Chip0u is a learning-oriented dive into CHIP-8 emulation, the classic first step of emulator development. It loads assembled CHIP-8 ROMs through a GUI and aims only at simplicity, taking inspiration from the design and logic of existing interpreters.
It was developed alongside the community’s best study material: the CHIP-8 Research Facility, Tobias Langhoff’s Guide to making a CHIP-8 emulator, and Awesome CHIP-8.
Features #
- Runs assembled CHIP-8 ROMs, loaded through the GUI
- Small, readable interpreter core
Tech #
- C++20 for the interpreter
- CMake as the build system
What I learned #
- The fetch-decode-execute loop in its purest, most teachable form.
- Opcode dispatch, timers, and the display quirks every CHIP-8 guide warns about.
- Reading other emulators’ source as literature.