Wii U

Wii U games run in Cemu. The real Wii U GamePad can't pair to a Mac (its screen link is proprietary wireless), so you play with a controller Cemu can read — and the diagram below is a button-layout reference for how a standard pad lines up with the GamePad.

How to play

  • Use your NSO GameCube pad — it connects through The Vault's Bluetooth → DSU bridge, which Cemu reads as a controller.
  • Or connect any pad macOS sees (DualSense, Xbox, 8BitDo) and map it once in Cemu → Settings → Input.

Unlike RetroArch and Dolphin, The Vault doesn't yet write a Cemu controller profile or in-game hotkeys for you — Cemu's own input settings and menu handle mapping and save states.

Button-layout reference

L→ L1ZL→ L2ZR→ R2R→ R1Left Stick→ Left stick · L3D-Pad→ D-PadXTriangle / Y (North)YSquare / X (West)ACircle / B (East)BCross / A (South)Right Stick→ Right stick · R3– (Minus)→ Select / ViewHomeUnassigned+ (Plus)→ Start / Menu
A button-layout reference — how a standard pad's buttons line up with the Wii U GamePad when you map one in Cemu. Face buttons show the cross-console mapping (PlayStation / Xbox). The GamePad's touchscreen is a Cemu feature, driven in its own window with your mouse.

About the touchscreen

The GamePad's screen is a Cemu feature, not a controller input — Cemu can show it in a separate window that you interact with using your mouse.

How the GamePad's buttons line up

A reference for mapping a standard pad in Cemu — the Wii U face layout is Nintendo-style (A on the right, B on the bottom):

Wii U GamePadStandard pad (PlayStation / Xbox)
A (East)Circle / B
B (South)Cross / A
X (North)Triangle / Y
Y (West)Square / X
Left / Right stick (click)Left / Right stick (L3 / R3)
D-PadD-Pad
L / RL1 / R1
ZL / ZRL2 / R2
– (Minus)Select / View
+ (Plus)Start / Menu