Provided by: stella_6.0.2-1build1_amd64 
NAME
stella - Atari 2600 emulator
SYNOPSIS
stella [options] <ROM file>
DESCRIPTION
stella is a comprehensive emulator of the old Atari 2600 video-game console. It support most Atari 2600
games and many peripherals.
OPTIONS
stella accepts the following options:
-video <opengl|opengles2|opengles|software>
Use OpenGL, OpenGLES or SDL software rendering mode; the default is the best available mode
detected.
-vsync <1|0>
Synchronize screen updates to the vertical blank period. This can result in smoother updates, and
eliminate tearing.
-fullscreen <1|0>
Play the game in fullscreen mode (1) or in a window (0).
-center <1|0>
Centers game window (if possible).
-palette <standard|z26|user>
Sets the palette to either normal Stella, the one used in the z26 emulator, or a user-defined
palette.
-speed <number>
Controls the emulation speed (as a percentage, between 10 and 1000, from one-tenth the native
speed to ten times the native speed).
-uimessages <1|0>
Enable or disable display of message in the UI. Note that messages indicating serious errors
override this setting, and are always shown.
-sound <1|0>
Enable or disable sound generation.
-fragsize <number>
Specify the sound fragment size to use. Under Debian the recommended value is 512.
-freq <number>
Set sound sample output frequency (0 - 48000). Default is 31400. Do not change unless you
experience sound issues.
-volume <number>
Set the volume (0 - 100).
-tia.zoom <number>
Use the specified zoom level (integer) while in TIA/emulation mode.
-tia.inter <1|0>
Use interpolation for the TIA image (results in blending/smoothing of the image).
-tia.aspectn <number>, -tia.aspectp <number>
Specify the amount (as a percentage) to scale the TIA image width in NTSC and PAL mode. Since many
video modes do not use square pixels, you can reduce width until the pixels appear square.
Allowable values are 80-120; the author finds 85-90 gives the mos authentic look for NTSC, and
105-110 for PAL.
-tia.fsfill <1|0>
Stretch TIA image completely while in fullscreen mode (vs. an integral stretch which won't
necessarily completely fill the screen).
-tia.dbgcolors <roygbp>
Assigns the colours (r)ed, (o)range, (y)ellow, (g)reen, (b)lue and (p)urple to each graphical
register P0/M0/P1/M1/PF/BL, respectively. Currently, these can be changed around to apply
different colours to the respective register.
-tv.filter <0-5>
Blargg TV effects, 0 is disabled, next numbers in sequence represent presets for "Composite", "S-
Video", "RGB", "Bad Adjust" and "Custom" modes.
-tv.phosphor <always|byrom>
Determines how phosphor mode is enabled. If always, then the ROM properties entry is ignored, and
phosphor mode is always turned on. Otherwise, the ROM properties determine whether phosphor mode
is used for each ROM.
-tv.scanlines <0-100>
TV effects scanline intensity, where 0 means completely off.
-tv.scaninter <1|0>
Blargg TV effects scanline interpolation, resulting in blending/smoothing of the scanlines.
-tv.contrast <number>
Blargg TV effects 'contrast' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-tv.brightness <number>
Blargg TV effects 'brightness' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-tv.hue <number>
Blargg TV effects 'hue' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-tv.saturation <number>
Blargg TV effects 'saturation' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-tv.gamma <number>
Blargg TV effects 'gamma' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-tv.sharpness <number>
Blargg TV effects 'sharpness' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-tv.resolution <number>
Blargg TV effects 'resolution' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-tv.artifacts <number>
Blargg TV effects 'artifacts' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-tv.fringing <number>
Blargg TV effects 'fringing' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-tv.bleed <number>
Blargg TV effects 'bleed' (only available in custom mode, range -1.0 to 1.0).
-cheat <code>
Use the specified cheatcode (see the Cheat section in the provided documentation for a description
of cheatcodes).
-loglevel <0|1|2>
Indicates level of logging to perform while the application is running. Zero completely disables
logging (except for serious errors), while the remaining numbers show increasingly more detail.
-logtoconsole <1|0>
Indicates that logged output should be printed to the console/commandline as it's being collected.
An internal log will still be kept, and the amount of logging is still controlled by loglevel.
-joydeadzone <number>
Sets the joystick deadzone area for analog joysticks. Accepts a number from 0 - 29, and uses the
formula 3200 + number * 1000. So the possible deadzone values range from 3200 to 32200.
