Sinden is Bringing Light Gun Games Back to Modern TVs

Do you look back fondly at games like Duck Hunt, Lethal Enforcers, House of the Dead, Virtua Cop, and other light gun games for classic systems? Unfortunately, while there are plenty of ways to go back and play retro games on devices like a Raspberry Pi, there’s no way to go back and play light gun games on modern TVs, as they require tube TVs in order to function.

However, Sinden Technology is looking to bring light gun gaming to the 21st century with a new piece of technology that promises to make the games work on modern displays. Not only does it allow retro games to work, but it even promises to add some new technology that’ll make the experience even better than it was back in the day.

The Sinden Lightgun

Currently, the folks at Sinden have a working prototype for its light gun, which means backers of the Kickstarter will actually be able to get their hands on one fairly soon and start playing games.

However, according to the creator, the actual light gun is “the first part of a larger ambitious project which is to restore the Lightgun genre by removing the technological blockers.” Not only is it a new piece of hardware, but it’s also a completely new technology.

The gun promises to interact directly with the TV without any additional hardware (like the Wii, which requires a sensor bar). It promises to remain accurate even as you move around the room thanks to a new form of tracking.

The prototype is 3D printed and features a high-speed camera, a CPU, USB interface, a trigger, four assignable action buttons, and a pump action reload feature. The final design will have an additional four assignable buttons, bringing the total to eight.

At this time, there are drivers for Windows and Linux (which includes the Raspberry Pi for any Retro Pi users out there). The creator is working on other OSes, but time will tell whether those come to fruition.

For the time being, the device will be used to play retro light gun games, but the creator says his “long term goal is to bring back the Lightgun to the masses and get brand new Lightgun games made.”

Sinden Lightgun Price and Availability

Right now, backers of the project can get a light gun for about $103 (£80). If you want to get one with the additional recoil feature, the price is around $168 (£130). The creator plans to ship the light guns in October 2019.

If you love retro games, check out this list of crazy valuable games for the NES.

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