# NES Zapper

The Zapper is an electronic light gun accessory launched within the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America on October 18, 1985. It is a cosmetic redesign by Nintendo of America's head designer Lance Barr, based on Gunpei Yokoi's Video Shooting Series light gun (光線銃シリーズガン), which had been released in Japan for the Famicom on February 18, 1984. The Zapper requires 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 accurately shoot at in-game targets.
The Zapper bridged Nintendo's existing library of hit arcade light-gun shooter games into the NES's launch library. As distinct toys, the Zapper and R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) were key to the identity of the NES bundle, for positioning the NES's 1985–1986 launch into the North American toy market instead of into the crashed video game market.

## Design

The Video Shooting Series light gun was designed for Famicom by Gunpei Yokoi and Satoru Okada of Nintendo R&D1, modeled realistically after a revolver. 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 Video Shooting Series light gun is a double-action revolver with a moving hammer, which is automatically fired with a loud bang when the trigger is pulled without needing to cock the hammer.
In North America, it was redesigned as the Zapper by Nintendo of America's head designer Lance Barr, to match the NES's color scheme and to resemble a futuristic science fiction ray gun. It has a dark gray barrel and grip. In 1988, the Federal Toy Gun Law required that toy guns be distinct from real guns, so the orange revision was released in the same year.

## History

The Video Shooting Series light gun was released for Famicom in Japan on February 18, 1984, bundled with Wild Gunman, and a holster accessory was released.

### North America

In January 1985, at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Nintendo of America presented the Advanced Video System, a prototype American redesign of the Famicom, which was pitched as a high-end piece of consumer electronics. Its bundle of wireless peripherals includes a computer keyboard, music keyboard, and a combination light wand and gun. The "combination light wand and gun" has an adjustable handle for either mode. However, North American retailers were still apprehensive to re-enter the video game market after the video game crash of 1983, placing no orders.
After the poor reception at the Consumer Electronics Show, Nintendo revised its marketing strategy to avoid the crashed video game market in favor of the toy market, redesigning it as the Nintendo Entertainment System. Expensive wireless technology was abandoned, and the light gun and wand became the wired Zapper. The NES ports of Nintendo's existing hit arcade games Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley were used to position the NES as a gun game instead of a video game system, and Nintendo Research & Development 1 developed the R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) accessory toy. On October 18, 1985, the NES was launched in the New York City test market, bundled with the Control Deck, Zapper, R.O.B., two controllers, Duck Hunt, and Gyromite. After successful launch in New York, the NES was gradually rolled out to other major markets in the United States, starting with Los Angeles in February 1986 and followed by other major American cities, culminating in the nationwide launch in July 1986.
In June 1986, the original launch bundle was rebranded as the Deluxe Set, and a cheaper bundle was launched with two controllers and Super Mario Bros. Now no longer bundled with every system, the Zapper and R.O.B. were made available for individual sale. In January 1988, at the Winter CES, the orange Zapper revision was announced (as had been required by the Federal Toy Gun Law of 1987) within the new Action Set bundle of the NES. Also announced was the third-party Zapper game Freedom Force. In June, at the Summer CES, the Power Set was announced for release that year, bundling the orange Zapper. In 1989, the orange Zapper was released.

