The Ultimate Guide to NES Light Guns

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What's the history of light gun games? How does the Zapper work? What other light guns worked on the Nintendo Entertainment System? How many games were compatible? In this video, I try to cover everything. This is the Ultimate Guide to NES Light Guns!
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:17 - A Brief History of Light Guns
11:53 - How Does the Zapper Work?
16:54 - 3rd Party NES Light Guns
28:12 - Light Gun-Required NES Games
43:02 - Light Gun-Optional NES Games
54:25 - Outro / Credits
Special thanks to the Roanoke Pinball Museum for their "Shoot The Bear" footage - roanokepinball.org/
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#NES #Zapper #GamingHistorian

[@GamingHistorian]

Save 40% or more on your SimpliSafe security system during their holiday sale! Visit SimpliSafe.com/GamingHistorian to learn more!

[@CyberKnightProbably]

Do you think you’ll be able to do a video on Treasure someday? Even though they are relatively unknown nowadays, they do present a history that should be important to indie gaming.

[@praiserdusty]

This video needs a seizure warning. So many flashes

[@Source_Boy]

Can you make a Resident Evil video?

[@xt3100]

there is a light gun that does wrk with LED displays, forgot the name but with some emulators you can play duck hunt with it

[@OakCityGamers]

We’d love to see a video about the playchoice-10. It’s a good topic because it’s obscurity and it’s relevance in the life of the NES

[@kyleh1127]

I gotta throw in my 2 cents about the laserscope and what it meant to me and my family. My younger brother was in a terrible car accident as a toddler that left him wheelchair bound and unable to use his arms and legs for the remainder of his life. His biggest form of entertainment as a child was watching me play video games, he used to beg me to play certain games (I definitely never would've beat the little mermaid otherwise lol). When we discovered the laserscope it was the ultimate game changer for him (and the family). Suddenly this kid who was cursed to forever be a spectator could actually interact with some of these games. Duck hunt and hogan's alley became staples of our family tv screen, and it led us to further creativity and innovation with finding ways for him to use an actual controller with a stick in his mouth. The laserscope was a HUGE gamechanger in my (and my family's) life and seeing it here brought a teary smile of nostalgia to my eye.

[@000blocks000]

Awesome story ❤

[@chibbothy]

this was my exact first thought; could have been revolutionary for gamers with disabilities! so glad to hear it helped your brother access those wonderful experiences too

[@PrincessShokora2002]

Wholesome

[@charliedarwins]

This was touching. Could we get a update on the family?

[@kyleh1127]

@@charliedarwins well, it's not exactly the happiest of endings as he passed on a number of years ago, but he was able to kick my ass at many a video game when we were kids and we all ensured until the very end that he could live as 'normal' a life as a quadraplegic could. Also, it should be noted that, especially in the 80s and 90s, an overwhelming majority of kids in his condition didn't survive puberty, even so far as when he hit that age and started having inexplicable health problems, a medical expert requested that his doctors document and report his progress for future research (i honestly don't know all the ins and outs of it, i was still a kid at the time myself). He was a rare case of a child who was paralyzed very young that made it fully into adulthood, and while he did struggle with many of the mental health issues you would expect someone in that condition to struggle with, and with good reason, he always had friends and family around him and was able to make the most of what he had. He got really into tech, messing around on his computer a lot, and always loved his video games. He was very generous to everyone around him and would often fly friends and family to his winter house. Everyone remembers him fondly and those closest to him got commemorative skull tattoos (he also liked his tattoos) in his honour. Seriously, my catholic parents getting a tattoo of anything, much less a skull, is something that would never have been on my 'things that will happen in my lifetime' bingo card. We were quite close, and i was the first person to get a call from him when he got his terminal diagnosis, and i still miss him, but i have to stress that it's not as sad as it seems as he had something like a less than 5% chance of living as long as he did and making it to middle age would have been nothing short of a miracle, so we all feel blessed to get as much time as we did with him, and us kids got some real interesting and fascinating life experience and lessons very early on that many people don't get in a lifetime and we're all grateful for it.

[@GamingHistorian]

Happy Holidays, everyone! This is my last video for 2021. I've got some big videos planned for 2022. See you in the new year!

[@SECONDQUEST]

Happy Holidays! Hope you have a good season!

[@PRdeSO]

You're the best Norman, happy holidays to you

[@nxzw]

Happy Holidays Norman!

[@mailman019]

Happy Holidays!

