Command Line¶
kat5200 can be started with options that override the saved configuration for that run, load a ROM or state directly, or recover from a bad video setup.
kat5200 [options] [ <rom_file> ]A bare (non-option) argument is treated as a ROM image to attach and launch —
handy for file-manager associations and front ends. kat5200 --help prints the
full option list; the man page (man kat5200) documents mapping values and the
input configuration syntax in detail.
Options set on the command line apply on top of the saved kat5200.conf at
startup. They are not written back to the configuration unless you later press a
Save button in the GUI.
General options¶
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--help, -h |
Print the option summary and exit. |
--version, -V |
Print version information (including library versions) and exit. |
--reset_config |
Reset the configuration and profiles to defaults, then exit. Same effect as Factory Reset in Misc → Configuration. |
--config <file> |
Use an alternate configuration file (and its directory). |
--debug |
Start the emulation in the debugger. |
--state <file> |
State file to load at startup. |
--quick_state <1-9> |
Numbered quick-state slot to load at startup. If both --state and --quick_state are given, the quick state wins. |
--start_with {file_browser\|rom_list\|last_rom} |
What to open at launch, overriding the saved Start With setting. |
--throttle <percent> |
Emulation speed; 100 is normal, 0 runs as fast as possible. |
--sio_patch {true\|false} |
Enable/disable the SIO patch for fast disk loading. |
--basic_enable {true\|false} |
Enable/disable BASIC on the 8-bit computers. |
--machine {5200\|800\|xl\|xe} |
The machine type to emulate. |
--mapping <value> |
Cartridge mapping for the ROM being loaded (auto or a specific type; see the man page for values). |
Video options¶
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--safe |
Boot with the SDL default renderer and shaders disabled — use this to recover from a bad video configuration. Session-only; never saved. |
--backend <name\|default> |
SDL renderer backend (alias --video.renderer_name). default lets SDL choose. Overrides --safe if both are given. |
--shader <name\|dir\|none> |
Shader bundle by list name or directory, or none to disable (alias --video.shader). Overrides --safe if both are given. |
--video.fullscreen {true\|false} |
Full-screen mode. |
--video.fixed_window {true\|false} |
Disallow window resizing. |
--video.width / --video.height |
Window size in pixels. |
--video.x / --video.y |
Window position on the desktop. |
--video.wide_playfield {true\|false} |
Show the extra emulated edge pixels. |
--video.gui_scale <0\|25..300> |
GUI scale percent; 0 = auto. |
--video.window_scaling {letterbox\|stretch\|fit_window} |
Window scaling mode. |
--video.texture_scaling {pixelated\|smooth} |
Texture scaling mode. |
--video.palette <profile\|file> |
Palette profile or palette file to load. |
--video.vsync {true\|false} |
Vertical sync. |
--video.ntsc_artifacts {true\|false} |
NTSC artifacting filter. |
--video.ntsc_setup.<param> <-1.0..1.0> |
NTSC filter fine adjustment; <param> is one of hue, saturation, contrast, brightness, sharpness, burst_phase, hue_warping. |
Sound options¶
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--sound.enable {true\|false} |
Master audio switch. |
--sound.frequency <hz> |
Sample frequency (e.g. 44100). |
--sound.samples <n> |
Sample buffer size in samples. |
--sound.buffer_size <n> |
Internal buffer adjustment size. |
--sound.gain <0..150> |
Output volume percent (100 = normal). |
Machine options¶
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--machine.tv_standard {pal\|ntsc} |
TV standard. |
--machine.ram <kb> |
RAM amount in kilobytes. |
--machine.bios <file> |
BIOS file to use. |
--machine.profiles_dir <dir> |
ROM-profiles directory for the current machine type (give it after --machine). |
Input options¶
Player bindings and UI shortcuts can also be set from the command line with the
--input.game.* and --input.misc.* families — for example
--input.game.p0.type Joystick or --input.misc.fullscreen <binding>. These
use the same keys as the configuration file; run kat5200 --help for the list
and see the man page for the binding syntax. For interactive setup, the
Input tab's capture flow is much easier.
Examples¶
# Launch a cartridge image directly
kat5200 ~/roms/5200/Gorf.bin
# Resume from quick-state slot 3
kat5200 --quick_state 3
# Recover from a bad shader / renderer configuration
kat5200 --safe
# One-off PAL 800 session with BASIC, without touching saved settings
kat5200 --machine 800 --basic_enable true --machine.tv_standard pal