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Revolution GunCon Concepts

Posted by Zonk on from the blam dept.

IGN is showing off some interesting GunCon concepts that would slot together with the remote controller the Revolution is going to use. From the article: "Some mock-ups of a pistol-and-pointer combo have already hit the Web. But what about a shotgun-style attachment perfectly suited for dual-handed comfort? Nintendo itself could make use of the device by packaging it with an old classic that is long overdue for a Revolution remake. Of course, we're referring to the beloved Duck Hunt, which came to popularity on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the late 80s."

60 comments

  1. Forget Duck Hunt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I remember an old "Shoot the robbers" type game, and points were taken off if you shot civilians.

    Anyone know the name of this NES classic?

    1. Re:Forget Duck Hunt by prator · · Score: 1

      It was Hogan's Alley.

      http://www.consoleclassix.com/gameinfo_hogansalley _nes.php

      -prator

    2. Re:Forget Duck Hunt by tktk · · Score: 1
      I used to love that shoot-the-cans levels. That is, until I and a friend removed the magnifier(?) lens from the barrel. Then we discovered that if you sat about 5 feet away and pointed at the center of the screen, every shot would get registered as a hit.

      Juggling cans with guns is much harder in real life.

    3. Re:Forget Duck Hunt by rubberbando · · Score: 1

      I did something simular playing Gumshoe on a B&W TV.

      If you adjusted the brightness and contrast just right and shot at the screen, everything would get hit at once and yet it would only use up 1 bullet. :D

      --
      DEAD DEAD DEAD DELETE ME
  2. They could name it.. by FLAGGR · · Score: 4, Funny

    Duck Hunt 2: Screw the Ducks, Shoot The Dog

    1. Re:They could name it.. by vettemph · · Score: 1

      >Screw the Ducks, Shoot the Dog.

      Looks like multiple PeTA violations here. oh, and the FBI is cracking down on deviant porn so don't take pictures of the duck activity.

      --
      The government which is strong enough to protect you from everything is strong enough to take everything from you.
    2. Re:They could name it.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You could shoot the dog in the original Duck Hunt. It ended your bonus round if you did, though. Too bad that part never made it to the NES version.

  3. I give it about 7 days... by Toddarooski · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...until Jack Thompson uses these mock-ups to prove how videogames are nothing but "murder simulators." (Sigh.)

    --

    "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!"

    1. Re:I give it about 7 days... by nmaster64 · · Score: 1

      You have no idea how right you may be... ...with all the media against violent video games these days, I fear Nintendo may be too afraid to release a lightgun device...

    2. Re:I give it about 7 days... by FidelCatsro · · Score: 1

      games have never given me the urge to commit violent acts .. However the last time I read something by the venerable Mr Thompson I had this overriding urge to commit murder .

      --
      The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
    3. Re:I give it about 7 days... by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 1

      However the last time I read something by the venerable Mr Thompson I had this overriding urge to commit murder.

      Yeah, Hunter was a real trip - you could a contact high just from reading Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas...

      --
      When information is power, privacy is freedom.
    4. Re:I give it about 7 days... by Meagermanx · · Score: 1

      Their controler is a freakin' lightgun!!

      While we're discussing lightguns, though, I personally want a full sized sniper rifle lightgun, maybe packaged with a Silent Scope kind of game. I also think a pump action shotgun would be cool. All I really want is a cool "Ka-Chink" sound when you pump it, though.

    5. Re:I give it about 7 days... by ReverendHoss · · Score: 1

      That could be fantastic for OUR side.

      If Nintendo goes after non-traditional gamers, and brings them into the fold, Thompson could face a backlash. If gamers' mothers start being told that the Revolution that they play Pikmin 4 and Nintendogs Revolution on is nothing but a murderer simulator, they should realize that Thompson is full of it.

      Converting more people to casual gamers is probably our best defense against attacks from loons.

    6. Re:I give it about 7 days... by owyn999 · · Score: 1

      YES!!!... this is an awsome Idea... Silent Scope for the Revolution... of course this also opens up Police 911 and the Boxing games from the mall...

