What Is CHIP-8?

CHIP-8 was created in the 1970s for 8-bit computers. It was designed for use in the creation of video games and was compatible with the COSMAC VIP and Telmac 1800 computers. "COSMAC/HIP (Hitachi) Interpreted Programming Language" discusses its interpreted nature. The language was derived from another programming language known as BASIC, which was popular during the time in question. A CHIP-8 virtual machine was constructed to operate on these 8-bit machines. This enabled users to build programs in CHIP-8 using a command set that was simple enough. The virtual machine executed this language's programs, which interpreted each instruction when it reached that point. A man named Joseph Weisbacker was killing time in the 1970s and thinking about how he might simplify the process of developing video games while he was doing nothing in particular. He reasoned, "Hey, what if I were to just design a language that made it simple to program video games?" Then he went and did it! Since it is an interpreted programming language for 8-bit microcomputers, he gave it the name CHIP-8 (pronounced "chip eight"). The acronym for this programming language is Computer Hobbyist's Integrated Programming Language, where the name comes from. Would you believe it? It succeeded! People were able to create video games more quickly and easily on their computers due to CHIP-8; this is one reason why so many older systems are still in use today. The CHIP-8 programming language is a virtual machine that simulates a computer's behavior inside the confines of software. Due to this, it is an excellent option for the development of games on the CHIP-8 platform. Joseph Weisbecker created CHIP-8 in 1976 at MIT as an interpreter for the COSMAC VIP and Telmac 1800 computers. The programming language can still be used, and most computer systems can work with it. The CHIP-8 programming language developed many iconic video games of the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as "Pong" and "Space Invaders." This was possible due to the language's ease of use.