What is a .CHD file?
A .CHD file is a type of computer file known as a Compressed Hunks of Data File. It is used to store game data in a compressed format to save space. This file type is especially popular in the world of retro gaming, where it helps preserve old arcade and console games.
The "Compressed Hunks of Data" (CHD) format is a way of shrinking the size of game data without losing any of the original quality, which is known as lossless compression. This is useful because it allows large amounts of data, like those from an arcade machine's hard disk or a game CD-ROM, to be stored more efficiently.
### How CHD Files Are Used: 1. **Arcade Machine Hard Disks:** - CHD files can contain the entire contents of an arcade machine's hard disk. These files are often quite large because they reflect the large size of the original arcade game data. When used with an emulator like MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator), these files allow you to play arcade games on your computer or other devices.
2. **CD-ROM Games:** - CHD files are also used to store data from CD-ROM games. This data is typically taken from .CUE and .BIN files that represent the original game CD. This allows games from older systems like the Sega Dreamcast or 3DO to be played on modern devices using emulators.
### Programs That Can Open CHD Files: - **MAME:** This is one of the most popular emulators that supports CHD files, primarily for arcade games. - **RetroArch:** A versatile emulator that can run games from many different gaming systems, including those using CHD files. - **ExtraMAME:** Another variant of MAME designed to be user-friendly. - **MAME OS X:** A version of MAME specifically for Mac OS X users. - **OpenEmu:** An emulator for Mac that supports multiple game systems, including those that use CHD files. - **RetroArch for Mobile Devices:** RetroArch is also available on iOS and Android, allowing you to play games using CHD files on your mobile devices.
### Creating CHD Files: If you have game data in the form of .CUE files, you can convert these into CHD files using a tool called chdman, which is developed by The MAME Team. This tool is useful for gamers who want to compress their game data into the
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