      --
      Where's that cap to the Decanter of Endless water???
  4. omg.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    omg, imagine all the angry politions after gta come to the rev.

  5. Flash prototype by tepples · · Score: 3, Informative

    You might like Kill the Dog from Duck Hunt (SWF)

  6. I dont think this will be very useful... by iamnerd · · Score: 3, Insightful

    At least on the Revolution, the Revolution controller can already be used as a gun, the only thing this would do is add weight. It might sell on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 if they make it motion sensitive but I doubt it, as far as I know there hasn't ever been a killer-app light gun game unless you count Duck Hunt as a killer-app.

    1. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by danl125 · · Score: 1

      Yes, it can be used as a gun. But that's not the point. The point is that it's a square box, and not remotely (pun semi intended) like a gun. Personally, I like the Time Crisis series in the arcades because you have a realistic pistol in your hands. It's different than having a square box in your hand that you're aiming like a gun.

      What I'm trying to say is that yes, the controller can be aimed like a gun already, but I still believe a gun add on would be viable, just to add realism and feel to the game.

    2. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by Prophet+of+Nixon · · Score: 1

      House of the Dead 2 sold a lot of lightguns for the Dreamcast (though the best lightgun game on it was Confidential Mission, I think). There was also some cop game on the Genesis that came with a revolver-styled lightgun, which was very good as well... but I can't think of its name. I think it was from Konami.

    3. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Of course, none of these mockups fix what I think is the biggest problem with using the Revolution controller as a light gun. There's no gunsight on it. Any gun attachment that doesn't address this problem will be useless. Without a gunsight, the Revolution will have to put a crosshair on the screen to show you where you're aiming. Granted, painting a crosshair on the screen for traditional light gun games is impossible because of the way the gun detects where it's aimed only when the trigger is pulled, but I think it would take away too much of the fun of such games if aiming were dumbed down that far.

      Still, with the right attachment, the Revolution could easily become the home of some of the best shooting games of all time. For one thing, you'd only have to calibrate once, and the controller would compensate automatically if you moved during the game. Imagine playing Time Crisis and actually having to duck for cover, or even dodge stuff. Of course, "ducking" could be as simple as holding the gun so that it points up, which I've been doing all along anyway to rest my arms. Also, the crosshair issue I mentioned before could make for newbie-friendly shooting games, since new players could choose to rely on the on-screen crosshairs while advanced players turned them off and trusted their own aim.

    4. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by badasscat · · Score: 1

      There was also some cop game on the Genesis that came with a revolver-styled lightgun, which was very good as well... but I can't think of its name.

      Lethal Enforcers. Didn't sell all that well.

      HotD2 on DC didn't sell all that well either. In fact gun games haven't sold all that well for a lot of years. It's a niche genre at this point. (Note that this is not a qualitative judgment; I love gun games, and own many of them.)

      btw, I gotta take at least a little bit of an issue with the headline here - the GunCon is a specific brand of light gun made by Namco. The reason why people like it is that it hooks directly into your TV signal, unlike most light guns that simply read what's on your TV screen. This makes the GunCon series (really just two models) extremely accurate compared to other light guns.

      So when I read the headline about new "GunCon concepts" for the Revolution, I was excited at what Namco had cooking, especially given that it implied at the same time that they were working on gun games for the Revolution. No such luck, obviously; this is simply an article with renders of generic light guns that aren't from anybody in particular.

      It'd be nice if somebody could fix the headline. The way it's worded now is really no different than talking about a new Dual Shock controller for the Xbox, or a new Wavebird for the PS3, when you're really just talking about generic controllers.

    5. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by maxume · · Score: 1

      Some people (*me*) might think it's fun to pretend they are using a real gun. It comes down to point and shoot vs aim and shoot.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    6. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by Meagermanx · · Score: 1

      The problem with gun games is that they have limited replay value. They are designed to be played in arcades, so they can't take longer to beat than an hour or so, tops.
      What they should do is create an online distribution system for levels, and release a new campaign every month. For example, they could create an engine with an easy to use, flexible level editor, and then create a shooting game where your some sort of Enforcer who upholds the law Lethally. Then they could release new missions every month or so, that could be downloaded and played online, and it would only take a team of one or two guys to churn out levels.
      Step one: Create mesh. Step two: insert spawn points, paths, and shootables. Step three: Throw in a boss or two. Step four: Charge $2.50 to download.