[@DustinJermalowicz]

Great work as always, Norm! Have a great end of the year.

[@gravitywaves2796]

Ill never forget the day I accidentally discovered the ducks in duckhunt could be controlled with the second controller. I was just messing with the controller waiting for my little brother to play his turn. I couldn't believe it was working. I tormented my poor brother with this for weeks before I told him. He couldn't figure out why all of a sudden his duck hunt game got so bad. I thought for sure he'd catch on to me. I finally let him in on the trick to screw with our cousins when they came by. He was so excited to do it to someone else he wasn't even mad at me.

[@ColonelSandersLite]

I remember how exciting that one was too. It took a game that was already really good into a definite favorite.

[@mr.fancypants1524]

I'll never forget making the same discovery 20 seconds ago after reading your post.

[@Wiredlightning1]

@@mr.fancypants1524 I also was today years old when I discovered this lol. Been playing it for at least the last 25 years.

[@warhound7781]

Wife got a kick out of flying the ducks.

[@pigs18]

Further proving that hardly anyone ever read the Duck Hunt instruction book.

[@artformarket]

As always, this is just a stunning testament to how high-quality a KZbin documentary can be. Never stop doing what you do. We love it.

[@TheSomberGamer]

G4 is missing out by not having you apart of their revival. You’re like a modern day “icons” show! Thanks for the informative and fun content all these years

[@OwlRTA]

Icons WAS the inspiration of The Gaming Historian. Norm saw that on G4, and saw that no one on KZbin was doing video game history.

[@TheSomberGamer]

@@OwlRTA all the more reason to bring him on. Make it come full circle

[@ericw48]

I would watch G4 if they replaced Gerard with Norm.

[@li5up6]

Icons was amazing! I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers

[@michaelbuehler3897]

Icons was one of the good shows on G4.

[@MegaRetroRocket]

Quick comment on the orange redesign; It wasn't strictly to be overly safe regarding regulations. A retrofit orange tip was developed in North America but NCL in Japan determined it would be cheaper to just use their existing mold with a differently colored plastic instead.

[@heroking3197]

Thank you for the information

[@DefinitiveDubs]

A good move, IMO. It looks better than an orange tip would have. Still prefer the grey, though.

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

It looks pretty fly in orange and grey anyway.

[@MegaRetroRocket]

@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine Imagine if they made an orange deck to match.

[@dsprocks]

@@MegaRetroRocket There are some zapper guns that are actually red like the plastic didn't come out properly orange. I have about 20 or so zapper guns, use to collect a lot back in the day like 2001-2014.

[@darrelwilson]

Gaming historian is a legend, great content!!

[@Rountree1985]

Stop calling it content, it’s a video.

[@heyitsbroski]

@@Rountree1985 it's not that serious. Take your meds.

[@orfchannel8685]

@@Rountree1985 It's content and it's fantastic.

[@aimwell8813]

@Rountree1985 I think this person is talking about all of gaming historian's videos and calling them great.

[@whydoyougottahavthis]

Fun fact, Hogan's Alley (and anything named Hogan's Alley that's similar) was named after a real life military street/town combat simulator developed in the 30's where essentially you was given a few seconds to pinpoint the targets previously set up in a two story back alley looking scene

[@SuperGuitarBros]

25:23 Thanks for the love, friend! Awesome video!

[@sudochop]

The Super Guitar Bros.!!! Great covers!

[@Excalibur9905]

Hearing Norman say “a freaking submachine gun” in his relaxing voice will always be hilarious to me XD

[@andresbravo2003]

Wish I need that.

[@mwk1]

Why can't you use Hyper Shot on those NES on-rail shooters? If you can play "Duck Hunt" with it, then why can't you play like for instance "Mechinzed Attack"? Is it just because of the 15pin plug or code doesn't recognizes it? IF it's just a plug incompatibility - well, just use an Everdrive cartridge and play those games on your Famicom with plugged in Hyper Shot submachine gun. Can anyone confirm/deny? Thank you! :-)

[@ExaltedUriel]

When I bought a Zapper for my NES a few years back I had the choice between the "original" gray and the "revised" orange. I just had to go with the orange, I don't know why but that bright coloring is so appealing to me.

