2025 Mar 14, 09:38
Since 2019, the Sinden Light Gun has been making waves as the first and only contemporary light gun that works on modern TVs and displays. However, its creator, Andy Sinden, has a bigger vision in mind. He aims to not only make this product an easy way to play your favorite light gun games on a high-definition TV, but also to fully revive a niche and otherwise forgotten sub-genre of games. Sinden's development priorities for the Sinden Light Gun involve expanding its support to more hardware, emulators, and games. This includes finding ways to work directly on old consoles such as NES, PS2, and Dreamcast, as well as supporting popular emulation devices like Steam Deck and MiSTer FPGA
Sinden aims to collaborate with emulator developers to add light gun support to new emulators, and work with developers and publishers to bring more light gun-compatible games to platforms like Steam. Ultimately, Sinden's goal is to have the Sinden Light Gun work natively on both old and new consoles, including the Xbox Series X/S and PS5. While he initially hoped for a partnership with big console companies like Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo, Sinden remains hopeful that modern console gamers will have access to their favorite light gun games. The Sinden Light Gun, originally released in 2020, continues to be a work-in-progress. However, it already boasts some impressive features. With a built-in 480p webcam and its own software, the light gun can calculate your aiming position using a thin border added to your display
The peripheral also includes a five-meter cable, two remappable buttons on each side, a D-Pad, and a reload pump. Additionally, customers have the option to purchase a light gun with or without recoil functionality, adding an extra layer of immersion. Despite its many strengths, the Sinden Light Gun comes with a few caveats. It primarily supports PC, Linux, and Raspberry Pi, and can be a bit more challenging to set up on older consoles like the PS1 and PS2. However, Sinden has plans to add full support for these consoles, as well as the original Xbox, using a plug-and-play adapter
Looking further ahead, Sinden aims to have the light gun working natively on Dreamcast, NES, and Saturn by 2025. Siden's ultimate goal is to fully bring back the light gun genre, which has been dormant for far too long. Traditional light gun games have become outdated, especially as they were designed for older TVs that are incompatible with modern HD displays. While alternative options like the Wii, PS3's GunCon, and Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons have tried to fill the gap, they lack the precision and compatibility of the Sinden Light Gun. By demonstrating that good light guns without any extra hardware complications are possible on modern televisions, Sinden hopes to pave the way for a revival of the light gun genre in modern gaming. Although he hasn't achieved this goal just yet, his determination and hope for a brighter future for light gun games remain strong.