Feature Request: Add `--no-gui` or `--headless` command line option for direct game launch

[jcyrydia]

Problem Description

When launching games from the command line with ares --fullscreen "game.cue", the ares GUI briefly appears for about 1 second before the game loads. This creates a disruptive visual experience and breaks immersion when building a dedicated gaming setup or frontend.

Proposed Solution

Add a command line option such as --no-gui or --headless that would:

• Skip the main GUI interface entirely
• Launch directly into the game
• Work seamlessly with existing options like --fullscreen

Use Cases

• Game frontends/Libraries: Launching games without showing intermediate interfaces
• Arcade cabinets: Clean game launches without desktop UI flashes
• Automated systems: Scripts and game launchers that want a seamless experience
• Streaming setups: Avoid showing the emulator UI to viewers

Example Usage

ares --no-gui --fullscreen "path/to/game.cue"
ares --headless --system "megacd" "game.chd"

[remutro]

I would like to clarify this request further. As far as I am aware, there are currently enough command line options that exist to make this already possible. Note there is an open issue with the --shader option we know about, but I don't think that factors into this.

There are options to load a rom/iso along with the system command, and a full screen option that will put the GUI out of the way. There are some cores/games that will give you a second prompt to load an additional ROM if they have support, but that can be surpressed with the "--no-file-prompt" command line argument.

All command line arguments are available if you run "ares --help". So given all these options available, what else is missing? Most file extensions are enough to load the appropriate game/core, but CHD/ISO is going to require the additional --system "CORE_NAME" option as there is no way to determine based on the ISO/CHD what system it is referring to.

[jcyrydia]

Thank you very much for your detailed response and clarification.
I have already tested the --fullscreen mode and the different uses of --system name for launching titles — they all work perfectly in terms of functionality.

The request is more about visual behavior than functionality. Even when using --fullscreen, the main GUI briefly appears (around one second, sometimes longer on systems like Mega Drive CD) before the game is fully loaded. This short GUI flash slightly breaks immersion when using frontends or dedicated gaming setups where a seamless, clean launch experience is desired.

I truly appreciate your time and all the excellent work you’re doing on this project.