[@convergence-e-s659]

I completed To The Earth when I was a kid, to this day it's still right up there with my gaming accomplishments! It certainly was hard on the hands and fingers, but the ending animation of your ship landing on the Earth at the end was ohhh so satisfying :)

[@Fygee]

I know the guy that has, to everyone's current knowledge, the last surviving functional Qwak arcade machine mentioned here. Pretty impressive to see it in person. Thanks again for another great video Norm. It's a rare talent to make a 50 min video about the Zapper and have it be interesting the whole time.

[@samuelthehobo4441]

Is it shown like an artifact or does the guy let others play it

[@captainmidnight]

Damn, poor Thomas Hong. Amazing video, as always.

[@ianfalk8009]

Love your vids!

[@briansolo]

how in the world do you find all of your classic clips?!

[@briansolo]

how in the world do you find all of your classic clips?!

[@ia5662]

Honorable mention to the SNES Super Scope! That thing looked so amazing to any kid - a freaking bazooka for a Nintendo system lol. Also, Captain N (old 90s cartoon) used the NES original red light gun as his weapon in the show - I always wanted to cut my cord so I could pretend and take it outside, but I didn't have the heart to do it. Awesome segment!

[@ahahahaha496]

Nothing stopping you from doing it today👍

[@dennisd4452]

I owned a SNES but not the NES. I went to a place in the 90's and bought this gun for kicks and giggles. Iconic for sure! I also own the arcade version of street fighter that toys r us wanted like $120. After waiting for like a year or two they blew it out the door for $20. Score! Still in the box and I used it for a few minutes twice in the day. Thing is cherry mint. Thanks for sharing about this great light gun from NES.

[@Lacillyn]

When I was younger my parents had a simple rule: We could get a new video game whenever we beat the last one. We ended up getting To The Earth. I remember how hard it was. Eventually beat the stupid thing, though. Earned my copy of Mario 3 with it.

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

Damn, that must have been cathartic.

[@ZipplyZane]

☹ I would have only ever owned one game. I never beat a single game until Nintendo Hard became a thing of the past.

[@pirosvx]

To The Earth was a brutal game as a kid

[@jaustill237]

The unfortunate thing is, that trick would be very expensive in the modern era.

[@VEOD93]

That's a good example of high difficulty high reward.

[@katherineberger6329]

7:37: Rest in peace, Uemura-san.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

I LOVED duck hunt. It's probably my earliest memory too. It was the only thing my older brother could not beat me at. Maybe it's also why I got so into shooting when I got older. I spent hours in my backyard shooting targets. I'm still a really good shot too

[@writeronfire]

I used to work at the Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita and I distinctly remember a whole ⛺ full of these 1930's wooden light gun games. It was weird being in there but kinda cool like you were transported to some wild west landscape from the 1800's

[@precoius]

This is crazy. An hour-long review of EVERY NES LIGHT GUN!? ...That’s kinda badass, actually. I’m here for it!

[@stevemanart]

Hogan's Alley was my dad's favorite videogame, even well into the 2000's. He loved how simple and clear it was about everything without any complicated narrative or fantastical setting.

[@ExaltedUriel]

Norm said it's his least favorite of the 3 first-party Zapper games but honestly it's my favorite. I played Game B with the fake town for hours.

[@jdcviolin]

The amount of time and attention to detail that goes into these documentaries blows my mind. Thank you for all the great content you made this year!

[@blindarcher1651]

As kids, we were the only NES owners we knew who had the gray Zapper. Everyone else had the orange one. I was an adult before I found out why they were made in two different colors. The funny thing, though, is that as kids we assumed the gray one was the newer one because it looked cooler. Turns out, that was not the case. Not that it functioned any different. We also heard the rumor that pointing the Zapper at any light source would trick the system into scoring a hit every time, but also couldn't make it work (the fail-safe black screen preceding the "hit box" was a stroke of genius on the part of the developers). I think it's a rumor that persisted due to previous generations of light guns; everyone assumed the Zapper would work the same (despite all evidence to the contrary), and so the rumor just refused to die. Nintendo's Gumpei Yokoi might have thought himself "lateral thinking" with existing tech, but really, the company did amazing things with otherwise-outdated tech across the board. For example, the NES processor was a 6502 microchip that was considered obsolete in the mid-to-late 70s, years before the first NES was built. (Nintendo got a screaming good deal, I'm sure, since nobody else wanted them.) Game developers sometimes had to get creative to squeeze every bit of computing power from the system, including a few cases where they "borrowed" a channel or two from the audio processor's cycles to give a boost to the graphics. Crazy stuff that probably wouldn't be considered today -- PC game developers won't "borrow" excess cycles from another sub-system, they'll just say you need a better graphics card to play their game.

