LaserScope
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Distinguish". Template:Infobox information appliance The Konami LaserScope is a head-mounted light gun used with and licensed for the Nintendo Entertainment System. By speaking into an attached microphone, players can "fire" the device from a scope that hangs in front of the player's right eye. A transparent eyepiece with a crosshair aids aiming. The LaserScope also features switches that allow players to channel game audio through attached earpieces.[1][2]
The LaserScope was originally designed for the game Laser Invasion and also works with any game compatible with the NES Zapper. In addition, players could detach the LaserScope's "scope module" and use the headphones with any stereo system.
Intended to evoke pilots' headgear and provide an immersive experience, the LaserScope received mediocre reviews on release and is now considered an example of the glut of low-quality peripherals for the NES.[3]
Reception
Early reviews for the LaserScope were unenthusiastic and highlighted multiple design flaws. Reviewers noted that the microphone required players to "shout fairly loudly" to be registered and was activated by any loud noise (not only "Fire!" as instructions stated). This loud shouting was considered awkward, especially if the player was using the device as headphones in an otherwise quiet room. Because players aimed by pointing their head, the device was also seen as physically tiring compared to the handheld Zapper.[4][5]
Page Template:Quote box/styles.css has no content.
"There's that tier of NES peripherals that are these weird, optional things, like the LaserScope [...] You're just playing the same video games with flimsier, fudgier controls."
Despite these problems, the LaserScope functioned as intended. According to one reviewer, it was "a little gimmicky, but it works."[4]
The LaserScope has appeared on lists of odd, obscure, or "worst" video game devices and has been remembered as uncomfortable and poorly designed.[7][8][9] A GameSpy retrospective claimed it was among the "silliest" peripherals released for the NES,[3] and James Rolfe made light of the LaserScope in an episode of The Angry Video Game Nerd by using swear words to fire the device.[10]
References
Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
forbeswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Herman, Leonard (1997). Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Video Games. Rolenta Press. pp. 153–154. ISBN 978-0-9643848-2-8.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Christian Nutt & Benjamin Turner. "Nintendo Famicom: 20 Years of Fun!". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 21 June 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lundrigan, Jeff (January 1991). "Nintendo News: Konami Laserscope". Game Players: 24–25. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Poole, Stephen (July 1991). "Laser Invasion". Game Players: 72. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gerstmann, Jeff. "Metal Gear is Back! Ranking the NES, Episode 108". YouTube. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Edwards, Benj (18 October 2010). "Nintendo Entertainment System Oddities". Technologizer. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ward, Dick (Winter 2009–2010). "Six Feet Under: Accessories". Video Game Trader: 92. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."EGM Flashback". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 12, no. 120. July 1999. p. 114. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Angry Video Game Nerd (24 November 2009). "NES Accessories - Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN)". YouTube. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found.
