How do I build a PVR that can also play Wii games using Dolphin emulation?

[canbrass]

I am about as green as they come on building a PVR, so I thank you all in advance for your advise.  I have been wanting to build a PVR for some time, but haven't ever come across the right way to build on until now.  I recently discovered that it is possible to play Wii games on a PC using an emulator called Dolphin.  I can even use my Wii remote by connecting it via a Bluetooth adapter.  My questions are:

1)  Has anyone ever built a PVR that they also used to play emulated games?
2)  Most mobos that have a descent built-in video card are sufficient for TV playback, but will it be enough for playing emulated games or do I need to add a top end video card to my setup?
3)  What are some of the better cases for my PVR?
4)  Can I get away with building a PVR with only 1 PCI express slot?

Any other info you guys can think of to add to my list of questions would also be greatly appreciated.

[Craig]

I used to have a gaming rig that I used as a PVR and to play games, but not emulated games. Like any gaming PC I think you'll be better off building one using some higher end parts. Not necessarily top of the line, but definitely a separate video card as opposed to onboard graphics. If it were me I might go with a Nvidia GT240 or GTS250 paired with an Intel Core i5 650. But this is kind of a guess from me. I'd definitely run it by the folks on the Dolphin forum and see what they think. 
3)I am a fan of the SilverStone cases.
4) Depends on what else you want/need to put into the box. I'm assuming you are talking about an mATX mobo with one PCIe X16 and one PCIe x1 slot. It's definitely doable.

[Miller]

I think it's doable for sure. I haven't heard about anyone here trying to run dolphin though. Some of the old schools guys have used Mame, but I'm sure it's not that bad to get it going. Check the Dolphin forums though because I think they require some specific hardware.

[The Dude]

I run project64 and some of the older ones and use the GBPVR games plugin to launch them. It works pretty well and integrates into the application. I've never run dolphin though and I don't know how well that works with Wii games. I thought Dolphin was for gamecube games.

[Miller]

I think since the GameCube and the Wii were so closely related hardware wise that the Dolphin emulator works for both. Not 100%, just my quick thoughts.

[The Dude]

That's interesting. I wonder if you can actually use the wii controller with it. Or maybe a gyration remote . I haven't looked into these a long time either. I tried some of the playstation emulators and just found them to be too buggy but my gaming needs are pretty pedestrian anyway. If I add a game to my HTPC I want it to function as much like a standalone gaming platform as possible (using gamepads and functioning within the HTPC applications if possible) so as not to take away from the HTPC look.

[canbrass]

Thanks for all the input guys.  I've done some playing around with my company laptop and got Dolphin to work on it.  It's pretty weak on the game play speed, though.  I'm only getting 15 fps or so, and need closer to 30 to be similar to the Wii's game speed.  I was able to pair an actual Wii remote to it using a Bluetooth dongle and was surprised at how well it did.  It worked just like playing at Wii.  I think that I'm going to need closer to a 2.5 Dual Core processor and a 1 gig ram video card to get a faster graphic display (my laptop is a 2.0 with a 128mb graphics card).  The picture looks beautiful and from the Dolphin forums, will actually have a higher resolution display than a stand-alone Wii console.  I think that my project is very doable and am now looking at having a Wii/PVR/Blueray player for somewhere around $600.  That should get me a mobo, 2.5 DC processor, 5000 series ATI graphics card, 2 GB ram, case with power and 1.5 TB drive and a Blueray drive.  Once I get it up and running, I'll be sure to post back and let everyone know the results.