[@uros.u.novakovic]

I would love to see the collection of retro hardware that Gaming Historian has accumulated over the years :D

[@AmazinLarry]

Oh yeah? Well I'd like you to smell this: *farts* **MOANS**

[@uros.u.novakovic]

Forgot to take your meds today I assume.

[@CaptainCat101]

Another tour is way overdue

[@StelarVA]

It’d be nice if there was another Blu-Ray release of the show that had just that

[@AB0BA_69]

If anything this collection just makes me realize how amateur the Nerd's collection was, at least at the time he was making videos about old hardware.

[@DaneeBound]

The light-gun that you could get for the original Magnavox Odyssey was manufactured by the big N. That probably just blew some minds right there.

[@Chaos89P]

The Odyssey doesn't screw around, and neither did Nintendo.

[@wheelmanstan]

My little brother was talking about the power glove the other day...man NES had so many gimmicks. So many knock-off games and atrocious games for popular movies. They even had a dang robot..and I couldn't afford any of it but I got a lot of it at garage sells. I recommend parents take their kids to garage sells. Haha I got erector sets, legos, tinker toys for a steal at garage sells and that stuff sells for a ton now. Sry, just reminiscing on my second-hand hand-me-down childhood.

[@Chaos89P]

@@wheelmanstan Did you get one of the games for that robot? There's only two vs. the 17 or so for the Zapper.

[@wheelmanstan]

@@Chaos89P I got the robot at a garage sale and it didn't work, but I remember getting the game, haha I don't think I could do anything with the game with the incomplete robot, I think it was incomplete, I just remember it was this weird stacking game

[@Chaos89P]

@@wheelmanstan So you ended up with Stack Up instead of Gyromite. The latter could technically be played by one person, but it was rather clunky to do so or you needed a peripheral like the NES Advantage. The former, if I remember correctly, had more "programming" options for the robot, but was otherwise worthless without it.

[@vote4carp]

I'm pretty stoked to have both versions of Zapper, especially knowing the insane history behind said two versions.

[@erikhendrickson59]

These documentaries give me such incredible nostalgia. Not only for the software and hardware of topic, but also for these old-school, History-channel style TV documentaries I grew up watching every day after school.

[@estebanrodas31]

Dude appreciate that you bring such high quality, well researched videos without silly skits. Just straight to the point and it's clear you're passionate. Good stuff.

[@L33PL4Y]

No silly skits? You must have missed Norm popping up all over the plce from behind his couch lol

[@pherlong7]

If you want silly skits and video game knowledge, watch Scott the Woz

[@Wis_Dom]

The Laser Scope's selling point was that it was quiet, yet, you were required to say, "FIRE!" in order to shoot it. LOL!

[@chubbiMommi]

Right! Make me laugh.

[@M0rinkashi]

*_"Kinda defeats the purpose, right?"_* Jokes and references aside; you could simply play with the controller on your hand and don't shout at the microphone funny enough, it is completely optional to use it after all.

[@Nicholas_Steel]

Watch the Angry Video Game Nerd's episode on it lol.

[@M0rinkashi]

@@Nicholas_Steel Added quote symbols to avoid confusion between the reference.

[@Wis_Dom]

@@Nicholas_Steel Yes, I saw it a while ago, lol.

[@LucianAlexandruMotoc]

Outstanding documentary! Also kinda incredible how much of the hardware you actually manage to track down, sometimes even in the original boxed packaging!

[@thepezfeo]

12:45 I think the older versions of Duck Hunt may not use sequential light-boxes for two ducks, on some copies of the game you can quickly shoot the same duck twice to kill both ducks.

[@SuperHns]

true. Also not many people know you can play 2 Player on duck hunt... the controller can control the ducks,

[@NekoFallen]

I remember when we first got our NES for Christmas. My father was able to get it and a few games as part of a deal for painting a store. One of those games was To The Earth. We used to play it for hours, trying to get to the end, but never did. Even after me and by siblings went to bed, my father stayed up trying to beat the game. Sure, it is difficult, but that was the point. More akin to a shoot-em-up style of game, but played first-person, instead of a typical light-gun game.

[@sneezyrider1]

Still have my copy of To The Earth and man was it hard.