-joyallow4 <1|0>
Allow all 4 directions on a joystick to be pressed simultaneously. Bumper Bash ignores this
setting, and always allows all 4 directions.
-usemouse <always|analog|never>
Use mouse as a controller as specified by ROM properties in specific case. always and never are
self-explanatory, analog means only for analog-type devices (paddles, trackball, etc.).
-grabmouse <1|0>
Keeps the mouse in the game window in emulation mode.
-cursor <0|1|2|3>
Set mouse cursor state in UI/emulation modes.
-dsense <number>
Sensitivity for emulation of paddles when using a digital device (joystick digital axis or button,
keyboard key, etc.). number may range from 1 to 20, with larger numbers causing faster movement.
-msense <number>
Sensitivity for emulation of paddles when using a mouse. number may range from 1 to 20, with
larger numbers causing faster movement.
-tsense <number>
Sensitivity for emulation of trackball controllers when using a mouse. number may range from 1 to
20, with larger numbers causing faster movement.
-saport <lr|rl>
Determines how to enumerate the Stelladaptor/2600-daptor devices in the order they are found: 'lr'
means first is left port, second is right port, 'rl' means the opposite.
-ctrlcombo <1|0>
Use control-x key combos. This is normally enabled, since the Quit command is tied to 'Control-q'.
However, there are times when a 2-player game is using either the 'f' or 'r' keys for movement,
and pressing Control (for Fire) will perform an unwanted action associated with Control-r or
Control-f.
-autoslot <1|0>
Automatically switch to the next available save state slot after saving a ROM state file.
-fastscbios <1|0>
Disable Supercharger BIOS progress loading bars.
-snapsavedir <path>
The directory to save snapshot files to.
-snaploaddir <path>
The directory to load snapshot files from.
-snapname <int|rom>
When saving snapshots, use either the internal database name or the actual ROM filename.
-sssingle <1|0>
Generate single snapshot instead of many, overwriting any previous snapshots.
-ss1x <1|0>
Ignore any scaling applied to the TIA image, and save snapshot in unscaled (1x) mode.
-ssinterval <number>
Set the interval in seconds between taking snapshots in continuous snapshot mode (currently, 1 -
10).
-rominfo <rom>
Display detailed information about the given ROM, and then exit Stella.
-listrominfo
Prints relevant contents of the Stella ROM database, one ROM per line, and then exit Stella. This
can be used for external frontends.
-exitlauncher <1|0>
Always exit to ROM launcher when exiting a ROM (normally, an exit to launcher only happens when
started with the launcher).
-launcherres <WxH>
Set the size of the ROM launcher.
-launcherfont <small|medium|large>
Set the size of the font in the ROM launcher.
-laucnherroms <1|0>
Specifies whether to show ROMs only (the default) or all files in the ROM launcher.
-romviewer <0|1|2>
Hide ROM info viewer in ROM launcher mode (0), or use the given zoom level (1 or 2).
-uipalette <standard|classic>
Use the specified palette for UI elements.
-listdelay <delay>
Set the amount of time to wait between treating successive keypresses as a single word in list
widgets (value can range from 300-1000).
-mwheel <lines>
Set the number of lines a mousewheel will scroll in the UI.
-romdir <dir>
Set the directory where the ROM launcher will start.
-statedir <dir>
Set the directory in which to save state files.
-cheatfile <file>
Set the full pathname of the cheatfile database.
-palettefile <file>
Set the full pathname of the user-defined palette file.
-propsfile <file>
Set the full pathname of the ROM properties file.
-nvramdir <dir>
Set the directory in which to save EEPROM files.
-cfgdir <dir>
Set the directory in which to access Distella config files.
-avoxport <name>
Set the name of the serial port where an AtariVox is connected.
-maxres <WxH>
Useful for developers, this sets the maximum size of window that can be created, allowing to
simulate testing on 'smaller' systems.
-help Print a help message describing these options, and then exit Stella.
The following are useful to developers. Only use them if you know what you're doing! Note that in all
cases, the values supplied to the arguments are not case sensitive.
-dis.resolve <1|0>
Try to differentiate between code vs. data sections in the disassembler. See the Debugger section
in the provided documentation for more information.
-dis.gfxformat <2|16>
Sets the base to use for displaying GFX sections in the disassembler.
-dis.showaddr <1|0>
Shows/hides opcode addresses in the disassembler.
-dis.relocate <1|0>
Relocate calls out of address range in the disassembler.
-dbg.res <WxH>
Set the size of the debugger window.
