Light gun suggestions for modern TV's

cheepo on 31/10/2024 - 14:16
Last edited 31/10/2024 - 16:12

Curious to see if we have any other gamers among us who have splurged money on a modern light gun (Gun4IR, Sinden, Aimtrack etc.)? There are some older light gun games that I would like to revisit and find myself gravitating to arcade light gun games whenever I am in places likes Timezone. I have old Wiimotes and purchased a dolphin bar some years back but that's no longer cutting it.

Beside it needing to work on a modern TV, I want the option of easily adding a foot pedal at some point (long time fan of the Time Crisis series) and a decent recoil - 'similar' to what you would find on a Point Blank arcade gun. I have access to a 3D printer and have some basic soldering skills I can utilise. I'm trying to keep the budget modest and under $300 for the light gun alone if possible for now as I know it won't be part of my regular gaming.

Did you go down the DIY route or purchase a pre-made from a seller? What would you suggest in terms of compatibility and ease of use?

Gaming Game Controller

Comments

  • theHMASfriendship on 31/10/2024 - 14:35
    +6

    I have a similar question about ray gun suggestions for modern dancing

    • cheepo on 31/10/2024 - 15:15

      You should have asked much sooner if are still wondering after nearly 3 months!

  • [Deactivated] on 31/10/2024 - 15:25

    Good question, I’m interested to know myself. I still own Time Crisis and Time Crisis Project Titan on the PS1, Time Crisis 2, 3 and Crisis Zone on the PS2, and Time Crisis 4 on the PS3, plus 1x Namco GunCon PS1 light gun, 2x Namco GunCon 2 PS2 light guns, and 2x Namco GunCon 3 PS3 light guns. With the exception of Time Crisis 4 I haven’t played these games in years because the light guns aren’t compatible with modern TVs and I don’t own a CRT TV anymore. Man I miss playing these games.

    • cheepo on 31/10/2024 - 15:54
      +1

      If I had that collection AND had the room space to accommodate, I would seriously invest in a CRT. If that's not an option, then there are workarounds to getting new light guns to work conjunctionally with old hardware and new TV's. You can get Sinden light guns to work on original hardware but takes some tinkering.

      https://www.sindenwiki.org/wiki/OG_Console_Setup_Guide

      You can play some PS3 light gun games if you have a Move Controllers and PS3 Camera. I occasionally still play "Time Crisis Razing Storm" on the PS3 as it also includes Time Crisis 4 and Deadstorm Pirates on the one disc and because it's "move compatible". You'll also need a gun attachment to house the move controller as it's otherwise awkward to play. It's not overly responsive but my only current solution to playing those 3 particular games.

      Edit: GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, Killzone 3, and House of the Dead Overkill can also be played this way on the PS3 apparently.

      • [Deactivated] on 31/10/2024 - 17:16

        I also own Time Crisis Razing Storm on the PS3, as well as the original PS3 release of Time Crisis 4. I never purchased a PS move, however the Namco GunCon 3 light guns I own are compatible with LCD TVs and Plasma TVs (you need to mount 2 sensors on the left and right sides of the screen for the GunCon 3 to work), I’m not sure whether the GunCon 3 works safely with OLED TVs though, I’ve never tried it.

        I’ve thought about purchasing a used CRT TV just for playing them, but I don’t really have the space for a larger CRT TV. I kind of regret getting rid of the Sony 68cm CRT TV that I bought in 2004 when I bought my first LCD TV in 2006, or not taking my brother up on his offer when he offered to give me his 78cm widescreen 720p/1080i HD Toshiba CRT TV in 2008 when he bought his first LCD TV.

        • cheepo on 31/10/2024 - 17:44
          +2

          I'm not sure about Guncon 3 compatibility either on OLED's but dare say they would work if they have their own separate tracking sensors. Sinden and Gun4IR operate in the same way as they rely on their sensors that need to be mounted. The guns won't work independently.

  • ihfree on 31/10/2024 - 15:37
    +2

    There's a old thread on the topic - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/571325

    Been tempted before , but most of the guns are outside of the price range for a impulse purchase. IIRC, the Sinden was the best option based on my research a few years ago.

    • cheepo on 31/10/2024 - 16:09

      I can see why most are likely impulse purchases but I have been contemplating buying one for a few years now and occasionally still need to resort to intricate setups at home to play some of these games (see comment above). I agree that Sinden was likely the best option back then (in 2020) but I have since discovered Gun4IR and that seems better in my view in terms of compatibility and less tinkering when switching between games. I know I'll quickly lose interest if I spend more time setting things up then actually playing.