[@samuelthehobo4441]

Oh nice, idk if i’ve ever heard of it. Do you consider it pretty obscure or do i just not have enough knowledge about the NES library kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKSpmHh8dphgf5Y

[@Wis_Dom]

I never knew other third party companies made light guns for the NES. I remember owning the original zapper and not the safety orange one.

[@Chaos89P]

I only knew about that one by Konami. Turns out you can shout whatever you want and the "firing action" will still work (if this isn't addressed in the video). Of course, since I was watching it in action in an AVGN video, the most logical of extremes was used.

[@esmooth919]

The only third party Zapper game I knew about when I was a kid is called Gotcha. And I didn't hear about Bayou Billy until years later

[@johnathin0061892]

Be thankful you didn't own the Playco wireless one. I had one as a kid, it is an even bigger piece of junk than Norman said it was.

[@ismaeljacobs]

Listen!!!! DON'T STOP MAKING YOUR VIDS THEY FREAKING AWESOME. I spent last night watching them back too back. Perfect edits rare footage and background information I never knew! And I been gaming for over 30 yrs. You deserve a show on tv

[@demondton96]

24:54 I can't be the only one that instinctively started shouting "FIRE FIRE FIRE" like the AVGN When I saw the laserscope

[@thecunninlynguist]

Christmas came early!

[@PatTheNESpunk]

I

[@esmooth919]

Mine are Duck Hunt, and my cousin had Hogan's Alley. But I also like Wild Gunman, because I've always been a "quick draw" fan

[@zackschilling4376]

I thought it was Baby Boomer??? Still waiting for that Baby Boomer sequel. Color Dreams could surprise us any day now...

[@SuperNicktendo]

Same here

[@limitedseal7333]

It’s the “Ultimate Guide to Light Guns” love the respect between all you former retroware guys. The OG’s.

[@MikeChimeri]

I thought of your video when Chiller came up. I loved your descent into madness. Crazy Pat has me in stitches every time I watch!

[@jsantos712]

Great content. Watched the whole thing. Brings back memories. Thank you for the tips and historical lessons! Always appreciative

[@TheRepty818]

It's so cool when you find a great game that you didn't know existed. I'm planning to build my own retro gaming station with an Atari and NES and SNES. If I get a light gun that will work with the setup, I'll definitely make Lone Ranger something I pick up.

[@btr3k]

I still remember seeing the Duck Hunt Vs arcade with its blue gun, and was so impressed that you could play it at home (same goes for Super Mario - yeah I saw it in the arcade first)! It’s worth checking out the arcade version through emulation actually, it has a number of differences from the home version (including yes, being able to shoot the dog)

[@inthefade]

Now I have to check that out on MAME

[@TJDious]

Christmas comes early with a Gaming Historian upload!

[@endofanera1983]

Hogans alley was my favorite gun game. I liked shooting the cans the most. We’d compete with high scores and it got ridiculous. Also I hated when people would cheat but pointing the gun directly at the screen. 😂

[@davidrivera414]

I remember cheating duck hunt by directly pointing the gun at the screen lol

[@mikeythemaestro]

There is something that I love about these historian videos. I can just throw one on, learn about some sweet retro tech, and get all of my paperwork completed! :)

[@ActingandGames]

RIP Masayuki Uemura. I knew he was involved in the invention of the NES and SNES, but I had no clue he was involved with the early light guns.

[@goranisacson2502]

Also didn't know that he had been working at Sharp before Nintendo- didn't see that in the obituaries I read about him. Guess Nintendo were lucky they had Gunpei Yokoi to facilitate that recruitment.

[@dwood78part23]

You didn't really have an NES if it didn't come with a Zapper! Welcome back Gaming Historian.

[@TheEman590]

Well I did. It came with the 2 in 1 cartridge of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. The other zapper game I had was Shooting Range. Didn't know about Wild Gunman much until, you guessed it, Back to the Future Part II. It's interesting to see the vs. Arcade versions of Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley. I can see why they'd be popular in the arcades. They were so popular in the arcade that there was a boom of light gun popularity soon after. Sega Master System also had their own light gun and this wouldn't be the last time Konami released one thanks to the Justifier that came with ports of Lethal Enforcers. It's just satisfying when playing a light gun game.

[@BigMoneySonny]

I’ve been binge watching this channel for the past two days straight. Great content so happy I found this channel !

[@dsgdsg9764]

I appreciate you telling me who your security provider is and demonstrating all of the tech you use to secure your house it's very helpful thank you

[@stdesy]

36 years and never knew player 2 could control the ducks. Always learning something with these videos!

