Visors

Visors are items that appear throughout the Metroid Prime series. Visors are used and collected by Samus Aran, and are often essential for progression in certain missions. The X-Ray Scope was the first visor that appeared in Super Metroid. Metroid: Other M implements the Search View maneuver, which switches to a first-person mode when the Wii Remote is aimed at the screen. In the Metroid Prime series the various visors were created by Danny Richardson.
==Description==
A Visor is a technology designed to assist users in various situations. Visors are displays used in the "visor" section of a helmet, or in other forms of optical technology. The visor displays data and aids users in operations. The Scan Visor for example, is used by Samus to access information on creatures and objects, allowing her to understand enemy weak points, or the status of a device. Using the Scan Visor to scan an Interface Module in Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is the only way to activate the elevators that transport Samus between different areas of a planet.
===Origin===
Visors are a technology used by many races in the modern age. They have multiple functions, though are mainly for combat application. Many races develop their own Visors, and as they all serve different purposes, are extremely useful to Samus. Races known to have developed Visors are:
*The Chozo, who leave Visor systems on planets they once inhabited as gifts and rewards for warriors. The Chozo are considered to be one of the most technologically advanced races, and so their Visors are more advanced than others.
*The Luminoth, another highly advanced race. The Luminoth developed two known Visors for military purposes, the Dark and Echo Visors, to aid in the war between them and the Ing.
*The Space Pirates have also been known to create Visor systems for their use. The Pirates are known to steal technology from other races, so their Visor systems may not be entirely of their own creation.
==Use by Samus==
Samus Aran often uses many different Visor systems to aid her in the field. Samus has also stolen the technology from the Pirates on two occasions. The modular nature of her Chozo Power Suit allows her to use Visor systems from almost any race (although in some cases it may not integrate as fluently as Visors of Chozo origin).
Samus always begins with her default visors, the Combat Visor and the Scan Visor, which are the only ones which appear in all four Prime games.
Below is a description of each Visor used and its functions.
*Combat Visor - This Visor provides Samus with basic displays for combat. It shows Samus' Missile count, caution meter, acquired beams and Visors, and also features a targeting system for handling enemies as well as a radar display that shows the location of all enemies in the room. This Visor is of Chozo origin.
*Scan Visor - The Scan Visor is a device used to uncover information on enemies, discover clues, and activate certain devices. Samus can scan Scan Points that appear in her Sight Window. This Visor is of Chozo origin.
*Thermal Visor - Displays a thermal image of the area in Samus' vision. Used for finding abnormal heat signatures, invisible or speedy enemies, and improved vision in dark areas (to some extent). This Visor is of Space Pirate origin.
*X-Ray Visor - Uses X-Rays to produce an image that helps Samus locate invisible or timespace-warping enemies and see behind walls. In its second appearance, it is used for targeting weak spots in Phazite armor, seeing behind walls, and revealing hidden codes. This Visor is of Chozo origin in the first appearance, and Space Pirate in the second.
*Dark Visor - This Visor pierces Dark Aether's haze, revealing hidden objects and improving targeting for some enemies. Used to spot inter-dimensional objects and creatures. This Visor is of Luminoth origin.
*Echo Visor - Creates an echolocation image to spot sound anomalies. The world is displayed mono-chromatically, with white ripples displaying sounds. Also improves clarity of environmental sounds. This Visor is of Luminoth Origin.
*Command Visor - Creates a green image and is used in conjunction with the Arm Cannon to command Samus' Gunship. Tasks include bombing runs, picking certain objects up, setting them back down, and landing. This Visor is of Chozo and Galactic Federation origin.
Acquiring a new visor often has a scene play where Samus activates the visor, which varies from game to game:
*In Metroid Prime, Samus bends over slightly and proceeds to use her index and middle fingers to swipe the visor from right to left, causing it to glow.
*In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Samus's suit proceeds to glow and is surrounded by several light orbs before they proceed to merge with her visor. She then clutches the back of her head before turning to the right.
*In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Samus has a purple hexagon marking emerge from the floor and has blackened images surrounding her as light is transferred to her visor. It then has a zoom-up of her visor which has opaque data-esque graphics before turning back to its usual form. She then turns around with her visor temporarily flashing the new visor setting.
