How come they never made a light gun??!

[alexsduo]

Hey, I was just wondering if anyone knew whey there was no light gun made.. I mean they have one for almost every system, but I do not know of any light gun games for any TG or PCE stuff... Maybe there was some kind of hardware limitation or something like that?

Alex

[Necromancer]

No hardware limitations, they simply weren't very popular (especially so in Japan).  Considering the small size of the Turbo market in the US (where light guns sell best... 'cause we're all cowboys or something), the sales potential was almost non-existent and hardly worth the risk.

[Turbo D]

It's funny that us Americans being cowboys and all didn't get that cool cowboy pistol Japan got with the Famicom light gun games (not that I didn't enjoy my zapper back in the day.) But I digress, hahaha. Anyways, I don't think that the PC-Engine got any light gun games for the aforementioned reason: they didn't sell well in Japan. I'm sure that the PC-Engine hardware was more than capable of supporting one. Maybe the homebrewers on this forum will make one, heh.

[Joe Redifer]

Cowboys are stupid.  However people with guns are bad-ass.  I like it when people use guns.  There should have been a gun.  Japan started it with their arcade games that use guns.

[Arkhan]

The hardware would def. be able to handle a light gun. 

I think at the time of the Turbo's release, the light gun fad was crapped out for the time being.  Shoot em ups and all of that were more important.

If it was released a few years earlier or a few years later it prolly would have got one.

[alexsduo]

It would have been really cool... I mean the zapper brings back so many great memories of capping ducks, and trying to kill that stupid dog.  You got the Zapper, the Menacer, justifier, Sega Master light phaser, the Super Scope, the Saturn gun, xbox gun (sucked) Guncon, Guncon 2, Wii gun, ps3 (not sure about xbox360) and there maybe more!

We love our guns especially in America, so it only seems natural to have the light gun and bring it to kids. The turbo grafx is, in my opinion, the most notable video game system without any kind of gun.  I don't think it would have been a bad idea, or as risky as you may think... Parents may be the only opposition to light guns, I doubt any kids would have been against it...

I think it could have made the TG more popular here in the states...Imagine how sleek it could have been, with a laser pointer, and it could have clicked (like the point blank arcade guns) and the colors and sprites, mmmm... Gunboat could have been cooler...

I say, lets make it happen....

-Alex

[Joe Redifer]

The problem with that is that CRT TVs are going away and they need CRT TVs to work unless you are willing to hang a whole bunch of IR stuff on your TV.  Also, you need hardware makers and software designers.  Good luck!  I suppose a quick way would be to develop a SMS to TG-16 adaptor thingy so you could use the Sega Light Phaser.

[SignOfZeta]

This is a valid question. NEC made a simply stupid amount of hardware at least have of it must have sold worse than a light gun would have.

[esteban]

I'm going to play Operation Wolf on my PCE, sans light pistol, and I'm going to love it.

That's right: sans light pistol.

[Necromancer]

NEC made a simply stupid amount of hardware at least have of it must have sold worse than a light gun would have.

True, but there's a big difference between light guns, which had already been unsuccessfully marketed numerous times, and the various low volume peripherals made for the PCE; most of the rare PCE products were intentionally niche items that were priced high to compensate for expected low sales (LT), relatively unique items that hadn't already been tried by others (Illustration and Print Boosters), or variations of existing hardware that didn't cost much to produce (Shuttle).  The Menacer and the Super Scope were both expensive and unpopular with only a handful of games ever produced, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that NEC didn't want to toss their hat in the ring.

[Arkhan]

to be honest, i dont even give a rats ass about the lightgun on NES.   duck hunt is boring.


I only use it for Bayou Billy and you have to be high on meth and demented to enjoy that game :-D

the only light gun I ever truly enjoyed was the super scope.


unless you count saturn/PS1 with Time Crisis and stuff, but that is a different story all together.   Thats the era where light guns were good.

[MotherGunner]

I like guns.  But remember.  We got the badass super scope six here in the US

[TheClash603]

PCE with a light gun and arcade perfect version of Chiller would be a dream come true.  Maybe the NEC 2010 will come with a light gun and Chiller 2?

[Tatsujin]

lol..those old 4bit stand alone consoles from the early 70s could handle a light gun perfectly, why an uber might PCE shouldn't then?

NEC was to much concentrated in advanced and obscure add-ons, that making a simple light gun.

[Arkhan]

What NES/SMS/Genesis games really made super fun use of the light gun anyways.

Hogans Alley was lame and Duck Hunt is well, duck hunt.

and Lethal Enforcers..... euhhhh.  I guess....kind of.

I think maybe Rambo, Bayou Billy, and thats about it as far as great action + gun went.

Maybe they saw the other consoles lack of it being a key factor to the consoles success as a "why bother".

PCE is too cool for parlor games.

...but an anime heavy CD game supporting the light gun that plays like a cartoon'd up version of virtua cop would have been so kick ass.

esp if the characters were all hot top heavy chicks in cop outfits.

kinda like burn up.

yeah! Just like that.