[@RetailArchaeology]

Fantastic as always 😁

[@KROMO50]

Did they have those old light shooters in the pinball museum?

[@analog_memories]

You should do an updated game room/set walk through! I just stumbled on to your channel about a month ago and it has opened up a whole new obsession for me.

[@JerryD9000]

Golly, I love this channel. It's like a college professor teaching me about game history I loved and grew up with. I lived it, and it's impressive as hell.

[@onehitcombo3884]

The Lone Ranger is easily in my top 3 NES games. It's just so varied & fun, with each style done right

[@SonofMrPeanut]

"Why did they do that?" Heard many times throughout Nintendo's history, both for positive and negative convention-defying decisions.

[@samuelthehobo4441]

Nintendo’s a pretty unique company in that regard kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKSpmHh8dphgf5Y

[@OptimumTaurus]

People look to stuff like the DS and Wii as Nintendo just being quirky and trying different things. But Nintendo has *always* been trying different things. The company was practically built on that. They don't always hit the mark but you can't say they dont try when it comes to applying existing technologies in novel ways.

[@the-NightStar]

With the latter being grossly exaggerated by unfairly biased people looking soley to be self-impressed by the sound of their own baseless whining.

[@SonofMrPeanut]

> Likes reached 64 My work is done.

[@WigWoo1]

Once you brought out the Konami laser scope I instantly thought I was going to see a AVGN reference in here

[@axstinxo718]

I just wanted to say thank you, you are a big part of why i wanted to become a content creator myself. I have been watching your videos for a long time and every video i find so interesting and well made. - A Fan

[@archimagirussancti7956]

I got the Deluxe Set when I was a kid and remember playing Operation Wolf for hours with the old grey Zapper. My favorite game was Mega Man III though. Good memories

[@calvinguy2715]

Yup! Made my little sister hold right on controller 2 so I could use cheat codes. Good times

[@williamcrowe2576]

I never knew that light guns were around much longer than the 70s and 80s. Interesting thing about the original Wild Gunman was that the game used two film reels and would switch to the second reel if you successfully out-drew your onscreen opponent.

[@nimazarei2760]

You just solved one of my long-time questions about how that gun worked! THANK YOU!!!

[@AnthonyRiddle]

What a really good and knowledgeable video. I've possibly learned more from this video than any other video (other than car repair) on KZbin. Thank you for this really cool journey through the history of the NES light gun. I never would've guessed that the light gun was invented in the 1930s, almost 100 years ago

[@mohiothman8170]

The ProBeam looked super familiar, so I did some digging. The MSX (which I had as a kid) had a light gun called the Plus X Terminator Laser which looked like a black version of the ProBeam, and lo and behold the Terminator was released by ASCII.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Wild Gunman was also featured in the 1989 film, "Back to the Future: part II," when Marty McFly (portrayed by Michael J. Fox) visits the Cafe '80s and orders a Pepsi, he shows one of the kids (played by a young Elijah Wood) how to to play a Wild Gunman arcade game they just fixed, Marty McFly shows the kids a move that is non-existent in the real NES game called a "Crack Shot."

[@killedbydeth7271]

Please do an in depth piece in Steel Batallion. Such a unique and crazy piece of video game history.

[@antgue756]

This was actually very facinating just how much led up to this game. Great video

[@katherineberger6329]

The Video Shooter appears to use a modified version of the shell used by Sega for their Light Phaser video game light gun and Zillion laser tag toy.

[@junrosamura645]

I was also thinking that gun had a Zillion vibe to it.

[@EmulationDojo]

One of the best parts of opening KZbin, finding a notification for a new Gaming Historian video. Thanks Norm!!!

[@samuelthehobo4441]

They’re basically mini-docs or full fledged documentaries, either way it’s always a treat

[@SoopaBee]

Arguably one of your most comprehensive videos yet. Thank you!

[@Planetkid32]

I remember watching James Rolfe’s video on the NES accessories, and that he said that the Zapper doesn’t work so good now. You really helped explain as to why it doesn’t work as good as it used to. On one hand I’m kinda bummed I didn’t get a zapper while I was at “Cheep Thrills” about 3 days ago while looking for an AC adapter and AV cables for my NES, as it’s such an iconic NES accessory. But on the other hand, I’m kinda glad I didn’t get one because given the fact I have a flat screen TV in my room, and that I didn’t have any zapper-compatible games, I couldn’t use it anyway if I did get one.

