CHIP-8

CHIP-8 is an interpreted programming language created by Joseph Weisbecker in the mid-1970s. It was designed to simplify game programming on 8-bit microcomputers like the COSMAC VIP and Telmac 1800. CHIP-8 programs run on a virtual machine with the following specifications:

• Memory: 4KB (4096 bytes)
• Display: 64×32 pixels, monochrome
• Registers: 16 8-bit registers (V0 to VF)
• Index Register: 16-bit (I)
• Program Counter: 16-bit (PC)
• Stack: 16-level for return addresses
• Timers: 8-bit delay and sound timers
• Input: 16-key hexadecimal keypad (0-F)

Build Instructions

Prerequisites

• Go 1.16+

Troubleshooting

If you see "Go is not defined":

• Verify wasm_exec.js was copied correctly
• Check browser console for errors
• Ensure you're using a supported browser
• Try clearing browser cache

If WebAssembly fails to load:

• Check that the WASM file was built correctly
• Verify you're using a web server (not opening HTML directly)
• Check browser console for detailed error messages

Web Browser Support

• Chrome/Edge (recommended) ≥ 57
• Firefox ≥ 52
• Safari ≥ 11
• Web browser with WebAssembly support

Project Structure

chip-8/
├── web/               # Web deployment files
│   ├── index.html    # Web interface
│   ├── wasm_exec.js  # Go's WebAssembly support
│   └── chip8.wasm    # Compiled WebAssembly binary
├── roms/             # CHIP-8 ROM files
├── main.go           # Main application entry
├── web.go            # Web-specific code
└── build_web.bat     # Build automation script

Build Commands

1. Create necessary directories:

   mkdir web
   mkdir roms

2. Copy WebAssembly support file:

   copy "%GOROOT%\misc\wasm\wasm_exec.js" web\

3. Build WebAssembly binary:

   set GOOS=js
   set GOARCH=wasm
   go build -o web/chip8.wasm

4. Start development server:

   cd web
   python -m http.server 8080

Input Mapping

CHIP-8 Keypad	Keyboard
+-+-+-+-+	+-+-+-+-+
|1|2|3|C|	|1|2|3|4|
+-+-+-+-+	+-+-+-+-+
|4|5|6|D|	|Q|W|E|R|
+-+-+-+-+	+-+-+-+-+