    7. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by drspooky · · Score: 1

      House of the Dead 2 sold a lot of lightguns for the Dreamcast

      Yes, but how many keyboards did Typing of the Dead sell?

    8. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by xtracto · · Score: 1

      The problem with gun games is that they have limited replay value. They are designed to be played in arcades, so they can't take longer to beat than an hour or so, tops.

      I dont know. I remember playing a sinper game from Knomai in the arcades. I think counting that you have 2 kind of games now one is the normal shoot them up kind of game (ala Lethal Enforcers) and you could use have another more "stealth" like method using sniping.

      Now, personally I think it wont be too hard to mix the FPS genere with this kind of devices. Instead of moving the crosshair with an analog stick you could use the Revolution control to aim. And uou could always use the analog stick to actually move walk. It makes a lot of sense for me.

      --
      Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
    9. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by NotWorkSafe · · Score: 1

      Step one: Create mesh.
      Step two: insert spawn points, paths, and shootables.
      Step three: Throw in a boss or two.
      Step four: Charge $2.50 to download.

      Step five: Profit!

      --
      There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live.
    10. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by Meagermanx · · Score: 1

      That's step six.
      Step five is "..."

    11. Re:I dont think this will be very useful... by Prophet+of+Nixon · · Score: 1

      I once tried to convince my boss to put Typing of the Dead in the middle and high school typing labs here... he wouldn't have any of it, of course, but I had to try.

  7. Mini Gun? by vitaflo · · Score: 1

    The only problem with that Gun render is that the Rev controller is actually pretty small. That'd make that gun about a foot long. :/

  8. Here are more concepts for the Revolution by pnice · · Score: 1

    These are pretty decent quality and give a good idea of what the controller could do as well.
    http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/6853/wheel24to.jp g
    http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/5766/gun4qc.jpg
    http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/8940/revfish8qs .jpg

    --
    My Xbox Live Gamer Card
    1. Re:Here are more concepts for the Revolution by MentalMooMan · · Score: 1

      Care to post the page where you found those images (if they're not yours)?
      I found a cool bloggy thing that had images very similar to that, and also some mock-ups of a possible 'wifi page' etc., but I lost the link :/

      --
      43rd Law of Computing:
      Anything that can go wr
      fortune: Segmentation violation -- Core Dumped
    2. Re:Here are more concepts for the Revolution by pnice · · Score: 1

      They were emailed to me from a friend without anything else in the message. I'll find out.

      --
      My Xbox Live Gamer Card
  9. I'm not sure -- by goodenoughnickname · · Score: 1

    Was the Concept created for IGN by Tim Forbrook (Paladin69, IGN Boards)? Can someone fill me in on this?

  10. Put's Halo to shame... by nmaster64 · · Score: 1
    lol, I can see it now...
    "Nintendo's for kids, eh? :click-click: This shotgun pointed at your head says otherwise."

    lol, but, anyway. Yeah, I'm sold on ANY system that lets me play Duck Hunt. But why no Super Scope mock-ups? Did anyone other than me have a Super Scope back in the SNES days? I loved that thing, it was like a friggin' Bazooka. And anything involving a bazooka is just plain good fun...

    1. Re:Put's Halo to shame... by bleaknik · · Score: 1

      I loved the SS6. Although that Tetris game was frustrating... what was that called?

      --
      Deja Vu
      n. 1. The sensation that you've read this very article before.
    2. Re:Put's Halo to shame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know? I don't think the kiddy things come from the games.

      I used to, but then I started looking at the console itself. Classic Preschool design. Not edgy or cool looking, in fact its probably quite an eyesore compared to its PS2 and Xbox counterparts.

      Plus the controller, thats going to be the most recognized part. Think about the revolution, ps3, and xbox360.. only one of which strikes me as "kiddy" from a design perspective.

      As much as I love the Gamecube, and Revolution, I wish they'd make it look like more than a kids console, so I can put it in my living room without laughter from my friends.

