Say It Ain't So ... Moe --- A Light Gun Question

h8b1llg8ts

I don't know if this is for Moe's or not but I thought it's as much gaming related so I'll start here.

Just about to make the long jump into a new TV and was just about to purchase a new 48" LCD tomorrow. But while looking around for some old Light Gun games some where it mentioned that they may not work on LCD's.

And since I have a ton of Zapper, Super Scope, and even Stunner games I can't imagine that I will now have to pay more to play them occasionally.

PikaPuff

I'm pretty sure light guns up to time crisis 3 require CRT.

TheSonicRetard

A light gun won't work with an LCD screen. It has to do with how the light guns work. There are two method that old light guns used in order to detect input. The first is called Sequential targeting, and what it involves is a small photodiode which can detect bright white light. When you pull the trigger, for a split second, the entire screen turns black, except for a single target which turns white. The photodiode, when looking through the gun barrel, can only recieve light from the TV, so if it's pointing at a white point, it knows that the current selected target has been hit.

The game quickly flashes through all the targets, turning them one by one into black outlines, and the gun records when, in the sequence, it detected light. So the target which was selected during the sequence is killed off.

The other method is called CRT Timing, and involves counting scanlines to reduce the ammount of time needed to sequence through all targets.

LCD screens don't output light like CRTs do, meaning an LCD cannot be used with older light guns. Modern light guns use dual to quad IR sensors to determine, with real world positioning, where the gun is pointed.

h8b1llg8ts

TheSonicRetard wrote: »

A light gun won't work with an LCD screen. It has to do with how the light guns work. There are two method that old light guns used in order to detect input. The first is called Sequential targeting, and what it involves is a small photodiode which can detect bright white light. When you pull the trigger, for a split second, the entire screen turns black, except for a single target which turns white. The photodiode, when looking through the gun barrel, can only recieve light from the TV, so if it's pointing at a white point, it knows that the current selected target has been hit.

The game quickly flashes through all the targets, turning them one by one into black outlines, and the gun records when, in the sequence, it detected light. So the target which was selected during the sequence is killed off.

The other method is called CRT Timing, and involves counting scanlines to reduce the ammount of time needed to sequence through all targets.

LCD screens don't output light like CRTs do, meaning an LCD cannot be used with older light guns. Modern light guns use dual to quad IR sensors to determine, with real world positioning, where the gun is pointed.

So will a Plasma TV be able to run off my old Light Gun games?

AfroJ

The superscope will work on LCDs because it uses IR to locate where you fired.

Mr_Grinch

LCD Topgun:

http://www.ntsc-uk.com/feature.php?featuretype=hdw&fea=LCDTopGun

Solution to your problem for some games. I bought one and it worked great, I've barely used it yet though so I'm giving it to Lewiep. Compatible with PS2, Xbox and PC (Mame apparently according to the instruction manual).

You're stuck with regard to the older stuff though I'm afraid.

TheSonicRetard

AfroJ wrote: »

The superscope will work on LCDs because it uses IR to locate where you fired.

No it doesn't. The Superscope uses CRT Timing. It's IR is not used for location, it's used for communication. Like all old wireless controllers, it needs a way to communicate with the SNES, which, in this case, is IR. Again, it doesn't use IR for location, it uses it for communication. It's method of finding it's location is just CRT Timing, like the menacer.

EDIT: And no, plasma won't work either.

Mr_Grinch

I don't want to delve too much in to this as i've been infracted before for it, but if you had the LCD topgun you could play a number of classic games using the topgun being lots of..erm... software supports it.

h8b1llg8ts

Lastly what about Rear Projection?

I'm really trying here boys and girls ...

TheSonicRetard

h8b1llg8ts wrote: »

Lastly what about Rear Projection?

I'm really trying here boys and girls ...

rear projection won't work either. Rear Projection works like a shadow box, with an image being projected onto a screen.

You need actual, unfiltered light to be shooting out of the TV, which you'll only get with a CRT.

Daedalus

Will an HD CRT (direct-view, not rear projection) work? Now I'm curious.

And I own an HDCRT.

Gihgehls

That is a good question. If it can display an analog signal without preprocessing the image, then it should work! If it holds on to the image for processing before displaying it, you are likely sunk.

h8b1llg8ts

Gihgehls wrote: »

That is a good question. If it can display an analog signal without preprocessing the image, then it should work! If it holds on to the image for processing before displaying it, you are likely sunk.

But who seriously knows about that info when you buy the TV?

How funny is that going to look when I walk in with my SNES in one hand, my Super Scope straped to my back, with my PS3 and a copy of Commando in the other.

"Where's your TV's, Mister?"

liquidlogan

TheSonicRetard wrote: »

h8b1llg8ts wrote: »

Lastly what about Rear Projection?

I'm really trying here boys and girls ...

rear projection won't work either. Rear Projection works like a shadow box, with an image being projected onto a screen.

You need actual, unfiltered light to be shooting out of the TV, which you'll only get with a CRT.

I specifically remember playing Time Crisis (1 or 2 I'm not sure) on my rear projection TV, so that is weird (considering its the only TV we have, it had to be the rear projector).