Quick Start¶
This walkthrough gets you from a fresh install to a running game.
1. Launch kat5200¶
Start the emulator. With no ROM or BIOS configured yet, it opens in the GUI. The main menu offers:
- Load ROM from file — pick a ROM with the file browser and launch it immediately.
- Load ROM from Launcher — open the ROM Launcher.
- Options — open the tabbed configuration window (System, Graphics, Sound, Input, Misc).
- Reset — reset the emulated machine.
- Load State / Save State — quick-save slots and named state files.
- Exit — quit kat5200.
2. Set up BIOS and ROMs¶
Open Options → Misc → Setup and use the scan actions to find your files:
- Scan for 5200 BIOS / Scan for 8-bit BIOS — locates BIOS/OS images and assigns the best match per machine.
- Scan for 5200 ROMs / Scan for 8-bit ROMs — adds game images to the Launcher database.
Point each scan at a directory, then finish with Scan & Save. See Misc → Setup for details.
BIOS required
The 5200 needs a 5200 BIOS image, and the 8-bit computers need an OS ROM. Without them you will get an "Error Loading BIOS image" message. See Troubleshooting.
3. Configure your controller¶
Open Options → Input. The quickest path:
- Select the player view (Player 1–Player 4) you want to set up.
- Click the control you want to bind (a stick direction or a button).
- Choose Change, then provide the input on your device in the Input Capture dialog and release it. Use Add Entry to bind a second input to the same control.
For the 5200's analog games, the Setup window's game presets are the fastest start; see also the analog tuning options.
4. Launch a game¶
Either:
- Load ROM from file for a one-off, or
- Load ROM from Launcher, select a title, and press Enter or double-click it.
The selected machine cold-starts with the image attached.
5. In-emulation keys¶
| Action | Keyboard default | Gamepad default |
|---|---|---|
| Return to the GUI | Esc | Back + Start |
| Toggle fullscreen | Alt+Enter | Back + Left Shoulder |
| Take a screenshot | Alt+S | Back + Right Shoulder |
| Enter the debugger | F1 | None |
| Load state from slot 1 | Alt+1 | Right Trigger + Left Shoulder |
| Load state from slots 2-9 | Alt+2 ... Alt+9 | None |
| Save state to slot 1 | Shift+1 | Left Trigger + Right Shoulder |
| Save state to slots 2-9 | Shift+2 ... Shift+9 | None |
| Exit kat5200 | Alt+F4 | Back + Right Stick Button |
Note
These are the defaults; keyboard bindings and gamepad combos can be changed
under the UI Input view in Options -> Input.
Screenshots are saved as .bmp files in the
configuration directory.
6. Save your progress¶
| Action | Keyboard default | Gamepad default |
|---|---|---|
| Save a named state file | Save State -> To File | Use the GUI menu |
| Load a named state file | Load State -> From File | Use the GUI menu |
| Save quick state slot 1 | Shift+1 | Left Trigger + Right Shoulder |
| Save quick state slots 2-9 | Shift+2 ... Shift+9 | None |
| Load quick state slot 1 | Alt+1 | Right Trigger + Left Shoulder |
| Load quick state slots 2-9 | Alt+2 ... Alt+9 | None |
Quick slots are convenient for moment-to-moment progress. Named state files are better when you want a save you can identify later.