[@knight0fdragon]

the "fail safe" is in the software. The gun is always looking for light and will report that it sees the light. The trigger just sends down a button command to tell the software to check for black, then check for white.

[@DFX2KX]

I think the roumor of it working if you pointed it at a light might have come from some of the OTHER unlicensed games floating around for it. because some of those where of dubious quality. The only lightgun NES game I've played personally is duckhunt, so I can't confirm that.

[@knight0fdragon]

@@DFX2KX maybe this should have been a more of a post to GH, but the rumor most likely came from the quick draw segment of Wild gunman, or somebody had a lightbulb that flickered

[@BloodoperaBlackvomit]

An hour long? Hell yes.

[@AngelJD]

The orange Zapper was apart of my childhood. I had Duckhunt, Wild Gunman, and To The Earth which I forgotten about that last one. As a little kid I use to go directly about one inch from the TV screen to hit those ducks and disks. Loved that trigger feel and sound the zapper has but that might also be my nostalgia.

[@lonewulf44]

I loved the Lone Ranger ... my older brother and I rented it from a furniture place that like many places back then had a rack of games you could rent from. We both loved it, but didn't use the Zapper with it. Glad to see it get some love.

[@39zack]

When Norm makes an almost 1 hour video you know your in for a treat 😃

[@legendaryskinman7305]

Wow, duck hunt. Forever a childhood memory

[@fecalmatter4195]

What an exciting time all these I remember some of these strange accessories. Quality and innovation during the 20th century was amazing.

[@robotortoise]

What an interesting video essay! I enjoyed this a lot, thank you! It's clear you put a ton of time into this. I'd like a sequel with a basic overview of how more modern light guns work!

[@TBevill1231]

I get excited every time when you bring out a new video because I know I’m going to learn something about games and accessories I thought I knew everything about. The NES Zapper was one of my earliest memories with my dad’s NES. Duck Hunt and Operation: Wolf were two big games I loved as a kid.

[@JugheadJones03]

If Gaming Historian and Ahoy ever collaborated for a video, it would be the most epic gaming history video on the internet to date lol! Thanks for another amazing video guys and gals!

[@orchNEStra]

I had no idea there were this many light gun games on the NES. Very informative. Well done!

[@AaronOfMpls]

Well done! Very much worth the headache all the flashing lights gave me! 😎 I never had a NES myself, but my neighbor did, with the gray gun. We did play Duck Hunt a few times.

[@gregdubya1993]

"Unremovable bright orange plug" that every kid took out of their toys immediately. I know I did.

[@Derek-kj9mt]

We just colored over it with a permanent marker. Of course, we were also lucky enough to have plenty of older toy guns that didn't have it.

[@gregdubya1993]

@@Derek-kj9mt I drilled them out, pried them out, even melted a few out on some metal toy guns. Good times.

[@Kris_M89]

Duck Season on the VR was a pretty great game for nostalgia. They even had a zapper style gun you could use with a tracking module. It's awesome to go from NES zapper to VR zapper gun.

[@60fpspeasant84]

The story is not for the faint of heart tho.

[@charliericker274]

Wabbit season!

[@chriswatson8965]

Just found this channel. Love the long form content. Probably going to binge this entire channel 👍🏻 thanks for doing what you do!

[@emilyz4104]

Thank you for confirming that the "point it at a light and always hit" thing was never true. It never worked for me, and it kinda annoys me that people were claiming that without ever apparently testing it.

[@matthewlister3755]

That Bandai Hyper Shot is bar none the coolest NES accessory ever made. Someone please launch a Kickstarter to put it or something similar to it back in production. I want one so bad.

[@Chaos89P]

Even better idea would be to incorporate an A button into it!

[@fbafoundationalbuck-broken6011]

3d print 🖨 it

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

The NES Light Gun was a peripheral way ahead of it's time. Too bad it really only worked well with Duck Hunt. Because I would've love to see how an updated version of that light gun would work with games like Time Crisis or The House of Dead.🤔

[@esmooth919]

I mean, the most recent light guns were on the PS2...but then HDTVs came out...

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

@@esmooth919 They weren't very precise, like That Wii-mote. I always just used The Controller. 🎮

[@knight0fdragon]

@@user-em6ie2be7x the PS2 lightgun was precise, it was the PS3 one that used infrared like the wii mote. PS2/PSX original guncoms were more accurate than the nes light gun since it captured the video sync as well.

