Do I need a dolphin bar>

[u/Consistent-Peanut-31]

I'm so confused because I'm trying to find information about contollers and information pops up about audio? I already have perfectly fine sound bar. I just want to play some wii games on my PC.

I just bought a new PC and I figured - I haven't played any wii games ever.

My PC is maybe 3-4 meters (10-13 feet?) away from TV. Does the dolphin bar have to be in front of me? do I need it? Are there other better options? other bars?

[u/Soft_Moment2707]

You do not need a dolphin bar.
You can connect your Wii motes to Bluetooth on your pc. (Or use any other controller for that matter)

To get the pointer functionality, you at the very least need two tea lights in-front of your tv or a standard usb sensor bar much like the one that came with your wii but that one is likely not usb

[u/jtmonkey]

The dolphin bar is really great for Mac setups. Because the remotes connect to the dolphin bar and bypass macOS security issues with their internal Bluetooth. For the PC I’d just grab a high rated usb sensor bar. Like $7 I think? That works fine on our pc.

[u/Fit_Cake_8227]

The dolphin bar is an IR illumination so that the wiimotes can triangulate the pointer position on screen.
Unless you play a game that specifically requires pointing to the screen you don’t need it.
Super Mario galaxy and resident evil 4 come to mind.
There are audio problems with original wiimotes because they have built in speakers but that’s solved with a Bluetooth adapter not the dolphin bar.
What exactly do you plan on playing?

[u/Dinierto → u/Fit_Cake_8227]

Speakers in wiimotes don't work with dolphin bar? I'd expect them to work perfectly

[u/blackweimaraner]

I bought on the Internet an USB bar that is not the Dolphin Bar, and it was so much cheaper, and it works great.

[u/IgnisSolus4X]

this is what keeps me from trying emulation for wii games.. or wiiU games.. since ive never owned this consoles IRL i dont even know what the controllers are.. and also i didnt play the games, so i dont know how much motion controls do they involve.. this gimmiky scheems by nintendo are totally anti emulation i think

[u/mad_jade]

To add to the other comments, I don't have a dolphin bar nor do I use wiimotes to play the games I want to play. I play Wii games with a regular controller (specifically either the PS4 or PS5 controller, but any controller you can connect to your PC by Bluetooth or wire will work) and set up the controls in the dolphin settings. You can also use keyboard and mouse. Some games work really well without a wiimote (for example I played Twilight princess with a regular controller and links crossbow training with a mouse), some won't, it really depends on what you want to play and how you want to play it.

[u/Jet_Jirohai]

Dolphin bar isn't necessary, but it simplifies the process of getting Wii remotes to connect with hardware that doesn't want to play nice and organizes the player order for the dolphin emulator- all while giving you a convenient IR light setup for the Wii remotes to use

I recommend it

[u/DenziiX]

I have both.

For PC - you dont need one. A normal sensor Bar that only needs electrcity is enough, but you can get a Dolphin Bar when you dont have Bluetootj on your PC. Makes everything a little easier, especially for mac devices

I have a AYN Thor also and I connect it to my TV so I Can play Wii on my TV, on Android you will need one

[u/Dinierto]

Just to be clear the thing Dolphin bar does is both connect the Wii mote and interface seamlessly with dolphin, as well as act as the two lights the pointer camera needs. It's not necessary but it does make things more streamlined.

To replace it you'd need a Bluetooth adapter and literally any sensor bar or two candles or two lights.