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NES Zapper

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Not to be confused with Wii Zapper.
The NES Zapper was launched in original gray in 1985.

The NES Zapper, also known as the Video Shooting Series light gun (光線銃シリーズガン) 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, and was launched alongside the NES in North America in October 1985.[2][3]

The Zapper is used only on compatible NES games, such as Duck Hunt, Wild Gunman, and Hogan's Alley. Its internal optical sensor allows the player to aim at a television set and shoot at in-game targets such as ducks, clay pigeons, cowboys, and criminals. Some games use the Zapper on the title screen to select a mode and start the game.[4]

Design and release[edit]

The NES Zapper was re-released in orange in 1989.

The Famicom light gun was designed by Gunpei Yokoi and Satoru Okada of Nintendo R&D1,[citation needed] modeled realistically after a revolver.[5] Its technology was based on the light gun toy used in Nintendo Beam Gun toy line, which in turn was based on the Colt Single Action Army revolver. The Famicom light gun is a double-action revolver with a moving hammer, which is automatically fired when the trigger is pulled without needing to cock the hammer.[citation needed] The Famicom light gun was released in Japan for the Famicom on February 18, 1984, made for the game Wild Gunman.[2] It was packaged separately, and bundled with Wild Gunman and a holster.

In North America, it was redesigned by Nintendo of America's head designer Lance Barr (who believed that it could resemble a ray gun)[citation needed] as the NES Zapper. It was included in the Nintendo Deluxe Set, a launch bundle released in October 1985[2][3] that contains the NES console, the NES Zapper, R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy), two controllers, and the two games Duck Hunt and Gyromite. The Zapper was also available for purchase separately.[citation needed]

The North American version of the NES Zapper resembles a futuristic science fiction ray gun with a color scheme matching the NES, rather than a revolver like the Famicom version. The launch design in North America has a dark gray barrel and grip. In 1988, the Federal Toy Gun Law was signed into United States law, requiring that toy guns be visually distinct from real guns in a variety of ways, including color.[6][7][8] The next year, the orange revision was released.[9]

Accessories and third-party counterparts[edit]

The Deluxe Sighting Scope can be added to an orange NES Zapper.

On February 20, 1989, Bandai released the Hyper Shot in Japan. The Hyper Shot is a large two-handed light gun shaped like a Submachine gun. It also has B, Start, Select, and a directional stick, but no A button. The controller was bundled with Space Shadow, which requires this gun, and can output audio to the gun's built-in speaker and use haptic feedback to simulate the recoil of firing a gun. It can be just a controller or light gun for any other game.[10]

In North America, Bondwell released the Deluxe Sighting Scope, an accessory for the NES Zapper, under the brand name QuickShot.[11] The scope is a sight that snaps onto the top of the NES Zapper.[12]

In 1989, Nexoft released The Dominator ProBeam in the United States, a wireless clone of the NES Zapper. Unlike other third-party light gun products, the ProBeam is officially licensed by Nintendo, bearing the Nintendo Seal of Quality. The ProBeam uses the same infrared NES receiver as Nexoft's The Dominator MasterControl, a wireless controller including a joystick. The receiver connects to the NES via a cable connected to the controller port; the instructions recommend placing the NES and receiver on top of the television. The ProBeam is bright orange and has a built-in scope with crosshairs. It is heavier than the NES Zapper, but has a grip under the barrel to allow it to be wielded using two hands.[13][14]

The LaserScope

In 1990, Konami released the LaserScope, a headset accessory for use with the NES Zapper, in the United States and Japan.[15] It is voice-activated, firing a shot whenever the wearer says "fire", although some reviewers criticized its ability to do so.[16][17] The headset includes stereo headphones for use with the NES[18] and an eyepiece with a crosshair that sits in front of the wearer's right eye.[19] It was designed for the game Laser Invasion, and works with any Zapper game.[17][20] In the United States, Laser Invasion came with a coupon for a $5 discount for the LaserScope.[15]

Operation[edit]

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, all valid targets that are on screen are drawn all white as the rest of the screen remains black. The Zapper detects this change in light level and determines if any of the targets are in its hit zone. If a target is hit, the game determines which one was hit based on the time of the flash, as each target flashes for one video frame, one after another.[21][22][23]

The NES Zapper can only be used on CRT displays; it will not work on LCDs, plasma displays or other flat panel displays due to display lag.[citation needed]

Legacy[edit]

Wii Zapper peripheral is for the Wii console, and is a plastic casing for a Wii Remote with a Nunchuk that is held like a gun for point-and-shoot gameplay. The accessory is not technically or visually similar to a NES Zapper. The Wii U Virtual Console releases of NES games can use the Wii Remote's pointer in place of the NES Zapper.[24][25]

