Cemu Emulator is an open-source emulator designed for use on both Windows and Linux operating systems, featuring stability with minimal risk of malware infections and support for various controllers, including those compatible with Wii U Gamepads.
Cemu requires at minimum a PC running Windows 7, a graphics card compatible with OpenGL or Vulkan and 4GB of RAM; however, higher-end setups will lead to better performance.
It’s open-source
Cemu is currently at the forefront of emulation technology, trying to emulate one of the newest consoles: Wii U, and making impressive progress for such an old program. Although requiring powerful PCs for optimal operation, games such as Shovel Knight and Breath of the Wild now load properly, while community graphic packs further boost performance.
It offers support for BFRES, a container format used for models, textures and animations. Furthermore, it supports ROMs – files containing game data – usually obtained via downloader utilities such as NUSGrabber, FunKiiU or JNUS; or decryption tools like CDecrypt and UWizard.
Amiibo figurines that unlock on-disc content in 3DS and Wii U games may also be supported, though support may be incomplete or cause incompatibilities with some games. It also features several plugins specifically tailored for Steam Deck such as EmuDeck PowerTools UI support and gyroscope support.
It’s free
Cemu is an advanced emulator that lets your computer simulate various video games. This free software provides users with access to their favorite titles without owning a console, working well across different screen resolutions; for optimal results it is recommended that a high-end graphics card be utilized.
Developer of Wii U emulator has made an important move by opening it up as open source, which could change the future of Wii U emulation. It will be interesting to see whether Nintendo takes an official stance regarding this issue.
This emulator turns your PC into a virtual Wii U system. It supports various disc image file formats – even encrypted images – as well as all major controllers: DRC GamePad, Pro Controller and Classic Controller are emulated, alongside Wiimotes and keyboard input. However, 64-bit Windows OS along with Nvidia or AMD video cards is required as Intel video cards do not work with it.
It’s easy to use
Cemu is a secure emulator when used according to official guidelines, as its developers continually update it to ensure it remains safe and stable for its users. Furthermore, installing updates or DLC can be done easily using Cemu, with its latest version easily downloaded from its official website and extracted once downloaded.
To use this emulator efficiently, your computer must possess at least 4GB of RAM and an NVIDIA or AMD GPU; Intel GPUs do not work as effectively according to its developer.
An efficient CPU with multiple cores and threads is also key, since Cemu employs a dual-screen display to emulate the Wii U Gamepad and supports Wii Remotes and third-party controllers as well as Nintendo Amiibo figurines that unlock content within some games; although Amiibo support in Cemu may still cause crashes.
It’s stable
Cemu is an excellent way to play Wii U games on your computer without the use of a gamepad, providing a stable experience on most Windows devices. All it requires is that you dump and load games from a Wii U into a file-based system – the official website offers detailed guidance for doing this.
The emulator is free for users, though it requires a PC with 4 gigabytes of RAM and a graphics card that supports OpenGL 4.0 or later to run properly. Furthermore, it consumes considerable CPU resources when simulating console hardware emulation – although its impressive performance surpasses even that of original console’s initial aesthetics.
Cemu team members can now focus their full efforts on developing its app, leading to much faster progress of its app. Already they have managed to emulate some of the most difficult games like Breath of the Wild; currently they are working on asynchronous shader compilation so as to speed up its performance even further.