===Controls===
In both Prime and Echoes, Visors are activated by pressing the Control Pad button on the corresponding icon shown on the bottom-left corner of view. This is in parallel to Beam icons, which is set to bottom-right. In all Wii versions of the Prime series, only the icon of the current Visor in use is displayed and holding down the Visor button (- by default) will bring up Samus's list of Visors in a 3-way split selection. The pointer is then used to hover over a visor spot, where releasing - will activate the Visor the cursor was hovering over. The small circle in the center is the default view and can automatically be entered at any time by quickly pressing the Visor button once. In all versions of both the Gamecube and Wii versions of the Prime trilogy, an option is present to "swap beam & visor controls". This reverses the directions the beam controls and visor icons are displayed on, swapping both positions with each other so that the Visor controls and respective Gamecube icons are on the bottom-right corner (activated with the C-stick on Gamecube, or + on Wii), and the Beam icons and functions are on the left-hand side.
==Official data==
===Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes manuals===
;VISORS
:"The symbols here correspond to Samus's different visors. Each one is mapped to a direction on the +Control Pad--simply press the +Control Pad in the appropriate direction to select that Visor."
;BEHIND THE VISORS / VISOR VISION
:"Samus's most important tool is her suit, and it can provide her with a wealth of information by interfacing with various visors. Samus will start the game with two--the standard Combat Visor and the Scan Visor--but eventually she'll use four, each of which can be accessed easily by pressing different directions on the +Control Pad."
;VISORS (Options)
:Adjust Samus's helmet and visor opacity, toggle the helmet display lag, and turn the hint system on or off.
===Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide===
;Visors
:"There are several Visors available to you. You begin the game with the Combat and Scan Visors, but eventually you'll find the Thermal and X-ray Visors. Each Visor is used for a different purpose, which we'll cover later. To switch between them, just press on the +Control Pad in the proper direction."
===Metroid Prime Official Strategy Guide===
;VISORS
:"Visors play a key role in Metroid Prime for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that both scanning and combat are made easier with the presence of Visors. As the game progresses, more Visors are added and they ultimately allow you to see areas (and upgrades) that you otherwise wouldn't have been able to see!"
===Metroid Prime Official Perfect Guide===
;The Visor Display
:"The Visor is the window through which you see the game-world outside of your helmet. In the Options screen, you can adjust the opacity of not just the Visor's surface, but also the HUD (heads-up display) graphics running around the edges of the frame--you can make the HUD graphics anywhere from faint to invisible should you find them distracting. Their presence, however, can be beneficial. The meter running up the left side alerts you to the danger level of the surrounding area, which increases with the number of enemies and the degree of their threat. The horizontal meter at the top shows you the amount of energy left in your current Energy Tank; the squares above the meter represent the total number of Energy Tanks currently in your inventory, with dimmed squares representing depleted Energy Tanks. (For more information, see Energy and Energy Tanks below.) In the upper-right of the screen you'll see a detail of the map in which you're currently located. This map will rotate in real time as your own direction changes; your position is marked by the small arrow located in the center of the x, y, and z-axes of the map. The radar graphic on the HUD alerts you to the vicinity and location of all monsters within a radius of several hundred feet from your position. The Missile icon on the right side and the adjacent number correspond to the number of Missiles currently in your reserve. Finally, at the bottom left and bottom right, you'll find two "cross"-patterns that correspond to the active Visor, and the active Arm Cannon weapon respectively.To switch Visors, press the direction on the Control Pad (Directional Pad) that corresponds to the Visor as represented by its icon on the HUD graphic. (You start off with the Combat and Scan Visors; the others must be searched for in the course of the game.)"
===Metroid Prime 3: Corruption manual===
;VISORS (VISOR-SELECT)
:"HOLD DOWN [-] AND A VISOR MENU WILL SUPERIMPOSE OVER THE GAME SCREEN, ALLOWING YOU TO QUICKLY SELECT A DIFFERENT VISOR BY SIMPLY POINTING TO ITS SECTION OF THE SCREEN AND RELEASING [-]. USE THE SCAN VISOR (TOP SECTION) TO SCAN HIGHLIGHTED OBJECTS FOR INFORMATION BY LOCKING ON TO THEM WITH THE [Z]. THE COMMAND VISOR (RIGHT SECTION) ALLOWS YOU TO CALL YOUR SHIP BY LOCKING ON TO LANDING ICONS IN SPECIFIED AREAS. TO RETURN TO YOUR COMBAT VISOR, SIMPLY SELECT THE CENTRE SECTION ON THE VISOR-SELECT SCREEN OR TAP [-] (WHILE USING THE SCAN VISOR OR COMMAND VISOR, JUST PRESS [A]."
