CHIP-8 Interpreter

Chip8 is a single-file, simple and minimalist implementation of the CHIP-8 virtual machine written in modern C++ with minimal dependencies.

Features

• Single-file: The interpreter is implemented in a single source file.
• Modern C++: Written in portable C++17.
• Minimalist: Focused on essential functionality.
• Low Dependency: SDL3 is the only dependency.

Build Instructions

Before proceeding, make sure you have CMake 3.15+ and a C++17 compiler installed.

Clone the repository using Git:

git clone https://github.com/mZake/Chip8.git --recursive
cd Chip8

Configure and build using CMake:

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build

By default, the project is built in Debug mode. You can change this by setting the CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE option:

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

The build artifacts are placed in the build/<Config> directory.

How To Use

Load CHIP-8 ROM:

chip8 /path/to/rom

While Chip8 is executing, you can use the following options:

• Ctrl+S: Save snapshot of current state
• Ctrl+L: Load latest saved snapshot
• Ctrl+P: Pause/Resume execution

References

• Cowgod's CHIP-8 Technical Reference
• CHIP-8 Wikipedia