diff --git a/emulator/include/Emulator.hpp b/emulator/include/Emulator.hpp
index b9c325910..145257bae 100644
--- a/emulator/include/Emulator.hpp
+++ b/emulator/include/Emulator.hpp
@@ -40,9 +40,10 @@ class OswEmulator {
 
     static OswEmulator* instance; // "Singleton"
     const bool isHeadless;
+    const bool isSoftwareRenderer;
     bool autoWakeUp = true;
 
-    OswEmulator(bool headless, std::string configPath = "config.json", std::string imguiPath = "imgui.ini");
+    OswEmulator(bool softwareRenderer, bool headless, std::string configPath = "config.json", std::string imguiPath = "imgui.ini");
     ~OswEmulator();
 
     void run();
diff --git a/emulator/src/Emulator.cpp b/emulator/src/Emulator.cpp
index 07f8a43fd..42522803b 100644
--- a/emulator/src/Emulator.cpp
+++ b/emulator/src/Emulator.cpp
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ static void shutdownEmulatorByInterruptSignal(int s) {
     called = true;
 }
 
-OswEmulator::OswEmulator(bool headless, std::string configPath, std::string imguiPath): isHeadless(headless) {
+OswEmulator::OswEmulator(bool softwareRenderer, bool headless, std::string configPath, std::string imguiPath): isHeadless(headless), isSoftwareRenderer(softwareRenderer) {
     // Initialize variables
     for(size_t i = 0; i < BTN_NUMBER; i++)
         this->buttonCheckboxes[i] = false;
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ OswEmulator::OswEmulator(bool headless, std::string configPath, std::string imgu
     if(this->isHeadless) {
         this->mainSurface = SDL_CreateRGBSurface(0, width, height, 32, 0, 0, 0, 0);
         assert(this->mainSurface && "Never fail surface creation");
+        assert(this->isSoftwareRenderer && "Software renderer is required in headless mode");
         this->mainRenderer = SDL_CreateSoftwareRenderer(this->mainSurface);
     } else {
         // Init the SDL window and renderer
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ OswEmulator::OswEmulator(bool headless, std::string configPath, std::string imgu
                                SDL_WINDOW_RESIZABLE | SDL_WINDOW_ALLOW_HIGHDPI
                            );
         assert(this->mainWindow && "Never fail window creation");
-        this->mainRenderer = SDL_CreateRenderer(this->mainWindow, -1, SDL_RENDERER_PRESENTVSYNC | SDL_RENDERER_ACCELERATED);
+        this->mainRenderer = SDL_CreateRenderer(this->mainWindow, -1, this-isSoftwareRenderer ? SDL_RENDERER_SOFTWARE : (SDL_RENDERER_PRESENTVSYNC | SDL_RENDERER_ACCELERATED));
     }
     assert(this->mainRenderer && "Never fail renderer creation");
     fakeDisplayInstance = std::make_unique<FakeDisplay>(DISP_W, DISP_H, this->mainRenderer);
diff --git a/emulator/src/main.cpp b/emulator/src/main.cpp
index 97350284c..746a34eec 100644
--- a/emulator/src/main.cpp
+++ b/emulator/src/main.cpp
@@ -25,10 +25,13 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
     const std::string argRunUnitTests = "unit_tests";
     const std::string argListAllTests = "list_tests";
     const std::string argUiTests = "ui_tests";
+    const std::string argHeadless = "headless";
+    const std::string argSoftwareRenderer = "software_renderer";
     a.add(argRunUnitTests, '\0', "run the unit test framework");
     a.add(argListAllTests, '\0', "list all unit and UI tests, one per line");
     a.add(argUiTests, '\0', "run emulator with UI tests window");
-    a.add("headless", '\0', "do not open a window; use software-rendering only"); // Warning: This parameter name is also used in the unit-tests!
+    a.add(argHeadless, '\0', "do not open a window; also implies --software_renderer"); // Warning: This parameter name is also used in the unit-tests!
+    a.add(argSoftwareRenderer, '\0', "use software-rendering only");
     a.parse_check(argc, argv);
 
     // Initialize SDL
@@ -60,7 +63,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
         returnval = UiTests_main();
     } else {
         // Create and run the emulator
-        std::unique_ptr<OswEmulator> oswEmu = std::make_unique<OswEmulator>(a.exist("headless"));
+        std::unique_ptr<OswEmulator> oswEmu = std::make_unique<OswEmulator>(a.exist(argSoftwareRenderer) or a.exist(argHeadless), a.exist(argHeadless));
         OswEmulator::instance = oswEmu.get();
         oswEmu->run();
         OswEmulator::instance = nullptr;
diff --git a/emulator/src/tests/uiTests/UiTests_main.hpp b/emulator/src/tests/uiTests/UiTests_main.hpp
index 85311956e..b45d73795 100644
--- a/emulator/src/tests/uiTests/UiTests_main.hpp
+++ b/emulator/src/tests/uiTests/UiTests_main.hpp
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ int UiTests_main(UiTests_Mode mode = UiTests_Mode::Run) {
 
     const bool isListMode = mode == UiTests_Mode::List;
     // Create and run the emulator
-    std::unique_ptr<OswEmulator> oswEmu = std::make_unique<OswEmulator>(isListMode);
+    std::unique_ptr<OswEmulator> oswEmu = std::make_unique<OswEmulator>(isListMode, isListMode);
     OswEmulator::instance = oswEmu.get();
 
     // Setup test engine
diff --git a/emulator/src/tests/unitTests/fixtures/EmulatorFixture.hpp b/emulator/src/tests/unitTests/fixtures/EmulatorFixture.hpp
index 18953cdfd..fa68fc16d 100644
--- a/emulator/src/tests/unitTests/fixtures/EmulatorFixture.hpp
+++ b/emulator/src/tests/unitTests/fixtures/EmulatorFixture.hpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ class EmulatorFixture {
         // Create and run the (headless) emulator
         this->configPath = "config_" + std::to_string(rand()) + ".json";
         this->imguiPath = "imgui_" + std::to_string(rand()) + ".ini";
-        oswEmu = std::make_unique<OswEmulator>(headless, this->configPath, this->imguiPath);
+        oswEmu = std::make_unique<OswEmulator>(headless, headless, this->configPath, this->imguiPath);
         OswEmulator::instance = oswEmu.get();
         std::thread t([&]() {
             try {