How Dolphin deals with the anti-piracy of "The Smurfs Dance Party"

**TL;DR:** Dolphin emulator originally couldn't run *The Smurfs Dance Party* due to its Metaphfortress anti-piracy system, which checks for a specific USB 1.1 interface call; implementing proper USB passthrough support resolved the issue. ## Introduction to the Problem When attempting to play *The Smurfs Dance Party* on the Dolphin emulator, the game would crash or show a black screen. This was not due to the emulator being incapable, but because of the game's anti-piracy protection. ## Understanding Metaphfortress *The Smurfs Dance Party* uses an anti-piracy tool called **Metaphfortress**, developed by the security company Metaphoric. It was originally designed for the Nintendo DS to combat R4 flashcarts and was later implemented in some Wii games. The tool's developers claimed it would quickly end piracy on the DS due to its robustness. ## How Metaphfortress Works on the Wii The protection mechanism in this Wii title is unique. After the initial startup, the game attempts to access a **USB 1.1 interface** via a system call named `IOS open`. When launched legitimately from the Wii System Menu, the game successfully accesses the interface using **IOS 56**. Metaphfortress checks the return code from this call; if the interface is found, the game is allowed to proceed. ### Why This Prevents Common Piracy Common unauthorized USB loaders for the Wii typically use **IOS 58** to support faster USB 2.0 transfers. Crucially, under IOS 58, the older USB 1.1 interface is hidden from the game. The call fails, Metaphfortress detects the validation failure, and displays its infamous error message, blocking the game. ## Why Dolphin Emulator Initially Failed Dolphin did not implement the specific USB 1.1 interface that Metaphfortress checks for. Consequently, when the game made the `IOS open` call, Dolphin returned a response indicating the device did not exist. Metaphfortress interpreted this as a failed validation and terminated the game. ## The Solution: USB Passthrough Support The issue was resolved by implementing proper **USB passthrough support** for the interface in Dolphin. With this fix, the emulator can correctly handle the `IOS open` call for the USB 1.1 interface. Metaphfortress now receives the expected successful response, the anti-piracy check passes, and the game runs normally. Source: [How Dolphin deals with the anti-piracy of "The Smurfs Dance Party"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN2WdO4c_jM)