===Metroid Prime Trilogy manual===
;Visors
:"Samus has four visors she can use, each with varying functions. Try to utilize the special characteristics of each one as you search the planet/environment and defeat [your] enemies."*
VISOR SELECTION SCREEN - (Visor Select Screen under Prime)
Metroid Prime/Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
"If you press and hold , point to the visor you want to use, and let go of , you'll change your visor. Try to move ahead in the game by utilizing each function. Additionally, by equipping visors other than Combat Visor, you can change back to Combat Visor by tapping on ."
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
"If you press and hold , point to the visor you want to use, and let go of , you can change the visor. Try to move ahead in the game utilizing each visor's function. Additionally, to go back to the basic screen (Combat Visor), point to the center of the visor-selection screen and let go of , or quickly press ."
*("your" is not used in the Prime description. Planet is used in Prime and Echoes's description, whereas it is replaced by "environment" in Corruption's description.)
===Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide===
;Visors
:"You begin the game with the Combat Visor and the Scan Visor, and you'll acquire additional visors throughout your adventure. You can learn everything you need to know about yourself, your health and the surrounding environs from these handy little gadgets."
===Metroid Official Site interview===
===Nintendo Power Volume 162, page 37===
;VISOR
:"The visor is Samus’s window on the world, and you’ll use it to experience all the wonders and terrors of Tallon IV. But the visor is much more than an armored windshield – it also displays data on enemy life forms and unknown objects. When you begin Metroid Prime, you have two visors: the Scan Visor and the Combat Visor. As you move through the game, you will gain visor upgrades – such as the Thermal Visor – that give Samus an upper hand against her foes."
===Metroid Prime Remastered store page===
"Signature abilities of the Metroid Prime series, the Power Suit’s selectable user interfaces help Samus analyze and interact with the world around her. The Scan Visor allows Samus to investigate objects and enemies from an accumulated database. Upgrades like the Thermal Visor and X-ray Visor allow Samus to see her environment in new ways."
===Nintendo of Europe tweet===
"If you’re unsure how to progress in #MetroidPrimeRemastered, try using one of Samus’ Visors to change up your perspective!"Nintendo of Europe. 27 February 2023 9:01 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/1630206403225763843
==Development notes==
Jack Mathews said that the visors in the Metroid Prime series are "mostly my baby". The biggest challenge in engineering them was keeping the game running at 60 frames per second while they were active.Kiwi Talkz. "#116 - Jack Mathews Interview (Metroid Prime Trilogy, Prototypes, Business, Armature Studios etc.)". YouTube. November 26, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2022. (starts at 21:02) The Combat Visor served as the "baseline" from which the other visors were built.Jack Mathews (jack_mathews). "Metroid Prime Dev - 60fps Visors. I get asked a lot how we held 60fps with four visors. The short answer is to make one visor the "baseline," and make sure the others perform as well or better, with tech or design. 1/7 The baseline, of course, is the default visor. This is an unmolested view of the world, it has the gun, lightmaps, and allows for plenty of combat. It has to be the most beautiful, because it's the one you see the most. 2/7 Then we have the scan visor. It has the baseline, plus more UI, markers, a zoom window, etc. But it doesn't have the gun, projectiles, and their lights. All that perf goes to the visor. 3/7 The thermal visor does have combat and particles. Where do we get perf? No static lightmaps. We turn off all world lighting, and the post-process filters are just a palette lookup. 4/7 X-Ray Visor (done by Ted Chauviere) also has combat and lets you see through things. Sort of. Only enemies and your gun are see-through. Everything else is pretty much the same, and "invisible" objects are just models turned on and off. 5/7 We also render with a white-to-black "fog" that also means we don't render far-away objects, and it's rendered at a lower resolution and blurred. 6/7 Bonus visor: Morph Ball Camera! This is pretty much a visor - instead of gun and particles, we have world shadows projected on the ball surface (RIP Andy O'Neal), a projected shadow under the ball, and a constant dynamic light. 7/7" 16 November 2022 9:26 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/jack_mathews/status/1593068089394237443
===Mike Wikan comments===
==Symbols==
Combat.gif|The Combat Visor symbol
Scan.gif|The Scan Visor symbol
Thermal.gif|The Thermal Visor symbol
X-ray.gif|The X-Ray Visor symbol
Dark.gif|The Dark Visor symbol
File:Echo.gif|The Echo Visor symbol
Corruption Scan.svg|The Scan Visor symbol seen in Corruption
Command.svg|The Command Visor symbol
Corruption X-Ray.svg|The X-Ray Visor symbol seen in Corruption
==Gallery==
Commercialvisor.PNG|Early first person view of a Gawron in the Metroid II: Return of Samus commercial.
