diff --git a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/include/libOpenglRender/render_api.h b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/include/libOpenglRender/render_api.h
index 0ac931a81..97a229245 100644
--- a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/include/libOpenglRender/render_api.h
+++ b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/include/libOpenglRender/render_api.h
@@ -22,6 +22,16 @@ extern "C" {
 
 #include "render_api_platform_types.h"
 
+// initLibrary - initialize the library and tries to load the corresponding
+//     GLES translator libraries. This function must be called before anything
+//     else to ensure that everything works. If it returns an error, then
+//     you cannot use the library at all (this can happen under certain
+//     environments where the desktop GL libraries are not available)
+//
+// returns true if the library could be initialized successfully;
+//
+bool initLibrary(void);
+
 //
 // initOpenGLRenderer - initialize the OpenGL renderer process.
 //     portNum is the tcp port number the renderer is listening to.
@@ -31,7 +41,7 @@ extern "C" {
 // returns true if renderer has been started successfully;
 //
 // This function is *NOT* thread safe and should be called first
-// to initialize the renderer.
+// to initialize the renderer after initLibrary().
 //
 bool initOpenGLRenderer(int width, int height, int portNum);
 
diff --git a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/FrameBuffer.cpp b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/FrameBuffer.cpp
index acc472a03..ef38bec6c 100644
--- a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/FrameBuffer.cpp
+++ b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/FrameBuffer.cpp
@@ -107,24 +107,6 @@ bool FrameBuffer::initialize(int width, int height)
         return true;
     }
 
-    //
-    // Load EGL Plugin
-    //
-    if (!init_egl_dispatch()) {
-        // Failed to load EGL
-        printf("Failed to init_egl_dispatch\n");
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    //
-    // Load GLES Plugin
-    //
-    if (!init_gl_dispatch()) {
-        // Failed to load GLES
-        ERR("Failed to init_gl_dispatch\n");
-        return false;
-    }
-
     //
     // allocate space for the FrameBuffer object
     //
@@ -142,7 +124,7 @@ bool FrameBuffer::initialize(int width, int height)
         fb->m_caps.hasGL2 = false;
     }
     else {
-        fb->m_caps.hasGL2 = init_gl2_dispatch();
+        fb->m_caps.hasGL2 = s_gl2_enabled;
     }
 #else
     fb->m_caps.hasGL2 = false;
diff --git a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/GL2Dispatch.cpp b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/GL2Dispatch.cpp
index a1b22d773..b461807d7 100644
--- a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/GL2Dispatch.cpp
+++ b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/GL2Dispatch.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include "osDynLibrary.h"
 
 gl2_decoder_context_t s_gl2;
+int                   s_gl2_enabled;
 
 static osUtils::dynLibrary *s_gles2_lib = NULL;
 
@@ -50,6 +51,7 @@ bool init_gl2_dispatch()
     // init the GLES dispatch table
     //
     s_gl2.initDispatchByName( gl2_dispatch_get_proc_func, NULL );
+    s_gl2_enabled = true;
     return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/GL2Dispatch.h b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/GL2Dispatch.h
index 7ad19bbec..89f36516f 100644
--- a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/GL2Dispatch.h
+++ b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/GL2Dispatch.h
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ bool init_gl2_dispatch();
 void *gl2_dispatch_get_proc_func(const char *name, void *userData);
 
 extern gl2_decoder_context_t s_gl2;
+extern int                   s_gl2_enabled;
 
 #endif
 #endif
diff --git a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/render_api.cpp b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/render_api.cpp
index 70d28769c..eeaa631e9 100644
--- a/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/render_api.cpp
+++ b/tools/emulator/opengl/host/libs/libOpenglRender/render_api.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@
 #include "osProcess.h"
 #include "TimeUtils.h"
 
+#include "EGLDispatch.h"
+#include "GLDispatch.h"
+#include "GL2Dispatch.h"
+
 static osUtils::childProcess *s_renderProc = NULL;
 static RenderServer *s_renderThread = NULL;
 static int s_renderPort = 0;
@@ -39,6 +43,32 @@ static IOStream *createRenderThread(int p_stream_buffer_size,
 #define  RENDER_API_USE_THREAD
 //#endif
 
+bool initLibrary(void)
+{
+    //
+    // Load EGL Plugin
+    //
+    if (!init_egl_dispatch()) {
+        // Failed to load EGL
+        printf("Failed to init_egl_dispatch\n");
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    //
+    // Load GLES Plugin
+    //
+    if (!init_gl_dispatch()) {
+        // Failed to load GLES
+        ERR("Failed to init_gl_dispatch\n");
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    /* failure to init the GLES2 dispatch table is not fatal */
+    init_gl2_dispatch();
+
+    return true;
+}
+
 bool initOpenGLRenderer(int width, int height, int portNum)
 {