As technology changed in the early 2000s and flat-screen TVs replaced the old cathode ray tube (CRT), the light gun shooting game—that staple of 80s/90s home consoles—was left behind as the gun-shaped peripherals that supported them no longer worked on newer TVs.
Sure, consoles like the Wii and PS3 had versions that used either IR or a camera, respectively, but both are laggy, due to a delay in the way modern TVs deliver images to screen. On a CRT though, the image frequency never wavers, so the point at which the gun is aimed can be detected almost immediately.
However, all is not lost, as with the recently released Sinden and Gun4ir, light gun tech has finally caught up with the modern flat-screen television. Reports say these contemporary shooters work well on a good setup, although they usually require a lot of tinkering and configuration for the optimum experience.
Still, it’s great to play games from this once-popular genre without dealing with a bulky and heavy cathode ray tube. That said, there are retro gaming enthusiasts who insist that nothing beats an old-school CRT for light gun accuracy, so, over two parts, let’s take a look back at some of the most common, and the less well-known, non-lethal firearms of the past.
Big Sport 12 Light Gun
Many of the early Pong clone systems came with a pack-in pistol but surely none were as beautiful as the Big Sport 12 Light Gun. Released as the single accessory for the Japan-only Epoch Cassette Vision console and modeled on a German WW1 Mauser C96, this gun even came with a solid plastic version of the real thing’s wooden stock.
It was compatible with four variations of shooting game, all contained in a single cartridge which provided, in total, 12 Pong-like sports games, and the shooters were as simple as it gets: you blast the white squares as they appear on screen.
Nintendo Zapper
Designed by Gameboy-creator Gunpei Yokoi, and originally based on a revolver, this must be the quintessential light gun. Compatible with, amongst others, the iconic Duck Hunt and Wild Gunman games, if purchased with the latter in Japan, it came boxed with a holster for added cowboy realism.
Famously, this double-action revolver was redesigned for the American market to resemble a futuristic ray gun, because in a country where real guns are widely available and legal to purchase, distinguishing a toy the genuine article can literally become a matter of life and death. Due to a lawsuit later in its life, the color scheme was changed from gray to orange, in order to further differentiate it from a real pistol.
Bandai Hypershot
Although it’s a third-party device, I think this one is worth mentioning due to its uniqueness for its time. Released only in Japan, it was a hefty beast shaped like a machine gun, and could be used in place of the standard Nintendo Zapper.
In its favor though, it had a few extra features, including a speaker playing in-game music, a D-pad located just above the ‘magazine’, allowing you to shoot and move, and its ‘Body Vibration System’, which produced a satisfying recoil effect. The package was all powered by four AA batteries.
Unfortunately, the Hypershot was only compatible with its pack-in game, Space Shadow, an on-rails shooter that has you walk down the corridors of a spaceship blasting aliens. Still, if you can get your hands on one, it’s a fun peripheral to experience.
Sega Light Phaser
Released in the US, Europe, Brazil, and South Korea, but curiously not in Japan, this was Sega’s answer to the Zapper. Heavier than its Nintendo counterpart, and considered by some to have more accurate targeting, the Light Phaser was sold separately, or as a pack-in with Hang-On and Safari Hunt.
Originally completely black, a neon orange tip was later added so that—much like the Zapper—it would not be confused for a real gun. There was also a blue variant sold by Tectoy in Brazil, who, a company which, amazingly, still manufactures the Master System to this day, usually including a decent number of built-in games.
Nintendo Super Scope
Moving from 8 to 16 bit, and at a low point in light gun popularity, Nintendo’s final first-party light gun wasn’t a pistol, but was a shoulder-mounted bazooka instead! Released first in North America and PAL regions, it didn’t come out in Japan until one year later.
Bundled with a cartridge containing six Super Scope games, this weapon needs to be calibrated on-screen before the action can begin. And before that, you need to set up a small, rectangular receiver box on top of the TV, which will makes the scope completely wireless (unlike the Zapper), but consequently means a record-breaking six AA batteries are required, adding to the peripheral’s overall weight.
There was a detachable sight that could be placed on the left or right side of the scope, allowing users to choose which shoulder to rest the gun on, and there’s an on/off switch on top which performs double duty as a turbo switch, alongside a pause button and a big round fire button.
That’s all for this installment, but in Part 2, we’ll catch up with some more retro guns to remember.