    3. Re:Put's Halo to shame... by kaptron · · Score: 1

      Damn, your friends are superficial. I never laughed at someone for owning a gamecube because of the way it looked.

    4. Re:Put's Halo to shame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Blastris

    5. Re:Put's Halo to shame... by nmaster64 · · Score: 1

      Blastris! lol, that game was just annoying...

    6. Re:Put's Halo to shame... by Meagermanx · · Score: 1

      Me neither. I laugh at them for the way it plays.
      I'm just kidding, of course.
      I really laugh at them because of the Gamecube controller. Have you seen that thing? It's hilarious.

  11. Duck Hunt? Popular? by bleaknik · · Score: 1

    Was Duck Hunt ever really that popular? I mean... if it didn't come with the system and Mario, would anyone have bought it?

    --
    Deja Vu
    n. 1. The sensation that you've read this very article before.
  12. No More Flashing by MBCook · · Score: 1
    Besides the resurgence of the light-gun games (which have been almost non-existant on consoles, despite great games like Point Blank), the thing I'm looking forward to most is NO MORE STUPID SCREEN FLASHES WHEN YOU SHOOT.

    I understand how light guns work, and that the flash is basically necessary to figure out where you shot, but they have always annoyed me and caused major eye strain. Even on the PlayStation (the last light-gun games I owned were Point Blank and Time Crisis) it still happened because it was the same old gun technology.

    I can't wait to play without being assaulted with white frames every time I shoot.

    PS: I would LOVE them to re-make duckhunt. Besides the old kinds (ducks and skeet), they could add in target practice (like Point Blank), give you options of using Bows and Arrows (would change the way you shot), etc.

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    1. Re:No More Flashing by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      Yea right. Like you would not see a flash if you shot with a real gun!

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    2. Re:No More Flashing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      The Revolution controller uses a base station to track your movement, so a flashing screen is uneccesary, as is mentioned in the IGN article.

    3. Re:No More Flashing by cornface · · Score: 1

      The Revolution controller uses a base station to track your movement, so a flashing screen is uneccesary, as is mentioned in the IGN article.

      Shockingly, it was also the reason the original poster gave for looking forward to the new Revolution controller.

    4. Re:No More Flashing by Pxtl · · Score: 0

      I'm surprised nobody's doubting this. This is IGN for shit's sake - not the IEEE. Do we really trust them to know the abilities of technology?

      Think about it this way - even if the Rev has 100% position information about your controller (which I doubt - I'll bet it's very coarse) there's still the problem that it doesn't know exactly where your TV is, or it's dimensions.

      People just assume that this thing is the perfect lightgun because it sounds plausible - but that's like saying a ball mouse could be used as a tachometer for a car.

    5. Re:No More Flashing by IpalindromeI · · Score: 1

      The articles that came out when the controller was revealed stated that you needed to place a small sensor on each side of your TV. As long as you place the sensors correctly, it would know exactly where your TV is, as well as its dimensions.

      --

      --
      Promoting critical thinking since 1994.
    6. Re:No More Flashing by Pxtl · · Score: 1

      I doubt that's enough information for targetting still, unless those sensors are placed at the exact edges of the screen. Consider what happens if your TV has a wider box and you attach the sensors to the side - the 3 inches on either side of the TV that are casing and not screen on your box are different from the 5 inches on your neighbor's LCD TV. Even 1 inch can be the difference between a hit or a miss. I could see pre-game calibration being a possible, but annoying, solution.

      Either way, I still doubt that the controller has that level of granularity of angle.

    7. Re:No More Flashing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, yes, it is plausible. The Revolution controller is an input device. A light gun is an input device. That alone means that they could accomplish the same thing on some level. Now let's look at your counterexample. A ball mouse, likewise, is an input device. A tachometer, however, is a measuring device. This, I believe, is where your whole simile falls apart. I can indeed imagine a way to use a mouse as a tachometer, but it would not fulfill any need.

