Chip8 Emulator

Overview

This emulator faithfully recreates the Chip-8 virtual machine, an interpreted programming language from the 1970s that was used on early microcomputers. The emulator can load and run original Chip-8 ROMs, bringing classic games like Pong, Space Invaders, and Tetris back to life. Built in Rust, the emulator implements all 35 Chip-8 opcodes, handling everything from drawing sprites to the display, managing the stack for subroutines, reading keyboard input, and running the delay and sound timers at the correct 60Hz frequency. The project serves as an excellent introduction to emulator development. Chip-8's simplicity—a 4KB memory space, 16 registers, and a 64x32 monochrome display—makes it approachable while still teaching core concepts that apply to more complex systems.

Features

• Full implementation of all 35 Chip-8 opcodes
• 64x32 monochrome display rendering
• Keyboard input mapping
• 60Hz delay and sound timers
• ROM loading from file
• Accurate cycle timing

Challenges

Getting the timing right was crucial. Chip-8 programs expect specific execution speeds and timer frequencies. Running too fast makes games unplayable; too slow and they feel sluggish. Implementing accurate timing while keeping the code clean required careful design.

What I Learned

Emulator development is a fantastic way to understand how computers work at a fundamental level. Implementing a CPU—even a simple virtual one—gives deep insight into fetch-decode-execute cycles, memory addressing, and how software becomes behaviour.

Future Plans

Add configurable colour schemes. Implement save states. Explore extending to Super Chip-8 for higher resolution games.