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

@@knight0fdragon I still preferred the controller. I guess I was just more accurate with the controller than the Guncom.

[@jamiecranton]

"ahead of it's time" techs already 50 years old by the time Nintendo make it lmao

[@Girrrrrrrr]

One of the few memories I have from my childhood is going to my Nana and Papa's house in the summer. They'd set up whatever game system I brought with me on a TV in their bedroom and let me play to my heart's content. One time my Papa played Duck Hunt with me, and even as a child I thought about how cool it was that there was a game that a grown man would enjoy playing. I'll never forget seeing him holding the zapper and shooting at the ducks. Cherish your grandparents, youngins...I'll never stop missing mine.

[@jakegarcia7156]

The amount of research, thank you Norman. Love following your channel. Your an inspiration to us all retro gamers looking to just go back

[@Plasmawarrior]

11:15 Rest in Peace Bob Dole. And I have to say that law is very well thought out. Make the toys look like toys instead of destroying them. I know people want 'realism' but when you're 9 you honestly just want something fun to play with.

[@TheTrueNorth11]

Shit take. Your opinion is bad

[@Plasmawarrior]

@@TheTrueNorth11 Sure... what did I want when I was 9? A Water Gun! Did I care if it didn't look like an M16? No! What do kids want a lot now of days? Water Guns! Do THEY care if they look like an M16? No! They'll buy them anyway. So tell me how my 'opinion is bad' when in another time and place, we wouldn't have toy guys at all?

[@TheTrueNorth11]

@@Plasmawarrior What unintelligible babble, holy shit.

[@dreadmoc12]

Very cool. Playing poker as a mini game reminded me of Fallout. I think I played more hours of Caravan in New Vegas than actually completing quests. I liked the Wii a lot more than I thought I would. And when my wife bought me a WiiU for Christmas one year, it became my favorite consol of all time. Windwaker felt like a brand new experience. This video brought back some memories, man. Thanks.

[@D0S81]

oh my god the memories. i mean i'm too young for a lot of the early stuff, but even as a young kid in the 80's growing up around the arcades of Southend on Sea seafront, i was surrounded by things The wild gunman (the movie version) , and then later duckhunt existed in every friends house i ever went to. we were always a gen behind, so while they were all playing nes, i had a C64 & a ZX spectrum, when playstation came out, i just got my first megadrive! even though i had been playing them at my friends for years before. not much has changed, i havent bought a new cosole since PS3 cuz i cant afford one :( but i still get to experience they games in a way with lets plays, but man, this channel rocks. the fact you can actually gett your hands on this old tech and try it out is amazing. as someone who dabbles in youtube videos, id love to see how you go about making these videos, cuz it cant be easy.

[@RarelyReplies]

Your videos never disappoint . They are always incredibly well done. Taking the time to go through them all was fantastic.

[@Jared_Wignall]

Never knew the Zapper had so much history. Just another reason as to why I love watching your channel Norman. I learn something new with each video. Lee up the great work!

[@lucasrem1870]

Simply save, his neighborhood Learn here?

[@md_vandenberg]

@@lucasrem1870 Did you have a stroke writing that?

[@lucasrem1870]

@@md_vandenberg Learn new thing about the 80th? Meant that adult Joker, too busy after heavy covid...Bob Begat is no more..

[@PokemonHunters-]

Hey man I just wanted to personally thank you for the video content. I just so happened to stumble across this channel and I got to say... I am very upset that.... I did not stumble onto it sooner. The amount of educational content on the things I love and grew up playing. Thank you so much man I subscribed and rang the bell to never miss any more of your amazing content!! 💯 💯 💯

[@charliemirus4124]

Thank you for the blast from the past with the game the Adventures of Bayou Billy! My friend and I always loved how seemingly off the game was but yet we couldn’t put it down!

[@sneezyrider1]

Thank you for another great installment GH. Arguably the best retro games content creator out there.

[@Arcademan09]

"you can attach the headset to the NES while your mom is on the phone" "Yeah meanwhile your kid is screaming 'FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE'! " - Avgn

[@wchan39]

AVGN: Wow! I just shot down a duck by saying 'fuck'!

[@lougaru2445]

Thanks for making another long video the rarity of these makes it a treat

[@minimoe2807]

Yes! Enjoy your holidays too. Your content is so interesting and well researched. Excited to see what you're planning for 2022!