Reply To: Can't get MAX2Play on Raspberry Pi 0/W with HifiBerry Amp 2 to work

Okay, so you want to suppress the normal desktop startup of the underlying debian and have the terminal output instead. There is no default option for this in Max2Play. However, you can manually remove the functionality with one of the many guides for Raspbian. Max2Play is based on the Raspbian and the same steps should apply. Here’s one for Raspbian Stretch with even further tips to reduce power usage

You can check the version of your Max2Play in Settings/Reboot’s debug info window and use the remote control plugin to apply these commands.

If I may ask, what is the reason for this if you don’t intend to have a screen connected? If the Pi does not recognize a screen on boot, it has nothing to launch the desktop on and will not do so.