-dbg.fontsize <small|medium|large>
Set the font size in the debugger window.
-dbg.fontstyle <0|1|2|3>
How to use bold fonts in the debugger window. 0 means all normal font, 1 is bold labels only, 2 is
bold non-labels only, 3 is all bold font.
-dbg.ghostreadstrap <1|0>
Debugger considers/ignores 'ghost' reads for trap addresses.
-dbg.uhex <0|1>
Lower/uppercase hexadecimal display.
-break <address>
Set a breakpoint at a specified address.
-debug Immediately jump to debugger mode when starting Stella.
-holdjoy0 [UDLRF]
Start the emulator with the specified left joystick direction and button held down (UF for up and
fire). After entering the emulation, you will have to press and release the direction again to
release the event.
-holdjoy1 [UDLRF]
Start the emulator with the specified right joystick direction and button held down (UF for up and
fire). After entering the emulation, you will have to press and release the direction again to
release the event.
-holdselect
Start the emulator with the Game Select switch held down. After entering the emulation, you will
have to press and release 'Select' to release the event.
-holdreset
Start the emulator with the Game Reset switch held down. After entering the emulation, you will
have to press and release 'Reset' to release the event.
-bs <type>, -type <type>
Set "Cartridge.Type" property. See the Game Properties section in the provided documentation for
valid types.
-channels <Mono|Stereo>
Set "Cartridge.Sound" property.
-ld <A|B>
Set "Console.LeftDifficulty" property.
-rd <A|B>
Set "Console.RightDifficulty" property.
-tv <Color|BlackAndWhite>
Set "Console.TelevitionType" property.
-sp <Yes|No>
Set "Console.SwapPorts" property.
-lc <type>
Set "Controller.Left" property. See the Game Properties section in the provided documentation for
valid types.
-rc <type>
Set "Controller.Right" property. See the Game Properties section in the provided documentation for
valid types.
-bc <type>
Sets both "Controller.Left" and "Controller.Right" properties. See the Game Properties section in
the provided documentation for valid types.
-cp <Yes|No>
Set "Controller.SwapPaddles" property. See the Game Properties section in the provided
documentation for valid types.
-ma <Auto|XY>
Set "Controller.MouseAxis" property. See the Game Properties section in the provided documentation
for valid types.
-format <format>
Set "Display.Format" property. See the Game Properties section in the provided documentation for
valid formats.
-ystart <number>
Set "Display.YStart" property (0 - 64).
-height <number>
Set "Display.Height" property (210 - 256).
-pp <Yes|No>
Set "Display.Phosphor" property.
-ppblend <number>
Set "Display.PPBlend" property, used for phosphor effect (0-100). Default is 77.
The following are available in two sets, one for players (prefixed by plr.) and one for developers
(prefixed by dev.). Only use them if you know what you're doing! Note that in all cases, the values
supplied to the arguments are not case sensitive.
-dev.settings <1|0>
Select developer (1) or player (0) set.
-<plr|dev>.stats <1|0>
Overlay console info on the TIA image during emulation.
-<plr|dev>.console <2600|7800>
Select console for B/W and Pause key handling and RAM initialization.
-<plr|dev>.bankrandom <1|0>
On reset, randomize the startup bank (only for selected bankswitch types).
-<plr|dev>.ramrandom <1|0>
On reset, either randomize all RAM content, or zero it out instead.
-<plr|dev>.cpurandom [SAXYP]
On reset, randomize the content of the specified CPU registers.
-<plr|dev>.tiadriven <1|0>
Set unused TIA pins to be randomly driven high or low on a read/peek.
-<plr|dev>.rwportbreak <1|0>
Since the 2600 has no dedicated R/W line, different addresses are used for RAM read or write
access. If the code reads from such a write address, this causes an unwanted, semi-random write
to that address. When this option is enabled, such reads interrupt emulation and the debugger is
entered.
-<plr|dev>.thumb.trapfatal <true|false>
The default of true allows the Thumb ARM emulation to throw an exception and enter the debugger on
fatal errors. When disabled, such fatal errors are simply logged, and emulation continues. Do
not use this unless you know exactly what you're doing, as it changes the behaviour as compared to
real hardware.
-<plr|dev>.eepromaccess <1|0>
When enabled, each read or write access to the AtariVox/SaveKey EEPROM is signalled by a message.
-<plr|dev>.tv.jitter <1|0>
Enable TV jitter/roll effect, when there are too many or too few scanlines per frame.
