote speaker data make for a pretty iffy experience. With the default MS Bluetooth stack, input lag has always been higher than on a Wii or the Toshiba Stack. But on Windows, it has always had its quirks. Let's see if the DolphinBar can fulfill its potential as an all-in-one Dolphin accessory.ĭolphin has had support for Wiimotes since 1.0-1293, shortly after Dolphin went open source in 2008. While the history of this device is interesting, the hard work from both sides wouldn't matter much if the device can't deliver. As of 4.0-2241 and that DolphinBar firmware update, all of the DolphinBar's compatibility issues have been resolved! And with their help, and some excellent work by delroth, we were able to fix the bug that was preventing the DolphinBar from connecting with Dolphin. Surprisingly, they were able to add -TR support very quickly via a firmware update. The developers discussed its shortcomings with them, mainly the lack of -TR support, and what had changed in the emulator. Then Mayflash approached us about it, asking if we could work together to address the problems of the DolphinBar. So despite all its promise, we could only recommend it as a really good sensor bar, and we had to continue to direct -TR Wiimote users to the Toshiba Stack. Furthermore, despite its potential, it didn't support RVL-CNT-01-TR Wii Remote Pluses, the only type of Wii Remote currently in production. Unfortunately, testing revealed that it didn't work with current Dolphin builds, broken when the Balance Board system was merged in 3.5-1363. A USB sensor bar, with integrated Bluetooth? A fascinating opportunity! The devs immediately purchased one and sent it to a tester for analysis. Hardware that complements emulators has always existed in some form, like the various controller adapters we commonly use, but never has one benefited an emulator quite this directly. When we first heard about the Mayflash DolphinBar, we were immediately intrigued. The DolphinBar does not current work with Bluetooth Passthrough. Even though it may not be the best option anymore, the DolphinBar remains a very easy all-in-one option for Wii Remote functionality, and we still recommend it for users. However it doesn't work on all bluetooth adapters, and requires some setup to work.
By taking over the drivers of a Bluetooth Adapter, it allows unprecedented support for Wii Remote features, including the speaker and even 3rd party Wiimotes. Update: Since the creation of this article, Bluetooth Passthrough has been created as a new option for Wii Remote connectivity.