The Wii U game Splatoon[26][27] and its Nintendo Switch sequels Splatoon 2[28][29] and Splatoon 3[30][31] all include several N-ZAP weapons, which are heavily based on the Zapper's design. Two variants of the weapon, the N-ZAP '85 and N-ZAP '89, use the gray and orange colors of the Zapper respectively. The N-ZAP '83 uses the red and gold from the original Famicom controller, but shaped like the Zapper rather than the original Famicom controller.[32] and Splatoon 2[33]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Video Shooting Series Light Gun". Famicom World. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c DeMaria, Rusel; Wilson, John (2003), High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games (2 ed.), McGraw-Hill Professional, p. 379, ISBN 978-0-07-223172-4
  3. ^ a b Burnham, Van (2001), Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age, 1971–1984, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, p. 375, ISBN 0-262-52420-1
  4. ^ NES Zapper Instruction Manual, Nintendo, 1985, US-2, Point the Zapper away from the screen and shoot. The arrow will move from one game to another. When the arrow points to the game you want, shoot directly at the screen. The game will start.
  5. ^ "Video Shooting Series Light Gun". Famicom World. And before the NES Zapper light gun, Nintendo released its first official video game light gun called the Video Shooting Series light gun, fashioned like an old West revolver.
  6. ^ Bishop, Katherine (October 16, 1988). "IDEAS & TRENDS; Legislators Find Even Fake Guns Difficult to Control". The New York Times. p. 7. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  7. ^ Strom, Stephanie (October 15, 1994). "Shootings Lead Chain to Ban Toy Guns". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  8. ^ 15 U.S.C. § 5001
  9. ^ NES Zapper Manual 1989 (PDF). Redmond, WA: Nintendo of America Inc. 1989. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  10. ^ McFerran, Damien (March 16, 2016). "Meet The Famicom Machine Gun Peripheral That Never Made It Out Of Japan". Nintendo Life. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  11. ^ "Deluxe Sighting Scope box". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  12. ^ Link (October 17, 2007). "Nintendo NES Quickshot Sighting Scope". GameSniped. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  13. ^ "NEXOFT The Dominator ProBeam Universal Wireless Infrared Video System for NES insert". GameScanner.org. Wordpress. September 9, 2013. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021.
  14. ^ "Zapper Guide Part 1". The Warp Zone. Angelfire. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Link (August 7, 2009). "NES Nintendo Konami Laserscope Headset". GameSniped. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  16. ^ "Laserscope". NES Player. Archived from the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  17. ^ a b Ewalt, David M. (May 29, 2012). "The Konami LaserScope". Forbes. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  18. ^ Popular Science. Bonnier Corporation. 1991. p. 10. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  19. ^ -RoG-. "The Konami LaserScope!". I-Mockery. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  20. ^ "Blizzard of improved products unveiled at electronics show". Observer-Reporter. AP. June 2, 1990. Retrieved November 15, 2014. Susan Bach, marketing coordinator for Konami Inc., demonstrates the Laser Scope voice command headset, a hands-free unit for use with all Nintendo zapper games.
  21. ^ Adams, Cecil (May 11, 2001). "In Nintendo's "Duck Hunt," how does the TV know when you've hit a duck?". The Straight Dope.
  22. ^ "How does the light gun for a video game work?". HowStuffWorks. April 1, 2000.
  23. ^ US 4813682, Okada, Satoru, "Video target control and sensing circuit for photosensitive gun", issued March 21, 1989 
  24. ^ Olney, Alex (December 25, 2014). "Review: Duck Hunt (Wii U eShop / NES)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  25. ^ Brown, Tom (January 6, 2016). "Three more NES Zapper games heading to the North American Wii U eShop". Nintendo Wire. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  26. ^ Webster, Andrew (June 1, 2015). "Nintendo turned the NES Zapper into a paintball gun for Splatoon". The Verge. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  27. ^ Navarro, Maxfield (July 17, 2015). "Splatoon paints NES Zapper orange tonight with free N-ZAP '89 shooter and Octobrush roller weapons". Neoseeker. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  28. ^ Iggy (December 8, 2017). "N-ZAP 85 Arrives In Splatoon 2 Tomorrow". NintendoSoup. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  29. ^ Moyse, Chris (December 8, 2017). "N-Zap 89 pulls its clunky trigger in Splatoon 2 tonight". destructoid. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  30. ^ Gregoire, Jesse (December 22, 2022). "Splatoon 3 best weapons to ink the competition". The Loadout. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  31. ^ Norman, Jim (February 24, 2023). "Splatoon 3: Fresh Season 2023 - Every New Weapon, Stage, And Feature". Nintendo Life. Retrieved June 26, 2023. N-Zap '89 — New design for the classic N-Zap '85. Comes with an Autobomb sub-weapon and Super Chump special.
  32. ^ Tapp, Jaxson (June 2, 2016). "Famicom style N-Zap coming to Splatoon". Nintendo Wire. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  33. ^ Sheehan, Gavin (January 28, 2019). "Splatoon 2 Will Be Getting Classic Weapons Added Again". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved February 8, 2019.

External links[edit]

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