-<plr|dev>.tv.jitter_recovery <1-20>
When TV jitter/roll effect is enabled, determines how long to delay recovery time (recovery spread
over multiple frames).
-<plr|dev>.colorloss <1|0>
Enable/disable the PAL color-loss effect.
-<plr|dev>.debugcolors <1|0>
Enable/disable the fixed debug colors.
-<plr|dev>.timemachine <1|0>
Enables the Time Machine.
-<plr|dev>.tm.size <20-1000>
Defines the Time Machine buffer size.
-<plr|dev>.tm.uncompressed <0-1000>
Defines the uncompressed Time Machine buffer size. Must be less than Time Machine the buffer
size.
-<plr|dev>.tm.interval <1f|3f|10f|30f|1s|3s|10s>
Defines the interval between two save states.
-<plr|dev>.tm.horizon <3s|10s|30s|1m|3m|10m|30m|60m>
Defines the horizon of the Time Machine.
KEYBOARD CONTROLS
The Atari 2600 console controls and controllers are mapped to the computer's keyboard as shown in the
following sections. However, most of these events can be remapped to other keys on your keyboard or
buttons on your joystick.
Console controls (can be remapped)
Control + q
Exit emulator
Escape Exit game mode/enter launcher mode
Tab Enter/exit options mode
Backslash (\)
Enter/exit command mode
Backquote (`)
Enter/exit debugger
F1 Select Game
F2 Reset Game
F3 Color TV
F4 Black/White TV
F5 Left Player Difficulty A
F6 Left Player Difficulty B
F7 Right Player Difficulty A
F8 Right Player Difficulty B
F9 Save state to current slot
F10 Change current state slot
F11 Load state from current slot
F12 Save PNG snapshot
Pause Pause/resume emulation
Joystick / BoosterGrip Controller (can be remapped)
Left joystick:
Up arrow
Joystick up
Down arrow
Joystick down
Left arrow
Joystick left
Right arrow
Joystick right
Space Fire button
4 Trigger button
5 Booster button
Right joystick:
Y Joystick up
H Joystick down
G Joystick left
J Joystick right
F Fire button
6 Trigger button
7 Booster button
Paddle Controller digital emulation (can be remapped independently of joystick controller)
By default the left paddles are mapped to the left joystick as follows:
Left Paddle 0 decrease
Right Paddle 0 increase
Fire Paddle 0 fire
Up Paddle 1 decrease
Down Paddle 1 increase
Booster
Paddle 1 fire
The same mappings on the right joystick correspond to the right paddles (paddles 2 and 3 respectively).
Driving Controller (cannot be remapped, always associated with joystick controllers)
Each driving controller is mapped to the corresponding joystick, using the left, right and fire controls.
Sega Genesis Controller (cannot be remapped, always associated with joystick and booster-grip controllers)
Each pad is mapped to the correspondig joystick as follows:
Up Up
Down Down
Left Left
Right Right
Fire Button 'B'
Booster
Button 'C'
Keypad Controller (can be remapped)
Left keypad (press the key on the left to emulate the key on the right):
1 1
2 2
3 3
Q 4
W 5
E 6
A 7
S 8
D 9
Z .
X 0
C #
Right keypad:
8 1
9 2
0 (the digit)
3
I 4
O (the letter)
5
P 6
K 7
L 8
; 9
, .
. 0
/ #
CompuMate Controller (cannot be remapped)
0-9 0-9
A-Z A-Z
Comma Comma
Period Period
Control
Func
Shift Shift
; or Return/Enter
Enter
/ or Space
Space
Backspace
Func-Space
FILES
~/.config/stella/stellarc
Default options (command line options override these). Lines starting with ';' are considered
comments and are ignored. Any other line must be of the form <command> = <value>, where command is
the same as that specified on the command line, without the '-' character, and value is the value
given to the setting.
~/.config/stella/atarivox_eeprom.dat
Default storage for the emulated EEPROM portion of an attached AtariVox device.
~/.config/stella/savekey_eeprom.dat
Default storage for the emulated EEPROM portion of an attached SaveKey device.
~/.config/stella/stella.cht
Default location of the cheat database file.
SEE ALSO
/usr/share/doc/stella/index.html, /usr/share/doc/stella/debugger.html.
AUTHORS
stella was written by Bradford W. Mott, Stephen Anthony and the Stella Team.
This manual page was adapted from the provided documentation by Stephen Kitt <skitt@debian.org>, for the
Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others). It was last modified for stella version 6.0.