diff --git a/src/backend/Core.cpp b/src/backend/Core.cpp
index 2f00ce66..70e2f8de 100644
--- a/src/backend/Core.cpp
+++ b/src/backend/Core.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include <Core.hpp>
 #include <Scheduler.hpp>
 #include <ParallelRDPWrapper.hpp>
+#include <SDL2/SDL.h>
 
 namespace n64 {
 u32 extraCycles = 0;
@@ -16,15 +17,16 @@ u32 PopStalledCycles() {
 }
 
 Core::Core() {
+  SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_EVERYTHING);
   if(SDL_GameControllerAddMappingsFromFile("resources/gamecontrollerdb.txt") < 0) {
     Util::warn("Failed to load game controller DB");
   }
 
   cpu = std::make_unique<Interpreter>();
-  LoadParallelRDP(cpu->mem.GetRDRAM());
 }
 
 void Core::Stop() {
+  render = false;
   pause = true;
   romLoaded = false;
   cpu->Reset();
@@ -54,6 +56,7 @@ void Core::LoadROM(const std::string& rom_) {
   cpu->mem.LoadSRAM(cpu->mem.saveType, rom);
   PIF::ExecutePIF(cpu->mem, cpu->regs);
   pause = false;
+  render = true;
 }
 
 void Core::Run(float volumeL, float volumeR) {
diff --git a/src/backend/Core.hpp b/src/backend/Core.hpp
index f51822e3..cada6c05 100644
--- a/src/backend/Core.hpp
+++ b/src/backend/Core.hpp
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ struct Core {
   u32 breakpoint = 0;
 
   bool pause = true;
-  bool render = true;
+  bool render = false;
   u32 cycles = 0;
   bool romLoaded = false;
   std::string rom;
diff --git a/src/frontend/EmuThread.cpp b/src/frontend/EmuThread.cpp
index 043292ee..cd95275b 100644
--- a/src/frontend/EmuThread.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/EmuThread.cpp
@@ -1,11 +1,23 @@
+#include <ParallelRDPWrapper.hpp>
 #include <EmuThread.hpp>
+#include <RenderWidget.hpp>
 
-EmuThread::EmuThread(QObject* parent_object) noexcept : QThread(parent_object) {}
+EmuThread::EmuThread(std::unique_ptr<QtInstanceFactory>&& instance, std::unique_ptr<Vulkan::WSIPlatform>&& wsiPlatform, std::unique_ptr<ParallelRdpWindowInfo>&& windowInfo, QObject* parent_object) noexcept
+  : QThread(parent_object), instance(std::move(instance)), wsiPlatform(std::move(wsiPlatform)), windowInfo(std::move(windowInfo)) {}
 
 [[noreturn]] void EmuThread::run() noexcept {
+  LoadWSIPlatform(instance.get(), std::move(wsiPlatform), std::move(windowInfo));
+  LoadParallelRDP(core.cpu->mem.GetRDRAM());
   while (true) {
     if (!core.pause) {
       core.Run(0.5, 0.5);
+      if(core.render) {
+        UpdateScreenParallelRdp(core, core.cpu->mem.mmio.vi);
+      }
+    } else {
+      if(core.render) {
+        UpdateScreenParallelRdpNoGame(core);
+      }
     }
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/frontend/EmuThread.hpp b/src/frontend/EmuThread.hpp
index 215bcdbb..1bbbe168 100644
--- a/src/frontend/EmuThread.hpp
+++ b/src/frontend/EmuThread.hpp
@@ -2,12 +2,20 @@
 #include <QThread>
 #include <Core.hpp>
 
+struct QtInstanceFactory;
+struct ParallelRdpWindowInfo;
+namespace Vulkan {
+struct WSIPlatform;
+}
+
 class EmuThread : public QThread
 {
   Q_OBJECT
-
+  std::unique_ptr<QtInstanceFactory> instance;
+  std::unique_ptr<Vulkan::WSIPlatform> wsiPlatform;
+  std::unique_ptr<ParallelRdpWindowInfo> windowInfo;
 public:
-  explicit EmuThread(QObject* parent_object) noexcept;
+  explicit EmuThread(std::unique_ptr<QtInstanceFactory>&& instance, std::unique_ptr<Vulkan::WSIPlatform>&& wsiPlatform, std::unique_ptr<ParallelRdpWindowInfo>&& windowInfo, QObject* parent_object) noexcept;
 
   [[noreturn]] void run() noexcept override;
 
diff --git a/src/frontend/KaizenQt.cpp b/src/frontend/KaizenQt.cpp
index 9a4be5c2..3dcbdbaf 100644
--- a/src/frontend/KaizenQt.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/KaizenQt.cpp
@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 #include <KaizenQt.hpp>
 #include <QMessageBox>
 #include <QApplication>
+#include <SDL2/SDL.h>
+
+KaizenQt::KaizenQt() noexcept {
+  mainWindow = new MainWindowController();
+  emuThread = new EmuThread(
+    std::move(mainWindow->view.vulkanWidget->instance),
+    std::move(mainWindow->view.vulkanWidget->wsiPlatform),
+    std::move(mainWindow->view.vulkanWidget->windowInfo),
+    mainWindow);
 
-KaizenQt::KaizenQt() noexcept : mainWindow(new MainWindowController), emuThread(new EmuThread(mainWindow)) {
   ConnectMainWindowSignalsToSlots();
 
   mainWindow->show();
@@ -19,6 +27,6 @@ void KaizenQt::ConnectMainWindowSignalsToSlots() noexcept {
 }
 
 void KaizenQt::LoadROM(const QString& file_name) noexcept {
-  emuThread->core.LoadROM(file_name.toStdString());
   emuThread->start();
+  emuThread->core.LoadROM(file_name.toStdString());
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/frontend/MainWindow.cpp b/src/frontend/MainWindow.cpp
index 0959da8f..b44e886e 100644
--- a/src/frontend/MainWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/MainWindow.cpp
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #include <QMessageBox>
 #include <MainWindow.hpp>
 
