diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 353c58498..bd270fdb2 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ Other fixes:
  - Qt: Fix scrollbar arrows in memory view (fixes mgba.io/i/1558)
  - Qt: Fix several cases where shader selections don't get saved
  - Qt: Fix division by zero error in invalid TilePainter state
+ - Qt: Fix "restart needed" dialog after first config (fixes mgba.io/i/1601)
 Misc:
  - GB Memory: Support manual SRAM editing (fixes mgba.io/i/1580)
  - SDL: Use controller GUID instead of name
diff --git a/src/platform/qt/SettingsView.cpp b/src/platform/qt/SettingsView.cpp
index cf3bca860..ed425a1e2 100644
--- a/src/platform/qt/SettingsView.cpp
+++ b/src/platform/qt/SettingsView.cpp
@@ -472,9 +472,12 @@ void SettingsView::updateConfig() {
 	}
 
 	QVariant cameraDriver = m_ui.cameraDriver->itemData(m_ui.cameraDriver->currentIndex());
-	if (cameraDriver != m_controller->getQtOption("cameraDriver")) {
+	QVariant oldCameraDriver = m_controller->getQtOption("cameraDriver");
+	if (cameraDriver != oldCameraDriver) {
 		m_controller->setQtOption("cameraDriver", cameraDriver);
-		emit cameraDriverChanged();
+		if (cameraDriver.toInt() != static_cast<int>(InputController::CameraDriver::NONE) || !oldCameraDriver.isNull()) {
+			emit cameraDriverChanged();
+		}
 	}
 
 	QVariant camera = m_ui.camera->itemData(m_ui.camera->currentIndex());