NES Zapper

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Not to be confused with Wii Zapper.

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NES Zapper in original gray

The NES Zapper, also known as The Gun or Beam Gun in Japan,[1] is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on February 18, 1984 (1984-02-18) and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985.[1][2]

The Zapper allows players to aim at the television set display and "shoot" various objects that appear on the screen such as ducks, clay pigeons, targets, cowboys, criminals or other objectives. The Zapper is used on supported NES games, such as Duck Hunt and Wild Gunman. The Zapper could also be used on the title screens of games to move the cursor—done by pointing the device away from the screen and pulling the trigger—or starting the game (pointing at the screen and pulling the trigger).[3]

History

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File:Wikipedia Nes Zapper.jpg
The re-released NES Zapper in orange

It was released in Japan for the Famicom on February 18, 1984 (1984-02-18), made for the game Wild Gunman. The Famicom version of the NES Zapper resembled a revolver-style handgun.[1]

The Zapper was first released in North America in October 1985 as a launch title with the NES.[1][2] The North American version of the NES Zapper resembled a futuristic science fiction ray gun with a color scheme matching the NES, rather than a revolver like the Famicom version. Early versions of the Zapper were a dark gray, but later it was changed to orange.[4]

In North America, it was included in the Nintendo Action Set, a bundle that contained the NES console, the NES Zapper, and two games—Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. as a multicart.[5] The Zapper was also available for purchase separately.[6]

Accessories

File:Zapperscope.jpg
The Deluxe Sighting Scope on an orange NES Zapper

There are three light gun accessories that were officially licensed by Nintendo.

In North America, Bondwell released the Deluxe Sighting Scope, an accessory for the NES Zapper, under the brand name QuickShot.[7] The scope snapped onto the top of the NES Zapper to give players a more precise view of where they would be firing.

In 1990, Konami released the LaserScope, a headset variation of the NES Zapper, in both Japan and the United States.[8] It is voice-activated, firing a shot whenever the wearer says "fire" (although some reviewers criticized its ability to do so[9][10]). The headset also functions as headphones for the NES.[11] The headset also includes an eyepiece with a crosshair that sits in front of the wearer's right eye.[11] It was designed for the game Laser Invasion, but works with any game compatible with the NES Zapper.[10][12] In the United States, Laser Invasion came with a coupon for a $5 discount for the LaserScope.[8]

Nexoft released The Dominator ProBeam, a wireless version of the NES Zapper. It has a built-in scope with crosshairs, uses infrared[13] and is heavier than the NES Zapper.[14]

Technical details

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Further information: Light gun

When the trigger on the Zapper is pressed, the game causes the entire screen to become black for one frame. Then, on the next frame, the target area is drawn in all white as the rest of the screen remains black. The Zapper detects this change from low light to bright light, as well as the duration of the "flash", as the different targets on screen (if multiple targets are on screen) will flash for different durations. This is how the game knows which target has been hit.[15][16][17] After all target areas have been illuminated, the game returns to drawing graphics as usual. The whole process is almost imperceptible to the human eye, although one can notice a slight "flashing" of the image. Although the Zapper just detects light, it can only be used on CRT displays. It will not work on LCDs, plasma displays or other flat panel displays due to display lag. This darkness/brightness sequence prevents the possible issue caused by pointing the Zapper right next to or into a light bulb.[17][18][19] Older light guns did not use this method, making it possible to cheat and get a perfect hit score in a way not possible using the NES Zapper.

Games

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See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Deluxe Sighting Scope box
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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