There are two main ways to play Mario Sluggers online. This guide will explain how to set up each one. This applies to most Wii games in general, though the controls outlined in these guides are specific to Sluggers. READ THE DOLPHIN SECTION BECAUSE IT FIXES ERRORS FROM THE VIDEO!

Dolphin Netplay

Netplay on Dolphin is how most Gamecube games are played online. Wii games can be trickier through. Both players need to be able to run Mario Sluggers on Dolphin at full speed as well as have a good internet connections. You can use any controllers that Dolphin can recognize, including actual Wii Remotes.

To start, make sure all players have the same file type. The standard is to play with .wbfs files since they take up less space than normal .iso files. You can use either as long as everyone uses the same version. All players must be on the same version of Dolphin as well (usually the latest beta version).

Now that you’re set up, you need to connect your controllers to Dolphin. There’s plenty of tutorials for connecting other controllers, so I’ll stick to Wii Remotes. You can connect your Wii Remote directly with Dolphin with these steps in the controller configuration:

  1. First, make sure your PC/laptop has a Bluetooth connection

  2. Check the box that says “connect Wii Remotes for emulated controls”

  3. Hit “refresh”, then “continuous scanning” and then hold the SYNC button on your Wiimote until it vibrates and the P1 light glows

  4. You may need to hold the 1 and 2 buttons instead depending on your Wiimote model

  5. Select “Emulated Wii Remote” as P1 (you can’t use the “Real Wii Remote” when using Netplay)

  6. Hit “configure”, use “Bluetooth Wii Remote” as your device, and then select “Wii Remote…Stock” under “profile”. This will configure all the buttons, movement and gyro for you!

  7. If both players are using a physical Wiimote, you need to select “emulated wiimote” for P2 on both of your individual settings for them to work

    You need a Wiimote with Wii Motion Plus (built in or extension) to use the gyro, but you can play with sideways controls either way. The gyro can be finnicky even with the Wii Motion Plus though, and the pointer will sometimes drift. It’ll usually fix itself after a while, and setting it flat and straight for a while usually helps. But this is why a lot of people use horizontal controls while playing online, especially since they offer the same functionality as Wiimote and nunchuk.

Once both of you set up your controllers, make sure you both have the game in your directory (do that by adding it to your path in the options menu). Then have the host go to Tools>Start Netplay session. Click on the host tab, select the game, select traversal server, and then click host. To join, have the other players go to the “start Netplay” session tab and then the connect tab. Hit traversal server, input the host code and join up. Now you’re ready to play!

If you experience lag, it could either be someone’s computer processing or someone’s internet connection. If the ping is below 30, you should be able to set the buffer size (basically the input lag) to something like 5 or 7. If it’s between 30 and 50, 10 is more appropriate. For anything higher, try 15. If it lags a lot with ping below 100, then it’s probably the lack of power from someone’s computer.

Parsec

Parsec is a free application that allows someone to host games on their PC and for others to join in. You can play pretty much any local 2-player game this way and only the host needs a copy. This is the way to play if your laptop/PC isn’t very good and can’t run Dolphin at full speed. There are a few requirements before you start playing.

Requirements for the host:

  • Good Internet, preferably wired connection

  • A Windows computer that can run Mario Sluggers on Dolphin at full speed and has Bluetooth (Parsec does not fully support Mac hosting)

  • A controller that Dolphin can recognize as a Wii remote or emulated Wii remote (Wiimote, Xbox, DualShock PS4 Controller, DualSense PS5 controller, Switch Pro Controller)

Requirements for remote players:

  • Good internet, preferably wired connection

  • A PC of any kind

  • A controller that can be recognized by Parsec (Xbox, DualShock PS4 Controller, DualSense PS5 controller, Switch Pro Controller)

The controllers might actually be the most confusing part of this whole process since you can’t simply play with two Wiimotes. Dolphin will natively be able to recognize all controller with XInput (which is most modern controllers) as well as Wiimotes and Gamecube controllers with adapters. Wired Switch Pro controllers that connect with Bluetooth will work however the rules are different for the people connecting to the host through Parsec. Parsec won’t recognize Wiimotes but will recognize Switch Pro controllers no matter if they’re wired or not. Any other controller will most likely work.

All players need to download Parsec and create accounts. The host will also need to have Dolphin installed and Mario Sluggers running on it. Once you’ve done that, the host will share a link to the other players which will allow them to “join” their PC. They can also add them as friends and have them join their PC from the home menu which can be easier. On Parsec, the host can control the permissions for the different players. “Gamepad” is automatically selected, which allows their controllers to connect to your system. You can also give them mouse and keyboard access when needed. The host then needs to go into Dolphin and to the controller settings. If each of the players’ gamepads connected correctly, you will see them in the dropdown menus. Select the ones that correspond to the players and then configure them. This can be done by giving mouse and keyboard access to a player and then assigning each button individually. Make sure to keep in mind which controller setup you’ll be using and assign the buttons accordingly. Make sure to set a hotkey to switch between vertical and horizontal Wiimote controls. The menus require vertical controls but I usually play with horizontal because then I don’t have to deal with emulating motion controls. Once each player has configured their controllers, you can save their setups and you’re ready to play! There will usually be a small amount of input lag that may take some time to get used to, but Jake and I played just fine using this method for our videos.

Troubleshooting

  • Dolphin game sound can’t be heard by other players: Fix this by changing the audio output of the host’s PC to “default”

  • The players’ gamepads aren’t recognized by the host’s PC: Make sure you press a button on your gamepad so that the PC can recognize it. If the problem persists, you may be using an incompatible controller