CHIP-8 Emulator

A simple CHIP-8 emulator written in C++23 using Raylib for graphics and audio. This emulator implements all 35 CHIP-8 opcodes and provides a modern, user-friendly interface.

Screenshots

ROM Selection Menu	Pong Gameplay
Browse and select from available ROM files	Classic Pong game with sound

Tetris Gameplay	IBM Logo
Tetris running on the emulator	Display IBMs logo

Features

• Complete CHIP-8 Instruction Set - All 35 opcodes implemented
• ROM Selection Menu - Easy browsing and selection of ROM files
• Audio Support - Programmatically generated beep sounds
• Adjustable Speed - Control emulation speed (0.5x to 10x)
• ESC to Menu - Return to ROM selector anytime during gameplay
• Cross-Platform - Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux

Requirements

Dependencies

• CMake 3.20 or higher
• C++23 compatible compiler:
  • GCC 13+ (Linux)
  • Clang 16+ (macOS/Linux)
  • MSVC 2022+ (Windows)
• Raylib 5.0 or higher

Installing Raylib

macOS (using Homebrew)

brew install raylib

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt-get install libraylib-dev

Linux (Fedora)

sudo dnf install raylib-devel

Windows

1. Download Raylib from raylib.com
2. Extract and set RAYLIB_PATH environment variable, OR
3. Use vcpkg: vcpkg install raylib

Building raylib from source

If raylib is not available via package manager, CMake will attempt to download and build it automatically using FetchContent.

Building

Quick Start

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/Chip8_Emulator.git
cd Chip8_Emulator

# Create build directory
mkdir build && cd build

# Configure and build
cmake ..
cmake --build .

# Run the emulator
./Chip8_Emulator

Detailed Build Instructions

macOS (Tested)

mkdir build && cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
cmake --build . -j$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
./Chip8_Emulator

Linux

mkdir build && cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
cmake --build . -j$(nproc)
./Chip8_Emulator

Windows (Visual Studio)

mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -G "Visual Studio 17 2022"
cmake --build . --config Release
.\Release\Chip8_Emulator.exe

Windows (MinGW)

mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -G "MinGW Makefiles"
cmake --build .
.\Chip8_Emulator.exe

Usage

Running the Emulator

1. Interactive Mode (Recommended):

   ./Chip8_Emulator

   This will show a ROM selection menu where you can browse and select ROM files.

2. Direct ROM Loading:

   ./Chip8_Emulator roms/PONG.ch8

Controls

In ROM Selection Menu:

• Arrow Keys (↑/↓): Navigate through ROM list
• Enter/Space: Select ROM
• ESC: Exit (on first menu) or return to menu (after playing)

During Emulation:

• 1-4, Q-R, A-F, Z-V: CHIP-8 keypad input
• ESC: Return to ROM selection menu
• - (Minus): Decrease emulation speed
• + (Plus): Increase emulation speed

ROM Files

Place your .ch8 ROM files in the roms/ directory. The emulator will automatically scan and list all available ROMs.

Architecture

The emulator follows a clean architecture with clear separation of concerns:

• Core Layer: Pure CHIP-8 emulation logic, no graphics dependencies
• App Layer: Raylib integration for rendering, input, and audio

Testing

Test your emulator with these popular CHIP-8 ROMs:

• PONG.ch8 - Classic Pong game
• TETRIS.ch8 - Tetris
• INVADERS.ch8 - Space Invaders
• IBM.ch8 - IBM logo test ROM

License

MIT License

Acknowledgments

• Cowgod's Chip-8 Technical Reference - CHIP-8 specification
• Raylib - Amazing graphics library. Raylib Cheatsheet
• CHIP-8 community for ROM files and testing. ROM files

Troubleshooting

Raylib not found

If CMake can't find Raylib:

1. Make sure Raylib is installed via package manager, OR
2. CMake will automatically download and build Raylib using FetchContent

ROMs not showing

• Ensure ROM files are in the roms/ directory
• ROM files must have .ch8 extension
• Check that the roms/ directory exists in the same directory as the executable

Build errors

• Ensure you have a C++23 compatible compiler
• Update CMake to version 3.20 or higher
• On Windows, make sure you have Visual Studio Build Tools installed