The NES Zapper, also known as The Light Gun or Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985. 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, and criminals. 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 or starting the game.
Release
The Beam Gun was released in Japan for the Famicom on, made for the game Wild Gunman. It resembles a revolver-style handgun. In North America, the peripheral was redesigned and rebranded as the NES Zapper. It was included in the Nintendo Action Set, a launch bundle released in October 1985 that contained the NES console, the NES Zapper, and two games—Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros.—as a multicart. The Zapper was also available for purchase separately. 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. The design originally released in North America had 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. In 1989, the orange NES Zapper was released.
Accessories and third-party counterparts
In Japan, Bandai released the Hyper Shot, a large light gun shaped like a machine gun. In addition to functioning as a light gun, the controller has equivalents to most of the Famicom controller's buttons; it has B, Start and Select buttons, as well as a stick to input directions, but no A button. The controller was bundled with Space Shadow; while the Hyper Shot can be used as a controller and light gun for any game, Space Shadow was the only game to support some of the Hyper Shot's exclusive features. In Space Shadow only, the Hyper Shot can output game audio from its built-in speaker and uses haptic feedback to simulate the recoil of firing a gun. In North America, Bondwell released the Deluxe Sighting Scope, an accessory for the NES Zapper, under the brand name QuickShot. The scope is a sight that snaps onto the top of the NES Zapper. In 1990, Konami released the LaserScope, a headset accessory for use with the NES Zapper, in the United States and Japan. It is voice-activated, firing a shot whenever the wearer says "fire", although some reviewers criticized its ability to do so. It plugs into the second controller port, requiring the NES Zapper itself to be plugged into the first controller port. The headset also includes stereo headphones for use with the NES. The headset also includes an eyepiece with a crosshair that sits in front of the wearer's right eye. It was designed for the game Laser Invasion, but works with any game compatible with the NES Zapper. In the United States, Laser Invasion came with a coupon for a $5 discount for the LaserScope. Nexoft released The Dominator ProBeam, a wireless version of the NES Zapper. It has a built-in scope with crosshairs and uses infrared to communicate with the NES. It is heavier than the NES Zapper.
Technical details
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 duration of the flash, as each target flashes for a different duration. 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 but this was easily misconstrued as a simulated muzzle flash. 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. This darkness/brightness sequence prevents the possible issue caused by pointing the Zapper right next to or into a light bulb. 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.
In the 1989 animated series , the main characterKevin Keene uses the reissued orange NES Zapper as a weapon during his time in Videoland. The gun fires laser blasts which are used to destroy the enemies he encounters. It also had a freeze-ray option which fires off Tetris-shaped blocks of ice that encircle and trap foes inside a cube of ice. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo's successor to the NES, also received a light gun peripheral, the Super Scope. The Wii, a Nintendo system released decades later, received the Wii Zapper peripheral. The Wii Zapper is a plastic casing for a Wii Remote with a Nunchuk that allowed players to hold the controller like a gun. The accessory was not technically or visually similar to a NES Zapper, but did facilitate point-and-shoot gameplay. The Wii U Virtual Console releases of Duck Hunt, Wild Gunman, Hogan's Alley, and The Adventures of Bayou Billy use the Wii Remote's pointer in place of the NES Zapper; although it is possible to use the Wii Zapper with them, it is not required. The Wii U game Splatoon and its Nintendo Switch sequel Splatoon 2 both include several N-ZAP weapons, which are heavily based on the NES Zapper's design. Two variants of the weapon, the N-ZAP '85 and N-ZAP '89, use the gray and orange colors of the NES Zapper respectively; the N-ZAP '83, which uses the red and gold from the original Famicom controller, appears in Splatoon and Splatoon 2 as well.