  • b4n4n4 on 31/10/2024 - 17:38
    +1

    2 options I'd suggest (I've done both).

    1) Buy a guncon1/guncon45 and replace the internals following the openfire build git.
    Fairly easy, looks good, but doesn't have slide recoil, only physical feedback from an internal solenoid and a rumble motor.

    2) Print an odcon1 and follow the openfire build but you'll need a 24v solenoid for the slide action.
    A little more involved as you need to print more parts, looks good if your printer is good and has the full slide recoil.

    Pretty much all the diy builds (gun4IR/gun4All/openfire) use a dfrobot IR Camera, microcontroller, solenoid and rumble motor in the gun and ir leds on the outside edges of the screen.

    Rough cost for electronics:
    Raspberry pi Pico clone ~$4
    Dfrobot IR camera ~$35-$40
    5v Rumble motor ~$5
    12v solenoid ~$5-10
    Misc parts (resistors, MOSFETs, diodes, leds, etc)
    <$20

    I got fancy with mine and got custom PCBs printed for the solenoid and rumble driver circuits $10 on jlcpcb.

    Any other questions feel free to hit me up or jump on the openfire discord, they're pretty helpful.

    • cheepo on 31/10/2024 - 19:19

      Appreciate you providing a breakdown of prices for parts and 3D printing the outer shell myself seemed more likely as I can't seem to find a cheap Guncon locally (at least not at a reasonable price).

      DIY seems the most cost efficient but my knowledge of electronics and soldering skills is fairly barebones and connecting everything to the Microboard seems the most difficult.

      Which firmware are you running for your light gun? Did you end up purchasing a Gun4IR license or was this not required? Where did you get the info on the actual internal/electronics build? This is the part I am most having most trouble with but then again, I haven't joined any Reddit or Discord forums.

      • b4n4n4 on 01/11/2024 - 01:46

        I'm running openfire
        https://github.com/TeamOpenFIRE/OpenFIRE-Firmware

        It has wiring diagrams for most Pico boards, a bill of materials and links to tutorials for the driver boards and leds.

        • cheepo on 02/11/2024 - 10:07

          I'll start looking into Openfire again. For some reason I had the impression it was still under development and was not ready for use yet.

  • Switchblade88 on 31/10/2024 - 18:21

    It might be rather tangential, but a 3D-printed shroud on a Quest 2 controller would be a poor man's simulacra. Probably not what you're looking for… though Pistol Whip is definitely fun - and it DOES offer a broader range of experiences

    • ihfree on 31/10/2024 - 18:26

      As mentioned in the old thread there's also EmuVR

    • cheepo on 31/10/2024 - 19:01

      Thanks for the suggestion. I did consider going down down this route also but no plans of getting a Quest any time soon.

  • AndyC1 on 31/10/2024 - 19:40

    Better to check out the mame forums for light guns than OZB.

    Google "mame light gun lcd" and start reading.

    I was thinking a few years ago about going down the WII remote path with a LED bar, but thought this would be too much work for Duck Hunt.

  • dan2k on 01/11/2024 - 08:08
    +1

    I bought a retroshooter set about a year ago. https://retroshooter.com/
    two guns with pedals, sensors, pandorasbox and hub (for connecting to PC) was US$320 delivered to Melbourne.

    The guns have recoil, and are a little finiky to zero in but once you figure it out it works ok. You get 4 IR emitters to put around the screen and the gun just plots a point between them when you shoot so it doesn't matter what kind of screen you are using.

    The emulated retroshooters you get are fun but you soon realise how shit the old graphics were on some of the old consoles, and how hard it is to hit those guys in timecrysis.
    I tried out a teknoparrot download on my PC using the hub and it worked really well, some good modern games there.

    The only thing I need to 3d print are holsters to mount on my cabinet.

    • dan2k on 01/11/2024 - 08:39
      +1

      I should add they apparently don't sell the bundle with the pandoras box now, probably decided it was easier to just sell the lightguns. I'd prefer it without anyway as it works fine with batocera, etc. (my bundle is still on their site you just can't buy it - https://retroshooter.com/rs5/) :(

      • cheepo on 02/11/2024 - 09:58

        I had totally forgotten about the Retro Shooters after seeing a bunch of YouTube reviews last year. These might need to be a consideration if I don't go DIY and compatibility is good. Cheers.

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