Cemu

Cemu describes itself as experimental software to emulate Wii U applications on PC. This emulator is still in development and has limited compatibility with games. Many popular games seem to work already though sometimes with glitches. As the Wii U is a recent console, you will need a decent PC gaming system to use Cemu. Or at least if you want to run games at playable speeds.

Breath of the Wild

This is the games compatibility list for Cemu: compat.cemu.info. Clicking on a game title will take you to the wiki page for that game. The wiki page will tell you whether the game works for other people and what hardware they used.

Up-to-date information and troubleshooting tips are also available on the /r/cemu subreddit.

Editorial

As you can see above, Cemu can run the Wii U version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The authors of Cemu seem to be working hard on resolving issues. It will likely be playable without glitches by spring 2017. According to their Patreon page, the Cemu authors are receiving a significant amount of money to make this a reality.

But one has to consider: is this what emulation is about? To me, emulation is about preservation. The ability to continue to play classic games long after the hardware they ran on has failed or when it has become too expensive to buy used. While Breath of the Wild may well become a classic, for the time being, it is a brand new game. So while it cool to see it running on Cemu, I see it more as a curiosity rather than a serious alternative.

My suggestion: you should play Wii U games that are still available should on original hardware. Or in the case of Breath of the Wild, on the Switch. Please support Nintendo first so they can continue making great games.


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File Platform License Date Size
Cemu 2.0-61 Experimental release  Windows Open-Source Dec 18, 2023 25160 Kb. Cemu