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DolphinTool is a command-line utility suite for managing GameCube and Wii disc images. It provides tools for format conversion, verification, inspection, and extraction without requiring the full Dolphin emulator GUI.

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Usage

dolphin-tool COMMAND [options]
For help with any command: 
dolphin-tool COMMAND --help

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Available Commands

convert

Convert disc images between different formats (ISO, GCZ, WIA, RVZ)

verify

Verify disc image integrity and compute hashes

header

Inspect disc image headers and metadata

extract

Extract files and partitions from disc images

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Supported Formats

DolphinTool works with the following disc image formats:

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ISO (Plain)

Uncompressed disc image format. Large file size but fastest to read.
  • Extension: .iso, .gcm
  • Platforms: GameCube, Wii
  • Compression: None
  • Use case: Maximum compatibility, external compression

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GCZ (GameCube Compressed)

Dolphin’s legacy compressed format, primarily for GameCube games.
  • Extension: .gcz
  • Platforms: GameCube, Wii (with limitations)
  • Compression: Deflate
  • Use case: Legacy compatibility, smaller than ISO

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WIA (Wii Image Archive)

Compressed format with good compression ratios.
  • Extension: .wia
  • Platforms: GameCube, Wii
  • Compression: None, Purge, Bzip2, LZMA, LZMA2
  • Use case: Good balance of size and compatibility

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RVZ (Revolutionary)

Modern compressed format with the best compression ratios.
  • Extension: .rvz
  • Platforms: GameCube, Wii
  • Compression: None, Bzip2, LZMA, LZMA2, Zstandard
  • Use case: Recommended - Best compression, modern codec support

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Common Options

Most DolphinTool commands support:

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User Directory

--user=PATH
Specifies the Dolphin user directory for temporary processing files. Will be automatically created if not set.

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Input File

--input=FILE
or shorthand: 
-i FILE
Path to the source disc image.

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Help

--help
or shorthand: 
-h
Display command-specific help information.

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Quick Start Examples

dolphin-tool convert \
  -i game.iso \
  -o game.rvz \
  -f rvz \
  -b 131072 \
  -c zstd \
  -l 5

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Verify Image Integrity

dolphin-tool verify -i game.rvz

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View Game Information

dolphin-tool header -i game.iso

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Extract Game Files

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output

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Installation

DolphinTool is typically included with Dolphin installations:

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Windows

Dolphin-x64\dolphin-tool.exe

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Linux

# If installed system-wide
dolphin-tool

# Or in build directory
./build/Binaries/dolphin-tool

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macOS

/Applications/Dolphin.app/Contents/MacOS/dolphin-tool

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Exit Codes

  • 0 - Success
  • 1 - Failure (error message printed to stderr)

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Performance Tips

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Conversion Speed

  • Use SSD storage for source and destination
  • Lower compression levels convert faster
  • Larger block sizes can improve throughput
For best balance of size and speed: 
dolphin-tool convert \
  -i input.iso \
  -o output.rvz \
  -f rvz \
  -b 131072 \
  -c zstd \
  -l 5
For maximum compression (slower): 
dolphin-tool convert \
  -i input.iso \
  -o output.rvz \
  -f rvz \
  -b 131072 \
  -c zstd \
  -l 22

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Batch Processing

Example script to convert all ISOs to RVZ: 
#!/bin/bash

for iso in *.iso; do
  echo "Converting $iso..."
  dolphin-tool convert \
    -i "$iso" \
    -o "${iso%.iso}.rvz" \
    -f rvz \
    -b 131072 \
    -c zstd \
    -l 5
  
  if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "✓ Successfully converted $iso"
  else
    echo "✗ Failed to convert $iso"
  fi
done

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Use Cases

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Archive Management

  • Convert large ISO collections to RVZ for space savings
  • Verify integrity after network transfers
  • Extract specific files without mounting images

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Development

  • Inspect game headers for metadata
  • Extract game assets for modding
  • Create test images with specific formats

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Quality Assurance

  • Verify dumps with multiple hash algorithms
  • Check compression settings on existing images
  • Validate image compatibility

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Troubleshooting

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Command not found

Ensure DolphinTool is in your PATH or use the full path: 
# Linux/macOS
export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/dolphin"

# Or use full path
/path/to/dolphin-tool command

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Permission errors

Ensure read access to input files and write access to output directories: 
chmod +r input.iso
chmod +w output_directory

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Out of disk space

Conversion requires temporary space. Ensure sufficient free space:
  • ISO → RVZ: Needs space for output (~30-40% of original)
  • GCZ/WIA → ISO: Needs space for full uncompressed size

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See Also