### Accessories and third-party counterparts

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 1988, the Video Shooter was released in the United States by Placo Toys. The Video Shooter is a wireless light gun controller for the NES. The infrared receiver is a rigid panel plugged directly into the controller port of the NES; it was designed with the intention that the NES would be placed on top of the television in order to detect the Video Shooter. Multiple Video Shooters can be used with a single receiver. When the gun is fired, a red light on the back of the gun is illuminated to indicate that a shot has been fired. The gun has a clear plastic sight on top of the gun to assist in aiming shots.
In late 1988, the Video Blaster was released in North America by Camerica. The Video Blaster has the same shape as the Famicom light gun, but different colors and is compatible with the NES controller port rather than the Famicom extension port. The Famicom light gun included weights to make it heavier, which this controller lacks; however, because the two controllers use the same mold, the Famicom light gun's weights can be transplanted to the Video Blaster to give it the same feel. The tip of the Video Blaster's barrel is painted orange, but this coloration is much less prominent than other light guns released in the United States after the passage of the Federal Toy Gun Law.
On February 20, 1989, Bandai released the Hyper Shot in Japan. 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. When used with Space Shadow, the Hyper Shot can output game audio from its built-in speaker and use haptic feedback to simulate the recoil of firing a gun; while the Hyper Shot can be used as a controller and light gun for any game, Space Shadow is the only game to support the speaker and haptic feedback. Space Shadow requires the Hyper Shot and cannot be played with other light guns, as the game expects button input to come from the Famicom expansion port (which only the Hyper Shot can provide).
In 1989, Nexoft released The Dominator ProBeam in the United States, a wireless version 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.
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. The headset also includes stereo headphones for use with the NES and 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.

## Gameplay

The Zapper can be pointed at a television set to interact with on-screen targets in games that support it. Games and game modes that support the Zapper are primarily shooting gallery games, although the sidescrolling platformers Gumshoe and Baby Boomer also support it. In some games, it can be used on the title screen to select a mode and start the game. Some games require the Zapper to be played (such as Duck Hunt, To the Earth, and Shooting Range), some can be played using either the Zapper or a controller (such as Operation Wolf and Mechanized Attack), and some have specific shooting-oriented levels that can be played using either the Zapper or a controller (such as The Adventures of Bayou Billy, Track & Field II, and Chiller).
Some NES games were co-promoted with or designed for particular alternative light gun accessories. In North America, Laser Invasion came with a coupon for a discount for the LaserScope headset, although it can also be played with the regular Zapper. The Japan-only Space Shadow was bundled with, and can uniquely use the speakers and haptic feedback of, the Hyper Shot light gun.

## Operation

When the Zapper's trigger 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.
The 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.

## Reception

In February 1988, in a review of Gotcha! The Sport!, Computer Entertainer magazine commented that there was "always demand for a gun game [...] We know our Nintendo owners love games they can use with their Zappers". In July 1988, Computer Entertainer opined that Freedom Force was Sunsoft's "best game yet. And they've made the best use yet of the Zapper light gun by building a game around a theme that's as topical as the evening news: the taking of hostages by terrorists". Most of its survey respondents who own a game console also had a light gun. In August 1988, Antic magazine praised the Zapper's accuracy compared to the poor horizontal accuracy of the Atari XG-1 light gun, saying "if something is lined up in [Zapper's] sights, that's exactly what you hit".
Regarding Nintendo's Trojan Horse strategy to convince retailers to stock the NES by marketing it as a toy for its launch, historian Chris Kohler said "The gambit worked like a charm, and nobody missed R.O.B. or the Zapper once players realized that games played with the standard video game controller, like Super Mario Bros., were much more fun." Other commentators give more weight more to the promise to buy back any unsold stock. In the 2001 book The Ultimate History of Video Games, Steven L. Kent argues that "most of the 500 retailers who sold the NES that Christmas might not have taken the merchandise if it were not for a risky offer made by [Nintendo of America President Minoru] Arakawa himself—a money-back guarantee."$^{:297}$

## Legacy

The Wii Zapper peripheral for the Wii console is a plastic casing for the Wii Remote attached to a Nunchuk that is held like a gun for point-and-shoot gameplay. It is not technically or visually similar to the Zapper. The Wii U Virtual Console re-releases of NES games can use the Wii Remote's pointer as a virtual Zapper.
The Wii U game Splatoon and its Nintendo Switch sequels Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 all include several N-ZAP weapons, which are heavily based on the Zapper's design. The N-ZAP '85 and N-ZAP '89 use the gray and orange colors of the Zapper respectively. The N-ZAP '83 appears in Splatoon and Splatoon 2 only, with the red and gold from the original Famicom controller, but shaped like the Zapper.