The NES Zapper is a pistol-shaped electronic light gun sold as part of an original NES system. Early Zappers were gray, but later the color was changed to orange, due to the fact that many likened the device too much to an actual gun. It allowed players to aim at the TV and, depending on the game, shoot pixelated ducks, clay pigeons, gangsters, terrorists, and many other obvious targets.

When the trigger was pulled, the game blanked out the screen with a black background for one frame, then, for one additional frame, drew a solid white rectangle around the sprite you were supposed to be shooting at. The photodiode at the back of the Zapper would detect these changes in intensity and send a signal to the NES to indicate whether it was over a lit pixel or not. A drop followed by a spike in intensity signaled a hit. Multiple sprites were supported by flashing a solid white rectangle around each potential sprite, one per frame.

The orange Zapper appears as the weapon used by the title character of Captain N: The Game Master, a cartoon and comic book series.

Games

• The Adventures of Bayou Billy
• Baby Boomer
• Barker Bill's Trick Shooting
• Chiller
• Duck Hunt
• Freedom Force
• Gotcha!
• Gumshoe
• Hogan's Alley
• Laser Invasion
• The Lone Ranger
• Mechanized Attack
• Operation Wolf
• Shooting Range
• To the Earth
• Track & Field II
• Wild Gunman

See also

• Super Scope
• List of NES accessories

External link

• The Zapper FAQ