      The Revolution controller, on the other hand, does fulfill a need when used as a light gun. Modern light guns, to the best of my knowledge, only work with CRT displays. I suppose the old Zapper-style light guns would still work on just about any display, but they're not very good. The Revolution controller, on the other hand, is not limited by display type, so it will work equally well with LCD, plasma, DLP, and CRT displays, even projectors. The only catch is that the position/motion tracking would have to accurate enough for it to work, but everything I've read so far suggests that it is. If you don't think it will be, you should share your reasons for doubting it.

  13. I see other games... by kabocox · · Score: 1

    Lets see, we'll have duck hunt, deer hunt, rabbit hunt, squirrel hunt, and pokemon hunt. We'll have whack a mole, whack a gopher, or whack a random Nintendo hero/villian. We'll have several young mage with a wand games. We'll have several games like Zelda with bow & arrows.

    1. Re:I see other games... by tepples · · Score: 1

      Lets see, we'll have duck hunt, deer hunt, rabbit hunt, squirrel hunt, and pokemon hunt.

      Don't you mean Pokemon Snap?

    2. Re:I see other games... by kabocox · · Score: 1

      Don't you mean Pokemon Snap?

      Uh, you may want to take pictures of 'em but I'd like to shoot 'em. Pokemon was o.k. to begin with, but then it just got annoying. Heck, there are times that I'd like to shoot any number of my favorite video game characters. We could shoot at Mario, Samus, Link, Zelda, and all those minor background characters. ;)

      Of course I'm an adult and I'd like to take out my aggression on defensless video game characters. (I definitely wouldn't want to think about trying to unlock and whack to death one of FFs super tough bosses. Could you imagine having to to hit the monster area where you have to actually swing your sword as many times as you attack? Damn, FF would be a heavily fitness oriented game if that were so.)

  14. Why not on other consoles as well? by RebelScum · · Score: 1

    Is there any reason why someone couldn't develop a controller like this for the other systems (Xbox 360, PS3)? They have some sensors that you place next to your TV screen, and I'll assume you'd need to calibrate it, but why can't any system have this? Of course, since it's not the "standard" controller, only some games would be able to use it, but if it was successful enough, especially among gun games like Silent Scope, it would become the "standard" gun controller for the other systems. It would just need to send back to the system the X,Y coordinates of the shot. Pretty simple stuff, really.

    1. Re:Why not on other consoles as well? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really? Wow! When will you be finished making it? Oh wait...

    2. Re:Why not on other consoles as well? by owyn999 · · Score: 1

      Well for starters I think it has something to do with a patent of some kind...

      --
      Where's that cap to the Decanter of Endless water???
    3. Re:Why not on other consoles as well? by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 1

      Because here in the western world we have this thing called a patent system. Which means if I think of a really cool idea for something, I get to profit off of it exclusively for 25 years.

      In the case of the rev's controller, those patents are owned by Nintendo and their partners(such as gyration, which nintendo both owns an unspecified amount of and has an exclusive licensing deal with). This means no one is going to be able to rip this thing off flat out, they'd have to figure out a way to do it in a completely different way.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
  15. Franchise? by Digital+Vomit · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The gun would be a natural fit for Nintendo's Duck Hunt franchise,

    One game made twenty years ago counts as a franchise?

    --
    Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
  16. A Shotgun? I give you a shotgun... by Seraphim_72 · · Score: 1


    Why on earth would I want a shotgun, when I can use a BFG instead??

    --
    Slashdot, where armchair scientists get shouted down and armchair theologians get modded up.
  17. GunCon? by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 1

    Seeing as it's fashionable to point out even the most obscure errors in Slashdot stories, I should point out that GunCon is Namco's trademark for their PlayStation and PlayStation 2 lightguns. Something like lightgun or gun controller would be a more appropriate generic term. (I'm not sure if a Revolution controller based gun would actually be a "lightgun").

    Anyway, everyone knows that the Menacer is the ultimate name for a lightgun, folowed by such classics as the Light Phaser, Zapper and Super Scope. Peripherals - they don't name'em like they used to.

    --
    10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
    20 GOTO 10
  18. Revolution X? by wikthemighty · · Score: 2, Funny

    Revolution X

    I could just see it happening...

    --
    "There are people who do not love their fellow human being, and I _hate_ people like that!" - Tom Lehrer