-MainWindowController::MainWindowController() noexcept : vulkanWidget(new RenderWidget(this)) {
+MainWindowController::MainWindowController() noexcept {
   view.setupUi(this);
   ConnectSignalsToSlots();
 }
diff --git a/src/frontend/MainWindow.hpp b/src/frontend/MainWindow.hpp
index 49e3a5d0..0337f80c 100644
--- a/src/frontend/MainWindow.hpp
+++ b/src/frontend/MainWindow.hpp
@@ -11,11 +11,10 @@ class MainWindowController : public QMainWindow
 public:
   MainWindowController() noexcept;
 
+  Ui::MainWindow view;
 private:
   void ConnectSignalsToSlots() noexcept;
 
-  Ui::MainWindow view;
-  RenderWidget *vulkanWidget;
   bool textPauseToggle = false;
 
 Q_SIGNALS:
diff --git a/src/frontend/RenderWidget.cpp b/src/frontend/RenderWidget.cpp
index e9ea20fc..d1e20026 100644
--- a/src/frontend/RenderWidget.cpp
+++ b/src/frontend/RenderWidget.cpp
@@ -19,11 +19,10 @@ RenderWidget::RenderWidget(QWidget* parent) : QWidget(parent) {
     Util::panic("Could not initialize Vulkan ICD");
   }
 
-  windowHandle()->setVulkanInstance(&instance.get_qvkinstance());
+  instance = std::make_unique<QtInstanceFactory>();
+  windowHandle()->setVulkanInstance(&instance->qVkInstance);
   windowHandle()->create();
 
   wsiPlatform = std::make_unique<QtWSIPlatform>(windowHandle());
   windowInfo = std::make_unique<QtParallelRdpWindowInfo>(windowHandle());
-
-  LoadWSIPlatform(&instance, std::move(wsiPlatform), std::move(windowInfo));
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/frontend/RenderWidget.hpp b/src/frontend/RenderWidget.hpp
index eb314a22..4993d6a7 100644
--- a/src/frontend/RenderWidget.hpp
+++ b/src/frontend/RenderWidget.hpp
@@ -4,10 +4,11 @@
 #include <QWidget>
 #include <QWindow>
 #include <QVulkanInstance>
+#include <QVulkanWindow>
 
 struct QtInstanceFactory : Vulkan::InstanceFactory {
   VkInstance create_instance(const VkInstanceCreateInfo *info) override {
-    instance.setApiVersion({1,3,0});
+    qVkInstance.setApiVersion({1,3,0});
     QByteArrayList exts;
     for(int i = 0; i < info->enabledExtensionCount; i++) {
       exts.push_back(QByteArray::fromStdString(info->ppEnabledExtensionNames[i]));
@@ -16,17 +17,15 @@ struct QtInstanceFactory : Vulkan::InstanceFactory {
     for(int i = 0; i < info->enabledLayerCount; i++) {
       layers.push_back(QByteArray::fromStdString(info->ppEnabledLayerNames[i]));
     }
-    instance.setExtensions(exts);
-    instance.setLayers(layers);
-    instance.setApiVersion({1,3,0});
-    instance.create();
+    qVkInstance.setExtensions(exts);
+    qVkInstance.setLayers(layers);
+    qVkInstance.setApiVersion({1,3,0});
+    qVkInstance.create();
 
-    return instance.vkInstance();
+    return qVkInstance.vkInstance();
   }
 
-  QVulkanInstance& get_qvkinstance() { return instance; }
-private:
-  QVulkanInstance instance;
+  QVulkanInstance qVkInstance;
 };
 
 class QtParallelRdpWindowInfo : public ParallelRdpWindowInfo {
@@ -58,6 +57,8 @@ public:
     return QVulkanInstance::surfaceForWindow(window);
   }
 
+  void destroy_surface(VkInstance instance, VkSurfaceKHR surface) override { }
+
   uint32_t get_surface_width() override {
     return 640;
   }
@@ -70,7 +71,9 @@ public:
     return true;
   }
 
-  void poll_input() override { }
+  void poll_input() override {
+    SDL_PumpEvents();
+  }
 
   void event_frame_tick(double frame, double elapsed) override { }
 
@@ -93,8 +96,8 @@ public:
   [[nodiscard]] QPaintEngine* paintEngine() const override {
     return nullptr;
   }
-private:
+
   std::unique_ptr<ParallelRdpWindowInfo> windowInfo;
   std::unique_ptr<Vulkan::WSIPlatform> wsiPlatform;
-  QtInstanceFactory instance;
+  std::unique_ptr<QtInstanceFactory> instance;
 };
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/frontend/mainwindow.ui b/src/frontend/mainwindow.ui
index 1c8fc3a4..f741ed2d 100644
--- a/src/frontend/mainwindow.ui
+++ b/src/frontend/mainwindow.ui
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@
     <property name="bottomMargin">
      <number>0</number>
     </property>
+    <item>
+     <widget class="RenderWidget" name="vulkanWidget"/>
+    </item>
    </layout>
   </widget>
   <widget class="QMenuBar" name="menubar">
@@ -119,6 +122,13 @@
    </property>
   </action>
  </widget>
+ <customwidgets>
+  <customwidget>
+   <class>RenderWidget</class>
+   <extends>QWidget</extends>
+   <header>RenderWidget.hpp</header>
+  </customwidget>
+ </customwidgets>
  <resources/>
  <connections/>
 </ui>