NPC!_MP_Screen_1.png|Combat Visor in Metroid Prime
Deck_Beta_Security_Hall_Auto_Turret_Scan_Images_Dolphin_HD.jpg|Scan Visor in Metroid Prime
Thermal_Visor.png|Thermal Visor
X-Ray_Visor_Prime.png|X-Ray Visor in Metroid Prime
Darkvisorseesapiratecommandoinsanc.jpg|Dark Visor
Echovisor.jpg|Echo Visor
Command_Visor.jpg|Command Visor
In-game_joke_X-ray_visor.png|Samus acquires the X-Ray Visor in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
X-Ray_Gandrayda.png|X-Ray Visor in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
Corruption Samus Screen Visors.png|Visors highlighted in the Corruption Status Screen (the entire helmet is highlighted).
VisorsScan.png|Scan images for the Visors Inventory category in Corruption.
Scope.PNG|X-Ray Scope power-up in Super Metroid.
X-Ray Scope.png|X-Ray Scope in Super Metroid.
Nintendo Direct Prime Remaster Visor Demonstration.gif|A demonstration visual of Samus's visor from a Nintendo Direct video, for Metroid Prime Remastered.
Prime Beetles Visor Chozo Ruins Scan Inventory.jpg|Danny Richardson HUD designs.
Hd_e1e7cad365e777ede8acdf5f13c7989d.jpg	
Beetles Thermal X-Ray Morph Ball Danny Richardson.jpg
Danny Richardson Visor 2.jpg
Danny Richardson Visor 1.jpg
===Videos===
center|thumb|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
==Trivia==
*In the Wii versions of the Prime series games, except the Metroid Prime version, the four lights on top of the Visor display the remaining battery life for the Wii remote in use. This is useful for quick reference on how much battery life is left without having to press the Home button.
*The names of the Dark and Echo Visors make a reference to the Japanese name of Prime 2: Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes.
*In the 1990 and 1991 versions of The Power Game Calendar, Samus's visor is circular in a manner similar to an antiquated diving suit helmet. This was because of the 3D modeling that was done from her NES sprites.
*Throughout the entire Metroid series, the main color of Samus's visor differs between cyan and lime from all appearances in almost all Metroid titles and forms of media released (such as promotional artwork). It is possible the change in color could be due to reflection. Unique instances of Visor coloration are noted below:
**Some of artwork images from Super Metroid depict Samus's Gravity Suit with a black visor.
**In Metroid Prime, the Phazon Suit gives off an orange tint in-game and a red tint in certain promo figures.
**In Metroid Fusion, Samus's sprites have a green visor but in cutscene images, the visor is blue. The only exception is the final suit obtained, which shares the sprite's green visor at all times. Interestingly in Prime, all of the Fusion Suits shown have a blue visor. The blue visor was later kept in for all Fusion Suits worn in Metroid: Samus Returns. 
**In Metroid: Zero Mission, Samus's ingame sprites depict a green visor for all suits but have a blue visor during cutscene images containing the standard Power Suit or standard Varia Suit. The Gravity Suit always has a green visor.
***Curiously, Prime depicts the Gravity Suit with a blue visor.
==See also==
*Visor cutscene glitch
==References==
ru:Забрало
Category:Visors
Category:Danny Richardson
Category:Chozo technology
Category:Space Pirate technology
Category:Galactic Federation technology
Category:Luminoth Technology